# US 10,373,549 B2 · Display on a stretchable substrate > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,549 B2 - Document ID: US10373549B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/922,898 - Filed: 2018-03-15 - Published: 2018-07-19 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-06 - Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Applicants: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges; Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen; David Sweeney; Anja Thieme; Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl; Helene Steiner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373549B2 ## CPC - G09G 3/2092: {Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto (suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165)} - B32B 3/266: {characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12} - G06F 1/1652: {the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable} - G09G 3/2088: {with use of a plurality of processors, each processor controlling a number of individual elements of the matrix} - H10D 86/411: {characterised by materials, geometry or structure of the substrates} - H10D 86/60: wherein the TFTs are in active matrices - H10F 39/107: {having multiple elements covered by H10F30/00 in a repetitive configuration, e.g. radiation detectors comprising photodiode arrays} - B32B 2255/00: Coating on the layer surface - B32B 2307/202: Conductive - B32B 2457/20: Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays - G09G 2300/0469: Details of the physics of pixel operation - G09G 2360/141: the light conveying information used for selecting or modulating the light emitting or modulating element - H10F 30/20: the devices having potential barriers, e.g. phototransistors - H10F 55/10: wherein the radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices control the electric light source, e.g. image converters, image amplifiers or image storage devices - H10K 2102/311: {Flexible OLED} - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) - B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES ## Abstract A display comprises a plurality of autonomous pixels on a stretchable substrate. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus. The stretchable substrate comprises a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, where the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas and each control element of an autonomous pixel is located in or on a less elastic region of the stretchable substrate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A display comprising: a plurality of autonomous pixels on a stretchable substrate, at least one of the plurality of pixels comprising: a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus and the stretchable substrate comprising a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, wherein the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas, and wherein the control element is located in or on one of the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A display according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable substrate comprises: a uniformly stretchable layer; and a layer of variable thickness attached to at least one face of the uniformly stretchable layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A display according to claim 2, wherein the layer of variable thickness comprises regions of a first thickness separated by areas of a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and the regions of the first thickness correspond to the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) A display according to claim 2, wherein the layer of variable thickness comprises regions with no apertures separated by areas with one or more apertures, wherein the regions with the one or more apertures correspond to the stretchable areas of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A display according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable substrate comprises: a uniformly stretchable layer; and a layer of variable stretchiness formed from a plurality of different materials with different material properties. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A display according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable substrate comprises regions of a first thickness separated by areas of a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and the regions of the first thickness correspond to the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A display according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable substrate comprises: a uniformly stretchable layer; and a layer of material which changes stretchiness when exposed to heat, UV or light. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A display according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable substrate is formed from a material which changes stretchiness when exposed to heat, UV or light. ### Claim 9 A method of fabricating a display comprising a plurality of pixels, the method comprising: forming a stretchable substrate comprising a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, wherein the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas; and forming a plurality of pixels on the stretchable substrate, at least one of the plurality of pixels comprising a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus and wherein the control element is located in or on one of the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, wherein forming a stretchable substrate comprises: attaching a layer of variable thickness to at least one face of a uniformly stretchable layer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, wherein the layer of variable thickness comprises regions of a first thickness separated by areas of a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and the regions of the first thickness correspond to the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, wherein the layer of variable thickness comprises regions with no apertures separated by areas with one or more apertures, wherein the regions with the one or more apertures correspond to the stretchable areas of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, wherein forming a stretchable substrate comprises: selectively removing material from at least one face of a uniformly stretchable layer to form a layer of variable thickness comprising regions of a first thickness separated by areas of a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and the regions of the first thickness correspond to the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, wherein forming a stretchable substrate comprises: applying a layer of material to a uniformly stretchable layer, wherein the material changes stretchiness when exposed to heat, UV or light; and selectively exposing regions of the material to form the less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas. ### Claim 15 A method of fabricating a display comprising a plurality of pixels, the method comprising: forming a plurality of pixels on a uniformly stretchable layer, at least one of the plurality of pixels comprising a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus; and adding material to or removing material from the uniformly stretchable layer to form a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, wherein the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas and wherein the control element is located in or on one of the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, wherein adding material to or removing material from the uniformly stretchable layer comprises: attaching a layer of variable thickness to at least one face of a uniformly stretchable layer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A method according to claim 16, wherein the layer of variable thickness comprises regions of a first thickness separated by areas of a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and the regions of the first thickness correspond to the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) A method according to claim 16, wherein the layer of variable thickness comprises regions with no apertures separated by areas with one or more apertures, wherein the regions with the one or more apertures correspond to the stretchable areas of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, wherein adding material to or removing material from the uniformly stretchable layer comprises: selectively removing material from at least one face of the uniformly stretchable layer to form a layer of variable thickness comprising regions of a first thickness separated by areas of a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and the regions of the first thickness correspond to the less elastic regions of the stretchable substrate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, wherein adding material to or removing material from the uniformly stretchable layer comprises: applying a layer of material to the uniformly stretchable layer, wherein the material changes stretchiness when exposed to heat, UV and/or light; and selectively exposing regions of the material to form the less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas.