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US 6,247,820 B1Granted
Electro-optic mirror with contrasting display
AssigneeJohnson Controls Technology Company
InventorKim Van Order
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electro-optic display system includes a display patterned on at least one of the conductive layers of an electro-optic device. Voltages can be applied to individual display segments of the display to create a contrast with the rest of the electro-optic medium to enable information to be displayed. In a preferred embodiment this display is incorporated into a rearview mirror of a vehicle to display information during day and night conditions.
Claims36
An electro-optic display comprising:
- a pair of spaced transparent conductive layers having an electro-optic medium between said layers;
- a first voltage source for applying a first electric field across said conductive layers for changing the light transmission characteristics of said medium;
- a display defined by individual conductive display elements patterned on one of said conductive layers each of said elements being surrounded by a non-conductive border;
- and
- a display driver coupled to each of said display elements for selectively applying voltages to individual ones of said display elements of said one conductive layer to create an electric field between said elements and said other conductive layer different than said first electric field to provide a contrasting display.
2 more elements
An electro-optic display comprising:
- a pair of spaced transparent conductive layers having an electro-optic medium between said layers;
- a first voltage source for applying a first electric field across said conductive layers for changing the light transmission characteristics of said medium;
- a display defined by individual conductive display elements patterned on both of said conductive layers, each of said elements surrounded by a non-conductive border;
- and
- a display driver and relatively thin conductors coupling said display driver to each of said display elements for creating an electric field across said display elements different than said first electric field to provide a contrasting display.
2 more elements
An electro-optic mirror display system comprising:
- front and rear conductive layers of transparent conductive material, wherein at least one of said conductive layers of material is patterned to form a display consisting of individual display segments of transparent conductive material surrounded by non-conductive borders;
- an electro-optic medium positioned between and attached to said conductive layers, said medium capable of changing its light transmission characteristics when an electric field is applied across said conductive layers;
- a first voltage source connected to said conductive layers;
- a reflective layer attached to one of said optically transparent layers of conductive material to define a mirror;
- and
- a display driver connected to said individual display segments of said display for supplying voltages to said individual display segments that are selected by said display driver to provide a contrasting display.
3 more elements
An electro-optic mirror including an integral display comprising:
- first and second parallel, spaced-apart transparent plates having facing conductive layers with an electro-optic medium therebetween such that application of a first electric field across said conductive layers changes the light transmission characteristics of said medium;
- a reflective layer positioned behind one of said plates to define a mirror;
- and
- one of said conductive layers patterned to define at least one conductive display element which is electrically isolated by a border of non-conductive material from said one conductive layer such that a contrasting display is provided by said element when an electric field different than said first electric field is applied between said element and said other conductive layer.
1 more element
An electro-optic mirror including an integral display comprising:
- first and second parallel, spaced-apart transparent plates having facing conductive layers with an electro-optic medium therebetween such that application of a first electric field across said conductive layers changes the light transmission characteristics of said medium;
- a reflective layer positioned behind one of said plates to define a mirror;
- and
- both of said conductive layers patterned to define conductive display elements which face one another and which are electrically isolated from said conductive layers by borders of non-conductive material such that a contrasting display is provided by said elements when an electric field different than said first electric field is applied between said elements.
1 more element
An electro-optic display system comprising:
- front and rear conductive layers of transparent conductive material, each layer having a first side and a second side, said conductive material patterned by non-conductive borders to define a display consisting of individual display elements of transparent conductive material in at least one of said conductive layers;
- an electro-optic medium positioned between said first sides of said conductive layers, said medium capable of changing its light transmission characteristics when an electric field is applied across said conductive layers;
- a front optically transparent substrate attached to said second side of said front conductive layer;
- a rear optically transparent substrate having a first side and a second side, said first side attached to said second side of said rear conductive layer;
- a reflective layer of material applied to said second side of said rear substrate to define a mirror;
- and
- thin electrical conductors patterned in said conductive material for coupling each of said display elements to a source of electrical signals representing information to be displayed which provides a different electrical field than said first named field to provide a contrasting display.
4 more elements
An electro-optic rearview mirror and display for a vehicle comprising:
- a rearview mirror housing for mounting to a vehicle;
- and
- a mirror assembly mounted within said housing, said assembly comprising first and second parallel, spaced-apart transparent plates having facing conductive layers with an electro-optic medium therebetween such that application of a first electric field across said conductive layers changes the light transmission characteristics of said medium, a reflective layer positioned behind one of said plates to define a mirror, wherein the improvement comprises one of said conductive layers patterned by a non-conductive border to define at least one conductive display element which is electrically isolated from said one conductive layer such that a contrasting display is provided by said element when an electric field different than said first electric field is applied between said element and said other conductive layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.