U.S. patent application number 17/668567 was filed with the patent office on 2022-05-26 for energy harvesting electro-optic displays.
The applicant listed for this patent is E INK CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Dirk HERTEL, Benjamin Harris PALETSKY, Richard J. PAOLINI, JR., Stephen J. TELFER.
Application Number | 20220165904 17/668567 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006127241 |
Filed Date | 2022-05-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220165904 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TELFER; Stephen J. ; et
al. |
May 26, 2022 |
ENERGY HARVESTING ELECTRO-OPTIC DISPLAYS
Abstract
An energy harvesting electro-optic display is disclosed
comprising a photovoltaic cell that converts part of the incident
light to electric current or voltage, wherein the electric current
or voltage is used for the operation of the electro-optic display
upon the conversion or stored in a storage component to be used for
the operation of the display
Inventors: |
TELFER; Stephen J.;
(Arlington, MA) ; HERTEL; Dirk; (Quincy, MA)
; PAOLINI, JR.; Richard J.; (Framingham, MA) ;
PALETSKY; Benjamin Harris; (Morris, CT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
E INK CORPORATION |
Billerica |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000006127241 |
Appl. No.: |
17/668567 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16815269 |
Mar 11, 2020 |
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17668567 |
|
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62817248 |
Mar 12, 2019 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 27/3227 20130101;
H01L 31/0543 20141201; H01L 31/125 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 31/12 20060101
H01L031/12; H01L 27/32 20060101 H01L027/32; H01L 31/054 20060101
H01L031/054 |
Claims
1. An energy harvesting electrophoretic display having a viewing
side, the energy harvesting electrophoretic display comprising in
order from the viewing side: an electrophoretic display component
comprising a first light-transmissive electrode layer, an
electrophoretic material layer and a backplane comprising a second
electrode layer, the electrophoretic material layer comprising an
electrophoretic medium that is compartmentalized in microcells,
wherein the compartments are separated by light-transmissive gaps;
a photovoltaic layer comprising a photovoltaic element; wherein the
microcells comprise electrophoretic particles in a non-polar
electrophoretic liquid; wherein the photovoltaic element absorbs
the portion of the incident light to the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display that reaches the photovoltaic element via
the electrophoretic display component and converts the absorbed
light into electric current or voltage; wherein the generated
electric current or voltage is used for the operation of the
electrophoretic display upon the conversion or is stored in a
storage component to be used for the operation of the
electrophoretic display at a later time.
2. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 1,
wherein the light-transmissive gaps are the walls of the
microcells, and wherein the wall thickness is from about 3 to about
120 .mu.m.
3. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 1,
wherein the light-transmissive gaps are the walls of the
microcells, and wherein the wall thickness is from about 6 to about
80 .mu.m.
4. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 3,
wherein the walls of the microcells comprise less than 0.2 weight
percent of pigment or filler particles.
5. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 1,
wherein the percent total transmittance of the electrophoretic
material layer is from about 5% to about 75%.
6. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 1,
further comprising a battery in electrical communication with the
photovoltaic layer.
7. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 1,
wherein the second electrode layer comprises an active matrix of
pixel electrodes.
8. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 1,
further comprising a protective layer, wherein the first
light-transmissive electrode layer is disposed between the
protective layer and the electrophoretic material layer.
9. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 8,
further comprising an adhesive layer, the adhesive layer being
disposed between the protective layer and the first
light-transmissive electrode layer.
10. An energy harvesting electrophoretic display having a viewing
side, the energy harvesting electrophoretic display comprising in
order from the viewing side: a protective layer; a photovoltaic
layer comprising a photovoltaic element; an electrophoretic display
component comprising a first light-transmissive electrode layer, an
electrophoretic material layer and a backplane comprising a second
electrode layer, the electrophoretic material layer comprising an
electrophoretic medium that is compartmentalized in microcells;
wherein the microcells comprise electrophoretic particles in a
non-polar electrophoretic liquid; wherein the photovoltaic element
absorbs incident light that reaches the photovoltaic element and
converts the absorbed light into electric current or voltage;
wherein the generated electric current or voltage is used for the
operation of the electrophoretic display upon the conversion or is
stored in a storage component to be used for the operation of the
electrophoretic display at a later time.
11. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 10,
wherein the photovoltaic element absorbs near infrared or
ultraviolet light.
12. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 10,
wherein the photovoltaic element absorbs visible light.
13. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 12,
where in the photovoltaic element comprises a dye-sensitized solar
cell.
14. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 13,
wherein the photovoltaic layer comprises different types of solar
cells, each type of solar cell comprising a different dye.
15. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 12,
further comprising a color filter array, the color filter array
being disposed between the photovoltaic layer and the first
light-transmissive electrode.
16. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 10, the
photovoltaic layer further comprising a light guide plate, the
light guide plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, and
four lateral edges, the first light-transmissive electrode layer
being disposed between the light guide plate and the
electrophoretic material layer, the photovoltaic element being
disposed on at least one of the lateral edges of the light guide
plate, wherein part of the incident light on the upper surface of
the light guide plate is transported by means of total internal
reflection through the light guide plate towards the photovoltaic
element.
17. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display of claim 16,
wherein the photovoltaic layer further comprises a light source at
one lateral edge of the light guide plate, wherein part of the
light generated by the light source is transported by means for
total internal reflection through the light guide plate towards the
photovoltaic element.
18. The energy harvested electrophoretic display of claim 16,
wherein the photovoltaic element is sensitive to near infrared.
19. The harvested electrophoretic display of claim 10, further
comprising an adhesive layer, the adhesive layer being disposed
between the photovoltaic layer and the first light-transmissive
electrode layer.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of copending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/815,269 filed on Mar. 11, 2020 (Publication
No. US20200295222A1), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/817,248 filed on Mar. 12, 2019, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to electro-optic displays. More
specifically, this invention relates to an energy harvesting
electro-optic display, that is, a display that can gather energy
for functioning by converting light energy into electrical
energy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The term "electro-optic", as applied to a material, a
display or a device, is used herein in its conventional meaning in
the imaging art to refer to a material having first and second
display states differing in at least one optical property, the
material being changed from its first to its second display state
by application of an electric field to the material. Although the
optical property is typically color perceptible to the human eye,
it may be another optical property, such as optical transmission,
reflectance, luminescence or, in the case of displays intended for
machine reading, pseudo-color in the sense of a change in
reflectance of electromagnetic wavelengths outside the visible
range.
[0004] Some electro-optic materials are solid in the sense that the
materials have solid external surfaces, although the materials may,
and often do, have internal liquid- or gas-filled spaces. Such
displays using solid electro-optic materials may hereinafter for
convenience be referred to as "solid electro-optic displays". Thus,
the term "solid electro-optic displays" includes rotating bichromal
member displays, encapsulated electrophoretic displays, microcell
electrophoretic displays and encapsulated liquid crystal
displays.
[0005] The terms "bistable" and "bistability" are used herein in
their conventional meaning in the art to refer to displays
comprising display elements having first and second display states
differing in at least one optical property, and such that after any
given element has been driven, by means of an addressing pulse of
finite duration, to assume either its first or second display
state, after the addressing pulse has terminated, that state will
persist for at least several times, for example at least four
times, the minimum duration of the addressing pulse required to
change the state of the display element. It is shown in U.S. Pat.
No. 7,170,670 that some particle-based electrophoretic displays
capable of gray scale are stable not only in their extreme black
and white states but also in their intermediate gray states, and
the same is true of some other types of electro-optic displays.
This type of display is properly called "multi-stable" rather than
bistable, although for convenience the term "bistable" may be used
herein to cover both bistable and multi-stable displays.
[0006] Several types of electro-optic displays are known. One type
of electro-optic display is a rotating bichromal member type as
described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,808,783; 5,777,782;
5,760,761; 6,054,071 6,055,091; 6,097,531; 6,128,124; 6,137,467;
and 6,147,791 (although this type of display is often referred to
as a "rotating bichromal ball" display, the term "rotating
bichromal member" is preferred as more accurate since in some of
the patents mentioned above the rotating members are not
spherical). Such a display uses a large number of small bodies
(typically spherical or cylindrical) which have two or more
sections with differing optical characteristics, and an internal
dipole. These bodies are suspended within liquid-filled vacuoles
within a matrix, the vacuoles being filled with liquid so that the
bodies are free to rotate. The appearance of the display is changed
by applying an electric field thereto, thus rotating the bodies to
various positions and varying which of the sections of the bodies
is seen through a viewing surface. This type of electro-optic
medium is typically bistable.
