Instrument housing with embedded liquid crystal display within plastic layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9612137-B2
Application number	US-41556906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2006
Priority date	May 2, 2006
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

A process transmitter has a housing that contains transmitter circuitry. The transmitter circuitry is configured to provide a display output and is also configured to couple to a process control loop. A LCD display is embedded within a transparent or translucent polymeric layer in the housing. The LCD display is coupled to the display output and is configured to display information through the polymeric layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process transmitter comprising:
a housing having a metal layer with an external surface, wherein the housing is sealed from an outside environment;
transmitter circuitry in the housing configured to provide a display output and configured to couple to a process control loop;
a transparent or translucent polymeric layer mounted on the external surface of the metal layer of housing; and
a thin flexible LCD display mounted externally to the housing on the external surface of the metal layer of the housing and embedded within the polymeric layer coupled to the display output and configured to display information through the polymeric layer and extending over the external surface of the metal layer of the housing, wherein the housing comprises an opaque inner layer providing the external surface and the polymeric layer comprises a coating on the exterior surface or forms an outer wall over the metal layer of the housing, the thin film flexible LCD sealed from the outside environment and configured to suppress sparks during use in potentially combustible environments, whereby the thin flexible LCD display displays information in an intrinsically safe manner such that the process transmitter can be used in potentially combustible environments.

2. The transmitter of claim 1 and wherein the LCD display couples to the transmitter circuitry to display a value of a process variable.

3. The transmitter of claim 1 and wherein the polymeric layer comprises a portion of an outer layer of the housing.

4. The transmitter of claim 2 wherein the LCD display indicates a numerical value of the process variable.

5. The transmitter of claim 1 wherein the LCD display indicates a value of a process variable with a color.

6. The transmitter of claim 1 wherein the process variable comprises a temperature, a pressure, a flow rate or a level.

7. The transmitter of claim 1 wherein the thin flexible LCD display conforms to a contour of the external surface of the metal layer of the housing.

8. A process transmitter for transmitting a signal from a sensor comprising:
a housing having a metal layer with an exterior surface which carries a transparent or translucent polymeric layer on at least a portion of an exterior surface, wherein the housing is sealed from an outside environment;
transmitter circuitry in the housing for accepting the signal from the sensor and configured to provide a display output and configured to couple to a process control loop;
a thin flexible LCD display extending over at least a portion of the exterior surface of the metal layer, located externally to the housing and embedded in the polymeric layer and coupleable to the display output and configured to display information through the polymeric layer, wherein the housing comprises an opaque inner layer providing the external surface and the polymeric layer comprises a coating on the exterior surface or forms an outer wall over the metal layer of the housing, the thin film flexible LCD sealed from the outside environment and configured to suppress sparks during use in potentially combustible environments, whereby the thin flexible LCD display displays information in an intrinsically safe manner such that the process transmitter can be used in potentially combustible environments.

9. The transmitter of claim 8 wherein the LCD display indicates a value of a process variable being determined by the sensor.

10. The process transmitter of claim 9 wherein the LCD display indicates a numeric value of the process variable determined by the sensor.

11. The process transmitter of claim 9 wherein the LCD display indicates a value of the process variable determined by the sensor with a color.

12. The process transmitter of claim 9 wherein the transmitter circuitry comprises a calculator that converts the signal from the sensor to determine a value of a secondary process variable that correlates to the signal from the sensor and wherein the LCD displays the secondary process value.

13. The process transmitter of claim 9 wherein the process variable comprises a temperature, a pressure, a flow rate or a level.

14. The transmitter of claim 8 wherein the housing supports a transparent polymeric material or a translucent polymeric material for embedding the LCD display.

15. The transmitter of claim 14 wherein the transparent or translucent polymeric material comprises a portion of the housing.

16. The process transmitter of claim 8 wherein the housing comprises:
an opaque inner layer having an exterior surface; and
a coating on the exterior surface of the inner layer and wherein the LCD display is embedded within the coating.

17. The transmitter of claim 8 the thin flexible LCD display conforms to a contour of the exterior surface of the metal layer of the housing.

18. A method of displaying process information on a process transmitter metal housing comprising:
sensing a value of a process variable with a sensor;
providing a signal from the sensor to a transmitter circuitry contained within a metal layer of a housing of the process transmitter, wherein the housing is sealed from an outside environment;
mounting an LCD display on an exterior surface of the metal layer of the housing and located exterior to the housing;
embedding the LCD display in a polymeric layer which covers at least a portion of the exterior surface of the metal layer of the housing;
wherein the housing comprises an opaque inner layer providing the external surface and the polymeric layer comprises a coating on the exterior surface or forms an outer wall over the metal layer of the housing,
sending a signal from a display output of the transmitter circuitry to a thin flexible liquid crystal display that is embedded with a polymeric layer which extends over the metal layer of the housing; and
displaying information on the embedded liquid crystal display through the polymeric layer, wherein the thin film flexible LCD sealed from the outside environment and configured to suppress sparks during use in potentially combustible environments, whereby the thin flexible LCD display displays information in an intrinsically safe manner such that the process transmitter can be used in potentially combustible environments.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the information displayed is a numeric value of the process variable.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the information displayed is a color that corresponds to a value of the process variable.

21. The method of claim 18 including conforming the thin flexible liquid crystal display to a contour of the exterior metal layer of the housing.

Assignees

• Gansen Carl R
• Rosemount Inc

Inventors

• Gansen Carl R

Classifications

• G01D11/245 Primary

  Housings for sensors · CPC title