KR20200083542A - Visual indicator and fluid dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for a fluid display comprising a fluid in which the fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process. The device is filled with at least two immiscible fluids, while one of the fluids is referenced, such that the electrical activation of the second control electrode causes deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode. It is located in the electric field generated by the electrode and the control electrode and is partially located in the electric field generated by the same reference electrode and at least one second control electrode. Also provided is a method of sequentially switching control electrodes of the device described above such that a portion of the fluid is displaced within the device.

Description

Visual indicator and fluid dispenser

Cross reference to related applications

This application is a PCT application claiming the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/579,235, filed on October 31, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference and are believed to contribute in their entirety to solving the underlying technical problem of the present invention. It is relied on to define features that may need to be protected and some features that may be mentioned below are of particular importance. This application is incorporated by reference to the content of PCT application PCT/IB2010/002054 filed on August 20, 2010 by the same applicant and entitled FLUID INDICATOR.

Copyright & Legal Notice

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document include copyrighted material. The copyright owner does not object to facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure appearing in the JPO patent file or records, or otherwise reserves all copyrights. In addition, any reference to third-party patents or articles made herein should not be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to lead ahead of such material by prior invention.

The present invention relates to indicators and in particular to analog visual indicators used to dispense a measured amount of liquid.

Analogue indicators have been around for a long time. For example, hour glass uses sand or fluid that is influenced by the weight of gravity and moves by passing a small aperture between them from one reservoir to another. Another example of an old analog indicator is "Clepsydra" as exemplified in "Horloges Anciennes" by Richard Muhe and Horand M. Vogel on French Edition, Office du Livre, Friborg, 1978, page 9.

Referring to Figure 1, U.S. Pat.No. 3,783,598 describes movement (2), drive shaft (3), cams (4), pistons (5), fluid filled capillaries (6), and time An apparatus 1 having a relief chamber 7 used for display is described. There is an automated fluid dosing device. A typical insulin pump is a computerized device that resembles a pager and is usually worn on the patient's belt or belt. Such pumps are programmed to deliver small and constant amounts of insulin throughout the day. Additional doses are provided to cover food or high blood sugar levels. The pump has an insulin reservoir attached to a tube system called an infusion set. Most infusion sets start with a guide needle, then leave the plastic cannula (small, flexible plastic tube) intact, tape it with dressing and remove the needle. Cannula usually changes every 2-3 days or when blood sugar levels exceed the target range. However, these devices are bulky and not always in accessible or readable parts of the body.

Referring to Fig. 2, a wrist wearing device such as "CLUCOWATCH" is known. This prior art device, which is said to have been developed in 2001, has a casing 8 supported by a bracelet 9. The reservoir distributes insulin on patches similar to transermal medication patches used in smoking cessation and hormone therapy. It therefore provides a non-invasive, needle-free way to improve and control the transport of water-soluble ionic drugs from the skin and surrounding tissues using low levels of current.

French patent 1552838 teaches putting a mercury blob in an electric field, that is, exposing it to a voltage difference, which may slightly deform the lump, but will not move such a lump from one place to another, where the applicant It is considered necessary to perform wetting. In addition, it has the disadvantage of generating an electric current through mercury, which causes a change in mercury, for example by heating it. In addition, mercury is considered a dangerous liquid.

These conventional devices are cumbersome, require considerable or dedicated space because they are expensive, lack accuracy, do not function as suggested, or are too expensive for many users.

What is needed is a visual indicator that provides a quick readout of the measured dose value and is inexpensive to manufacture.

The visual indicator display device includes a bracelet, a transparent capillary chamber and a displacement member. The transparent capillary chamber conforms to the indicia and has a primary length and a width less than the primary length. The displacement member is functionally disposed at one end of the capillary chamber and responds to a measurable input for moving the fluid contained therein by a predetermined amount.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a visual indicator that takes up minimal space.

Another object of the present invention is straight, rigid, such as when such indicators are worn around wrists, ankles, heads or parts of a human body or along such parts or on objects such as clothes and sporting goods. ) To provide a bendable visual indicator that adapts to requirements that do not easily allow indicators.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an aesthetic, comfortable, reliable and intelligently attractive indicator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser of a fluid such as a drug, pharmaceutical, ointment, oils or perfumes.

1 is a side sectional view of a conventional analog display.
2 is a plan view of a second indicator of the prior art.
3 is a side cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention.
4A is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.
4B is a second perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.
5A shows a second embodiment of the invention, used as a drug dispenser.
5B is a side view of the cartridge for use in the embodiment of FIG. 5A.
5C is a perspective view of the cartridge for use in the embodiment of FIG. 5A, shown in a bent state.
6 is a partially exploded view of the fluid displacement device of the present invention, with one reservoir.
7 is a cross-sectional view of the reservoir and displacement member of the present invention, showing features that help to initialize the present invention.
8A-8E are progressive views of different operating stages of the mechanical embodiment of FIG. 8F.
8F is a cross-sectional side view of a fully mechanical embodiment of the invention.
9 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present invention for textile applications.
10A and 10B show photographs of droplets undergoing the electrowetting effect side by side, FIG. 10A shows a droplet in which a voltage is applied to the electrode, and FIG. 10B shows a droplet in which no voltage is applied to the electrode. .
11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrowetting display.
12A to 12D are time sequence photographs showing displacement of water droplets in silicone oil having an electrode pitch of 1 mm and a height of 400 µm.
13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrowetting display.
14 is a cross-sectional view showing that adjacent electrodes including surface behavior changes are activated.
15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrowetting display having a structure of a bottom plate on which all electrodes are formed.
16 is a plan view of FIG. 15 showing the channel shape and the structure of the control electrodes.
17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrowetting display in which all electrodes are configured on a lower plate.
18 is a plan view of FIG. 17 showing the structures of the electrodes.
19A-19F are progressive schematic diagrams showing displacement of droplets with activation of control electrodes.
19G-19N are progressive schematic diagrams showing displacement of droplets according to activation of control electrodes.
20A and 20B are progressive schematic diagrams showing droplet deformation according to control electrode activation.
20C to 20Q are sequential views of droplet modification shown in detail in FIGS. 20A and 20B.
21 is a progressive view of the assembly of an interchangeable display under a transparent display.
22 is a cross-sectional view of one alternative embodiment of an analog sensor across an entire tube.
23 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative implementation of the digital sensor of the present invention, implemented in an electrowetting display.
24A-24C are progressive schematic diagrams showing the animation of droplet deformation in an electrowetting display consisting of one control electrode.
25A-25G are progressive schematic diagrams showing a method of collecting various droplets in an electrowetting display.
26A-26F are progressive schematic diagrams showing a method for embodying a fluid droplet, wherein another section of fluid is closed.
27A-27E are progressive schematic diagrams showing a method of separating a fluid droplet into two fluid droplets.
28A-28D are tables showing the considered requirements of the elements of the present invention.
29A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention, as in FIG. 3;
29B is a block diagram related to the embodiment shown in FIG. 29A.
29C is a block diagram of a preliminary design of the present invention.
30A is another block diagram of the present invention.
30B is another block diagram of all actuators of the first phase.
30C is a functional diagram of phase 1;
31A shows optional solutions for phase interfaces.
31B is a table considering detection of phases interface, liquid displacement and liquid position functions.
31C is a plot showing vapor pressure versus temperature for different liquids.
31D is a block diagram of an alternative means of displacement of the liquid of the present invention.
32A-32D are tables that consider solutions regarding displacement of liquids.
33 is a table discussing evaluation criteria for liquid displacement systems.
34 is a table discussing the ranking of solutions regarding displacement of liquids.
35 is a view showing a SMA (Shape-Memory Alloy) sprocket operating the spiral wheel of the present invention.
36A and 36B are schematic views of a fluid moved by electrowetting of the present invention.
37 is a schematic diagram of a piezo membrane pump of the present invention.
38 is a schematic diagram of a circular peristaltic pump of the present invention.
39A and 39B are schematic representations of a spiral wheel design, with a possible implementation of a clutch to allow manual setting of the display.
40 is a perspective view of a nanopump (Nanopump), the device of the present invention, designed by Debiotech.
41 is a schematic diagram of an electromagnetic membrane pump of the present invention.
42A and 42B are pictures of the electrowetting effect, and FIG. 42A is a diagram showing that a voltage is not applied, and FIG. 42B is a diagram showing that a voltage is applied.
43 is a schematic view of a cross-section of an electrowetting display.
FIG. 44 is a diagram showing the continuous displacement of droplets of water in silicone oil having electrodes with an electrode pitch of 1 [mm] and a height of 400 [µm].
45 shows an embodiment with an indicator of the present invention having a liquid column, which induces displacement only in one droplet.
Fig. 46 is a plan view of a Squiggle drive of the present invention.
FIG. 47 shows solution proposals for detection of indicator liquid location.
48 is a table discussing solutions for detection of liquid location.
49 is a table discussing evaluation criteria for liquid detection methods.
50 is a table discussing the ranking of selected solutions of liquid level sensors.
51A and 51B are diagrams showing two different implementations of a capacitive sensor as an analog sensor or a digital sensor on an electrowetting display.
52 is a schematic diagram of an inductive sensor of the present invention.
53A is a schematic diagram of an encoder system of the present invention.
53B is another schematic diagram of the encoder wheel of the present invention for absolute positioning.
54 is a graph of the effect of temperature on liquid length in a tube.
55 is another graph of the effect of temperature on the length of liquid in a tube.
56 is a graph of calculated bubble radii/tube radii ratios for different input parameters, taking into account helium dissolved in water.
57 is a graph of the final pressure in the decompression chamber versus tube diameter and chamber volume.
58 is a contour plot of the final pressure in the decompression chamber to chamber volume and tube diameter.
59 is a 3D graph of isosurfaces of maximum force on the piston versus tube diameter, chamber volume and piston diameter.
FIG. 60 is a plot of piston stroke versus tube diameter and piston diameter.
FIG. 61 is a graph (considering 30% overall efficiency) illustrating examples that allow functions below 11 [㎽] average power consumption (maximum acceptable power), and below 3 [㎽].
62 is a schematic diagram of a liquid-vacuum interface.
63 is a graph of return time isosurfaces for a silicon-silicon interface.
64 is a graph of return time isosurfaces for a water-water interface.
Fig. 65 is a schematic diagram showing forces acting on a spiral ramp.
66 is a generalized spiral system with a robust compression chamber.
67 shows the Archimedean spiral.
FIG. 68 is a curve showing the required torque versus angular position and chamber for tube volume ratio for a 2 [mm] tube.
FIG. 69 is a graph of different ratios of torque to angular position for different chamber/tube volume ratios, relative to 2 [mm] tube diameter.
FIG. 70 is a graph of the required torque versus spiral wheel versus desired return time for water and silicone oil.
Fig. 71 is a schematic cross-sectional view and an equivalent electricity schematic diagram of an electrowetting right.
72 is a graph of the displacement frequency of water in different media as a function of voltage.
FIG. 73 is a diagram showing morphologic boxes showing summaries of selective solutions as well as global combinations.
74 is a table of five different options of displacement devices of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 75 is a table discussing the parameters of Example 1-spiral cam.
76 is a photograph of the watch movement of the present invention.
77 is a photograph of off-the-shelf movements usable in the present invention.
78A is a schematic diagram of a digital crystal oscillating clock.
78B is a schematic diagram of a mechanical watch.
79 is a graph of return spring force and reservoir thickness versus reservoir diameter.
80A is a plan view of embodiment (1) that is flat and has an indicator tube and a watch movement.
80B is a side view of Example 1, which is flat.
80C is a front view of Example 1, which is flat.
81 is a cross-sectional view taken through the reservoir of Example 1, flat.
82 is a perspective view of the cam wheel of Example 1, which is flat.
83A is a plan view of Example 1 with a long reservoir.
83B is a side view in cross section through Example 1 with a long reservoir.
84 is a plan view of Example 1, packaged in a watch.
85 is a cross-sectional view through the mechanism of the watch of FIG. 84;
86A is a top view of Example 1 with a linear display, without a display mask.
86B is a top view of Example 1 with a linear display, with a display mask.
86C is a side view of Embodiment 1 with a linear display of the present invention.
87 is a view showing the bendable plastic bracelet of the present invention.
88 is a view showing a side view and a side view of an embodiment of a spiral movement in a bendable bracelet.
89 shows an alternative implementation of an S-shaped display with a mechanism under the wrist.
90 is a schematic diagram of forces acting on the piston of the present invention.
FIG. 91 is a graph of torque versus angular position for an inner diameter wheel of 2 [mm], a stroke of 4.5 [mm].
92 is a table discussing torques.
93 is a schematic diagram of three flip-flop based drivers of the present invention.
94 is a schematic diagram of the connection of the electrodes of the present invention.
95 is a schematic diagram of a simplified sensing circuit of the present invention.
96 is a more complete schematic diagram of the drive electronics of the present invention.
FIG. 97 is a table listing the components required to drive the system of FIG. 96;
98 is a plan and side view of an embodiment of an electrowetting display watch of the present invention.
99A-99E are schematic diagrams of the integration of a low-cost electrical or high-end mechanical movement.
100A-100D are views of the assembly steps of the present invention.
101A-101F illustrate the integration of the circular fluid channels in the views of Example 1 and the present invention.
102A to 102C are diagrams showing variable display variants and channel shapes of Embodiment 1;
103A-103H show perspective views of Example 2 and integration in the elastic bracelet of the present invention.
104 is a perspective view of a modification of Example 2;
105 is a plan view of still another modification of Example 2.
106A-106F show perspective views of Example 3 and integration in the "S" display of the present invention.
107 is a perspective view of a modification of Example 3;
108 is a perspective view of a PCB with transparent ITO electrodes and imputation components of the present invention.
109A is a detailed perspective view A of FIG. 108 of sensing electrodes of the present invention;
109B is a detailed perspective view A of FIG. 108 of drive electrodes of the present invention;
110 is a schematic diagram of electrowetting.
111 is a perspective view of an indication of time in the bracelet of the present invention based on electrowetting.
112 is a perspective view showing in detail the time display of FIG. 111;
113 is a perspective view of the closing devices of the bracelet of the present invention.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, dimensions may be exaggerated for other elements to help improve understanding of the invention and embodiments of the invention. Also, when “first”, “second”, and the like are used herein, their use is intended to distinguish between similar elements and is not necessarily intended to describe sequential or chronological order. In addition, relative terms such as “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom”, etc. in the detailed description and/or claims must necessarily indicate an exclusive relative position. It is not used to describe. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that such terms may be interchangeable with other terms, and that the embodiments described herein may operate in orientations other than those explicitly illustrated or otherwise described.