[0007] Another type of electro-optic display uses an electrochromic
medium, for example an electrochromic medium in the form of a
nanochromic film comprising an electrode formed at least in part
from a semi-conducting metal oxide and a plurality of dye molecules
capable of reversible color change attached to the electrode; see,
for example O'Regan, B., et al., Nature 1991, 353, 737; and Wood,
D., Information Display, 18(3), 24 (March 2002). See also Bach, U.,
et al., Adv. Mater., 2002, 14(11), 845. Nanochromic films of this
type are also described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,301,038;
6,870,657; and 6,950,220. This type of medium is also typically
bistable.
[0008] Another type of electro-optic display is an electro-wetting
display developed by Philips and described in Hayes, R. A., et al.,
"Video-Speed Electronic Paper Based on Electrowetting", Nature,
425, 383-385 (2003). It is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,420,549 that
such electro-wetting displays can be made bistable.
[0009] One type of electro-optic display, which has been the
subject of intense research and development for a number of years,
is the particle-based electrophoretic display, in which a plurality
of charged particles move by an application of an electric field.
Electrophoretic displays can have attributes of good brightness and
contrast, wide viewing angles, state bistability, and low power
consumption when compared with liquid crystal displays.
[0010] Encapsulated electrophoretic media comprise numerous small
capsules, each of which itself comprises an internal phase
containing electrophoretically-mobile particles in a fluid medium,
and a capsule wall surrounding the internal phase. Typically, the
capsules are themselves held within a polymeric binder to form a
coherent layer positioned between two electrodes. In a microcell
electrophoretic display, the charged particles and the fluid are
not encapsulated within capsules but instead are retained within a
plurality of cavities formed within a carrier medium, typically a
polymeric film. As used herein, the term "microcavity
electrophoretic display" may be used to cover both encapsulated and
microcell electrophoretic displays.
[0011] Microcavity electrophoretic displays have been used for
numerous applications within devices such as wristwatches, e-book
readers, newspapers, mobile phones, and electronic shelf labels.
Unlike traditional light-emitting diode (LED) and liquid-crystal
displays (LCD), electro-optic displays are highly flexible in the
materials they can be constructed from. Numerous material options
exist for use as the charged particles, media, electrodes, and the
other various components. This unique versatility allows for
display constructions that are highly tailored to individual
applications.
[0012] All electronic devices require an energy source to operate,
whether they are tied to an electric grid or powered through an
energy storage device such as a battery containing electrochemical
cells. Display systems that have large surface areas consume
considerable amounts of power, especially display systems of the
LCD type. Advancements in display technology, such as the
electrophoretic display described above, require much less power
when compared to backlit displays such as LCD's. However, even
these energy efficient displays need a power source.
[0013] Traditional photovoltaic cells and combinations suggested in
the art are used to drive active signs. However, these displays
require a large surface area of photovoltaic cells placed away from
the signage itself, such that the photovoltaic cells do not
interfere with the display. Additionally, the large surface area of
the photovoltaic cell needed to power the signage can become
cumbersome.
[0014] Reflective displays, such as electrophoretic displays,
operate well in ambient light conditions. However, when ambient
light conditions are low, there may not be enough reflected light
available for a viewer to effectively see the display. To combat
this problem, LEDs or other light sources have been used to provide
the necessary reflected light during low ambient light conditions.
On the other hand, backlit displays including LCD displays, operate
well in low ambient light conditions. However, LCD displays
continuously drain power, and as a result, various solutions were
developed that can be viewed in the art. For example, Yang et al.
(Polarizing Organic Photovoltaics. Adv. Mater., 23: 4193-4198,
2011) discloses a photovoltaic cell that is capable of recycling
wasted visible light from the backlight but introduces display
distortions due to scattering light. Menendez-Velazquez et al.
(Energy Environ. Sci., 2013, 6, 72-75) and U.S. Patent Application
Publication No. 2011/0010911 solved this problem by converting the
light to near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, wherein the light was
guided by a wave guide to an edge of the display to be absorbed by
the photovoltaic cell.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 7,327,511 describes variable transmission
devices including charged pigment particles that are distributed in
a non-polar solvent and encapsulated. These variable transmission
devices can be driven to an open state (light-transmissive) with an
AC driving voltage whereby the charged pigment particles are driven
to the capsule walls. Accordingly, such variable transmission
devices are useful for viewing surfaces where it is desirable to
alter the light transmissivity at will, such as privacy glass,
sunroofs, and windows on buildings.
[0016] In view of the above information, there exists a need for
novel electro-optic configurations that would expand the usage of
electro-optic dynamic displays, creating new display
applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] In one aspect, the disclosure concerns with an energy
harvesting electro-optic display. When viewed from above, i.e.,
from the viewing side of the display, the energy harvesting
electro-optic display includes (a) a first fluorescent light
concentrator, comprising a first fluorescent dye and a first light
guide plate, the first light guide having a pair of opposed faces
configured to propagate light along the length of the first light
guide plate between the faces, (b) a first photovoltaic cell at one
or both the faces of the first fluorescent light concentrator, (c)
a first light-transmissive electrode layer, (d) an electro-optic
material layer comprising light-transmissive gaps, (e) a backplane
comprising a second electrode layer, (f) a second fluorescent light
concentrator comprising a second fluorescent dye and a second light
guide plate, the second light guide plate having a pair of opposed
faces configured to propagate light along the length of the second
light guide plate between the faces, and (g) a second photovoltaic
cell at one or both the faces of the second light guide plate. The
first fluorescent light concentrator absorbs ultraviolet light
incident to the viewing side of the energy harvesting electro-optic
display, reemits light of longer wavelength, and directs the
reemitted light onto the first photovoltaic cell to be converted
into electric current or voltage. The second fluorescent light
concentrator absorbs light incident to the viewing side of the
energy harvesting electro-optic display that traverses the
electro-optic material layer, reemits the traversed light, and
directs the reemitted light onto the second photovoltaic cell to be
converted into electric current or voltage. The generated electric
current or voltage is used for the operation of the electro-optic
display upon the conversion or is stored in a storage component to
be used for the operation of the electro-optic display at a later
time.
[0018] The energy harvesting electro-optic display may further
comprise a third light concentrator and a third photovoltaic cell.
The third light concentrator comprises a third light guide plate,
the third light guide plate having a pair of opposed faces
configured to propagate light along the length of the third light
guide plate between the faces. The third photovoltaic cell is
located at one or both the faces of the third light concentrator.
The third light concentrator is located between the first light
concentrator and the electro-optic material layer. The third light
concentrator absorbs light that is reflected by the electrophoretic
material layer, and directs the absorbed light onto the third
photovoltaic cell to be converted into electric current or
voltage.
[0019] The electro-optic material layer of the energy harvesting
electro-optic display may comprise an electrophoretic medium. The
electrophoretic medium may be compartmentalized in capsules or
microcells and the light-transmissive gaps can separate the
capsules or microcells. The capsules or microcells may comprise
electrophoretic particles in a non-polar electrophoretic liquid. In
the case of an electrophoretic medium that is compartmentalized in
capsules, the light-transmissive gaps may be light-transmissive
beads, wherein the volume ratio of capsules to light-transmissive
beads in the electrophoretic medium is from about 1:20 to about
1:3. The light-transmissive beads may have diameter of from about
10 to about 500 .mu.m. In the case of an electrophoretic medium
that is compartmentalized in microcells, the light-transmissive
gaps may be the walls of the microcells, wherein the wall thickness
of the microcells is from about 3 to about 120 .mu.m. The walls of
the microcells may comprise less than 0.2 weight percent of pigment
or filler particles.
[0020] In another aspect, an energy harvesting electrophoretic
display comprises in order from the viewing side: (a) a protective
layer, (b) an electrophoretic display component comprising a first
light-transmissive electrode layer, an electrophoretic material
layer and a backplane comprising a second electrode layer, and (c)
a photovoltaic layer comprising a photovoltaic element. The
electrophoretic material layer comprises an electrophoretic medium
that is compartmentalized in capsules or microcells, wherein the
compartments are separated by light-transmissive gaps. The capsules
or microcells comprise electrophoretic particles in a non-polar
electrophoretic liquid. The photovoltaic element absorbs the
portion of the incident light to the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display that reaches the photovoltaic element via
the electrophoretic display component and converts the absorbed
light into electric current or voltage. The generated electric
current or voltage is used for the operation of the electrophoretic
display upon the conversion or stored in a storage component to be
used for the operation of the electrophoretic display at a later
time. In the case of electrophoretic material layer comprising
capsules, the light-transmissive gaps may be light-transmissive
beads. The volume ratio of capsules to light-transmissive beads in
the electrophoretic material layer may be from about 1:20 to about
1:3. The light-transmissive beads may have diameter of from about
10 to about 500 .mu.m. In the case of electrophoretic material
layer comprising microcells, the light-transmissive gaps may be the
walls of the microcells. The wall thickness may be from about 3 to
about 120 .mu.m. The walls of the microcells may comprise less than
0.2 weight percent of pigment or filler particles.
