# US 9,883,175 B2 · Grating structure, display device and display mode switching method

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- Number: US 9,883,175 B2
- Document ID: US9883175B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/437,143
- Filed: 2014-09-09
- Published: 2016-10-13
- Granted: 2018-01-30
- Earliest claimed: 2014-04-11
- Assignees: Boe Technology Group Co., Ltd.; Beijing Boe Display Technology Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Boe Technology Group Co., Ltd.; Beijing Boe Display Technology Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Chunbing Zhang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9883175B2

## CPC

- H04N 13/359: Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
- G02B 26/004: {based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid}
- G02B 26/026: {based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays (based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167)}
- G02B 30/27: involving lenticular arrays
- G02B 30/31: involving active parallax barriers (involving directional light or back-light sources G02B30/33)
- G02F 1/137: characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering
- G02F 1/167: by electrophoresis
- H04N 13/398: Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
- G02F 1/1676: Electrodes
- G02F 2001/1678: {characterised by the composition or particle type}
- H04N 13/225: using parallax barriers
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS

## Abstract

The present disclosure provides a grating structure, a display device and a display mode switching method. The grating structure includes a light-entering surface, a light-exiting surface, and a plurality of grating units arranged continuously between the light-entering surface and the light-exiting surface. Each grating unit includes: an accommodation chamber; a non-transparent electronic ink received in the accommodation chamber and having a predetermined electric polarity; and a controlling module arranged at a periphery of the accommodation chamber and configured to control a region of the electronic ink in the accommodation chamber. When an electric signal is applied by the controlling module, the electronic ink moves to a corresponding region in the accommodation chamber, and after the electric signal is cancelled by the controlling module, the electronic ink is maintained at the current region. The grating structure supports the switching between 2D and 3D display modes and reduces the power consumption.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A grating structure comprising a light-entering surface, a light-exiting surface, and a plurality of grating units arranged continuously between the light-entering surface and the light-exiting surface; wherein each of the grating units comprises:
an accommodation chamber;
a non-transparent electronic ink received in the accommodation chamber and having a predetermined electric polarity; and
a controlling module arranged at a periphery of the accommodation chamber and configured to control a region of the electronic ink in the accommodation chamber;
wherein when an electric signal is applied by the controlling module, the electronic ink moves to a corresponding region in the accommodation chamber; and after the electric signal is cancelled by the controlling module, the electronic ink is maintained at the current region.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The grating structure according to claim 1, wherein the electronic ink is of a spherical structure which exhibits as a whole a first electric polarity or a second electric polarity; and the electronic ink comprises a first hemispherical body which is non-transparent and exhibits the first electric polarity, and a second hemispherical body which is reflective and exhibits the second electric polarity opposite to the first electric polarity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The grating structure according to claim 2, wherein when a first electric signal is applied by the controlling module and the electronic ink moves to a first region in the accommodation chamber, a light-transmitting channel is formed in the accommodation chamber from the light-entering surface to the light-exiting surface; and
when a second electric signal is applied by the controlling module and the electronic ink moves to a second region in the accommodation chamber, the electronic ink forms a blocking layer for blocking a light beam from the light-entering surface from passing through the light-exiting surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The grating structure according to claim 3, wherein when the electronic ink forms the blocking layer, the first hemispherical body of the electronic ink faces the light-exiting surface, and the second hemispherical body of the electronic ink faces the light-entering surface.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The grating structure according to claim 4, wherein the controlling module comprises:
at least one first electrode structure located at a side wall of the accommodation chamber;
a second electrode structure located at a top wall or a bottom wall of the accommodation chamber; and
an energization controlling unit configured to apply an electric signal to the first electrode structure or the second electrode structure, to generate an electric field for the electronic ink so as to move the electronic ink to the corresponding region in the accommodation chamber.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The grating structure according to claim 5, wherein
when the first electric signal is applied by the energization controlling unit to the first electrode structure and the electronic ink moves to the first region in the accommodation chamber, the light-transmitting channel is formed in the accommodation chamber from the light-entering surface to the light-exiting surface; and
when the second electric signal is applied by the energization controlling unit to the second electrode structure and the electronic ink moves to the second region in the accommodation chamber, the electronic ink forms the blocking layer for blocking the light beam from the light-entering surface from passing through the light-exiting surface.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The grating structure according to claim 6, wherein the second electric signal comprises an electric signal applied to the second electrode structure at the light-entering surface and exhibiting the first electric polarity, and/or an electric signal applied to the second electrode structure at the light-exiting surface and exhibiting the second electric polarity.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The grating structure according to claim 5, wherein
when a 2D display mode is switched to a 3D display mode, in a first grating unit and a second grating unit adjacent to each other, the first electric signal is applied by the energization controlling unit of the first grating unit to the first electrode structure of the first grating unit, and the second electric signal is applied by the energization controlling unit of the second grating unit to the second electrode structure of the second grating unit; and
when the 3D display mode is switched to the 2D display mode, the first electric signal is applied by the energization controlling unit of each grating unit to the first electrode structure of the grating unit.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The grating structure according to claim 5, wherein the second electrode structure is only arranged at the top or bottom wall of the accommodation chamber, and the second electric signal is of an electric polarity opposite to the electronic ink.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The grating structure according to claim 5, wherein the second electrode structure comprises two electrodes arranged at the top wall and the bottom wall of the accommodation chamber, respectively; the second electric signal includes two electric sub-signals applied to the two electrodes and having opposite electric polarities.

