Angled orientation of sub-pixels in an electrowetting display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9256064-B1
Application number	US-201414498956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 26, 2014
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

Subject matter disclosed herein relates to arrangements and techniques that provide for improving resolution of black and white images displayed by a display of an image display apparatus, for example an EWD. An electrowetting display device comprising a plurality of sub-pixels. Each sub-pixel comprises a substrate, an electrode layer on the substrate, and a hydrophobic layer on the electrode layer. A first fluid is disposed on the hydrophobic layer and a second fluid is disposed on the first fluid. The second fluid is immiscible with the first fluid. The plurality of sub-pixels is arranged in an angled relationship with respect to horizontal and vertical borders of the electrowetting display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrowetting display device comprising a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein each sub-pixel has a substantially rectangular shape defined by a major axis and a minor axis, wherein the major axis is longer than the minor axis, and wherein each sub-pixel comprises:
a hydrophobic surface;
an electrowetting oil on the hydrophobic surface and a fluid that includes an electrolyte on the electrowetting oil;
a pixel electrode under the hydrophobic surface; and
a thin film transistor coupled to the pixel electrode and a voltage source, wherein each sub-pixel is operated by applying a voltage via the thin film transistor and the voltage source to the hydrophobic surface via the pixel electrode in conjunction with a common electrode such that the voltage causes the hydrophobic surface to become more hydrophilic allowing the fluid that includes the electrolyte to move onto the hydrophobic surface to substantially displace a portion of the electrowetting oil on the hydrophobic surface, and
wherein the plurality of sub-pixels are arranged in a slanted relationship such that the major axis of each sub-pixel is at a 45 degree angle with respect to a horizontal border of the electrowetting display device and a vertical border of the electrowetting display device and the minor axis is at a 45 degree angle with respect to the horizontal border of the electrowetting display device and the vertical border of the electrowetting display device such that a first distance between (i) a center of luminance within a first sub-pixel and (ii) a center of luminance within an adjacent second sub-pixel along a horizontal axis is substantially equal to a second distance between (iii) the center of luminance within the first sub-pixel and (iv) a center of luminance within an adjacent third sub-pixel along a vertical axis.

2. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting display device is a red, green, blue and white (RGBW) display device and each sub-pixel represents one of a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, a blue sub-pixel and a white sub-pixel.

3. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , wherein each sub-pixel includes a center of luminance.

4. An electrowetting display device comprising a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein each sub-pixel includes a center of luminance and comprises:
a substrate;
an electrode layer on the substrate;
a hydrophobic layer on the electrode layer;
a first fluid disposed on the hydrophobic layer; and
a second fluid disposed on the first fluid, the second fluid being immiscible with the first fluid,
wherein each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels is arranged at an angled relationship with respect to a horizontal border of the electrowetting display device and a vertical border of the electrowetting display device.

5. The electrowetting display device of claim 4 , wherein two or more sub-pixels represent a pixel of the electrowetting display device.

6. The electrowetting display device of claim 4 , wherein each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels is arranged at an angled relationship of 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal border of the electrowetting display device and the vertical border of the electrowetting display device such that (i) a center of luminance within a first sub-pixel is spaced from a center of luminance within an adjacent second sub-pixel along a horizontal axis at approximately 81 microns and (ii) the center of luminance within the first sub-pixel is spaced from a center of luminance within an adjacent third sub-pixel along a vertical axis at approximately 81 microns.

7. The electrowetting display device of claim 4 , wherein the electrowetting display device is a red, green, blue and white (RGBW) display device and each sub-pixel represents one of a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, a blue sub-pixel and a white sub-pixel.

8. The electrowetting display device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of sub-pixels are arranged in an order of a red sub-pixel adjacent to a green sub-pixel adjacent to a blue sub-pixel adjacent to a white sub-pixel.

9. The electrowetting display device of claim 4 , wherein the electrowetting display device is a red, green and blue (RGB) display device and each sub-pixel represents one of a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel and a blue sub-pixel.

10. An electronic device comprising an electrowetting display device comprising a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein each sub-pixel includes a center of luminance and comprises:
a substrate;
an electrode layer on the substrate;
a hydrophobic layer on the electrode layer;
a first fluid disposed on the hydrophobic layer; and
a second fluid disposed on the first fluid, the second fluid being immiscible with the first fluid,
wherein each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels is arranged in an angled relationship with respect to a horizontal border of the electrowetting display device and a vertical border of the electrowetting display device.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein two or more sub-pixels represent a pixel of the electrowetting display device.

12. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels is arranged at an angled relationship of 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal border of the electrowetting display device and the vertical border of the electrowetting display device such that (i) a center of luminance within a first sub-pixel is spaced from a center of luminance within an adjacent second sub-pixel along a horizontal axis at approximately 81 microns and (ii) the center of luminance within the first sub-pixel is spaced from a center of luminance within an adjacent third sub-pixel along a vertical axis at approximately 81 microns.

13. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electrowetting display device is a red, green, blue and white (RGBW) display device and each sub-pixel represents one of a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, a blue sub-pixel and a white sub-pixel.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of sub-pixels are arranged in an order of a red sub-pixel adjacent to a green sub-pixel adjacent to a blue sub-pixel adjacent to a white sub-pixel.

15. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electronic device comprises one of a digital media device, an eBook reader, a tablet computing device, a smart phone, a mobile device, a portable gaming system, a laptop computing device, a netbook computing device, a wearable computing device, or an augmented reality device.

16. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electrowetting display device is a red, green and blue (RGB) display device and each sub-pixel represents one of a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel and a blue sub-pixel.

17. A display comprising:
a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein each sub-pixel comprises a center of luminance,
wherein the plurality of sub-pixels are arranged in a slanted relationship such that each sub-pixel is at a 45 degree angle with respect to a horizontal border of the display and a vertical border of the display such that a first distance between (i) a center of luminance within a first sub-pixel and (ii) a center of luminance within an adjacent second sub-pixel along a horizontal axis is substantially equal to a second distance between (iii) the center of luminance within the first sub-pixel and (iv) a center of luminance within an adjacent third sub-pixel along a vertical axis.

18. The display of claim 17 , wherein two or more sub-pixels represent a pixel of the display.

19. The di

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Sprague Robert Arthur
• Pollack Joel Martin

Classifications

• G02B26/005 Primary

  based on electrowetting · CPC title

• G02B5/201

  in the form of arrays · CPC title