[0021] It is one advantage of the present invention to allow
electrophoretic displays to exist in areas where there are no
accessible power grids, or in various low power applications.
[0022] It is another advantage of the present invention to provide
an electrophoretic display area that becomes capable of generating
energy.
[0023] It is another advantage of the present invention to provide
electrophoretic displays that contain a LGP that guides ambient or
generated light to the edge of the display to be absorbed by a
photovoltaic layer.
[0024] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood upon consideration
of the following detailed description, drawings and appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a detailed cross-sectional view of an embodiment
of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display having a back
photovoltaic layer.
[0026] FIGS. 2A and 2B is a detailed cross-sectional view of the
energy harvesting electrophoretic display of FIG. 1, showing the
energy harvesting electrophoretic display operating in a closed and
an open state respectively.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a detailed transverse cross-sectional view of an
embodiment of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display
comprising an electrophoretic material layer comprising capsules
and light-transmissive beads, and a back photovoltaic layer.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a detailed transverse cross-sectional view of an
embodiment of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display
comprising an electrophoretic material layer comprising microcells
and gaps, and a back photovoltaic layer.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a detailed transverse cross-sectional view of an
embodiment of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display
comprising an electrophoretic material layer with microcells and a
front photovoltaic layer.
[0030] FIG. 6 is a detailed transverse cross-sectional view of an
embodiment of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display wherein
the front photovoltaic layer is also a color-filter array.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a detailed transverse cross-sectional view of an
embodiment of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display wherein
the front photovoltaic layer and a color-filter array are separate
layers.
[0032] FIG. 8 describes the concept in light refraction, which is
used by LGP to achieve Total Internal Reflection (TIR).
[0033] FIGS. 9A and 9B is a detailed cross-sectional view of an
embodiment of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display of the
present disclosure.
[0034] FIG. 10 is a schematic of a circuit for powering any of the
energy harvesting electro-optic displays of this disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 11 is a detailed cross-sectional view of another
embodiment of an energy harvesting electro-optic display of the
present disclosure.
[0036] To the extent possible, similar reference numerals are used
to refer to like structures from Figure to Figure in the following
description.
[0037] The invention may be embodied in several forms without
departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The scope
of the invention is defined in the appended claims, rather than in
the specific description preceding them. All aspects that fall
within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are
therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] A photovoltaic cell, also called a solar cell, is a device
or a component of a device, which converts radiation energy
directly into electrical energy by means of photovoltaic effect.
Photovoltaic effect is the phenomenon that occurs when a
semiconductor material absorbs light energy causing an electron
excitation to a higher energy state and generating an electric
potential.
[0039] A photovoltaic layer of an electro-optic display is a layer
of the display that comprises a photovoltaic cell. The photovoltaic
cell comprises one or more photovoltaic elements, which comprise a
semiconductor material; the photovoltaic element has a surface,
referred to as "top surface" of the photovoltaic element. "Top
surface" of a photovoltaic element means the surface of the
photovoltaic element onto which incident light contacts the
photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic layer, initiating the
generation of an electric current or a voltage. The term "top
surface" is used for convenience and it does not necessarily mean
that this surface is always horizontal or parallel to the viewing
surface of the energy harvesting electro-optic display or that this
surface is above the rest of the photovoltaic element.
[0040] A "viewing side" or a "viewing surface" of an energy
harvesting electro-optic display means the side of the display on
which the image is viewed by the viewer. In the case of variable
transmission electrophoretic devices, the corresponding device may
have two viewing sides or viewing surfaces.
[0041] "Incident light side" of an energy harvesting electro-optic
display means the side of the display from which incident light
enters the display, at least a portion of which interacts with the
photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic layer to generate an
electric current or a voltage.
[0042] For convenience, the term "light" is used herein, but this
term should be understood in a broad sense to also include
electromagnetic radiation at non-visible wavelengths. The term
"light-transmissive" for a layer means that a layer so designed is
viewed by an observer watching through that layer. For example, a
light-transmissive electrode layer means that the electrode layer
transmits sufficient light to allow for a layer underneath the
light-transmissive electrode layer (for example, an electrophoretic
material layer) to be visible through the light-transmissive
electrode layer and the adjacent substrate, if present. The
light-transmittance is measured as % total transmittance, which is
the ratio of total energy of transmitted light from the layer to
the energy of the incident light.times.100. The % total light
transmittance is measured by standard method ISO 13468 using D65
illuminant and a UV-Visible spectrophotometer, unless otherwise
stated. An electrode layer is light-transmissive if it has total
light transmittance of higher than 70%.
[0043] A "front photovoltaic layer" or "front photovoltaic cell" of
an energy harvesting electrophoretic display is a photovoltaic
layer or a photovoltaic cell, which is located between the viewing
side of the energy harvesting electro-optic display and the
electro-optic material layer. A "back photovoltaic layer" or "back
photovoltaic cell" of an energy harvesting electro-optic display is
a photovoltaic layer or a photovoltaic cell, which is not located
between the viewing side of the energy harvesting electro-optic
display and the electro-optic material layer. The term "front
photovoltaic layer", "front photovoltaic cell", "back photovoltaic
layer" and "back photovoltaic cell" are not used for energy
harvesting electro-optic display that have two viewing sides.
[0044] As the surface area of mobile devices available for energy
harvesting is finite, and the display takes up most, if not all, of
the device's surface of the viewing side, it would be optimal that
the display surface area itself was used for energy harvesting. In
reflective displays, in particular electrophoretic displays, front
photovoltaic layers should not cause a significant light absorption
or light scattering as this would decrease the display's white
state, color gamut, readability and image quality. A photovoltaic
layer can be incorporated into conventional displays in order to
reduce the size of the battery for the device (and the weight of
the device), and to increase the time between recharging events. In
some applications, the incorporation of photovoltaic layers may
enable the displays to operate without a battery. Furthermore,
electrophoretic displays that are already fitted with front LGPs
may incorporate photovoltaic cells to harvest energy from incident
light that would be otherwise wasted.
[0045] An electro-optic display normally comprises a layer of
electro-optic material and at least two other layers disposed on
opposed sides of the electro-optic material, one of these two
layers being an electrode layer. In most such displays both the
layers are electrode layers, and one or both of the electrode
layers are patterned to define the pixels of the display. For
example, one electrode layer may be patterned into elongate row
electrodes and the other into elongate column electrodes running at
right angles to the row electrodes, the pixels being defined by the
intersections of the row and column electrodes. Alternatively, and
more commonly, one electrode layer has the form of a single
continuous electrode and the other electrode layer is patterned
into a matrix of pixel electrodes, each of which defines one pixel
of the display. In another type of electro-optic display, which is
intended for use with a stylus, print head or similar movable
electrode separate from the display, only one of the layers
adjacent the electro-optic layer comprises an electrode, the layer
on the opposed side of the electro-optic layer typically being a
protective layer intended to prevent the movable electrode damaging
the electro-optic layer.
[0046] Numerous patents and applications assigned to or in the
names of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and E Ink
Corporation describe various technologies used in encapsulated
electrophoretic and other electro-optic media. The technologies
described in the these patents and applications include: [0047] (a)
Electrophoretic particles, fluids and fluid additives; see for
example U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,002,728; and 7,679,814; [0048] (b)
Capsules, binders and encapsulation processes; see for example U.S.
Pat. Nos. 6,922,276; and 7,411,719; [0049] (c) Microcell
structures, wall materials, and methods of forming microcells; see
for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,072,095; and 9,279,906; [0050] (d)
Methods for filling and sealing microcells; see for example U.S.
Pat. Nos. 7,144,942; and 7,715,088; [0051] (e) Films and
sub-assemblies containing electro-optic materials; see for example
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,982,178; and 7,839,564; [0052] (f) Backplanes,
adhesive layers and other auxiliary layers and methods used in
displays; see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,116,318; and 7,535,624;
[0053] (g) Color formation and color adjustment; see for example
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,075,502; and 7,839,564; [0054] (h) Methods for
driving displays; see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,012,600; and
7,453,445; [0055] (i) Applications of displays; see for example
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,312,784; and 8,009,348; [0056] (j)
Non-electrophoretic displays, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,241,921; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos.
