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US 8,350,782 B2Granted
Modulating thickness of colored fluid in color display
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsJurgen Hans Daniel, Michael Bassler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An embodiment is a display unit. The display unit includes a substrate layer, a layer of colored fluid on the substrate layer, and a transparent actuator element on the layer of the colored fluid. The layer of colored fluid has a thickness and a color. The transparent actuator element modulates the thickness of the colored fluid upon activated by a force such that the colored fluid is changed from a first state to a second state or vice versa. The modulated thickness provides a variable optical density of the colored fluid.
Claims13
An apparatus comprising:
- a substrate layer;
- a layer of colored fluid on the substrate layer, the layer of colored fluid having a thickness and a color;
- and
- a transparent actuator element on the layer of the colored fluid to modulate the thickness of the colored fluid upon being activated by a force such that the colored fluid is changed from a first state to a second state or vice versa, the modulated thickness providing a variable optical density of the colored fluid,
- wherein the force is caused by a shape-memory actuator, and
- wherein the shape-memory actuator comprises:
- a cam structure shaped to fit a cam head on the transparent actuator element, and
- a wire assembly made of shape memory compound and looping through the cam structure, the wire assembly causing a horizontal movement of the cam structure when an electrical current is applied, the horizontal movement of the cam structure causing a vertical movement of the transparent actuator element.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- stacking a plurality of layers of colored fluid on each other, each of the colored fluid having a color and a thickness and being on a substrate layer;
- and
- activating a force on a transparent actuator element on each of the layers of the colored fluid to modulate the thickness such that the colored fluid is changed from a first state to a second state or vice versa, the modulated thickness providing a variable optical density of the colored fluid,
- wherein activating the force comprises:
- applying the force being a shape-memory actuator, and
- wherein the shape-memory actuator comprises:
- a cam structure shaped to fit a cam head on the transparent actuator element, and
- a wire assembly made of shape memory compound and looping through the cam structure, the wire assembly causing a horizontal movement of the cam structure when an electrical current is applied, the horizontal movement of the cam structure causing a vertical movement of the transparent actuator element.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- depositing a layer of colored fluid on a substrate layer, the layer of colored fluid having a thickness and a color;
- forming a transparent actuator element on the layer of the colored fluid;
- and
- forming an actuation mechanism to create a force causing movement of the transparent actuator element when activated, the movement of the transparent actuator element modulating the thickness of the layer of colored fluid such that the colored fluid is changed from a first state to a second state or vice versa, the modulated thickness providing a variable optical density of the colored fluid,
- wherein forming the transparent actuator element comprises forming a shape-memory actuator,
- wherein the shape-memory actuator comprises:
- a cam structure shaped to fit a cam head on the transparent actuator element, and
- a wire assembly made of shape memory compound and looping through the cam structure, the wire assembly causing a horizontal movement of the cam structure when an electrical current is applied, the horizontal movement of the cam structure causing a vertical movement of the transparent actuator element.
5 more elements
A display unit comprising:
- top and bottom substrates;
- a stacked of component color blocks representing colors used in a color scheme, each component color block and comprising:
- a substrate layer,
- a layer of colored fluid on the substrate layer, the layer of colored fluid having a thickness and a color, and
- a transparent actuator element on the layer of the colored fluid to modulate the thickness of the colored fluid upon being activated by a force such that the colored fluid is changed from a first state to a second state or vice versa, the modulated thickness providing a variable optical density of the colored fluid,
- wherein the force is caused by a shape-memory actuator, and
- wherein the shape-memory actuator comprises:
- a cam structure shaped to fit a cam head on the transparent actuator element, and
- a wire assembly made of shape memory compound and looping through the cam structure, the wire assembly causing a horizontal movement of the cam structure when an electrical current is applied, the horizontal movement of the cam structure causing a vertical movement of the transparent actuator element.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.