Patents by Inventor Zhibing Ge

Zhibing Ge has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9001280
    Abstract: Methods and devices for shielding displays from electrostatic discharge (ESD) are provided. In one example, a display of an electronic device may include a high resistivity shielding layer configured to protect electrical components from static charges. The display may also include a conductive layer electrically coupled to the high resistivity shielding layer and configured to decrease a discharge time of static charges from the high resistivity shielding layer. The display may include a grounding layer and a conductor electrically coupled between the conductive layer and the grounding layer to direct static charges from the conductive layer to the grounding layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ming Xu, Zhibing Ge, Cheng-Ho Yu, Cheng Chen, Abbas Jamshidi-Roudbari, Lynn Richard Youngs
  • Patent number: 8988334
    Abstract: Present techniques involve methods and systems of inversion patterns for pixels in a display. Inversion techniques involve driving image signals having a first polarity to data lines of a pixel matrix during a first time period and driving image signals having an opposite polarity to the data lines during a second time period. In some embodiments, the pixels may be configured to have electrodes having only two finger electrodes, thus widening the distance between electrodes and decreasing the susceptibility for crosstalk between pixels. In some embodiments, horizontal cross-talk of electromagnetic fields between pixels may be further reduced by configuring the data line driving scheme such that voltage polarity is flipped for the pixels along every two, three, or more data line columns. Furthermore, a Z inversion pattern may be employed to reduce the occurrence of undesirable display artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhibing Ge, Yongman Lee, Shih Chang Chang, Cheng Chen, Hopil Bae, Ming Xu, Shawn Robert Gettemy, Wei H. Yao
  • Publication number: 20140327851
    Abstract: A display may include one or more display pixels in an array of pixels. A display pixel may include a storage capacitor chat stores a pixel data signal. The storage capacitor may be formed from a pixel electrode structure, a capacitor electrode structure, and a common electrode structure that is interposed between the pixel electrode structure and capacitor electrode structures. Each electrode structure may be formed from transparent conductive materials deposited on respective display layers. The pixel electrode structure and capacitor electrode structure may be electrically coupled by a conductive via structure that extends through the display layers without contacting the common electrode structure. The conductive via structure may contact underlying transistor structures such as a source-drain structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Zhibing GE, Lei ZHAO, Ming-Chin HUNG, Szu-Hsien LEE, Cheng CHEN, Shih-Chang CHANG
  • Patent number: 8836879
    Abstract: Displays such as liquid crystal displays may be provided with structures that minimize curtain mura. A display may have upper and lower polarizers. A color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer may be located between the upper and lower polarizers. A liquid crystal layer may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A first optical film layer that includes a birefringent compensating layer may be located between the upper polarizer and the color filter layer. A second optical film layer that is devoid of birefringent compensating layers may be located between the thin film transistor layer and the lower polarizer. A grid of metal signal lines may be used to distribute signals to thin film transistors on the thin film transistor layer. A black mask may be interposed between the grid of signal lines and the thin film transistor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhibing Ge, Diane L. Culbert, David A. Doyle, Jun Qi, Cheng Chen, Shawn R. Gettemy
  • Patent number: 8786586
    Abstract: Updating an image of a display is provided by scanning rows of sub-pixels of the display by applying voltages to pixel electrodes of adjacent sub-pixels in different lines such that polarity changes in opposite directions can occur in two sub-pixels that are adjacent to a particular sub-pixel. In one example, a positive-polarity voltage can be applied to one sub-pixel that is adjacent to a particular sub-pixel, causing a swing in the polarity of the sub-pixel from negative to positive. A negative-polarity voltage can be applied to another sub-pixel that is adjacent to the particular sub-pixel, swinging the polarity of the pixel electrode from positive to negative. A change in brightness of the particular sub-pixel that may result from a voltage swing one direction in an adjacent sub-pixel may be offset by a change in brightness of the particular sub-pixel that may result from a voltage swing in another adjacent sub-pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hopil Bae, Zhibing Ge
  • Patent number: 8755010
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display such as a liquid crystal display. The display may have multiple layers of material such as a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer. An opaque masking layer may be formed on a display layer such as the color filter layer. In an inactive portion of the display, the opaque masking layer may form a rectangular ring that serves as a border region surrounding a rectangular active portion of the display. In the active portion of the display, the opaque masking layer may be patterned to from an opaque matrix that separates color filter elements in an array of color filter elements. The opaque masking layer and color filter elements may be formed from polymers such as photoresist. The opaque masking layer may include a black pigment such as carbon black. Color filter elements and opaque masking material may include multiple sublayers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Young Cheol Yang, Cheng Chen, Ming Xu, Zhibing Ge, Chia-Ching Chu, Mingxia Gu, Young-Bae Park, Weimin Liu, EnkhAmgalan Dorjgotov, John Z. Zhong, Lynn R. Youngs