2015/0277160; 2015/0005720; and 2016/0012710; [0057] (k)
Multi-color electro-optic displays, as described in U.S. Pat. No.
8,576,476.
[0058] The invention will now be described more specifically with
reference to the following aspects. It is to be noted that the
following aspects are presented herein for purpose of illustration
and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be
limited to the precise form disclosed.
[0059] It is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology
used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be
regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or
"having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the
items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as
additional items.
[0060] Furthermore, the disclosed subject matter may be implemented
as a system, method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using
standard programming and/or engineering techniques and/or
programming to produce hardware, firmware, software, or any
combination thereof to implement aspects detailed herein.
[0061] As used herein, the term "controller" may include one or
more processors and memories and/or one or more programmable
hardware elements. As used herein, the term "controller" is
intended to include any types of processors, CPUs,
microcontrollers, digital signal processors, or other devices
capable of executing software instructions.
[0062] In one aspect, an energy harvesting electro-optic display of
the present invention comprises an electro-optic component and at
least one photovoltaic cell. The electro-optic component comprises
a first light-transmissive electrode layer, an electro-optic
material layer, and a backplane comprising a second electrode
layer. The electro-optic material layer comprises
light-transmissive gaps. The energy harvesting electro-optic
display may comprise an electrophoretic display component
comprising an electrophoretic material layer. This type of energy
harvesting electro-optic display may be also called energy
harvesting electrophoretic display. The electrophoretic display
component of the energy harvesting electrophoretic display
comprises a first light-transmissive electrode layer, an
electrophoretic material layer, and a backplane comprising a second
electrode layer. The electrophoretic material layer comprises an
electrophoretic medium that is compartmentalized in capsules or
microcells, wherein the capsules or microcells comprise
electrophoretic particles in a non-polar electrophoretic
liquid.
[0063] Although electrophoretic media are often opaque (since, for
example, in many electrophoretic media, the particles substantially
block transmission of visible light through the display) and
operate in a reflective mode, many electrophoretic displays can be
made to operate in a so-called "shutter mode" in which one display
state is substantially opaque and another display state is
light-transmissive. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,872,552,
6,130,774, 6,144,361, 6,172,798, 6,271,823, 6,225,971, and
6,184,856. Dielectrophoretic displays, which are similar to
electrophoretic displays but rely upon variations in electric field
strength, can operate in a similar mode (see U.S. Pat. No.
4,418,346). Other types of electro-optic displays may also be
capable of operating in shutter mode. Electro-optic media operating
in shutter mode may be useful in multi-layer structures for full
color displays; in such structures, at least one layer adjacent the
viewing surface of the display operates in shutter mode to expose
or conceal a second layer more distant from the viewing surface.
The corresponding devices are also referred to as variable
transmission devices. Electrophoretic displays, which are not
variable transmission devices, may be designed to have somewhat
light-transmissive electrophoretic media by having
light-transmissive gaps, such as light-transmissive beads in the
case of electrophoretic material layers comprising capsules, or
such as light-transmissive microcell walls in the case of
electrophoretic material layers comprising microcells.
[0064] One type of electro-optic display, which has been the
subject of intense research and development for a number of years,
is the particle-based electrophoretic display, in which a plurality
of charged particles moves through a non-polar electrophoretic
liquid under the application of an electric field. Electrophoretic
displays can have attributes of good brightness and contrast, wide
viewing angles, state bistability, and low power consumption when
compared with liquid crystal displays. As noted above,
electrophoretic media require the presence of a fluid. In most
prior art electrophoretic media, this fluid is a liquid. As used
herein, "bistable" refer to displays comprising display elements
having first and second display states differing in at least one
optical property, and such that after any given element has been
driven, by means of an addressing pulse of finite duration, to
assume either its first or second display state, after the
addressing pulse has terminated, that state will persist for at
least several times, for example at least four times, the minimum
duration of the addressing pulse required to change the state of
the display element.
[0065] An electrophoretic display normally comprises an
electrophoretic material layer and at least two other layers
disposed on opposed sides of the electrophoretic material layer,
one of these two layers being an electrode layer. In most such
displays, both the layers are electrode layers, and one or both of
the electrode layers are patterned to define the pixels of the
display. For example, one electrode layer may be patterned into
elongate row electrodes and the other into elongate column
electrodes running at right angles to the row electrodes, the
pixels being defined by the intersections of the row and column
electrodes. Alternatively, and more commonly, one electrode layer
has the form of a single continuous electrode and the other
electrode layer is patterned into a matrix of pixel electrodes,
each of which defines one pixel of the display. In another type of
electrophoretic display, which is intended for use with a stylus,
print head or similar movable electrode separate from the display,
only one of the layers adjacent the electrophoretic material layer
comprises an electrode, the layer on the opposed side of the
electrophoretic material layer typically being a protective layer
intended to prevent the movable electrode damaging the
electrophoretic material layer.
[0066] The manufacture of a three-layer electrophoretic display
normally involves at least one lamination operation. For example, a
process for manufacturing an encapsulated electrophoretic display,
encapsulated electrophoretic medium comprising capsules in a binder
is coated on to a flexible substrate comprising indium-tin-oxide
(ITO) or a similar conductive coating (which acts as one electrode
of the final display) on a plastic film, the capsules/binder
coating being dried to form a coherent layer of the electrophoretic
medium (an electrophoretic material layer) firmly adhered to the
substrate. Separately, a backplane, comprising an array of pixel
electrodes and an appropriate arrangement of conductors to connect
the pixel electrodes to drive circuitry, is prepared. To form the
final display, the substrate having the capsule/binder layer
thereon is laminated to the backplane using a lamination adhesive.
(A very similar process can be used to prepare an electrophoretic
display usable with a stylus or similar movable electrode by
replacing the backplane with a simple protective layer, such as a
plastic film, over which the stylus or other movable electrode can
slide.) In one preferred form of such a process, the backplane is
itself flexible and is prepared by printing the pixel electrodes
and conductors on a plastic film or other flexible substrate. One
lamination technique for mass production of displays by this
process is roll lamination using a lamination adhesive.
[0067] As already noted, an encapsulated electrophoretic medium
typically comprises electrophoretic capsules disposed in a
polymeric binder, which serves to form the discrete capsules into a
coherent layer. The continuous phase in a polymer-dispersed
electrophoretic medium, and the cell walls of a microcell medium
serve similar functions. It has been found that the specific
material used as the binder in an electrophoretic material layer
can affect the electro-optic properties of the medium.
[0068] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an embodiment of an
energy harvesting electrophoretic display 100. The energy
harvesting electrophoretic display 100 includes a protective layer
124, an electrophoretic display component 110 and a photovoltaic
layer 150. The electrophoretic display 100 has an incident light
side 112. The electrophoretic display component 110 comprises an
electrophoretic material layer comprising capsules 114 having
charged electrophoretic particles 116, and front and back light
transmissive electrodes 120. It may also include one or more
adhesive layers 122. A photovoltaic layer 150 is located under the
electrophoretic display component 110. This back photovoltaic layer
comprises a photovoltaic cell with a photovoltaic element having a
top surface 152, and a bottom surface 154 opposite the top surface.
The top surface 152 of the photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic
layer 150, receive at least a portion of the incident light 118.
The photovoltaic layer 150 may act as a substrate for the energy
harvesting electrophoretic display 100, or the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 100 may include an additional substrate to
provide structural support (not shown).
[0069] The electrophoretic display component 110 includes an
electrophoretic material layer comprising capsules 114 with
electrophoretic media in a polymeric binder. The capsules contain
charged pigment particles 116 that move in response to an electric
field. The capsules 114 are typically formed from gelatin materials
and have average diameter of about 10 to about 120 .mu.m,
preferably from about 20 to about 60 .mu.m. The electrophoretic
material layer is disposed between first and second electrode
layers 120, which may be made from known materials such as
indium-tin oxide (ITO) coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Alternatively, an electrode layer may comprise a light transmissive
polymer, which is doped with conductive elements, such as carbon
nanotubes, metal flakes, metal whiskers, graphene, etc. The
electrode layers may be continuous; one of them may be arranged as
pixels. The pixels may be controllable as an active matrix, thereby
allowing for the display of text and pictures. An additional
adhesive layer 122 is typically present between the electrophoretic
material layer and one of the electrode layers. The adhesive layer
122 may be formed via UV curable monomers or oligomers. It
typically improves the planarity of the final device by filling in
deviations created by the capsules 114. Suitable adhesive
formulations are described in U.S. 2017/0022403, which is
incorporated by reference herein.