The following description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, since they are in fact typical and serve to depict the best mode of the invention known to the inventors on the filing date of the invention. Thus, changes can be made in the arrangement and/or function of any of the elements depicted in the disclosed exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The visual indicator display device includes a bracelet, a transparent capillary chamber, and a displacement member. The transparent capillary chamber is matched to the indicia and has a primary length and a width less than that primary length. The displacement member is functionally disposed at one end of the capillary chamber and responds to a measurable input for moving a fluid containing a defined amount.

Suitable fluids can be oils, lotions, or liquids such as drugs or other medicines. The displacement member is attached to one end of the capillary chamber in response to a measurable input for the user to move the indicator surface, allowing the user to read the measurement from the indication.

Referring to Fig. 3, the analog indicator 10 of the present invention displays the dosage. The indicator 10 includes a reservoir 12, a pump 14, a measuring device 16, a feedback circuit at the controller 20 and a power supply 22'. The reservoir 12 has a longitudinal axis 24, along which the indication or scale device 26 is arranged and bounded by at least one indicator surface 30. It is intended to contain the fluid 28. In one preferred embodiment, the pump 14 consists of a plunger 32 mounted on a screw 33 driven by a micro motor 34. The plunger 32 is generally an O-ring seal (O-) disposed around its circumference to seal against the passage of fluid 28 between the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 35 of the plunger, respectively. ring seal) 29 is used. Pump 14 pumps fluid 28 from reservoir 12 to a catheter 36. In one preferred embodiment, the measuring device 16 is an electronic clock that measures time and communicates the timed value to the feedback circuit 20. The feedback circuit 20 powered by the power supply 22 receives the measured time input from the measuring device 16 corresponding to the position on the scale device 26, and the surface 30 is displayed in response ( 26) pump 14 pumps fluid 28 out of reservoir 12 until it reaches the desired position (usually adjusted to the desired rate of fluid distribution) relative to the corresponding position on the phase. It works to move. The power supply 22 supplies power to the pump 14 and the feedback circuit 20. As shown, reservoir 12 directs fluid 28 into catheter 36. A clasp 52 connects the ends of the device 10 to create a bracelet 21.

Also, the optical fiber and the LED light source selectively illuminate the fluid 28 in the reservoir 12 in a known manner.

A potentiometer 56 regulates the voltage set in the displacement control system 60. The displacement control system 60 is, for example, a tracker NSE-5310 located adjacent to the plunger 32, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference as appendix A and is filed in the United States provisional application filed August 21, 2009 61/235,725), and an incremental position sensor 62. The control system 60 uses a hall element array on the chip 62 to derive the incremental position of the outer magnetic strip 54 placed adjacent to the chip at a distance of approximately 0.3 mm (typically). The magnetic strip 64 is attached to the plunger 32 and moved along with the plunger 32. This sensor array detects the ends of the magnetic strip to provide a zero reference point.

In one alternative embodiment, the power source 22 is a movement captured by solar cells, a wound watch spring, an oscillating mass (as used in automatic watches), or compressed air. It can be a pneumatic system to store.

To return the fluid 28 to its initial position, for example 6 am, the plunger 32 can be returned by a return spring 40 or magnetic device (not shown). Other options including return line 42 are of course conceivable, and this return line 42 allows simply inverting motor 34 to reset indicator 10. .

It is noted that a suitable motor 34 is the trade name SQUIGGLE ^™ available from New Scale Technologies, New York, USA.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, an application example of the analog indicator of the present invention is a wrist watch or a necklace 10 worn around a user's wrist. The reservoir 12' can be made of a transparent or translucent material, or a mixture of transparent and translucent materials, formed into any desired shape. It can be made of plastic, rubber, silicone or any suitable material. The resilient material has the advantage that the bracelet 21' can stretch over the user's wrist. In addition, the fluid display 23 can be supplemented with a standard viewing surface 39 on the casing 43.

Referring now to Fig. 5A, the present invention may be configured as a device 10" used to take a dosage of liquid drugs 28 such as insulin. In such an embodiment, the bendable tube controls the dosage. It is a disposable medication reservoir cartridge 12' attached to a housing 13 containing a device 18. The device 10" is carried like a wrist watch, in which case the cartridge 12' can be bent Acts as part of its band. Indicator 10" includes reservoir 12', linear drive 14', optional feedback circuit 16', controller 20', and power 22' The reservoir 12' has a longitudinal axis 24' and a marker 26' is disposed along this longitudinal axis 24' and is bounded by at least one indicator surface 30'. It is intended to include a fluid 28. In one preferred embodiment, the linear drive 14' is mounted on a long bendable threaded shaft 33' driven by a micro motor 34'. The mounted spherical plunger 32' is driven. The shaft 33' is preferably made of a superelastic material such as NITINOL. The linear drive 14' is a piston 35 (preferably a rubber-like bend). Made of a material capable of driving) to drive the plunger 32', and this piston 35 presses the fluid 28 along the reservoir 12' and eventually a cannula tube or catheter 36'. After passing, the fluid 28 is guided into the patient's body. The electronic device of the device 10" ensures that the programmed dosage of fluid is taken at regular intervals or at regular intervals as prescribed by a physician. Note that instead of selectively passing into the wearer's body through the cannula, the fluid 28 fills the absorbent patch 25 worn by the patient for slow propagation of the drug through the skin and into the patient's body. When a drug is administered via a patch 25, the patch can include a semi-permeable outer layer to prevent the drug from evaporating (i.e., spreading through the skin) before the drug has its intended effect. . Also, the perfume can be delivered in a similar way. Particularly with respect to the embodiment for dispensing perfume, the patch may be located partially or wholly under the housing 13 or on the side of the housing and use a temporary adhesive rather than directly to the organism to avoid the need to attach the same to the organism. Can be fixed using. Such a patch is a circular, marked area 39 marked against any side of the housing 13 or adjacent to the creature, such as the "POST-IT" note, so that the replacement patches can immediately replace dirty patches. Can be sized to be replaced (such as an area).

In a preferred embodiment, the number of turns of the linear drive 14' is recorded and controlled to ensure proper dosage. The electronic devices are powered by a power source 22'. Alternatively, the position of the piston 35 can be controlled in the same way as described in the above embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The cartridge 12' is installed with its piston 35 adjacent to the plunger 32' on one side 13' of the housing 13 and a slideable tab 54 on the other side 13" ) Is installed adjacent to the piercing mechanism 50 including a piercing tube 52 connected to the user to allow the fluid 28 to flow through the cannula 38 into the patient's body. , Slip tab 54 to allow piercing tube 52 to penetrate the upper membrane 56 of cartridge 12'. Serves to open one end of the cartridge 12' to allow delivery to the user's skin, to the user's skin, or adjacent to the user's skin via an airway or conductive channel (not shown) (eg For example, directly and through patches).

In embodiments that use an external magnetic strip (generated magnetic field having a magnetic field that increases or decreases along the length of the cartridge) attached to or integrated into the cartridge 12', the computer controller uses it. The dosage administered to the patient can be adjusted.

As in the previous embodiment, the power source 22' can be a battery, solar power, a wound watch spring, a vibrating mass (such as used in automatic watches), or a pneumatic system that stores compressed air.

After the cartridge 12' is fully dispensed, a button (not shown) on the housing 13 can be activated to pull the plunger 32'. The piston 35 remains stationary to prevent any aspiration of fluid from the patient, and the cannula should remain connected to the body. Once retracted, the device 10" can replace the replacement cartridge 12'.

As in the previous implementation, a suitable motor 34 is the SQUIGGLE ^™ motor already described.

Note that the housing 13 may be adapted to a movement (not shown) corresponding to the watch face 39 so that the drug administration device can also act as a wrist watch.

Optionally, the threaded rod 33' of the drug administration device 10" is enclosed in a tube 41 connecting on the side 13" of the housing 13 and the side of the housing ( 13') around the wearer's wrist to give the visual effect of a two or multi-banded wrist watch.

It is foreseen that the cartridge 12' used in such drug administration device 10" will include a chemical litmus-type indicator indicating whether insulin or other drugs are suitable for sustained injection. Can be represented by an element of the cartridge 12' that changes color from a color indicating whether the fluid is suitable for use to another color indicating that such fluid is no longer suitable for use.

The device 10" also serves as a perfume dispenser by replacing the cannula with an aspirating head that can be operated manually (via a dispenser head or button) or automatically (via the dosage control of the present invention). Can be used.

Referring now to FIG. 6, in an alternate embodiment, a cam 152 attached to the stem of the watch movement 132 is mounted on sealed bearings 162 to translate axially. , Connected to the fluid displacement device 90 via a piston shaft 160, which is guided in its axial translational motion by its cam surface 164. The piston shaft 160 is connected to a piston head 166 that acts against the bendable rolling diaphragm 170 of the reservoir 36' (alternatively, of course the piston is shown in the embodiment of Figure 3) As such, it may have an O-ring that is mounted around its outer perimeter or otherwise sealed). The rolling diaphragm 170 is a flange fixedly sealed at one end to effectively separate the fluid 28 from below the piston head 166 from the fluid 28' over the piston (which may contain air as a fluid gas) (flange)(172). Reservoir 36' is shown in the distal positions. The passage 112' consists of a capillary channel 120, and the passage 110' provides a return passage to the opposite side of the piston head 166.

The cam 152 is a parrot spiral to gradually move the piston shaft 160 and thus the piston head 166 to move the determined amount of fluid 28 into the capillary channel 120 at a rate that will accurately represent the time. It is formed to resemble (nautilus spiral). Of course, a similar determined amount of drug or perfume can likewise be administered to the organism in this way.

Referring now back to Figure 7, an alternative fluid displacement device 90 is shown in a position where the reservoir 36" is essentially filled. The end of the piston shaft is prevented by preventing the piston shaft from rotating on its axis. To better maintain the relationship between 184) and the cam surface 164', a keyway 180 formed on the piston shaft 160 is mated with a set screw 182, and this set The screw 182 is screwed into the keyway through the threads in the fluid display subassembly 90' In addition, an adjustment screw 186 having an o-ring seal 190 mounted in the recess is provided. Including the "ALLEN" or "TORX" interface at the outer end of 192 allows factory adjustment of the position of the meniscus 30 for calibration purposes.Septum or access port 194 made of elastic material ) (Not shown) or a pair thereof also removes air and fluid 28', 29' from capillary channel 102 and/or reservoir 36" and capillary channel 102 and/or reservoir It can be used to allow injection of air and fluids 28', 29' into 36".

It should be noted that the invention (10, 10'. 10") can be made except for all electronic devices (typically as in the case where the invention is located in the luxury watch market). (22") may be a movement from a vibrating mass that winds a clock spring that powers a gear train, the rotational speed of which is a pendulum with a characteristic period as is known in the art. It is controlled by the same regulator or a vibrating disk (eg, balancer/turbion).

