Electronic circuitry for a valve for the transfer of an optically-active fluid from a first to a second reservoir

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359622-B2
Application number	US-201615578283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2016
Priority date	Jun 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A transfer circuitry, e.g. in a display system, electrically generating a transfer-gradient along which an optically-active fluid is transferred via a valve from a first reservoir to a second reservoir and a valve-control circuitry providing a voltage to change the valve's shape from a first shape when it is closed to a second shape when it is open.

First claim

I claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
transfer circuitry configured to generate electrically a first transfer gradient for transferring an optically active fluid from a first reservoir to a second reservoir, wherein the transfer circuitry is configured to control a first transfer electrode associated with the first reservoir and a second transfer electrode associated with the second reservoir;
a valve configured to control transfer of the optically active fluid from the first reservoir to the second reservoir, wherein the valve is closed when it has a first shape and the valve is open when it has a second shape different from the first shape; and
valve control circuitry configured to provide a voltage to change the valve from the first shape to the second shape and open the valve facilitating transfer of the optically active fluid from the first reservoir to the second reservoir along the electrically generated first transfer gradient;
wherein the valve control circuitry comprises at least a first pair of overlapping valve electrodes adjacent a first sidewall of a conduit extending between the first reservoir and the second reservoir, wherein the first pair of valve electrodes comprises a first valve electrode and a second valve electrode separated from the first valve electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first transfer gradient.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transfer circuitry is configured to generate electrically a second transfer gradient for transferring the optically active fluid from the second reservoir to the first reservoir, wherein the valve is configured to control transfer of the optically active fluid from the second reservoir to the first reservoir, and wherein the valve control circuitry is configured to provide a voltage to change the valve from the first shape to the second shape and open the valve facilitating transfer of the optically active fluid from the second reservoir to the first reservoir along the electrically generated second transfer gradient.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve is configured to have, by default, the first shape.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve comprises an electromechanical gel.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the valve control circuitry is configured to provide a voltage, to open the valve, in a direction perpendicular to the first transfer gradient to deform the electromechanical gel.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve controls flow of the optically active fluid through the conduit, wherein the conduit is blocked when the valve has the first shape and wherein the conduit is not blocked when the valve has the second shape.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the transfer circuitry comprises circuitry configured to generate a voltage of a first polarity between the first and second electrodes to generate electrically the first transfer gradient and configured to generate a voltage of a second polarity, opposite the first polarity, between the first and second electrodes to generate electrically a second transfer gradient, opposite the first transfer gradient.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the valve control circuitry comprises at least a first valve electrode associated with the conduit, at least a respective second valve electrode associated with the conduit and circuitry configured to generate a voltage between the first and second valve electrode perpendicular to the first transfer gradient to deform an electromechanical gel to the second shape wherein the electromechanical gel is preferentially drawn adjacent at least portions of sidewalls of the conduit creating a fluid passage through the conduit.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the first reservoir, the second reservoir and the conduit form a sealed system of fixed shape and volume for the optically active fluid without additional reservoirs.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transfer circuitry and the valve control circuitry operate independently.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transfer circuitry and the valve control circuitry are interconnected and a single voltage generation circuitry is used for both the transfer circuitry and the valve control circuitry.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optically active fluid comprises one or more of a plurality of immiscible liquids having different optical properties that share the same volume.

13. A display system comprising a plurality of apparatus as claimed in claim 1 arranged in a regular array of rows and column, wherein each apparatus has a first reservoir exposed and a second reservoir concealed, the first reservoirs providing pixels or sub-pixels of the display system.

14. A method comprising:
providing one or more voltages to generate a first transfer gradient for transferring an optically active fluid from a first reservoir to a second reservoir, by controlling a first transfer electrode associated with the first reservoir and a second transfer electrode associated with the second reservoir, and to open a valve to facilitate transfer of the optically active fluid from the first reservoir to the second reservoir along the electrically generated first transfer gradient, wherein the valve is closed when it has a first shape and the valve is open when it has a second shape different from the first shape; removing the one or more voltages to remove the first transfer gradient and close the valve, wherein valve control circuitry comprises at least a first pair of overlapping valve electrodes adjacent a first sidewall of a conduit extending between the first reservoir and the second reservoir, wherein the first pair of valve electrodes comprises a first valve electrode and a second valve electrode separated from the first valve electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first transfer gradient.

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Kimmel Jyrki

Classifications

• G09G3/3433

  using light modulating elements actuated by an electric field and being other than liquid crystal devices and electrochromic devices (using liquid crystal devices G09G3/36; using electrochromic devices G09G3/38) · CPC title

• G02B26/004 Primary

  based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid · CPC title

• F16K99/0036 Primary

  operated by temperature variations · CPC title

• F16K31/025

  actuated by thermo-electric means · CPC title

• F16K2099/0082

  Microvalves adapted for a particular use · CPC title