[0070] When a DC voltage is applied across the electrophoretic
material layer via the electrodes 120 of the device of FIG. 1, the
charged electrophoretic particles 116 may move within the capsule
toward the incident light side 112 of the electrophoretic display,
thereby changing the optical state of the display 100. If the
charged electrophoretic particles 116 are white, light scattering
particles, the resulting optical state of the display is white.
This feature is known in the art, for example U.S. Patent
Publication No. 2018/0366069. Alternatively, an alternating
electric field can be applied to the electrophoretic material layer
via the electrodes to uniformly distribute the light scattering
charged electrophoretic particles 116 throughout the encapsulated
medium, as shown in FIG. 2A. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, when a
different alternating electric field is applied, the charged
electrophoretic particles 116 are driven to the walls of the
capsule 114, resulting in a pathway through the capsule for the
transmission of incident light 118, i.e., an open state. It is
understood that the electrophoretic display component 110 could,
alternatively, include charged electrophoretic particles 116
contained within microcells (also called microcups), as shown in
FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.
[0071] When in the open state (shown in FIG. 2B), a viewer who
observes the energy harvesting electrophoretic display 100 from the
incident light side 112 of the electrophoretic display would see
the photovoltaic layer 150, which comprises a photovoltaic cell
having a photovoltaic material. Because the electrophoretic liquid
is non-polar and the electrophoretic medium comprises charge
control agents and/or stabilizers, the desired optical state can be
maintained for a long time without the need to maintain the
electric field (i.e., a bistable medium). As a result, when the
devices are "switched" only a few times a day, they consume very
little power. Furthermore, because the photovoltaic layer 150 is
exposed to a portion of the incident light 118, the energy
harvesting electrophoretic display 100 can collect energy to, for
example, charge a battery or capacitor to provide switching power
for later state transitions. In some embodiments, the energy
harvesting electrophoretic display 100 is programmed to go to sleep
in an all open state, thereby allowing maximum energy
harvesting.
[0072] An electrophoretic display normally comprises an
electrophoretic material layer and at least two other layers
disposed on opposed sides of the electrophoretic material layer,
one of these two layers being an electrode layer. In most such
displays both the layers are electrode layers, and one or both of
the electrode layers are patterned to define the pixels of the
display. For example, one electrode layer may be patterned into
elongate row electrodes and the other into elongate column
electrodes running at right angles to the row electrodes, the
pixels being defined by the intersections of the row and column
electrodes. Alternatively, and more commonly, one electrode layer
has the form of a single continuous electrode and the other
electrode layer is patterned into a matrix of pixel electrodes,
each of which defines one pixel of the display. In another type of
electrophoretic display, which is intended for use with a stylus,
print head or similar movable electrode separate from the display,
only one of the layers adjacent the electrophoretic material layer
comprises an electrode, the layer on the opposed side of the
electrophoretic material layer typically being a protective layer
intended to prevent the movable electrode damaging the
electrophoretic material layer. If the front or back electrodes 120
are segmented or otherwise include regions of independent control,
the energy harvesting electrophoretic display can display patterns,
i.e., text or images, when desired by having some portions of the
display in the closed (white) state, while other portions are in
the open (dark) state. For example, the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 100 may show segmented numbers advertising
the price of gasoline.
[0073] Photovoltaic layers comprise photovoltaic cells suitable for
use with an energy harvesting electrophoretic display 100. These
include polysilicon photocells, amorphous silicon photocells,
organic photovoltaic cells, or specialty materials, such as cadmium
telluride or copper indium gallium diselenide. The cells may be
printed or fabricated with lithographic techniques. Suitable
photovoltaic cells can be purchased from, for example, E-ton Solar
Tech, Ltd., Tainan City, Taiwan.
[0074] FIG. 2B shows the electrophoretic display component 110
operating in a mode wherein the charged electrophoretic particles
116 have congregated to the walls of the capsules, e.g., after
being driven with a suitable alternating voltage. While it is not
shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, it is understood that the
electrophoretic display component 110 is coupled to a controller
configured to provide an alternating voltage signal between the
first and second light transmissive electrode layers 120 to drive
the particles between an open and a closed states. In FIG. 2B, much
of the incident light 118 traverses the incident light side 112 of
the electrophoretic display. A portion of this light reaches the
top surface 152 of the photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic
layer 150, where the light is absorbed and harvested to produce
electrical energy.
[0075] FIG. 2A shows the electrophoretic display component 110
operating in a mode where the charged electrophoretic particles 116
are uniformly distributed throughout the electrophoretic medium,
thus most of the incident light 118 is reflected by the charged
electrophoretic particles 116. In this state, a viewer sees a white
state. With the use of segmented electrodes or an active matrix of
pixels the white and dark states can define images.
[0076] In an alternative embodiment, the charged electrophoretic
particles 116 may be engineered to transmit non-visible light,
thereby allowing those wavelengths to reach the top surface 152 of
the photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic layer 150, wherein the
photovoltaic layer is of a type that generates electrical power by
absorbing non-visible light wavelengths, such as near infrared or
ultraviolet. Photovoltaic cells that use non-visible light are
available from, for example, Ubiquitous Energy, Redwood City,
Calif.
[0077] In one embodiment, the energy harvesting electrophoretic
display 300 has only one viewing side, which is the same side as
the incident light side. The viewing side 312 is the side from
which the image of the electrophoretic display component is viewed
by the viewer. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display 300
comprises a photovoltaic layer 350, which is not located between
the viewing side and the electrophoretic material layer, as shown
in FIG. 3. That is, the energy harvesting electrophoretic display
has a back photovoltaic layer. The energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 300 comprises a protective layer 324, an
electrophoretic display component 310 and a photovoltaic layer 350.
The energy harvesting electrophoretic display 300 has an incident
light side 312. The electrophoretic display component 310 comprises
a front light-transmissive electrode 320, an electrophoretic
material layer comprising capsules 314 having charged
electrophoretic particles 316 and light-transmissive beads 324, and
a backplane 321 comprising a back electrode. It may also comprise
an adhesive layer 322. The light-transmissive beads are
light-transmissive gaps in the electrophoretic material layer that
contribute so that a portion of the incident light 318 reaches the
back photovoltaic layer. The volume ratio of capsules to
light-transmissive beads of the electrophoretic material layer is
from about 1:20 to 1:3, from about 10:90 to about 1:1, or from
about 1.5:1 to about 3:1. The electrophoretic display component 310
may also include one or more adhesive layers 322. The photovoltaic
layer 350, which located beneath the electrophoretic display
component 310, comprises a photovoltaic cell with a photovoltaic
element having a top surface 352, and a bottom surface 354 opposite
the top surface. The top surface 352 of the photovoltaic element of
the photovoltaic layer 350, receive at least a portion of the
incident light 318. The photovoltaic layer 350 may act as a
substrate for the energy harvesting electrophoretic display 300, or
the energy harvesting electrophoretic display 300 may include an
additional substrate to provide structural support (not shown).
Light-transmissive beads 325 are solid or semi-solid particles,
insoluble in the electrophoretic liquid of the electrophoretic
medium. The beads 325 may be spheres, rods, cones, pyramids, cones,
or other shapes; they may comprise glass, polymers, or combinations
thereof. The average size of the light-transmissive beads 325
(average diameter in the case of a sphere or average of the largest
dimension in the case of other shapes) may be from about 10 to
about 500 .mu.m, from about 20 to about 100 .mu.m, or from about 20
to about 80 .mu.m. The beads 325 are light-transmissive, which
means that a dispersion made from 90 weight percent Isopar G and 10
weight percent beads in a 12.4 mm.times.12.4 mm quartz cuvette has
90% total light transmittance or higher. The light-transmittance is
measured as % total transmittance, which is the ratio of total
energy of transmitted light from the layer to the energy of the
incident light.times.100, measured between wavelengths of 400 and
800 nm. The inclusion of light-transmissive beads 324 in the
electrophoretic medium of the energy harvesting electrophoretic
display 300, enables the increase of the portion of the incident
light 318 that reaches the top surface 352 of the photovoltaic
cell, even in the case of conventional electrophoretic displays
that do not have two viewing sides and no capability of having an
open state, which is shown in FIG. 2B). The lower the volume ratio
of capsules to light-transmissive beads is, the higher the portion
of the incident light that reaches the top surface of the
photovoltaic cell 352 and the higher the electric current or
voltage that is generated by the photovoltaic cell. However, very
high ratios, may negatively affect the electro-optic performance of
the display.