### Claim 11

A display device comprising a display panel, and a grating structure arranged on the display panel;
wherein the grating structure comprises a light-entering surface, a light-exiting surface, and a plurality of grating units arranged continuously between the light-entering surface and the light-exiting surface; wherein each of the grating units comprises:
an accommodation chamber;
a non-transparent electronic ink received in the accommodation chamber and having a predetermined electric polarity; and
a controlling module arranged at a periphery of the accommodation chamber and configured to control a region of the electronic ink in the accommodation chamber;
wherein when an electric signal is applied by the controlling module, the electronic ink moves to a corresponding region in the accommodation chamber; and after the electric signal is cancelled by the controlling module, the electronic ink is maintained at the current region.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The display panel according to claim 11, further comprising a backlight module, wherein the grating structure is arranged between the display panel and the backlight module.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

A display mode switching method for the display device according to claim 11, comprising:
when switching from a first display mode to a second display mode,
in a first grating unit and a second grating unit adjacent to each other in a grating structure of the display device, applying a first electric signal to a first electrode structure of the first grating unit and applying a second electric signal to a second electrode structure of the second grating unit;
cancelling the first electric signal when an electronic ink in the first grating unit moves to a first region of the first grating unit to form a light-transmitting channel from a light-entering surface to a light-exiting surface of the grating structure; and
cancelling the second electric signal when the electronic ink in the second grating unit moves to a second region of the second grating unit to form a blocking layer for blocking a light beam from the light-entering surface from passing through the light-exiting surface; and
when switching from the second display mode to the first display mode,
applying the first electric signal to a first electrode structure of the second grating unit;
cancelling the first electric signal applied to the first electrode structure of the second grating unit when the electronic ink in the second grating unit moves to a first region of the second grating unit to form a light-transmitting channel in the second grating unit from the light-entering surface to the light-exiting surface.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The display mode switching method according to claim 13, wherein when switching from the second display mode to the first display mode, the display mode switching method further comprises:
applying the first electric signal to the first electrode structure of the first grating unit, and
cancelling the first electric signal applied to the first electrode structure of the first grating unit when the electronic ink in the first grating unit moves to the first region of the first grating unit to form the light-transmitting channel from the light-entering surface to the light-exiting surface of the grating structure.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The display mode switching mode according to claim 13, wherein the first display mode is a 2D display mode, and the second display mode is a 3D display mode.