Anti-peep screen with dynamically adjustable optical screen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11307477-B2
Application number	US-202017136700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2020
Priority date	Nov 9, 2018
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

An anti-peep screen is provided. The anti-peep screen includes a casing, a plurality of microspheres within the casing, wherein each of the microspheres includes a colorless transparent fluid fill and a plurality of charged particles, and a base electrode within the casing adjacent to the plurality of microspheres.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An anti-peep screen, comprising:
a casing;
two or more stacked monolayers of microspheres within the casing, wherein each of the microspheres includes a colorless transparent fluid fill and a plurality of charged colored particles; and
a base electrode within the casing adjacent to the plurality of microspheres, wherein the base electrode is configured to cause the plurality of charged colored particles to migrate to a region in the microspheres such that a range of angles at which a view through the stacked monolayers is at least partially obscured is increased due to an overlapping of opaque screens on different monolayers.

2. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , wherein the microspheres have an outside diameter in a range of about 5 micron (um) to about 300 um.

3. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , wherein an oblique angle of the opaque screen is about 30° to about 75°.

4. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , wherein the casing has a thickness in a range of about 10 microns (um) to about 500 um, and is configured to attach to a display.

5. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , further comprising an upright electrode perpendicular or oblique to the base electrode.

6. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , further comprising two upright electrodes perpendicular or oblique to the base electrode, wherein the upright electrodes are on opposite ends of the plurality of microspheres, and wherein the base electrode is a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO) and doped zinc oxide (ZnO).

7. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , wherein the two or more stacked monolayers of microspheres is two stacked monolayers of microspheres.

8. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , wherein the base electrode includes a plurality of electrode segments.

9. The anti-peep screen of claim 1 , further comprising electronic components, wherein the base electrode segments are individually addressable by the electronic components.

10. A method of controlling a viewing angle of an anti-peep screen, comprising:
applying a first voltage to a base electrode and a second voltage to an upright electrode that creates an electric field across two or more stacked monolayers of microspheres, wherein a plurality of charged particles within the microspheres migrate under the force of the electric field to a position within the microspheres to form an opaque screen that interferes with the viewing of an image on an opposite side of the anti-peep screen from a viewer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first voltage is the opposite polarity as the electric charge on the plurality of charged particles.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting the second voltage to one or more upright electrodes to change the viewing angle, wherein an oblique angle of the opaque screen is about 30° to about 75°.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second voltage is opposite the polarity of the first voltage.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the base electrode is a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO) and doped zinc oxide (ZnO).

15. A device with an anti-peep screen, comprising:
a device display;
the anti-peep screen on the device display, wherein the anti-peep screen includes two or more stacked monolayers of microspheres, the microspheres including a colorless transparent fluid fill and a plurality of charged colored particles;
electronic components electrically coupled to the device display and to the anti-peep screen; and
a power supply electrically coupled to the electronic components, wherein the anti-peep screen, electronic components, and power supply are electrically coupled and configured to cause the plurality of charged particles to migrate to a region in the microspheres to interfere with the viewing of an image on the display device through the anti-peep screen outside a predetermined viewing angle.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the anti-peep screen is incorporated into the device.

17. The device of claim 15 , wherein the anti-peep screen is affixed to the device display.

18. The device of claim 15 , wherein the power supply is a rechargeable battery.

19. The device of claim 15 , wherein the two or more stacked monolayers of microspheres, and a base electrode are within a casing.

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the base electrode is a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO) and doped zinc oxide (ZnO).

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Xia Yin
• Yin Ting
• Chen Dong
• Zhan Ting Ting Bj
• Meng Xiang Juan

Classifications

• G02F1/1677

  Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices · CPC title

• G02F1/167 Primary

  by electrophoresis · CPC title

• G02F2201/44

  Arrangements combining different electro-active layers, e.g. electrochromic, liquid crystal or electroluminescent layers · CPC title

• G02F1/0121

  Operation of devices; Circuit arrangements, not otherwise provided for in this subclass · CPC title

• G02F1/172 Primary

  based on a suspension of orientable dipolar particles, e.g. suspended particles displays · CPC title