[0078] In another embodiment, the electrophoretic medium layer of
the energy harvesting electrophoretic display 300 of FIG. 3 is
replaced by an electrophoretic medium layer that comprises a
plurality of microcells instead of capsules (and light-transmissive
beads). An example is shown in FIG. 4. This is an energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 400 having a back photovoltaic layer 450.
The energy harvesting electrophoretic display 400 comprises a
protective layer 424, an electrophoretic display component 410 and
a back photovoltaic layer 450. The energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 400 has an incident light side 412. The
electrophoretic display component 410 comprises a front
light-transmissive electrode 420, an electrophoretic material
having a plurality of microcells 425, and a backplane 421
comprising a back electrode. It may also comprise an adhesive layer
422. The photovoltaic layer 450, which located beneath the
electrophoretic display component 410, comprises a photovoltaic
cell with a photovoltaic element having a top surface 452, and a
bottom surface 454 opposite the top surface. The top surface 452 of
the photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic layer 450, receive at
least a portion of the incident light 418. The photovoltaic layer
450 may act as a substrate for the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 400, or the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 400 may include an additional substrate to
provide structural support (not shown). As mentioned above, the
electrophoretic display component 410 of the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 400 of FIG. 4, comprises a plurality of
microcells 425. The microcell cavities 425 comprise electrophoretic
medium with electrophoretic particles in a non-polar liquid. The
microcell cavities are separated by microcell walls 490. The
horizontal cross section of the microcells 425 may have various
shapes, for example, square, round or polygonal, such as a
honeycomb structure. The longest dimension of the diameter of each
microcell may be from about 40 to about 300 .mu.m, from about 50 to
about 180 .mu.m, or from about 60 to about 160 .mu.m. Each
microcell comprises electrophoretic medium with electrophoretic
particles in a non-polar liquid and a sealing layer, which seals
the microcell opening. The walls may have thickness from about 3 to
about 120 .mu.m, from about 6 to about 80 .mu.m, or from about 7 to
about 40 .mu.m. The wall thickness may occupy from about 5% to
about 75%, from about 10% to about 50%, or from about 12% to about
25% of the active surface area of the electrophoretic display
component of the energy harvesting electrophoretic display. The
walls of the microcells are light-transmissive gaps in the
electrophoretic material layer that contribute so that a portion of
the incident light 418 reaches the back photovoltaic layer. The
walls of the microcells of electrophoretic displays are constructed
from a polymeric material comprising pigment or filler particles.
These particles increase the opacity of the walls and improve the
elector-optic performance as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,829,078.
On the contrary, the walls of the inventive energy harvesting
electrophoretic display of FIG. 4 are made of polymeric material
comprising less than 0.2 weight percent pigment or filler
particles. This results in an increase in the light-transmittance
of the electrophoretic material layer, which leads to a largest
portion of the incident light 418 reaching the back photovoltaic
layer to generate more electric current or voltage. That is, the
higher the light-transmittance of the microcell walls of the
electrophoretic material layer, the more effective the energy
harvesting of the energy harvesting electrophoretic display. Higher
light-transmittance can be achieved by lower weight percent of
particles in the polymeric material and by thicker microcell walls.
The light-transmittance of the electrophoretic material layer of
the energy harvesting electrophoretic display 400 is from about 5
to about 75%, or from about 10% to about 50%, or from about 12% to
about 25%. The light-transmittance of the electrophoretic material
layer is measured as % total transmittance, which is the ratio of
total energy of transmitted light from the layer to the energy of
the incident light.times.100. The % total light transmittance is
measured by standard method ISO 13468 using D65 illuminant and a
UV-Visible spectrophotometer.
[0079] The invention is not limited to a back photovoltaic layer,
which is a photovoltaic layer behind the electrophoretic material
layer, as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B. Alternatively, or in
conjunction, a light-transmissive photovoltaic layer comprising a
photovoltaic cell can be a front photovoltaic layer. A front
photovoltaic layer is a photovoltaic layer that is located between
the viewing surface of an energy harvesting electrophoretic display
and the electrophoretic material layer. For example, a front
photovoltaic layer may only capture ultraviolet and near infrared
wavelengths, while passing the visible light through to the
electrophoretic layer below. Typically, such a photovoltaic layer
will be at least 80% transmissive to light having wavelengths
between 400 nm and 700 nm. A visible light-transmissive
photovoltaic cell is available from Ubiquitous Energy.
Alternatively, a dye-sensitized solar cell can be employed to
capture only certain visible wavelengths, while allowing other
wavelengths to pass through. A dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC)
material suitable for use is available from Solaronix S.A.
(Aubonne, Switzerland). Furthermore, architectural or decorative
designs can be created by choosing DSSCs of particular wavelength
absorptions to achieve the desired colors or effects. A dye
sensitized solar cell may be on average at least 80% transmissive
to light having wavelengths between 400 nm and 700 nm; however, it
may have a band of absorption that is less than 80% corresponding
to the spectrum of the dye.
[0080] An exemplary embodiment of an energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 500 comprising a front photovoltaic layer
is shown in FIG. 5. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display
500 includes an electrophoretic display component 510 having
microcells 528, charged electrophoretic particles 516, and
electrodes 520. It is understood that the electrophoretic display
component 510 could, alternatively, include charged electrophoretic
particles 516 contained within capsules, instead of microcells, as
shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B. The energy harvesting electrophoretic
display also includes a protective layer 522, an adhesive layer
524, and a front photovoltaic layer 550. The front photovoltaic
layer 350 has a photovoltaic element having a top surface 552 and a
bottom surface 554 opposite the top surface. The top surface 552 of
the photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic layer 550 receives at
least a portion of the incident light 518. The photovoltaic element
of the photovoltaic layer 550 of the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 500 collects primarily non-visible light,
e.g., near infrared and/or ultraviolet light, thereby transmitting
the remaining visible light to the electrophoretic display
component 510, where the visible light interacts with the black and
white charged electrophoretic particles 516 as in a typical black
and white electrophoretic display. The photovoltaic cell of the
photovoltaic layer 550 may also be a dye-sensitized solar cell,
wherein the light that interacts with the electrophoretic particles
516 will have some of the visible light removed; this may give a
tint to the display. Of course, the electrophoretic display
component 510 is not limited to black and white or only two
particles, as other colored and multi-particle electrophoretic
displays such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,717,664, 9,170,468,
and 9,921,451 could also be incorporated in an energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 500 comprising a front photovoltaic layer
550. Similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrodes
may be segmented, continuous, or part of an active matrix of pixel
electrodes. An energy harvesting electrophoretic display 500 having
a front photovoltaic layer is always able to harvest power when
ambient light is sufficient, regardless of the display state of the
electrophoretic display component 510.
[0081] In some embodiments, dye-sensitized solar cells may comprise
different dyes, and thus have different colors. The dyes can be
incorporated into an energy harvesting electrophoretic display
having a front photovoltaic layer that acts as a color filter. As
shown in FIG. 6, three different types of dye-sensitized solar cell
materials can be incorporated into a regular pattern, creating a
red, green, blue, white color filter array (CFA) 645. Of course,
other suitable colors may also be used, and fewer or greater colors
may be used, such as a one-color CFA, a two-color CFA, a
three-color CFA, a five-color CFA, a six-color CFA, a seven-color
CFA, or an eight-color CFA. In an alternative embodiment shown in
FIG. 7, an energy harvesting electrophoretic display 700 having a
front photovoltaic layer may include a substantially visible-light
transmissive photovoltaic layer 550, similar to the one shown in
FIG. 5; however a conventional color filter array 740 is
incorporated into the device above the electrophoretic display
component 510. The design of FIG. 7 is likely to be easier to
implement than FIG. 6, because the CFA 740 must be aligned to the
pixel electrodes, and it is easier to align a very thin sheet of
CFA.