Referring now to FIG. 8F in yet another alternative embodiment, the device 10"can be made to exclude all electronic devices, such as typically in the case where the present invention is located in the luxury watch market. In, the power source 22" powers the gear train 72, which is controlled by a vibration-like regulator or oscillating disc 74 (eg, balancer/turbion), whose rotational speed has a characteristic period. It can be a movement from a vibrating mass that winds the watch spring 70. The rotational motion generated by mechanism 76 is converted to linear motion by screw 80. These screws 80 drive the plunger 32" which drives the fluid 28 as shown in Figs. 8A-8E, in which case the valves 82 are used to achieve the desired fluid movement in the reservoir 12. Open or closed to effect. Arrow 84 shows the direction of movement of the plunger 32". In Fig. 8A, the indicator reservoir 12 is empty. As the plunger 32 advances to the right in the direction of the arrow, the fluid 28 in the indicator advances to the left. Note that the lines and positions of the valves 82 allow this desired fluid flow. 8B and 8C show the sustained advancement of fluid at the indicator to the left. 8D and 8E show the advancing of air to the left to show the day.

In a fluid-free embodiment, a threaded rod may be formed as a closed loop with a surface (eg colored) that contrasts with the rest of the loops to indicate time in the scale device. A colored reed shape with divorts cut at bend points can be similar to a liquid that operates and moves along the length of the reservoir.

The reservoir 12' may be made of a transparent or translucent material formed in any desired shape, or a mixture of transparent and translucent materials. It can be made of plastic, rubber, or silicone.

In an alternative embodiment, instead of the position sensor 60, a conductive wire (not shown) made of a conductive material, such as metal, along the at least a portion of its length to the fluid in the reservoir 12', as described above. Exposed.

Therefore, the conductive wire contacts any fluid in the reservoir. As the fluid in contact with the wire is pumped from the reservoir, the wire can be scaled using a variable electrical resistance along its length, and the electrical resistance measured at the wire is scaled to the measured value. The fluid is pumped up until it matches the corresponding one. The grading of the indicator 10 is performed by comparing the variable resistance measurements to locations that exist along the length of the reservoir, and those locations are marked with a scale to indicate the corresponding measured value.

Referring now to Figure 9, an example of fabric application of the present invention is shown. The goal of this application is to provide a device of the invention that can be sewn from material. A feasible embodiment is:

-The storage of molecular chains or fluorescent micro LEDs;

-Reservoir made of insulating material;

-For time piece implementation, modules or micro LEDs placed along the length of the reservoir at a distance that allows at least 12×60=720 placement;

-The connection from source R to ground is made;

-LEDs emit light when R reaches the voltage of T (fluorescent or phosphorescent, shiny glass type);

-The voltage R is provided by the power source S;

-The electric source S is dependent on the electrical resistance R, but maintains an independent voltage level R for consumption of molecules or fluorescent micro LEDs M;

-As long as the applied voltage is less than T, the fluorescent molecules (M) become fluorescent as soon as the set voltage level with infinite resistance is applied; And

-The voltage transmitted to R by the source S is changed as a function of the measured value G.

What remains flexible is a chain of LEDs, which light up or turn off together or through waves, but are not intended to represent the measured value. It is characterized by being elaborate and flexible, waterproof, washable, etc., such as a thread (because it has a diameter as small as a millimeter) that can be incorporated into a textile item.

In another embodiment, the fluid can be transferred into the display by a process called electrowetting. Electrowetting is a phenomenon in which a hydrophobic surface generally loses its properties and becomes hydrophilic, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. 10A shows droplets with a voltage applied to an electrode. 10B shows droplets with no voltage applied to the electrodes.

A schematic diagram of an electrowetting display with schematic details of the different layers used to make the actuator is shown in FIG. 11. 12A-12D show photographs from a test involving displacement of droplets of water in silicone oil with an electrode pitch of 1 [mm] and a height of 400 [µm].

The droplets of fluid 205 are moved to move the display to a new position and cause the display to move. Its functionality can have the ultimate goal of representing measured values such as time. It can be referenced by indications. 13 is a detailed schematic diagram of an electrowetting display with different layers. It consists of a top plate 201 that can be sturdy or flexible, on which the common electrode 202 is placed, and there is a thin conductive layer that can be composed of different sections. The surface is treated with a coating 203 that exhibits a surface behavior lacking affinity. All of these elements can be transparent, translucent or even colored to make them visible below. They can have a variable thickness or structure.

The lower plate 207 is a sturdy or flexible substrate on which electrically conductive control electrodes 208 are deposited and constructed. These control electrodes are electrically insulated by a dielectric layer 206 on which a coating 203 lacking affinity is deposited. The bottom plate 207 and its native layers can have any visual aspect, including transparent, translucent, colored, partially opaque, and opaque. They can have variable thickness and structure.

The coating 203 is optional in the display shown in FIG. 13, which additives in the fluids 204, 205 lack affinity with the surfaces of the reservoir containing the fluids 204, 205. This is because it can take a function. In some cases, electrical contact is ensured between the fluid 205 and the common electrode 202, otherwise it is electrically insulated.

Fluid 205 is the active liquid in the electrowetting process. This fluid 205 constitutes a separate visible phase in the passive fluid 204 that is thought to fill the left space by the first fluid 205 in the reservoir. The fluid 204 can be liquid or gas. All of the fluids 204, 205 can have any visual aspects, including transparent, translucent, colored, partially opaque, and opaque, as long as strong contrasts allow them to be distinguished from each other. One or several droplets of fluid 205 may be included in the system. All of the fluids are included, for example, in reservoirs, channels or tubes.

14 shows how fluid 205 reacts efficiently under the electric field indicated by lightning symbol 225 and is applied by electrical activation of control electrode 209 similar to other control electrodes 208. As a result, the contact angle of the fluid 205 on the surface of the lower plate 207 and its intrinsic layers change by inducing attraction by the capillary effect. This attraction causes movement of the fluid 205 droplets.

15 describes another way to implement different components of the display where fluids are transferred by the electrowetting effect. The lower plate 211 is configured to form a channel in which the common electrode 210 is divided into two sections lying on the walls of the channel. The surface of the top plate 201 does not close the channel. The coating 203 is placed everywhere to avoid the capillary effect where the droplets stay in the channel and thus drag out the droplets in the thin space formed by the lower plate 210 and the upper plate 201. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 15 in which the location of the cross-section is indicated. The control electrodes 208 lie along the channel and the common electrodes 210 lie along the channel on both sides.

17 shows another way to implement different components of the display where fluids are transferred by the electrowetting effect. The common electrode 202 lies along the control electrodes 208 on the lower plate 207. Here, all the layers numbered and described as in FIG. 13 have the same function in this implementation. In such a case, droplets of active fluid 205 are isolated from common electrode 202 by dielectric layer 206 (see FIG. 17).

18 highlights details of the structure of the common electrode 202, which can be divided into several sections. In this case, the common electrode 202 is an elongated electrode overlying the control electrodes 208. The droplets of fluid 205 spread across all types of electrodes.

FIG. 19 shows a sequence with stages A through F illustrating how to control the displacement of a fluid having the shape of a droplet 224. The fluid is similar to the fluid 205 described above. The droplet of fluid 224 is slightly larger than the control electrodes 223 to assume that it can move to adjacent control electrodes 223 when voltage is applied to it. This voltage can be of DC type or AC type. In stage A, the droplet is stationary, since no control electrode 223 has been activated. This fluid moves in stage B because the nearby control electrode is activated, as illustrated by lightning symbol 225. Displacement occurs until the droplet reaches a strong equilibrium state (which does not necessarily mean that it must completely cover the active control electrode 223). As shown in Fig. 19, it covers the control electrode 223 activated in stage C. In stage D, the process starts again at a new location to move over the next adjacent control electrode 223 described in stages E and F. Control can move the droplet in any direction. For several droplets of fluid, they can be controlled independently. Also, Figure 19 shows sequences with stages G to N.

20A and 20B show another way to implement a display utilizing the electrowetting effect. The droplet showing the same properties as the fluid 205 shown in FIG. 13 does not translate, but the movement of the fluid causes the droplet to deform. The control electrodes 220 form twelve branches of the star in this particular embodiment, and each of those branches can be activated. The droplet center 219 may be actively held by the underlying control electrode or it may be passively held with an appropriate surface treatment to hold the droplet in this area. In stage A, the star branch 221 contains a deformation of the droplet, since its control electrode 220 below has been activated as shown by the lightning symbol 225. In stage B, another star branch 222 is activated to attract a portion of the droplet and thus change the deformation. Here, it is not necessary to activate the adjacent control electrode 220 where the droplet deformation comes into contact. It is the droplet center 219 that should contact the new activated control electrode 220. This principle of droplet transformation makes the droplet lively and represents a measured value that can be referenced by an indication if relevant. In addition, FIGS. 20C-20Q show a sequence with stages C-Q.

A particular implementation of the display is when the layers and fluids shown in FIG. 13 are transparent, except that the fluid 205 is colored to have a good contrast so that droplets of the fluid are visible to the user. . 21 describes this embodiment of a wrist watch 212. In such a particular implementation, there are two droplets representing the hours for the droplet 214 and the minutes for the droplet 213. The circles 215, 216 are invisible to the user, they only show the path that the droplets follow. Thanks to the transparency of the display, it is possible to have an interchangeable display 217 that allows the user to customize the user's device 218 as shown in FIG. 21.

In addition, two embodiments apply the electrowetting phenomenon using a capacitive sensor.

Referring to FIG. 22, in the first capacitive sensor embodiment, a single electrode is used in which the liquid level is deduced from the analog value of the capacitance measured over the entire tube. This embodiment allows the use of simpler electronic circuits. However, it is more difficult to correct the given impact of environmental parameters.

Referring to Fig. 23, in the second capacitive sensor embodiment, the liquid level is determined as a digital value using, for example, 144 electrodes, one for each time step.

The above solution is very robust so as not to be affected by environmental parameters as in the first capacitive sensor embodiment. One reason for that lies in the fact that the region of dielectric layer 206 under the droplet of fluid 205 is very capacitive.

In the following four embodiments, electrowetting fluid action for animation purposes is applied. Their construction follows the same scheme as described in FIG. 13 as well as the electrical activation in FIG. 14. In particular, they contain two immiscible fluids, one of which is denoted by reference number 228.

24A-24C, in the first basic animation principle, the electrowetting display consists of one aesthetic shape, in this case one control electrode 229 designed to represent the heart. It is translucent or opaque, but preferentially is transparent to provide amazing effects in animation. In step (A) (shown in FIG. 24A), fluid droplets 228 are freely floating in reservoir 226. Region 227 is coated in the same manner as above control electrode 229 so that fluid droplet 228 moves without forcing. If the control electrode 229 is transparent, its electrical activation in step B (shown in Fig. 24B) induces a surprising effect since droplet deformation is not expected. Such deformation ends in a new stable state depending on the shape of the control electrode 229 as shown in step C (shown in FIG. 24C).

Making the fluid droplet 228 or any separated fluid droplet more effective must overlap the control electrode to properly move it over the control electrode 229. Having only one control electrode is the simplest implementation in which the control system can be reduced to an active power source. However, more complex constructions can be made to increase fluid animation.

Referring to Figure 25, the electrowetting display implements a system capable of collecting any separated droplets. In step (A) (shown in FIG. 25A ), all portions of fluid 228 float freely in reservoir 226. Practically, the entire surface of reservoir 226 is treated to provide no restrictions on the movement of the fluid. In this particular implementation, four concentric control electrodes 229 to 232 are provided. Again, they can be opaque or translucent, but preferentially transparent to provide an amazing effect. It is not necessary to have concentric structures as long as the control electrodes cover a portion of the surface, for example, any droplet of fluid 228 will overlap at least some of the control electrodes.

The sequence in this implementation is initiated by activation of the control electrodes 229-232 described in step B (shown in Fig. 25B). It creates an amazing effect because the droplets of fluid 228 move unexpectedly. In step C (shown in FIG. 25C ), the droplet of fluid 228 is due to the difference in contact angle between the activated control electrodes 229-232 and the droplet edges over the deactivated region 227. Move to leave area 227 deactivated by the capillary effect. From such a state, the sequence is step by step (D) (shown in Fig. 25D), the external one 232, the control electrode 231 in step E (shown in Fig. 25E), and step F ), starting from disabling all control electrodes from control electrode 231 (shown in FIG. 25F). In each step, the droplets of fluid 228 move towards the center for the same reasons described in step (C). In step F, the droplets are brought into contact with each other and combined together to form the shape defined by the final control electrode 229 at the end of step G (shown in Figure 25G). The droplet summing can occur at any stage, as it is dependent on the initial position and deformation of each droplet 228. The concentric principle is not the only possible means of collecting droplets because the order can be defined in relation to the structure of the control electrodes.