  • Patent number: 8717345
    Abstract: Pre-charging display screen sub-pixels, such as aggressor sub-pixels, prior to the application of a target data voltage to the aggressor sub-pixels is provided. In some examples, a target voltage of a sub-pixel in a previous row in the scanning order of the display can be used to pre-charge sub-pixels. The row of sub-pixels to be pre-charged can be switched on during the updating of another row of sub-pixels. In this way, for example, target voltages applied to data lines while an update row is connected to the data lines, e.g., to update the update row, can be applied to the row to be pre-charged as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hopil Bae, Marduke Yousefpor, Zhibing Ge
  • Patent number: 8692948
    Abstract: Displays such as liquid crystal displays may be used in electronic devices. During operation of a display, electrostatic charges on the surface of the display may give rise to electric fields. One or more electric field shielding layers may be provided in the display to prevent the electric fields from disrupting operation of the liquid crystals material in the display. The shielding layers may be formed at a location in the stack of layers that make up the display that is above the liquid crystal material of the display. Touch sensors and thin film transistors may be located below the shielding layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Young-Bae Park, Ming Xu, Zhibing Ge, Cheng Chen, Shih Chang Chang, Shawn R. Gettemy, Joshua G. Wurzel, John Z. Zhong
  • Patent number: 8648845
    Abstract: With respect to liquid crystal display inversion schemes, a large change in voltage on a data line can affect the voltages on adjacent data lines due to capacitive coupling between data lines. The resulting change in voltage on these adjacent data lines can give rise to visual artifacts in the data lines' corresponding sub-pixels. Various embodiments of the present disclosure serve to prevent or reduce persisting visual artifacts by offsetting their effects or by distributing their presence among different colored sub-pixels. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished by using different write sequences during the update of a row of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shih Chang Chang, Cheng Ho Yu, Zhibing Ge, Hopil Bae
  • Publication number: 20130329171
    Abstract: Methods and devices for shielding displays from electrostatic discharge (ESD) are provided. In one example, a display of an electronic device may include a high resistivity shielding layer configured to protect electrical components from static charges. The display may also include a conductive layer electrically coupled to the high resistivity shielding layer and configured to decrease a discharge time of static charges from the high resistivity shielding layer. The display may include a grounding layer and a conductor electrically coupled between the conductive layer and the grounding layer to direct static charges from the conductive layer to the grounding layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Ming Xu, Zhibing Ge, Cheng-Ho Yu, Cheng Chen, Abbas Jamshidi-Roudbari, Lynn Richard Youngs
  • Publication number: 20130241960
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for performing column inversion using reordered image data are provided. In one example, an electronic display may include a display panel with columns of pixels and driver circuitry to drive the pixels using column inversion. The driver circuitry may drive pixels of a first superpixel in a first color order and drive pixels of an adjacent second superpixel in a second color order, such that more pixels are driven sequentially at a common polarity than would have been driven sequentially at the common polarity were the pixels of the first superpixel driven at the same color order as the pixels of the second superpixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Ming Xu, Zhibing Ge, Shih Chang Chang, Cheng Chen, Hopil Bae, Shawn Robert Gettemy, Wei H. Yao
  • Publication number: 20130241959
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for reducing the loss of transmittance caused by column inversion. To provide one example, an electronic display may include a display panel with columns of pixels and driver circuitry to drive the pixels using column inversion. Adjacent columns that are driven at like polarity are spaced more closely than adjacent columns driven at opposite polarities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Zhibing Ge, Shih Chang Chang, Cheng Chen, Hopil Bae, Ming Xu, Shawn Robert Gettemy, Wei H. Yao
  • Publication number: 20130241958
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for column inversion are provided. In one example, an electronic display may include a display panel having columns of pixels and display driver circuitry. The display driver circuitry may include source amplifiers and demultiplexers. Each demultiplexer may channel data output by at least one source amplifier to one of three columns of pixels. The display driver circuitry may drive the display panel according to a 3-column inversion scheme using one source amplifier per demultiplexer per frame of image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Hopil Bae, Zhibing Ge, Shih Chang Chang, Cheng Chen, Ming Xu, Shawn Robert Gettemy, Wei H. Yao
  • Publication number: 20130241901
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for performing column inversion using 2-column demultiplexers are provided. In one example, an electronic display may include a display panel with columns of pixels configured to be programmed with frames of image data and display driver circuitry. The display driver circuitry may include three demultiplexers, each respectively coupled to one pixel column of a first superpixel and one pixel column of a second superpixel. Each of the three demultiplexers may receive amplified image data of a single polarity per frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Hopil Bae, Zhibing Ge, Shih Chang Chang, Cheng Chen, Ming Xu, Shawn Robert Gettemy, Wei H. Yao