[0082] In some embodiments, a LGP may be used in energy harvesting
electrophoretic displays. A typical LGP is transparent and made
from glass or a polymeric resin. It is used to transport light from
one location to another by means of total internal reflection (TIR)
at the boundary to the surrounding medium. When an incident light
ray coming via a transparent medium (having refractive index
n.sub.1) hits the boundary surface of the LGP, the LGP having
refractive index n.sub.2, which is higher than n.sub.1) at an
incident angle .theta..sub.1, it is refracted by a refraction angle
.theta..sub.2 as depicted in FIG. 8. Snell's law of Equation 1
describes this phenomenon.
n 1 sin .function. ( .theta. 1 ) = n 2 sin .function. ( .theta. 2 )
Equation .times. .times. 1 ##EQU00001##
[0083] If the medium surrounding the LGP has retractive index lower
than the refractive index of the LGP and the angle of incident
light onto the LGP is greater than the critical angle
.theta..sub.c, total internal reflection occurs. The critical angle
is defined as .theta..sub.c=sin.sup.-1 (n.sub.1/n.sub.2). Total
internal reflection means that the corresponding light rays remain
trapped inside the LGP and they can be directed towards a
photovoltaic element at the edge of the LGP to be converted to
electric current or voltage.
[0084] A front LGP is a LGP that is located between the viewing
side of the energy harvesting electrophoretic display and the
electrophoretic material layer.
[0085] Turning now to FIGS. 9A and 9B, an alternative embodiment of
an energy harvesting electrophoretic display 900 is shown, in which
light energy 930 is captured inside a front LGP 926.
[0086] Reflective electrophoretic displays may consist of an active
electrophoretic material layer with charged pigment particles
suspended in a liquid phase, compartmentalized in capsules or
microcells, bounded by segmented or pixelated transparent
electrodes, and protected on the viewing side of the display by a
clear glass or plastic sheet, which is optically bonded to the
electrophoretic material layer by a transparent, often
index-matched adhesive layer. In many embodiments, e.g., an
eReader, a front LGP 926 is optically bonded to the protective
sheet (not shown), or directly to the planarization adhesive. The
front LGP 926 typically includes a waveguide plate where Total
Internal Reflection (TIR) traps the light 930 between its two
surfaces as well as (optional) light turning features to direct a
portion of the light towards the electrophoretic material layer.
The LGP 926 is coupled to an edge-mounted light source (LED) 960.
Light 930 emitted by the LEDs 960 is coupled into the LGP 926 and
travels laterally by means of TIR. The portion of light 930 not
directed towards the electrophoretic material layer will exit the
LGP 926 at its edges 952. Often the light turning features and
their spatial distribution within the LGP are optimized for light
930 traveling in one direction (away from the LEDs 960); thus, the
light 930 is not reflected back into the LGP 926, but it is
absorbed to avoid the LGP 926 producing additional haze, which
would lower contrast ratio and color gamut. The energy of this
wasted light can be harvested by placing photovoltaic cell 950 at
the edge of the light plate opposite to the LED's 960, or even on
the three edges not occupied by the LEDs (not shown). In addition,
a portion of the ambient light 962 diffusely reflected by the
electrophoretic material layer and entering the LGP 926 at angles
greater than the critical angle of TIR will not be directed back to
the viewer but trapped within the LGP 926 and traveling towards its
edges. This portion of ambient light is also available to be
harvested by the photovoltaic cell 950.
[0087] The energy harvesting electrophoretic display 900 shown in
FIGS. 9A and 9B includes an electrophoretic display component 910
having an incident light side 912, particles 916, and electrodes
920. The energy harvesting electrophoretic display 900 also
includes a light source 960, a photovoltaic cell 950, and a LGP
926. The LGP 926 traps a portion of the ambient light 962 and/or
the generated light 954, such that the trapped light is total
internally reflected light 930 and is delivered to the top surface
952 of the photovoltaic cell 950. The top surface 952 of the
photovoltaic element of the photovoltaic cell 950 faces the lateral
edge 958 of the LGP 926. The energy harvested from the photovoltaic
cell 950 can be used to power the electrophoretic display component
910 or can be stored in the energy storage device 956. Some
portions of the ambient light 962 or generated light 954 reflect
off the particles 916 and thus become reflected light 932 allowing
the user to see the electrophoretic display 910.
[0088] The amount of ambient light energy harvested by the
photovoltaic cell can be increased if the photovoltaic element is
sensitive to near-infrared (NIR) as it is the case with Si
photodiodes (sensitive to NIR up to 1100 nm). This is especially
relevant in ambient daylight with its high proportion of NIR. A
light sensor and required computer logic could be added to set a
threshold for when the light source 960 should be turned on based
off the levels of incident diffuse light flux 964.
[0089] In any of the previous embodiments of energy harvesting
electro-optic displays, or in the embodiment described below with
respect to FIG. 11, the controller 1010 for the electro-optic
display may be in electrical communication with both a photovoltaic
layer 1050 and an energy storage device 1058, as shown in FIG. 10.
For example, switches 1056A and 1056B can be activated to allow the
controller 1010 to be powered by the photovoltaic layer 1050 and/or
the energy storage device 1058. Typically, the controller is
configured to provide a time-varying electrical potential between
the first and second electrodes on either side of an electro-optic
medium. Such time-varying electrical signals are more commonly
referred to as "waveforms". Waveforms and controllers for
electrophoretic displays are discussed in detail in, for example,
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,012,600 and 9,928,810.
[0090] FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of an energy
harvesting electro-optic display. In this embodiment, an energy
harvesting electro-optic display 1100 comprises a first fluorescent
light concentrator 1102, comprising a first fluorescent dye. A
fluorescent light concentrator is a component of a device that
absorbs ultraviolet light and reemits the absorbed light at a
longer wavelength. The reemitted light is directed via a LGP by
total reflection to a photovoltaic cell 1128, which generates
electric current or voltage. The absorption of UV light and
reemission of a light of longer wavelength is performed by a
fluorescent dye comprised in the fluorescent light concentrator.
The first fluorescent light concentrator 1102 overlies an
electro-optic material layer 1108, while behind the electro-optic
material layer 1108 is a second fluorescent light concentrator
1124, comprising a second fluorescent dye, that captures
wavelengths that are transmitted by the electro-optic material
layer 1108 (i.e., visible, residual UV and IR). The first
fluorescent dye may be the same or different from the second
fluorescent dye. A combination of various fluorescent dyes may be
used in the first and second fluorescent light concentrators. An
optional third light concentrator 1106 captures light scattered by
the electro-optic material layer 1108 and directs it via a LGP by
total reflection to photovoltaic cell 1128.
[0091] The first, second and third concentrators comprise a first,
second and third light guide plates respectively. Each light guide
plate (LGP) has a pair of opposed faces configured to propagate
light along the length of the light guide plate between the faces.
The previously described concept of Total Internal Reflection (TIR)
is used to achieve this. Photovoltaic cells at one or both the
faces of the light guide plates convert the propagated light by the
light guide plates to electric current or voltage. These
photovoltaic cells may be integrated to one or two photovoltaic
cells on each face. The generated electric current or voltage is
used for the operation of the electrophoretic display upon the
conversion or stored in a storage component to be used for the
operation of the electro-optic display at a later time.
[0092] Backplane 1114 comprises the rear electrodes and means to
address them electrically, such as, for example, an array of thin
film transistors. Layer or layers 1112 comprise
electrically-conductive adhesives and other layers (for example,
sealing layers) that separate backplane 1114 from the electro-optic
material layer 1108. The electro-optic material layer 1108
comprises an electro-optic medium. In the specific case of an
energy harvesting electrophoretic display, the electro-optic medium
is an electrophoretic medium, which is typically compartmentalized,
either in capsules or microcells. The compartments are separated by
gaps 1110. Such gaps 1110 may be spaces between capsules or
light-transmissive beads included in the capsules or the area
occupied by the walls of microcells. The gaps may comprise 10% or
more of the active surface area of the display.
[0093] Overlying the electro-optic material layer 1108 is a
combination of layers 1104 that may comprise a second
electrically-conductive adhesive layer, a light-transmissive
electrode, and an optional polymeric film on which the transparent
layer is disposed. Layer 1102, in addition to the first fluorescent
light concentrator, may comprise protective layers, such as, for
example, water and oxygen barriers and/or ultraviolet absorbers,
and other functional layers, such as, for example, touch-sensitive
layers, and/or layers designed to improve the optical performance
of the display.