Referring to Figure 26, an electrowetting display implements a method of obtaining a controlled enclosed portion of a passive fluid surrounded by an active fluid. This method forms a droplet with at least one cavity surrounding a second fluid that essentially covers the entire area of reservoir 226 except for the area occupied by droplets of fluid 228. As with the other embodiments described in FIG. 24, the substantially entire surface of the reservoir is uniformly treated and the control electrodes 230-235 can be opaque or translucent, but are preferably transparent. In step (A) (shown in Figure 26A), droplets float freely in reservoir 226. All control electrodes 230-235 to start moving droplets of fluid 228 from the control electrodes 232, 233 to the center of the display as described in step C (shown in FIG. 26C). In this activating step (B) (shown in Fig. 26B), a surprising effect is caused. There are intermediate steps not shown in this order because they are similar to those described in FIG. 25. In step D (shown in Fig. 26D), the droplets move on one semicircle over the control electrodes 231, 232. The foregoing describes initial preparation for hole formation. In other words, the above-described sequence creates a ring of active fluid surrounded by passive fluid (as for other animations), and the interior of such a circle is also filled with passive fluid.

In step E (shown in FIG. 26E ), the control electrodes 234 are activated and the middle control electrode 232 is disabled to cause the droplets to take a horseshoe shape. The droplet still covers a portion of the electrode 232 despite its inactivity. The final control electrode 235 is disabled to prevent one section from being covered by the fluid 228, allowing the second fluid to flow into the future hole. On the other hand, fluid 228 is pulled towards the activated electrodes, allowing other fluid to cover control electrode 231. In step F (shown in FIG. 26F ), the final control electrode 235 is activated, pulling a droplet of fluid 228 to merge into its two arms and controlling electrodes 232 , 233) taking its final shape with a second fluid hole from the top to the inside.

Other embodiments are contemplated to shape the cavities of passive fluids in a droplet of active fluid. It depends on the control electrodes structure and control order.

Referring to FIG. 27, the electrowetting display implements an animation in which droplets of fluid 228 are separated into two parts. In step (A) (shown in FIG. 27A ), droplets of fluid 228 float and move freely thanks to the uniformity of the surface treatment throughout reservoir 226. As in the embodiment shown by FIG. 24, the control electrode may be opaque and translucent, but preferentially all control electrodes 230 to 232 and 236 and 237 are activated to attract droplets in the middle of the display (B ) (Shown in FIG. 27B). After a sequence similar to that shown by FIG. 25, the droplets end on the control electrode in the middle 232 in step C (shown in FIG. 27C). The droplets are then pulled in two opposite directions by activation of the control electrodes 236, 237 in step D (shown in Fig. 27C). The droplet of fluid 228 deforms in the direction of both electrodes and is eventually divided into two independent and small droplets that will cover the two activated electrodes 236,237. To work well, this process must be fine-tuned between the design of the control electrodes, the control sequence and the size of the droplets of the fluid 228.

The device will meet the general clock requirements of ISO 764, ISO 1413 and ISO 2281.

28A-28D are tables showing consideration of the requirements of the elements of the present invention.

FIG. 29A shows the prototype after URS (see FIG. 3) and FIG. 29B shows the associated black box.

29C shows the design specific requirements of the present invention for phase I.

The original block diagram of the project is shown in Figure 30A. Some of its parts are clearly pointing towards the application of Squiggle drives.

30B shows a generalized block diagram. In the same drawing, the categories of the first phase of this project are outlined. The goal is to develop an actuator with its direct dependence, which is a reservoir and a decompression chamber.

Because the sensor plays an important role in the design and control of the actuator, it is also within the scope of this first phase.

30C shows a concise functional analysis of the device. In this figure, the blue bordered functions will be addressed in the first phase of the project.

In this section, solutions on the phases interface, detection of liquid displacement and liquid position functions will be handled.

Aspects Interface is not strictly a function. Nevertheless, it has an important influence in the design of the actuator.

Three of the solutions for the phases interface are shown in FIG. 31A.

These solutions are discussed in FIG. 31B.

Description of liquids on the liquid-vacuum (liquid-vapor) phase interface

The so-called liquid-vacuum phases interface actually becomes the liquid-steam interface, and the "empty" space is instead filled with liquid evaporated at its vapor pressure. Vapor pressure is shown in FIG. 31C for different liquids as a function of temperature. It is clear that this value has a large fluctuation with respect to temperature. for example:

In order to have a positive pressure at -10 [°C], the pressure with methyl chloride reaches from 40 [°C] to 8 [bar].

Propane pressure rises to even higher levels.

This means that the actuator must be dimensioned with respect to the pressure it encounters at 40 [°C]. Therefore, over most of its operating range, it becomes more than the required size and the device is temporarily heated to higher temperatures, and there is a risk of failure.

The following conclusions are made:

For these reasons, liquid-vapor pressure must be avoided.

From the two remaining interfaces, a liquid-liquid interface is preferred, which makes the liquid less susceptible to expansion, reduces the risk of air bubbles in the case of impact, the meniscus progresses more regularly, and changes rapidly in temperature and pressure. This is because there is a risk of air bubbles forming at the liquid-gas interface.

Description of solutions regarding displacement of liquids:

In Fig. 31d, three of the solutions regarding the displacement of the liquid are shown. Such solutions are grouped into five main categories.

1. Piston systems : The piston compresses the liquid in the bellows reservoir.

2. Direct electromagnetic action on the liquid : The electromagnetic action on the fluid itself moves it without an actuator.

3. Pump systems : Liquid from the bellows reservoir is pumped into the display tube.

4. Thermal systems : The thermal effect causes displacement of the liquid.

5. Chemical : The liquid is displaced by a chemical reaction.

Categories 1-4 are discussed in FIGS. 32A-32D.

The evaluation criteria for liquid displacement systems are shown in FIG. 33.

33 shows the ranking criteria. The ranking is done using 1-3-9 methods where all solutions are assigned with a grade of 1, 3 or 9 for each considered ranking criterion. The ranking criteria themselves have a weight of 1, 3 or 9. In this way, any contribution can take a value between 1 and 81 into the total rating of the solution.

Robustness to environmental parameters is not displayed here, as it will be defined by a combination of action, type of interface, and sensing.

The following criteria were weighted priorities of up to 9:

Complexity : Due to the high-end segment the product is expected to be designed for, complexity is not considered the most important criterion.

Scalability : The product is now for watch displays. Although possible additional applications may require expansion to other dimensions, this is not an important criterion at this time.

Manual setting speed : Some solutions do not allow setting the display manually at any speed. This can be a problem because the user does not have immediate feedback on the user's action on the display. This criterion is now given a weighting of 3, but may need to be increased.

Cost : Once again, due to the high-end segments in which products are designed, cost is not the most important criterion. Expensive and complex devices may attract watch customers.

The ranking of all considered solutions is shown in FIG. 34 with the ranking criteria described above.

The five leading solutions are:

1. The stepper motor operated spiral wheel comes first in this ranking. It is a very simple solution using a relatively simple mechanism and known actuators. In addition, by using a mechanical clutch to separate the spiral wheel from its gear train, manual setting of the indicator can be done very quickly. Its only handicap is its relatively larger size.

2. The piezo membrane pump comes second. It has a good ranking due to its small size, sturdy design and known technology. Its handicap is that it can be more expensive than other solutions due to its relatively low scalability.

3. The spiral wheel activated by the clock mechanism comes in third. Note that this solution is presented in a straightforward way and is not the goal of the first phase of the project to develop such a solution, so it is not pursued here. It should be noted, however, that the winning solution can also be easily switched to a fully mechanical displayer.

4. The electromagnetic membrane/piston pump is in the fourth position. It has the advantages of piezo membrane pumps at a higher size cost.

5. Electrowetting is in the fifth position.

5. The squiggle driven piston drive is engaged with respect to the fifth position. The solution is handicap, resulting in higher energy consumption due to the need for power as its high frequency piezo actuators and return to it. Moreover, such piezo actuators tend to be costly and not fully scalable. Finally, unless a second actuator is implemented, using this method will slow the manual setup.

Leading solutions are then presented in detail.

A stepper motor that operates a spiral wheel is described. A schematic representation of this solution is shown in Fig. 39A (top view), and Fig. 39B (side view) shows a solution for quickly making such a setting. To do the setting, the user-operated button detaches the spiral wheel from its gear train and allows quick setting without turning off the power. All components, including stepper motors, are simple and well known.

The piezo membrane pump will be described. 40 shows a nanopump/piezo membrane pump, a device designed by Debiotech for insulin injection purposes. This particular device has a 200 [nl] dispense per pulse. This product is fully micro-machined in SOI (Silicon On Insulator) wafers to provide high repeatability.

Moreover, since the device is self-priming, open loop adjustment is possible: at the end of the 12 hour cycle, return valves can be opened to recover liquid from the reservoir. The pump can then be activated until liquid is detected by a single capacitive sensor placed at its outlet. After this point, the pump can be trusted to provide regular steps for the next 12 hour period.

Note that the capacitive sensor can theoretically be integrated into the device.

Some devices, such as nanopumps, are on the market or are in development.

Describe the electromagnetic membrane/piston pump. A schematic diagram of such an electromagnetic membrane/piston pump device is shown in FIG. 41 for the case of a membrane pump. It is noteworthy that the piston configuration is also feasible. However, since the capabilities of both devices are very similar, both solutions are now considered together.

In both cases, the volume of the compression chamber changes, and two check valves ensure that the flow generated by this change goes in the desired direction.

One of the main advantages of such pumps is that they generate a volumetric flow, so if the system is recalibrated every 12 hours, the advancement of the liquid in the indicator can be controlled by an open-loop system.

Electrowetting will be described. Electrowetting is a phenomenon where hydrophobic surfaces usually lose their properties and become hydrophilic. This is shown in Figures 42A and 42B. In this way, with several electrodes aligned, it is possible to control the displacement of the droplets of water in the display.

The schematic diagram of such a display is shown in FIG. 43, and a detailed schematic diagram of different layers used to make the actuator is also shown. Using droplets slightly larger than the electrode, such droplets move to neighboring electrodes when current is supplied to them.

Pictures from tests involving displacement of water droplets in silicone oil are shown in FIG. 44. The displacement can be seen to be very rapid. Moreover, the power involved is relatively low because the electrodes act as capacitors, i.e. no conduction of current occurs in the system.

Much of the work still published involves displacement of droplets of water that are not bulky, as is required to displace a column of liquid in the case of a liquid display. However, the display behavior can also be achieved by displacement of a single droplet as shown in FIG. 45. The droplets in this case are used for separation between the colored oil and the colorless oil, and the colored oil is an indication medium.

This data is intended to display some of the capacities so far demonstrated of electrowetting.

Now, the squiggle driven piston will be described. 46 shows a modified example of a squid driven piston. This solution relies on existing products, and such actuators can be adapted, for example, to spiral wheel systems.

Describe the detection liquid location solutions. A tree of solutions for the detection of liquid location is shown in FIG. 47. The first of the three large groups is'direct sensing', in which case the sensor is integrated into the indicator tube and directly detects the location of the liquid, and the second group is'open-loop'. loop)', in this case no sensor is used and the system is reset every 12 hours to prevent the accumulation of errors, the third group is "indirect sensing", in this case the position of the actuator Is traced, and the position of the liquid column is guessed. In addition, it should be noted that temperature compensation may have to be performed if an indirect sensor is used with a liquid-gas interface.

Solutions relating to the detection of liquid location are discussed in FIG. 48.

The evaluation criteria for liquid sensing methods are discussed in FIG. 49.

Sensitivity to environmental parameters is specified only if the sensing method is inherently sensitive, for example, by selecting the appropriate interface and there is no possibility to circumvent this sensitivity.

For all considered indirect sensors as well as open-loop adjustment, it is considered that the actuator that displaces the liquid is volumetric, ie it is considered that the constant position of the actuator corresponds to the position of the liquid column. This is assumed as no pressure generator has passed the selection of actuators.

50 shows the ranking of selected solutions of liquid level sensors.

The results are as follows:

A capacitive sensor is a preferred solution because it relies on a relatively simple technique, allowing reliable closed-loop control of the position of the liquid column.

· Indirect detection methods come second. All simple, but slightly higher errors can be introduced because no closed-loop adjustment is made.

· The open-loop solution comes to the third position. It may indicate an error, and special care should be taken so that the distribution of each step of the actuator does not change over time. However, its simplicity is a big advantage.

These three first solution groups will be described in detail in the next section. The resistive sensor will not be described in detail because it has a similar performance but a considerably more complex design.

Detailed technology of leading solutions

The capacitive sensor will be described. Two implementations of the capacitive sensor are possible. One implementation solution is a single electrode sensor, in which case the liquid level is estimated from the analog value of the measured capacity over the entire tube. Another implementation solution is a multi-electrode sensor, in which case the liquid level is determined as a digital value using 144 electrodes, for all time steps.

The first solution allows the use of simpler electronic circuits, but can be proved to be challenging to calibrate due to the sensitivity of the analog circuit to environmental parameters. However, the second solution is an extremely robust solution. Both solutions are shown in FIGS. 51A and 51B.

