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US 8,847,855 B2Granted
Modulating thickness of colored fluid in color display
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsJurgen Hans Daniel, Michael Bassler
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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.
Claims17
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;
- 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 transparent actuator element comprises a structure coupled to an electro-active polymer (EAP);
- and
- an electrode attached to the substrate layer,
- wherein the electro-active polymer (EAP) is positioned between the electrode and the actuator element to move the actuator element vertically when a voltage applied to the electrode to cause the EAP contract or expand by ion diffusion through the electrolyte.
3 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 the transparent actuator element comprises a structure coupled to an electro-active polymer (EAP), and
- wherein activating the force comprises:
- applying a voltage to an electrode to cause ion diffusion through an electrolyte that causes contraction or expansion of the electro-active polymer (EAP),
- wherein the electro-active polymer (EAP) is positioned between the electrode and the actuator element to move the actuator element vertically when a voltage applied to the electrode.
4 more elements
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;
- 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 transparent actuator element being an electro-active expanding polymer;
- and
- a seal substrate and walls to enclose in a chamber the actuator element and the colored fluid in the first state and in the second state.
2 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 the transparent actuator element being an expanding polymer,
- wherein a seal substrate and walls encloses in a chamber the actuator element and the colored fluid in the first state and in the second state.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.