[0094] As shown in FIG. 11, light rays 1116, 1118, and 1120
represent the three main ways in which light may be lost in the
electro-optic display. Ray 1116 represents incident ultraviolet
light, i.e. electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength less than
about 400 nm. This radiation is typically absorbed by a protective
sheet in order to protect the adhesives and the components of the
electro-optic material layer of the display. Ray 1118 illustrates
visible light that is scattered by the electro-optic material layer
1106 (for example, by the white pigment of an electrophoretic
medium). Such scattering is typically Lambertian, such that a
significant proportion of incident light is trapped within layer
1106 by total internal reflection. As mentioned above, total
internal reflection depends upon the refractive indices of layer
1106 and its adjacent layers. The loss from the scattered light can
be in the order of 30% of incident light, when the display is in
its white state. This light is piped to the edge of the display and
is not returned to the viewer. Of course, when the display is in
its dark state most incident visible light is absorbed by black or
colored pigments and not appreciably scattered in this way. Ray
1120 shows light that passes through the light-transmissive gaps of
the electro-optic material layer. Typically, layer 1112 may be
designed to absorb this light, for example by incorporation of
wavelength-specific dyes or pigments. This loss can be in the order
of 10 to 20% of the incident light on the display.
[0095] The energy harvesting electro-optic display 1100 of FIG. 11
comprises two additional layers not typically found in an
electro-optic display: 1102 and 1124 (and optionally 1106). Layer
1102 incorporates a first fluorescent material that absorbs
ultraviolet light, but not visible light, and reemits it at a
longer wavelength. A suitable fluorescent material may include
coumarin and coumarin derivatives, such as Alexa Fluoro brand dyes
(Thermo-Fisher), as well as Pacific Orange dyes, naphthalene
derivatives, and pyrene derivatives. The reemitted light is piped
by total internal reflection to a photovoltaic cell 1128 that spans
the stack to be converted to electric current or voltage. For
example, incident light interacts with the fluorescent material,
resulting in visible light fluorescent emission, which is typically
isotropic.
[0096] Whether or not the reemitted light is confined to layer 1102
depends upon the refractive indices of layer 1102 and 1104,
according to Snell's law. Thus, it is preferred to choose a
relatively low refractive index for optically clear adhesive layer
1104. For example, layer 1104 may comprise a fluorinated polymer
having a refractive index less than about 1.35, while layer 1102
may comprise polymers having refractive indices greater than about
1.5. The photovoltaic cell 1128 may surround the entire edge of
layers 1102 or only a portion of that edge. In the latter case, one
or more residual edges may include a mirrored surface such that
light is reflected back into layer 1102 and eventually is absorbed
by photovoltaic cell 1128. Thus, instead of incident ultraviolet
light being absorbed and converted to heat, at least some of this
radiation is captured and used to power the display, for example,
by charging a battery not shown in FIG. 11.
[0097] Similarly, part of the visible light incident on a display,
represented by ray 1118 in FIG. 11, which is not absorbed by the
first fluorescent dye incorporated into layer 1102, may be
scattered by the electro-optic material layer 1108 (for example,
the white pigment of an electrophoretic medium) at such an angle
that the scattered light is trapped by total internal reflection in
layer 1106 and directed towards the photovoltaic cell 1128 to be
converted to electric current or voltage.
[0098] Finally, some of the visible, infra-red, and residual
ultraviolet radiation incident on the display passes through the
gaps 1110 of the electro-optic material layer 1108. In the present
invention, layers 1112, 1114, and 1122 may be designed to be
transparent to this radiation, such that the radiation passes
through these layers to be eventually absorbed in layer 1124. The
second fluorescent light concentrator 1124 comprises a fluorescent
dyes that reemits the absorbed light at a longer wavelength, in a
similar manner as that described above with reference to layer
1102. In this case, however, the fluorescent dye may not be
selective to ultraviolet radiation, but it may rather absorb
ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelengths, reemitting at
longer infrared wavelengths. Such materials can include, e.g., a
mixture of dyes to achieve the desired absorption and emission
spectra. Some of this reemitted electromagnetic radiation is then
absorbed by photovoltaic cell 1128. In some embodiments, layer 1122
is designed to have a refractive index lower than that of layer
1124, such that light is trapped within layer 1124 by total
internal reflection. As described above with respect to layer 1102,
the edges of layer 1124 that are not in optical contact with
photovoltaic cell 1128 may be provided with a reflective coating or
other reflective element, such that light remains trapped within
layer 1124. In other embodiments, layer 1124 can simply include a
photovoltaic element itself that covers the whole or a part of the
area of the display, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1,
2A, and 2B.
[0099] In the case of energy harvesting electrophoretic displays,
wherein the electrophoretic material layer comprises capsules, the
capsules are separated by gaps 1110, which may be spaces between
the capsules formed by the inclusion of light-transmissive beads
along with the capsules comprising electrophoretic particles in a
non-polar electrophoretic liquid. The volume ratio of capsules to
light-transmissive beads of the electrophoretic material layer is
from about 1:20 to 1:3, from about 10:90 to about 1:1, or from
about 1.5:1 to about 3:1. Light-transmissive beads are solid or
semi-solid particles, insoluble in the non-polar electrophoretic
liquid of the electrophoretic medium. The beads may be spheres,
rods, cones, pyramids, cones, or other shapes; they may comprise
glass, polymers, or combinations thereof. The average size of the
light-transmissive beads (diameter in the case of a sphere or the
largest dimension in the case of other shapes) may be from about 10
to about 500 .mu.m, from about 20 to about 100 .mu.m, or from about
20 to about 80 .mu.m. The beads are light-transmissive, which means
that a dispersion made from 90 weight percent Isopar G and 10
weight percent beads in a 12.4 mm.times.12.4 mm quartz cuvette has
90% total light transmittance or higher. The light-transmittance is
measured as % total transmittance, which is the ratio of total
energy of transmitted light from the layer to the energy of the
incident light.times.100, measured between wavelengths of 400 and
800 nm. The inclusion of light-transmissive beads in the
electrophoretic medium of the energy harvesting electrophoretic
display 1100, enables the increase of the portion of the incident
light that reaches the second fluorescent light concentrator 1124.
The lower the volume ratio of capsules to light-transmissive beads,
the higher the portion of the incident light that reaches the
second fluorescent light concentrator 1124 and the higher the
electric current or voltage that is generated by the photovoltaic
cell 1128.
[0100] In the case of energy harvesting electrophoretic displays
wherein the electrophoretic material layer comprising microcells,
the microcells are separated by gaps 1110, which are the walls of
microcells. The horizontal cross section of the microcells of the
electrophoretic material layer may have various shapes, for
example, square, round or polygonal, such as a honeycomb structure.
The longest dimension of the diameter of each microcell may be from
about 40 to about 300 .mu.m, from about 50 to about 180 .mu.m, or
from about 60 to about 160 .mu.m. Each microcell comprises
electrophoretic medium with electrophoretic particles in a
non-polar electrophoretic liquid and a sealing layer, which seals
the microcell opening. The walls may have thickness from about 3 to
about 120 .mu.m, from about 6 to about 80 .mu.m, or from about 7 to
about 40 .mu.m. The wall thickness may occupy from about 5% to
about 75%, from about 10% to about 50%, or from about 12% to about
25% of the active surface area of the electrophoretic display
component of the energy harvesting electrophoretic display. The
walls of the microcells of electrophoretic displays are constructed
from a polymeric material comprising pigment or filler particles.
These particles increase the opacity of the walls and improve the
elector-optic performance. The walls of the inventive energy
harvesting electrophoretic display of FIG. 11 (comprising
microcells) are made of polymeric material comprising less than 0.2
weight percent pigment or filler particles. This results in an
increase in the light-transmittance of the electrophoretic material
layer, which leads to a largest portion of the incident light
reaching the second fluorescent light concentrator 1124 to generate
electric current or voltage. Higher light-transmittance can be
achieved by lower weight percent of particles in the polymeric
material and by thicker microcell walls. The light-transmittance of
the electrophoretic material layer of the energy harvesting
electrophoretic display 1100 comprising microcells is from about 5
to about 75%, or from about 10% to about 50%, or from about 12% to
about 25%. The light-transmittance of the electrophoretic material
layer is measured as % total transmittance, which is the ratio of
total energy of transmitted light from the layer to the energy of
the incident light.times.100. The % total light transmittance is
measured by standard method ISO 13468 using D65 illuminant and a
UV-Visible spectrophotometer.
[0101] Thus, the present disclosure provides energy harvesting
electro-optic displays that comprise a photovoltaic layer
comprising a photovoltaic cell. Although the invention has been
described in considerable detail with reference to certain
embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the
present invention can be practiced by other than the described
embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration
and not of limitation. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims
should not be limited to the description of the embodiments
contained herein.
* * * * *