The robustness of the second solution makes it desirable due to its compatibility with the electrowetting solution.

An inductive sensor on the actuator will be described. The inductive sensor placed on the actuator measures the position of the ferrite in the coil by measuring the inductance of this coil. It is schematically shown in FIG. 52. Such sensors are already in wide use and provide very reliable results.

The encoder on the actuator will be described. The encoder is a simple system that provides the displacement or absolute position of a rotating actuator. Schematic diagrams of such systems are shown in FIGS. 53A and 53B, respectively, with encoder wheels for absolute positioning. Such a system can be realized with almost any desired accuracy depending on the application.

The encoder and inductive sensor have similar capabilities. Encoder is more suitable for rotating applications and inductive sensors are more suitable for linear translation. The main direction of displacement of the actuator should be the basis for the distinction between the two sensors.

Explain the thermal expansion calculation, especially the thermal expansion of materials. Ambient temperature is an external parameter that directly affects the liquid in the system and display tube and thus the accuracy with respect to time display. Its effect is increased for larger reservoir volumes attached to small display capillaries. Portions such as the liquid container, the display tube and the liquid itself should be considered together with the second liquid container for the liquid-liquid scenario. The applicable temperature range is ℃[-10; +40].

Typical thermal linear expansion coefficients of materials and liquids α[K ^-1 ]

Invar: 2×10 ^-6

Glass: 10-70×10 ^-6

PMMA, PC: 50-100×10 ^-6

PUR: 50-80×10 ^-6

PP: 100-150×10 ^-6

LDPE: 280×10 ^-6

PVC: 60×10 ^-6

Typical volume expansion coefficients of liquids γ[K ^-1 ]

Quicksilver: 180×10 ^-6

Water: 207×10 ^-6 at 20℃ (abnormal expansion)

Ethanol: 750×10 ^-6

Ether: 1700×10 ^-6

Glycerol: 500×10 ^-6

Gasoline: 900×10 ^-6

Silicon oil: 1170×10 ^-6

The volume expansion coefficients of liquids are more or less than three times α, but for example water is very non-linear.

Matching materials and liquids will be defined later according to the selected design embodiment. Criteria such as viscosity (vs. pumping device), surface tension, miscibility, freezing temperature and stability over the indicated temperature range are considered.

The calculations were made for the storage in PP (125×10 ^-6 [K ^-1 ] (or 3×α = 375×10 ^-6 [K ^-1 ])) and PVC (60×10 ^-6 [K ^-1 ]). The display tube will show the effect of a liquid with a γ coefficient of 500×10 ^-6 [K ^-1 ]. The mismatch is about 125×10 ^-6 [K ^-1 ].

The calculations regarding the PP reservoir will be described. The graph in FIG. 54 shows the length of liquid growth in the indicator tube over the 25° C. temperature range, and the temperature is applied to the entire system. The reservoir material is PP, the tube material is PVC, and the volume expansion coefficient of the liquid is 500×10 ^-6 [K ^-1 ].

Vtube is the maximum liquid volume in the display tube (120m in length, 0.5mm in diameter gives 0.024mL).

The curves confirm that for a relatively larger reservoir volume, mismatch of temperature coefficients between the casing and the liquid leads to greater inaccuracy. With regard to capillary display tubes, the effect is widely increased.

The reservoir volume rises linearly with respect to the tube volume. If the tube diameter is large, the reservoir is scaled up to match the volume. Therefore, the offset in the tube due to temperature is not dependent on the tube diameter. The following equation represents a reservoir container dependent on the offset length versus display volume. P is a parameter starting from 1 (minimum liquid volume relative to the display tube) to 5 (reservoir containing up to 5 times the display volume), and Ltube is 120 mm.

And the curves are displayed on the graph in FIG. 55.

Since liquids and solids are considered incompressible, gases are compressed according to the ideal gas law.

The following conclusions are made:

• The offset in the display due to temperature is linear with respect to the volume and the corresponding channel diameter;

· The volume should be minimized while the diameter should be maximized, ideally the volume matches the required display volume (120 mm long channel and reading comfort);

• In the case of liquid/air (linear channels) or double liquid/liquid interfaces (closed-loop channels), a compliant chamber is required;

The material thermal expansion coefficient of the reservoir can be matched to the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid.

Thermal effects on gas

For the liquid/gas interface, gases are included in the display chamber and the decompression chamber. They follow the ideal gas law.

P·V = n·R·T

In the case of an isotropic process (no material or liquid expansion), a gas subjected to a temperature change of 25° C. around 15° C. sees a pressure change of 8.7% that directly interacts with the conforming part of the design.

Gas dissolution and vapor pressure

In the case of a liquid-gas display with a sturdy compression chamber, some gases dissolve in the liquid as the display advances. This gas is allowed to vent after reset. The goal of this section is to determine the risk of bubbles appearing on the display and the risk of cutting the display into two.

The number of moles of gas dissolved at a given pressure in a given amount of liquid is:

Is calculated as

In this equation, k _H is a liquid and gas dependent constant.

The pressure reached in the compression chamber at the end of the display is:

Is calculated as

The total volume of liquid available in the system is equal to the reservoir volume. The reservoir volume itself is:

Can be calculated as

Therefore, the number of moles that can be degassed after resetting can be calculated as follows:

Then the corresponding volume

It can be calculated using the law of perfect gases represented by the equation

This last expression has three parameters:

·Tube volume

· Ratio between tube and decompression chamber volume

· Ratio between tube and reservoir volume

You can see that it depends on.

If you don't want the bubbles to remain there on the display, it can be a criterion that the volume of degassed gas should not occupy spherical bubbles with a diameter equal to or greater than the tube diameter. If the bubble is smaller than the tube in this way, it is likely to move toward the decompression chamber or reservoir and is therefore not visible on the display. therefore,

Want to be.

This calculation was done with respect to a range of input parameters, taking into account the solubility of helium in water. The solubility of helium in water

to be.

50)이다. 계산의 결과는 도 56에 제시된다.This is a very low value (air: k _H = 7.8 · 10 ^-4 , ammonia: k _H

50). The results of the calculations are presented in Figure 56.

Conclusions:

Under the assumptions taken into account, it is impossible to have outgassing bubbles of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the tube.

A bubble/tube ratio of 2 also limits very large tubes, large chamber volumes and relatively small reservoirs.

Under these assumptions, it seems difficult to admit that the bubbles do not collapse the liquid display.

It tends to indicate that a liquid-vacuum or liquid-liquid display should be preferred.

Energy budget calculation

Commercial coin cells of lithium/manganese and lithium/carbon monofluoride provide a nominal voltage of 3V (end point 2V) and a battery capacity of about 100-600mAh. Battery cell models are CR2025 to CR2450 and BR, and external dimensions are 2.5 mm x Ø20 mm to 5 mm x 024.5 mm.

The following calculations show the energy budget available for 2 years using a single coin cell of 3V (end voltage 3V) and 210mAh (worst case parentheses).

Amount of 5 minute strokes: 210'400 (<1s)

Amount of 12 hour "return" strokes: 1461 (<30s)

The amount of adjustments (5/months): 120 (<5 s) Giving:

Steps life: 70.675 hours, worst case

Steps with mechanical return Life (actuator not activated during reset): 58.3 hours

Calculation of selected circular piezoelectrically operated micromotor squiggle with respect to the initial circular URS:

·Power consumption: 330㎽

· Given current consumption: 110㎃

Squiggle Total Life Time: 210mAh/110㎃ = 1.9 hours or only 2.7% of expected life time

The values show that the energy budget is not the same size as the consumption budget. Squiggle can be driven with lower power consumption, but only extends up to 27% with a 10x less power life. The data sheet displays a minimum driving force of about 150 kPa to achieve a 1 mm/s displacement with respect to a 15 gf axial load.

With the prescribed energy budget given by one battery cell, the theoretically available energy for each stage is (worst case):

Coin cell energy: 210mAh × 3V = 2270J

·Average energy consumption: 10.7mJ

Average power consumption: 8.9㎽ (1s strokes, 30s reset strokes, 5s adjustments)

As for the worst case condition, more than 82% of the operating time is in the clock function 5 minute steps (1s operation) and can be greatly reduced with shorter operation method. In this calculation, 17% is the remaining actuator reset time, which can also be significantly reduced depending on the selected design (pressureless, acclimatization chamber). Adjustments are negligible.

The design should take into account the space available for additional coin cells (doubling capacity) and reduce the operating time as much as possible regarding steps and resets. The design can also implement mechanically based energy storage in a spiral spring for mechanical reloading, yet the operation must act against spring reloading.

Other functions that require electrical energy not included in this calculation are:

·Microcontroller

Position sensor (min. 1/5 min, more during adjustments)

·digital

Backlight LED (1/day, 10 seconds per use, 2.03 hours/2 years)

Low consumption blue LED with button indicator (12 hours a day, 8760 hours/2 years)

to be.

LED power consumption:

Commercially available low-consumption LEDs require a nominal voltage of 2.2V and a current of 1mA giving a power of 2.2mA.

·The button LED has an energy consumption of 1388J (!)

Backlight LEDs (3V nominal, 20㎃): 438J

Therefore, the LED button light must be re-defined in duration and intensity in order to reduce consumption. The energy budget for actuators is less than 20% of capacity.

Describe pressure calculations. In the case of a display with a liquid/gas interface and a robust decompression chamber, the pressure increases linearly as the liquid advances as the gas is compressed in the compression chamber. The final pressure is 2 parameters

A section of the tube that defines the amount of gas to be compressed

·Volume of decompression chamber

Depend on it.

Therefore, the final pressure

Can be calculated as

The final pressure in the compression chamber as a function of these parameters is shown in Figure 57. The same values are shown in FIG. 58 as a contour plot.

As can be seen in these figures, large pressures can be easily reached. This results in higher energy consumption in the actuator and higher mechanical requirements for the indicator. Actions that can be taken to limit these mandates include: The reduced pressure chamber volume can be maximized, which entails an increase in overall size. Also, the tube section can be minimized, but this affects the visibility. Also, a liquid-liquid interface could be used, which would require one compliant reservoir at each end of the tube, or alternatively, as a tube making a loop, would not require any kind of reservoir space.

Explain the robust decompression chamber force calculations, ie pistons with piston reaction forces. For systems with a piston/liquid/gas interface, the force acting on such a piston will change linearly as the liquid advances in the indicator. This in turn will translate into a force dependent on the cross section of the piston, which will:

Can be written as The maximum force acting on the piston as a function of tube diameter, chamber volume and piston diameter is shown in FIG. 59.

In many parts of the graph, it can be seen that the maximum force does not exceed 1 [N].

The piston stroke as a function of piston diameter and tube diameter is shown in FIG. 60. It will have to be set depending on the dimensional constraints of the device, but it will also affect pump energy consumption and will require more force to act on the larger piston.

Mechanical power

Is defined as.

d _stroke represents the distance to be provided by the piston in increments of 5 minutes, the total stroke length of the previously calculated piston is called d _{overall_stroke} , and t _stroke represents the stroke duration specified by 1[s]. Since the actuator force rises linearly as the display advances, half of the maximum calculated force is considered to be the average required force.

Then the required power

Can be calculated as

Here, η _total represents the overall efficiency of the system, taking into account both electrical and mechanical power losses. The isosurfaces of power consumption can then be drawn as shown in FIG. 61. It is estimated that the overall allowable power consumption is 11 [㎽], such that one coin cell can supply the system during two years of continuous operation.

To set a reasonable limit to the average energy consumption, considering the overall efficiency of less than 30%, a value of 3 [mW] is reached.

For calculation of the maximum allowable power consumption, it is assumed that the return is done using the pressure generated during the forward motion, i.e. the actuator need not be activated for return.

The trend towards power consumption may not seem to be the same as the trend for power. This is because larger pistons require more force, but their stroke distance is significantly reduced.

Describe the piston return time versus return force. 62 shows a schematic representation of a liquid-vacuum system. In this system, the force exerted by the vacuum must be compensated by the force of the return spring so that the system is in equilibrium. In addition, force must be added so that the return is done quickly enough.

Note that the situation in the liquid-gas interface or liquid-liquid system with the adaptive compression chamber is the same, except that there is no vacuum generated suction, which lowers the overall force.

Under a certain pressure differential, and assuming that the flow is thin, the flow in the tube is calculated as follows:

Where R _tube is the fluid resistance of the tube to the advancement of the liquid. It can be calculated by Poisuille's law as follows:

From a fully filled display, considering the complete return of the liquid, the fluid resistance will drop steadily as the liquid progresses. The average fluid resistance will be equal to the fluid resistance of half the overall length of the tube. However, if the interface is a liquid-liquid interface, the fluid resistance will not change as the liquid progresses. Therefore, the following speeds are calculated as follows for both cases:

Therefore, the return speed of the liquid is four parameters,

·Bush spring force

·Tube radius

·Liquid viscosity

·Piston radius

Depends on

The maximum specified time for return is 30[s].