  • Publication number: 20130241900
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for adjusting a white point of a liquid crystal display (LCD) using column inversion are provided. In one example, a method includes measuring white points of an electronic display that occur when the display employs different column inversion schemes. The display may be programmed to perform the column inversion scheme that produces a white point closest to a desired white point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Zhibing Ge, Shih Chang Chang, Cheng Chen, Hopil Bae, Ming Xu, Shawn Robert Gettemy, Wei H. Yao
  • Publication number: 20130201429
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a liquid crystal display having a backlight and color mixing prevention structures. The color mixing prevention structures may, in part, be formed from one or more arrays of color filter elements. The liquid crystal display may include first and second transparent substrate layers on opposing sides of a liquid crystal layer. The display may include a first array of color filter elements on the first transparent substrate layer and a second array of color filter elements on the second transparent substrate layer. One or more of the arrays of color filter elements may include a black matrix formed over portions of the color filter elements. The color filter elements may fill or partially fill openings in the black matrix. The display may include a collimating layer on the second transparent substrate layer. The color filter elements may include cholesteric color filter elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Inventors: Ming Xu, Shawn R. Gettemy, Young Cheol Yang, Zhibing Ge, Cheng Chen
  • Patent number: 8482686
    Abstract: Display ground plane structures may contain slits. Image pixel electrodes in the display may be arranged in rows and columns. Image pixels in the display may be controlled using gate lines that are associated with the rows and data lines that are associated with the columns. An electric field may be produced by each image pixel electrode that extends through a liquid crystal layer to an associated portion of the ground plane. The slits in the ground plane may have a slit width. Data lines may be located sufficiently below the ground plane and sufficiently out of alignment with the slits to minimize crosstalk from parasitic electric fields. A three-column inversion scheme may be used when driving data line signals into the display, so that pairs of pixels that straddle the slits are each driven with a common polarity. Gate line scanning patterns may be used that enhance display uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Cheng Ho Yu, Ming Xu, Young Bae Park, Zhibing Ge, Daisuke Nozu, Cheng Chen, Abbas Jamshidi Roudbari, Shih Chang Chang, Shawn R. Gettemy
  • Publication number: 20130141343
    Abstract: Common electrodes (Vcom) of integrated touch screens can be segmented into electrically isolated Vcom portions that can be operated as drive lines and/or sense lines of a touch sensing system. The touch screen can include high-resistivity connections between Vcom portions. The resistivity of the high-resistivity connections can be high enough so that touch sensing and image display can be performed by the touch screen, and the high-resistivity connections can provide an added functionality by allowing a charge build up on one of the Vcom portions to be spread to other Vcom portions and/or discharged from system by allowing charge to leak through the high-resistivity connections. In this way, for example, visual artifacts that result from charge build up on a Vcom portion can be reduced or eliminated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Inventors: Cheng-Ho YU, Zhibing Ge, Ming Xu, Shih Chang Chang
  • Publication number: 20130128193
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display such as a liquid crystal display. The display may have multiple layers of material such as a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer. An opaque masking layer may be formed on a display layer such as the color filter layer. In an inactive portion of the display, the opaque masking layer may form a rectangular ring that serves as a border region surrounding a rectangular active portion of the display. In the active portion of the display, the opaque masking layer may be patterned to from an opaque matrix that separates color filter elements in an array of color filter elements. The opaque masking layer and color filter elements may be formed from polymers such as photoresist. The opaque masking layer may include a black pigment such as carbon black. Color filter elements and opaque masking material may include multiple sublayers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: Young Cheol Yang, Cheng Chen, Ming Xu, Zhibing Ge, Chia-Ching Chu, Mingxia Gu, Young-Bae Park, Weimin Liu, EnkhAmgalan Dorjgotov, John Z. Zhong, Lynn R. Youngs
  • Publication number: 20130076600
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to display devices and electronic devices incorporating a data line distribution segment between neighboring pixel electrodes. Specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure employ a uniformly distributed data line distribution segment coupled to a data line so as to cause a substantially uniform data line-to-pixel electrode capacitance with the neighboring pixel electrodes even when the data line is disposed closer to one of the neighboring pixel electrodes than the other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Young Bae Park, Cheng Chen, Shih Chang Chang, Zhibing Ge, John Z. Zhong