In FIG. 63 isometric surfaces of return times as a function of tube radius, piston radius, and return force for the silicon-silicon interface, and in FIG. 64 function of tube radius, piston radius, and return force for the water-water interface. As isometric surfaces of the return times are presented. In both cases, it can be seen that the situation where the return takes more than 30 seconds is unusual. However, if a much faster return is required, special care must be taken when selecting dimensions.

A description of the helix wheel torque calculations and general helix formula is made. Figure 65 shows the forces acting on the helix at any given time. Existing variables are the force (F) of the piston, the equivalent vertical force (R) that generates torque in the helix, the angle (a) between the tangent and the helix, and the tangent of the circle passing through this point (calculation continues), ρ due to friction = an additional angle ρ calculated as α tan(μ) (where μ is friction), and torque (M) required to turn the spiral wheel.

α is calculated as follows at any point:

Therefore, the required torque is written as:

Describe the constant torque spiral calculation. If a sturdy compression chamber should be used, the helix shape must be adjusted accordingly to maintain a constant torque on the drive. In this case, if a logarithmic spiral is used, the torque increases during the display, which is oversized for most stroke distances to provide sufficient torque at the end of the stroke. Losing the drive will require implementation.

A generalized spiral system is presented in FIG. 66 with some of its key values.

The pressure in the compression chamber can be written as:

We want to have a constant torque on the drive in this calculation. As shown in the previous section, this torque is calculated as follows:

To solve this equation, it is assumed that the contribution of friction is zero. We know that the angle α of the helix can be calculated as:

Therefore, the torque can be roughly calculated as:

Constant torque means that you want the differential of the torque to be zero as a function of the angular position of the helix. therefore:

to be.

Since the force is angle dependent, this results in a complex quadratic differential equation. When you select a solution with a spiral wheel and a liquid gas interface, the shape of the spiral is calculated numerically.

Note that when using a helix type other than Archimedes helix, the step size performed by the motor will not be constant with the movement of the piston because the distance increment of the helix will not be constant with angle.

Describe the Archimedean Spiral Calculations. The Archimedean Spiral is one of the simplest shapes, and the equation is:

Fig. 67 shows one such spiral. It has the special feature that for a given spiral rotation, the linear displacement of the piston pressed against the piston is always constant regardless of the angle. This situation is not true for other spiral shapes. When a spiral other than the Archimedes spiral is used, the rotational speed of the motor is not constant in order to achieve a constant displacement of the indicator.

Archimedes spirals have the characteristic that the spiral inclination α decreases as the angular position Θ progresses, and as a result, the required torque decreases. It is then presented as a possible solution to situations where the gas must be compressed in a sturdy chamber.

As calculated in the previous chamber, the torque to be provided by the actuator with respect to the common spiral compressed gas is:

In Archimedes spirals, the angle of the spiral inclination is calculated as follows:

The torque is:

Ignoring the effect of friction, it is possible to write:

Here we describe the torque calculation for the liquid-gas interface, in which case the force calculations were established in the above section describing constant coat helix calculation. You can write:

In our particular case, the spiral rotates only once. Therefore, the parameters of the helix are defined as the minimum radius of the helix a, which has only the importance of design.

therefore,

to be.

It can be noted that in the case of Archimedes helix, the torque characteristic does not depend on the geometry of the helix when friction is neglected. This can be explained as follows, if the helix has a high slope, the stroke of the piston will be longer, which means that its surface will be lower. This results in lower pressure applied to the piston surface, compensating for higher slopes.

Note that the volume of the reservoir is the same as that of the tube, so it has no effect on the calculation. The reservoir will only have to be sized according to the tube dimensions.

The final equation can be simplified by providing the chamber volume as a function of tube volume, as follows:

It is worth noting that the torque still depends on the absolute value of the tube diameter. However, only the ratio is important in relation to the torque change depending on the angular position. Figure 68 shows the curve of torque as a function of tube volume ratio and chamber volume for each position, for 2 [mm] tube diameter.

The same curve is represented in FIG. 69 as cuts for different ratios. It can be seen that the torque can be kept relatively stable when ratios greater than 2 with respect to the chamber volume are used.

As can be seen, these approximate calculations ignore friction, which leads to a null torque at the start of the wheel's rotation. Of course, frictional forces must be considered for accurate results.

We conclude that the use of Archimedes spirals simplifies motor control, because each motor position increment corresponds to a constant liquid level increment. However, this spiral geometry requires variable torque depending on its angular position. It is possible to keep the torque stable with the Archimedean Spiral only if the compression chamber is at least twice the volume of the tube. If the device is smaller, a constant torque break should be used. Alternatively, this problem can be avoided by using a liquid-liquid or liquid-vacuum interface.

Now the torque calculation for the liquid-liquid interface is described. In the case of a liquid-liquid or liquid-vacuum interface, the force acting on the piston is considered constant. The torque can be calculated in this case as follows:

It can be seen that the torque is constant and depends only on the entire stroke of the helix. The force will be determined as the minimum force that ensures that the liquid returns quickly enough from the reservoir with calculations established in 5.8. As written, the return spring force can be calculated as a function of the desired return time as follows:

Therefore, the torque can be calculated as:

This is actually a notable result. The torque required in this situation only depends on the viscosity of the fluid considered and the desired return time, and the tube length is given.

As for the liquid-vacuum interface, in this case this torque will be divided by 2, such as the average fluid resistance of the tube during the return of the liquid.

It can be seen that the required torque directly depends on the viscosity of the liquid. Figure 70 shows the torque required as a result of water and silicone oil. It can be seen that due to the difference in viscosity between water and silicone onyl, the torque requirements are ultimately quite different. However, in both cases, the torques remain within reasonable limits.

It is noteworthy that in the first approximation where friction is neglected, the torques are generally of inferior size compared to the liquid-liquid or liquid-vacuum interface rather than the liquid-gas interface.

Now we will discuss electrowetting and power consumption. The schematic of the electrowetting principle is shown in FIG. 71. As shown on the right side of the figure, the electrowetting display can be represented as an array of capacitors. When the droplet needs to be displaced, an electric current is supplied to the electrode next to it, which reduces the surface tension at this spot and attracts the droplet. The energized electrode is connected to a capacitor generated by insulation and hydrophobization, and its ground electrode is the water droplet itself.

The value of a planar capacitor can be calculated as follows:

In our case, the electrodes have a rectangular shape, and the capacitor consists of two consecutive layers (insulation and hydrophobicization). However, the hydrophobic layer is too thin to provide electrical insulation. The properties of the insulating layer are as follows:

layer material thickness Dielectric constant Isolation Parallel C 800[nm] 3.15 ²

The size of the electrodes can be determined as follows:

·Length = 0.833 [mm] → 120 [mm] divided by 144 electrodes

·Width = 1[㎜], assumption

Then, the capacitor value is roughly calculated at C = 29[㎊]. This value corresponds to a typical value in the literature and can be easily measured by typical capacitive sensing chips.

Then the first assumption of power consumption in one step increment assuming that the capacitor is fully charged in the process can be made as follows:

The goal is to perform displacement with the minimum possible voltage. Considering the results shown in FIG. 72, it seems possible to move the droplets from 3 [㎐] to 20 [V] voltage. Therefore, the displacement time is 0.3[s] and the required power is 0.038[㎼].

We conclude that the previously calculated value of power should be considered as an indicator of order of magnitude. To confirm this value, refined calculations and tests have to be done. The magnitude of this degree is confirmed in the literature. The consumption of electronic products must be added to the consumption.

An embodiment of representation and ranking is now described. The morphological boxes method aims to combine solutions presented for different functions of the device, to create complete concepts. A summary of the solutions retained as well as the global combination is presented in FIG. 73. As can be seen, since this function is at the core of the device, one concept was designed for each method of operation. Therefore, five different concepts are presented later. Note that liquid column sensing is highly dependent on the chosen method of operation, but not on the interface. The proposed interface can still be modified for some of the proposed concepts. 74, five different concepts are presented. This section presents preliminary designs of the two solutions presented in the later section. The section'Assumptions' presents the parameters assumed for practical reasons or to simplify the calculation. The “Preliminary Design Options” section presents calculations leading to different parameters.

Example 1-A spiral cam will be described. No sufficient optimization will be done at this stage, and some parameters will be assumed. They are presented in Figure 75.

Here, the chef movements are described. Stepper motors, such as the "Lavet" motor, named after the inventor, are widely used in the watchmaker industry. Several off-the-shelf watch movements are available in the market with the main features that follow.

Torque: 5 to 18 μNm on the second shaft up to 1 to 3 mNm on the time wheel after reduction of the gear train;

Nominal voltage: 1.5V;

Typical consumption: 2 kPa (no load);

Designed with silver oxide battery ~ 28mAh, expected lifespan; <2 years;

Mio Parts/Price per year: 0.45 (plastic) to 2.25 USD (metal).

Movements cannot address display tubes of varying lengths. Examples are shown in FIG. 77.

Low-cost plastic and metal watch movements usually have a gear train addressing the seconds wheel, the minute wheel (optional) and the hour wheel. The design sometimes includes a friction clutch that allows adjusting the hours (hours and minutes) with the help of a setting stem without rotating the motor.

The design of the watch movement is the same as that illustrated with respect to the digital quartz watch in FIG. 78A and the one illustrated with respect to the mechanical watch in FIG. 78B.

Low-cost plastic and metal watch movements usually have a gear train addressing the seconds wheel, the minutes wheel (optional), and the hours wheel. The design sometimes includes a friction clutch that allows adjusting the hours (hours and minutes) with the help of a set axle without rotating the motor.

The sea wheel is of interest because it is on the top of the movement assembly and can be connected directly to the spiral cam on the device. Movements already have a dimension of 24 hours/day and can be easily used for field descriptor design.

Here, the time adjustments with the OEM watch movement are described. For commercial watches, the stepper motor continues to increase the time giving minute resolution of 6° per second, 6° per minute and 15° per hour for 24 hour cycles. In the case of adjustments, time is relatively adapted to the new time by acting on the hour and minute gear trains at 12 hour time resolution. The stepper motor will then increase the time with a new relative time indication.

The following considerations should be noted with respect to the analog liquid clock embodiment.

The time is relatively adjustable in the 24-hour time range (12 hours for the display and 24 hours for the button LED indicator).

The time increment is not in the open loop, because a reset occurs every 12 hours and must match the value at 6 AM or 6 PM. In this regard, the combination of the liquid display and the relative time wheel should be a perfect match (open loop time display).

The liquid display cannot be set on a constant basis with variable channel lengths unless the piston size and reservoir are adapted during device assembly.

In the case of a fully mechanical watch movement (ETA, lamania, etc.) integration, the energy budget considerations to be confirmed are the same. The preliminary design focuses on low cost plastic watch movements.

Here we describe preliminary design choices. The reservoir is the most important part of the system. An important criterion is the linearity of the display as the piston moves in the reservoir, which is perfect for a piston moving in a straight cylinder, but it is challenging to achieve even with a bellows reservoir. In addition, the reservoir itself should not have spring speed, because we have to run with relatively low forces.

For this reason, a design using a piston and sealing done with a rolling diaphragm are chosen. In this way, the maximum linearity is maintained by piston operation, while sealing is achieved by the rolling diaphragm.

The required return force for the reservoir spring depends on the desired return time and capillary force due to the surface tension at the interface of the two liquids.

The forces on constant return times were calculated earlier. The effects of the capillary phenomenon are incorporated here. The capillary force is calculated as follows:

Subsequent values are taken for parameters unknown in this equation.

Therefore, the capillary force in a tube with a diameter of 1 [mm] is 94 [μN]. This force is negligible with respect to other contributions.

If a cylindrical reservoir is considered, the return spring force and reservoir height are presented in Figure 79 as a function of reservoir diameter. In all cases, it can be seen that the return spring force is relatively low. Therefore, the reservoir is dimensioned to make it practical to operate.

Three different designs of this embodiment are developed:

11 [mm] reservoir diameter, 1 [mm] stroke, and round display;

5 [mm] reservoir diameter, 4.5 [mm] stroke, and round display; And

5 [mm] reservoir diameter, 4.5 [mm] stroke, and linear display.

These two reservoir designs are deployed, which seem to be more suitable for a flat reservoir with respect to the cluttering aspect. However, flat reservoirs mean short strokes, which impose high tolerances on the cam wheel. For example, a first design with 1 [mm] stroke has a vertical displacement of 6.9 [μm] of the piston per time step. This is important when it comes to wheel tolerances.

Note that in all cases, an average return spring force of 50 [mN] will be considered. This is higher than the requirement, but it will be difficult to reliably control the spring force with a nominal force of 10 [mN].

Here we describe Example 1 as a flat version. Example 1, a flat version is shown in FIG. 80A with movement and indicator tube. It is clear from this design that the reservoir occupies only a fraction of the total volume.

80B shows a side view of the assembly, and FIG. 80C shows a front view. Note that significant optimization of the overall size is still possible. Also notice that in the preliminary design the set wheel is on the watch. The cam wheel can be seen in the front view, which is in the "zero" position. When the watch mechanism rotates the cam wheel, it depresses the piston, which activates the liquid.

The cross section of the reservoir is shown in Figure 81. The rolling diaphragm is shown in green, and the piston is outlined in red. In this configuration, the reservoir is in its "0" position, in which case the indicator liquid is completely in the reservoir, and most of the other liquid is in the tube. As the piston moves forward, it pushes out water and reserves space for heptane behind the membrane.

Once again, the design is made for easy processing. It does not indicate optimal.

A view of the cap wheel only is shown in FIG. 82. Such a wheel is designed to provide a stroke of 1 [mm] over one revolution.

Here, Uni is described as Example 1 as a long circular version. A plan view of Example 1 with a long reservoir is shown in FIG. 83A. A side view with a cut through the reservoir region is shown in FIG. 83B. The reservoir design is the same as having a flat reservoir.

It is noteworthy that a configuration with a long reservoir allows for a smaller overall packaging not described. All components of the display are integrated within the 44 [mm] diameter of the display, and the assembly has a smaller overall thickness even when not optimized. Moreover, it is not necessary to impart additional volume to allow the stroke of the piston.

84 shows Example 1 with the mechanism presented above packaged in a watch. In this embodiment, the front of the watch is a flat, opaque panel, with twelve glasses indicating twelve hours. The cross section of the mechanism is shown in Figure 85. Note that the casing is roomy for the current design of the mechanism. The overall size and cluttering of the watch can be reduced, for example, by making an egg-shaped display instead of a round display.

Example 1 is described here as a long linear version in the first modification. The linear display of Example 1 is shown in FIG. 86A, a plan view in FIG. 86B, and a side view in FIG. 86C. In this embodiment, the tube has a length that is twice the length required for display. Alternatively, such a system can be built as a slave reservoir at the end of the tube. However, this approach is not presented here, because the width of the system is constrained by the actuator, leaving room for the loop of the tube.

In the case of a band watch, it may be better to concentrate the thick part on one end. In this case, the total volume occupied by the system is less.

Example 1 is described here as the long linear version in the second variant. The other was to implement the linear version of Example 1 on a low cost watch while avoiding the limitations imposed by the need to close the bracelet, and would be built on a flexible bracelet watch as shown in FIG. 87.

An implementation of a spiral cam mechanism in this design is presented in FIG. 88. The mechanism itself can be incorporated into a relatively small capsule, and in the final device it is shaped as a result of the bracelet itself. The surface of these capsules can be opaque and optionally bear the manufacturer's logo.

Here, we describe Example 1 as a modification of the'S' shape. Based on the later bracelet design, a variant with an S-shaped display is presented in FIG. 89. In this design, the bendable tube is fully embedded in the bendable bracelet, allowing the watch to fit on the wrist. The mechanism is so large that it cannot be placed on one end of the S-shape, so it sits under the wrist.

The display itself should be made of a stiffer material to maintain its shape. Note that this can also be achieved by embedding a bendable tube in a more rigid display casing, which can also have time marks.

Here we describe the forces acting on the system of Example 1. In the generalized piston case, the forces acting on the piston are presented in FIG. 90. The total force is equal to the sum of the force of the spring and the frictional force exerted by the sealing ring.

The force of the spring is defined as 50 [mJ].

The sealing force should be estimated. Considering that the pressure at the interface between the seal and the piston is 0.5 [bar] to give a sufficient seal, and considering that the inner diameter of the seal is 1 [mm] and the height is 1 [mm], The radial force applied to the piston is 0.157 [N]. If the worst case friction coefficient between the rubber of the seal and the Teflon of the piston is taken as 1, this results in an additional force of 157 [mN] on the piston.

Here we describe the torque calculation for the system of Example 1. As presented as part of the general helix formula, the torque on the helix is calculated as follows:

Flat design torque requirements.

In our case, the following values can be used:

·F = 200[mN], considering spring and friction

H _stroke = 1 [㎜]

R = 14.5 [mm]

Μ = 0.05, taking into account the steel cam wheel, and Teflon piston

This results in the required torque with M = 176 [μNm].

Long design torque requirements.

Subsequent parameters will be used for the long design.

·F = 200[mN], considering spring and friction

H _stroke = 4.5 [㎜]

·Spring equation: r(theta) = 2[㎜] + 4.5[㎜]·theta(2·π)

Μ = 0.05, taking into account the steel cam wheel, and Teflon piston

Therefore, the torque as a function of each position of the wheel is presented in FIG. 91. The average torque is 187 [μNm].

A long design with a linear display should have a 2x higher spring force because the tube is 2x longer. However, the spring force is overestimated in the case of having a circular display, so the same force can be applied to the linear display as well.

Torques for both embodiments are presented in FIG. 92.

It is noteworthy that the flat design requires lower torque than the long design for the lowest friction but higher torque with different coefficients of friction. This can be explained as follows; Torque M is calculated as follows:

Moreover, the term tan(α + ρ) can be decomposed as follows:

Therefore, if the angle is larger as in the case of having a long design, an increase in the friction angle ρ will have less effect on the overall result.

However, the torque values are reasonable for both examples, both taking into account friction coefficients. In comparison, the ETA 802.001, 6 ¾" × 8" watch movement has a typical torque of 250 minutes on the minute shaft. The torque on the time shaft without considering friction should be 12 times that. Therefore, there is a large margin.

The same movement has a typical current consumption of 0.95 [µs]. Therefore, a battery with a capacity of 16.6 [mAh] is required to provide power to the movement for two years (without taking into account the energy consumption of other elements such as LEDs).

Since the teflon piston is at risk of disappearing over the life of the device, tungsten carbide (WC) has been taken into account to calculate, especially for advanced devices that require high durability. The sapphire-sapphire interface also has low friction, but machining cams from sapphire will be difficult. However, tungsten carbide is as hard as sapphire, and since many drill bits are machined from this material, its processing is known.

Here we describe Example 2, which is electrowetting.

In another embodiment, a schematic representation of a simplified driver circuit for an electrowetting display is presented in FIG. 93. The following elements can be seen in this figure, where the light bulb LI corresponds to the state of the electrode;

Supply L0 corresponds to the state of the preceding electrode;

Supply L2 corresponds to the state of the next electrode.

The system requires only two parameters, the clock signal (CLK) indicating when to switch and the direction (DIRECT) indicating the direction in which the droplet should move.

The electrodes themselves are connected as schematically presented in FIG. 94. In this way, the action can be achieved by addressing each electrode into three groups of electrodes, instead of addressing each electrode individually.

For each electrode group, two more components must be mounted downward of this circuit.

In order to generate a finite length pulse, one gate is mounted unstable, and one relay for applying a driving voltage to the electrodes is mounted.

A simplified sensing circuit is described here. Full sensing at all of the electrodes will not allow the electrodes to be connected to a simplified drive circuit as presented in the previous chapter. In addition, it requires the use of 144 electrodes, which will make the entire system electronically very complex. For this reason, the assembly presented in FIG. 95 is proposed. In this system, in order to drive a droplet, all sensing electrodes are connected to ground, and a driving signal is applied to the driving electrodes. The drive electrodes are connected to ground to detect the position of the droplet, and the piston is read from the sensing electrodes.

Such a system allows detecting only approximate locations. Therefore, it can only be used if it can safely be assumed that the droplet remains in its position over the course of 15 minutes.

96 schematically shows the complete driving electronics. This expression incorporates the main components and some electrodes. Note that not all wires are displayed, nor are the passive components required to run the system.

97 is a list of all components required to run the system. Note that if this product needs to be mass produced, size and cost can be reduced by developing a custom IC. In addition, the components presented in the latter table are not optimized solutions, but are temporary lists for unorganized designs.

A top view and side view of an embodiment of an electrowetting display is presented in FIG. 98 with the components described above. It is noteworthy that size limitations regarding the length of the display and the width of the coin cell allow a large amount of space for electronic devices.

Furthermore, note that although presented as a flat device in this figure, the substrate can be a flex printed circuit, which allows it to be wrapped around the wrist.

The following table presents an unorganized estimate of the power consumption of the aforementioned assembly.

ID Element Average consumption One Capacitive monitoring chip 5[㎁] 2 Microcontroller 0.5[㎂] 3 Step-up 7[㎂] 4 display Can be ignored total 0.5[㎂]

From this calculation, we can conclude that a 10 [mAh] battery set is required for the system to function for 2 years without changing the batteries. It is possible to achieve this with standard coin cells. However, the power consumption of the display itself is very limited, but due to the consumption of other components, it is clear that this solution consumes more energy than a simple mechanical solution. Note that power consumption will be further reduced if a custom IC is used for this application.

Design concepts

Below, fluid concepts based on a watch movement are presented. Concept 1 is the circular fluid channel of a standard wrist watch casing, Concept 2 is an elastic linear fluid channel integrated into a flexible wristband, and Concept 3 is a fluid channel in an "S" shaped display.

Also presented below is the concept of electrowetting. Concept 4 is an electrowetting design.

Here we describe the fluid concept/clock movement combination. The fluid concept is based on a watch movement. Integration of low-cost electrical or high-grade mechanical movements is possible. This is illustrated in FIGS. 99A-99E.

Here we describe the fluid concept/assembly. The cam wheel is assembled at the hour fitting 902 of the movement. The assembly of fluid channels is coupled to reservoir and filling 904. For OEM movements, it is assembled in a watch casing with mechanical standards. Assembly of the second hand is possible in time complexity based on corresponding fittings or additional movements. This is illustrated in FIGS. 100A-100D.

Concept 1 is described here. Circular fluid channel in a standard wrist watch casing. The design can be close to a "normal" wristwatch. The circular channel is in the casing. The fluid design is protected from the outside. Variable channel shapes are possible below, above, or inside the display window. Display of fluid/mechanical assemblies is possible. Advanced clock mechanisms or complex displays are possible.

Incorporating Concept 1 into the watch is shown in FIGS. 101A-101F. FIG. 102A shows a display modification of 355° centered at 6 am/6 pm. 102B shows a display variant of 330° with the fluid mechanism centered. FIG. 102C shows a 360° display variant where the length of time increases as the channel expands along the radius.

Here we describe Concept 2. An elastic linear fluid channel is incorporated into the flexible bracelet. This design is "reversed" compared to a watch, and the casing is worn under the wrist. The channel is on the bracelet, and both the bracelet and the channel are elastic. The bracelet cannot be opened. The bracelet does not have retaining clips. The user has to extend the bracelet across fingers and palms to fit the user's wrist. The channel has a circular shape around the wrist, and can be doubled or have a different shape. The fluid design is not protected from outside. It must resist multiple stretching cycles. If the user applies pressure on the channel, the mechanism may be damaged. The front side and the back side of the casing can be transparent to show the mechanism. The integration of Concept 2 is shown in FIGS. 103A-103H.

Here we describe Concept 2 in an elastic linear concept variant. The mechanism may also include a second hand and a minute hand inside the casing. The cam wheel (hour hand) can incorporate an indicator (hour hand). The watch will have a fluid time display on the bracelet and a hands display on the wrist casing. This concept is illustrated in FIG. 104.

Here we describe Concept 2B. This watch can be worn as a Concept 1 with a fluid channel in a closed loop bracelet. This concept is illustrated in FIG. 105.

Here we describe Concept 3A. The fluid channel is on an "S" shaped display. The design is "inverted" compared to a watch, and the casing is worn under the wrist. The channel is on the arm, and the bracelet and channel mode are semi-elastic. The bracelet cannot be opened. The bracelet does not have retaining clips. The user wears it by stretching the bracelet and display across fingers and palms. The channel glass is around the wrist. The fluid design is not protected from outside. It must resist multiple stretching cycles. The mechanism can be damaged if the user applies pressure on the channel. The front and back sides of the casing can be transparent to show such a mechanism. This concept is illustrated in FIGS. 106A-106F.

Here we describe Concept 3B. The channel is in an "S" shaped display with an open system. The channel is doubled and has a return branch from the casing back to the decompression chamber. Bracelets can be opened in different branches. The channel is partially around the wrist. The fluid design is not protected from outside. It must resist multiple stretching cycles. If the user applies pressure on the channel, the mechanism may be damaged. The front and back sides of the casing can be transparent to show the mechanism. Concept 3B allows for the possibility (advanced) of display casing interchangeability not possible with respect to Concept 3A. This concept is illustrated in FIG. 107.

Here we describe the concept of electrowetting. This is called Concept 4 here. The fluid concept is based on electrowetting. It uses capacitive sensing and actuation with the same electrodes. Its design is based on rectangular channels. The assembly is layered to allow bending.

108 shows a PCB with transparent ITO electrodes and imputation components. 109A and 109B show details (A) of FIG. 108. In Figure 109a, the sensing electrodes are highlighted. In Figure 109b, the driving electrodes are highlighted. FIG. 110 shows a schematic diagram of the electrowetting as provided for example in FIGS. 43, 45, and 71. Reference is made to FIG. 96, which shows a complete schematic of drive transmissions.

Concept 4 can have the following variations. In Concept 4A, the timeline around the wrist is similar to Concept 2. This design cannot be increased. Therefore, the watch has an existing clipping bracelet. In Concept 4B, time is displayed in a standard watch casing. Three droplets are moved in different channels. Each channel has scaling and represents seconds, minutes and hours in three concentric circles.

111 shows an indication of time in bracelet-based electrowetting. FIG. 112 shows the time display of FIG. 111 in detail. 113 shows closure devices for the bracelet.

The invention(s) can be summarized by the following feature sets.

1. In a fluid display device comprising a fluid, the fluid is subjected to an electrowetting process such that the electrical activation of the second control electrode causes deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode. Displaced, the device is filled with at least two immiscible fluids, while one fluid is located in the electric field generated by the reference electrode and the control electrode and is generated by the same reference electrode and at least one second control electrode Being partially located within the electric field.

2. In the device of feature set 1, the displaced fluid is at least one droplet of liquid.

3. In the device of feature set 1, the fluids are transparent, translucent or opaque.

4. In the device of feature set 1, the fluids show animation.

5. In the device of feature set 1, the fluids move along an indicia to indicate the measured value.

6. In the device of feature set 1, the reference electrode is not divided or divided into several parts.

7. In the device of feature set 1, the reference electrode is in direct electrical contact with or isolated from the fluids.

8. In the device of feature set 1, the control electrodes are isolated from the fluids by a dielectric layer.

9. In the device of feature set 1, the reference electrode is positioned opposite the surface of the control electrodes and/or adjacent to the surface of the control electrodes.

10. A method of switching the control electrodes of a device of feature set 1 in a sequence such that a portion of the fluid is displaced within the device.

11. In the method of feature set 10, the control electrodes are activated by AC voltage or DC voltage.

12. A method of sequentially supplying power to the control electrodes of the device of feature set 1 so that the position of the fluid relative to the control electrodes is detected.

13. A device comprising the device of feature set 5, all electrodes are transparent and the mark is placed under the electrodes.

14. In the device of feature set 13, an interchangeable indicia is provided for the user to customize the user's device.

15. A timepiece comprising a device according to any one of feature set 1 to feature set 14, wherein the measured value is time.

16. The device of feature set 1, wherein the electrical activation of the second control electrode is filled with at least two immiscible fluids to cause deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode. In contrast, one fluid is located in the electric field generated by the reference electrode and the control electrode and partially located in the electric field generated by the same reference electrode and the at least one second control electrode.

17. In the device of feature set 16, the displaced fluid is at least one droplet of liquid.

18. In the device of feature set 16, the fluids are transparent, translucent or opaque.

19. In the device of feature set 16, the fluids show animation.

20. In the device of feature set 16, the fluids move along the indicia to indicate the measured value.

21. In the device of feature set 17, the reference electrode is not divided or divided into several parts.

22. In the device of feature set 17, the reference electrode is in direct electrical contact with or isolated from the fluids.

23. In the device of feature set 17, the control electrodes are isolated from the fluids by a dielectric layer.

24. In the device of feature set 17, the reference electrode is located opposite and/or adjacent to the surface of the control electrodes.

25. A method of sequentially switching the control electrodes of a device of feature set 17 such that a portion of the fluid is displaced within the device.

26. In the method of feature set 25, the control electrodes are activated by AC or DC voltage.

27. A method of sequentially supplying power to the control electrodes of the indicator of feature set 17 so that the position of the fluid with respect to the control electrodes is detected.

28. A device comprising the device of feature set 21, wherein all electrodes are transparent and the mark is placed under the electrodes.

29. In the device of feature set 28, an interchangeable indication is provided for the user to customize the user's device.

30. A watch comprising a device according to any one of feature sets 1 to 29, wherein the measured value is time.

31. In a device comprising a fluid displaying a measured value or creating an aesthetic shape, the electrical activation of the second control electrode is such that the fluid is deformed or moved in the direction of the second control electrode. The fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process to generate a, and the device is filled with at least two immiscible fluids, while one fluid is located within the electric field generated by the reference electrode and the control electrode and the same reference electrode. And partially located within the electric field generated by the at least one second control electrode, and optionally, at least one control electrode has a size greater than .01 mm and is very large enough to be seen by the human eye. .

32. In the device of feature set 19, there is at least one control electrode designed to exhibit an aesthetic appearance.

33. In the device of feature set 32, there are control electrodes that serve to collect the fluid droplets and direct them to an area where the control electrodes form the aesthetic shape.

34. A method of switching the control electrodes of the device of feature set 33 such that the fluid is deformed to obtain at least one closed section of another fluid.

35. A method of switching the control electrodes of the indicator of feature set 34 such that the fluid droplet is separated into two or more droplets.

36. In a device for a fluid display comprising a fluid, the fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process, and the device is filled with at least two immiscible fluids, whereas one fluid is an electric field generated by a control electrode. And activation of the electrode causes deformation or movement of at least one of the fluids.

The present invention can be a wearable device and includes a fluid display consisting of at least one active liquid and a passive fluid. At least one fluid is moved by an input action as described herein. The motion of the fluid(s) can be in the form of animation or indication. The motion of the fluid(s) can also produce a 3D effect.

The active fluid is a polar solvent, does not mix with passive fluids, and has a high surface energy. Passive fluids have a low energy surface, do not mix with active liquids, and have a low viscosity. The passive fluid can be gas or liquid, and if it is used in the present invention as a liquid it is preferably a non-polar/non-polar solvent.

The active liquid has a melting point below -20°C and a boiling point above +80°C. The passive fluid used in the present invention in liquid form at ambient temperature has a melting point below -20°C and a boiling point above +80°C. Passive fluids have a boiling point below -20°C if used in the form of a gas at ambient temperature in the present invention.

The surfactants of the copper and/or passive liquids are transparent, chemically stable in the disclosed temperature range, low diffusion rate to adjacent dielectrics, large molecular size, and robust against electric fields. Surfactants can be ionic (eg, cationic, both ionic or anionic) or nonionic. Surfactants lower the operating voltage of the system.

Liquids that are passive and/or active liquids can be transparent or colored. If colored, the colorant can be ionic (eg, cationic, both ionic or anionic) or nonionic. The colorant may be of a large molecular size, is chemically stable in the disclosed temperature range, has a low diffusion rate to adjacent dielectrics, is strong against electric fields, allows high contrast between fluids, and is particularly active with passive fluids. It allows high contrast between fluids and has good solubility properties. The colorant can be, for example, an organic die, quantum dots, inorganic die or a type of pigments.

The cavities provided in the present invention can be made of ceramic, polymer, or glass, and in particular sapphire glass. The cavity can be etched in the form of a channel, and in the form of a chamber, etched and built in a plate or made of inner diary layers. The cavity can be improved by additional etching steps, layer deposition and structuring steps, or hot embossing steps. The inner surface of the cavity has a low roughness.

The substrate used to receive the cavity can be made of polymers, or glass, especially sapphire glass, and is at least substantially transparent in the viewing direction of the user viewing the cavity. The substrate may be rectangular, circular, circular with openings (eg, holes) in any interior region (eg, center) or any other suitable geometry. The substrate can also function as a common electrode or a control electrode.

However, the common and/or control electrodes proposed in the present invention can be made of metal (eg, gold or chromium) or a transparent conductive film (TCF), such as indium tin oxide (ITO). The electrodes have low resistance. The electrodes are configured so that they do not fuse and form cracks at the intended operating conditions, especially at the intended operating temperature range. The dielectric layer is conformal without requiring a pin hole.

Electrical connections to the electrodes are located inside or outside and can be realized as a through glass via (TGA). Multiple connections per electrode are possible. Suitable connectors are Zebra connectors, Flex connectors or Pogo pins.

The dielectric layer can be a single layer or multiple layers, can be made of an organic material or oxide layer, and is substantially transparent. The dielectric can be applied by physical vapor deposition (PVD), molecular vapor deposition (MVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD).

A phobic coating can be applied to the surface in contact with the fluid. The coating is a hydrophobic and oleophobic coating. In addition, the coating has low hysteresis and is chemically stable in the disclosed temperature range. It is possible to apply the structure to the coating. The coating is deposited by molecular vapor deposition (MVD), dipping, flushing, spin coating or spraying. The deposited coating is uniform, substantially transparent and conformal with a constant thickness. Suitable materials are fluoropolymers, silanes with fluoropolymers, or alkane chains. The coating can optionally be cured, for example by thermal curing or ultraviolet curing (UV curing).

Assembly of the present invention may include the following assembly operations. The cavity is cut into the substrate plate by laser, waterjet, SACE or sewing. Plates are assembled by laser welding, anodizing, fusion bonding, gluing or ultrasonic welding. Assembly of the plate requires good adhesion between the plates, low shrinkage, chemical stability, integrity of the sub-layers, expansion should be avoided, tightness guaranteed and air bubbles avoided. Assembly of plates includes, but is not limited to, assembly of a plate with a common electrode and a plate with a control electrode. At least one cavity formed by the assembled plate is primed by applied vacuum and active microdroplet injection. During priming, the assembled plates must be oriented so that the bubbles are completely avoided. After priming, a sealing step is applied. The opening can be sealed by gluing, laser welding, or inserting a screw or press fit. Air bubbles should be completely avoided even during sealing.

Detection of the location and/or presence of one of the fluids, particularly the active fluid, can be realized by capacitive detection methods such as transmission/response time (in the RC-circuit), unit pulse response or pulse integration. The signal processing can be done by application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or existing digital signal processing (DSP) units.

The present invention allows control of fluids and thereby creates animation. The droplets can be deformed by electrode shaping or by channel shape. The droplets can be manipulated with single and individual droplets as well as groups of droplets (multiple droplets). The droplets can be further fusion and divided. Fluids (and droplets) can be moved to hidden reservoirs. The user can start such an animation as needed. Fluids are controlled via electrons and electrodes. The electrode can generate and apply electrode waveforms such as AC, non-sinusoidal AC, DC and quasi-DC to respect the requirements related to electromagnetic interferences. The electronic device can be integrated into or partially integrated into an ASIC, FPGA, or conventional digital signal processing (DSP) unit. Electronic devices include microcontrollers, timing controllers, power management systems (e.g., to control DCDC step-ups), droplet detection capillaries, user interface controllers and applied voltages to electrodes and droplet drivers Provides The stability of the droplets can be controlled by applying a low voltage, realizing a suitable shape of the cavity, and by selecting liquids of a consistent density, the droplets of the system can be impacted and resist gravity and any other acceleration.

The materials used for the realization of the present invention are selected to fit and conform to the operating temperature range of the present invention. Examples of such materials are metals, polymers or glass, and in particular sapphire glass. Equally as to the structures used in the realization of the present invention, for example bellows, chips or intrinsic membranes are configured to conform and conform to the operating temperature range of the present invention.

Other embodiments are shown and described in the appended annexes, which are incorporated herein in this written description.

It should be understood that the specific implementations shown and described herein represent the invention and its best mode and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. In addition, the connection lines shown in the various figures included herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may exist in the actual system.

In addition, the system contemplates the use, sale and/or distribution of any product, service or information having similar functionality described herein.

The specification and drawings are to be considered in an illustrative manner rather than restrictive, and all modifications described herein are intended to be included within the scope of the claimed invention, even if not specifically claimed in the filing of this application. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the claims appended hereto or subsequently modified or added and by their legal equivalents, but not by the examples described above. For example, steps recited in any method or process claims may be executed in any order, and are not limited to the specific order presented in any claim. In addition, elements and/or components recited in any device claim may be assembled or operatively configured in various permutations to produce substantially the same results as the present invention. Consequently, the invention is not limited to the specific arrangements recited in the claims.

Moreover, the advantages, other advantages and solutions mentioned herein should not be construed as important, required or essential features or components of any or all claims.

As used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising" or any variations thereof are intended to include any process, method, article, composition or device of the invention by referring to a non-exclusive list of elements. . The list of components does not only include the components mentioned, but may also include other components described herein. The use of the terms “consisting of” or “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of” is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the elements listed below, unless otherwise indicated. Other combinations and/or variations of the above-described elements, materials or structures used in the practice of the present invention can be modified or otherwise applied by those skilled in the art according to different designs without departing from the general principles of the present invention.

The patents and articles mentioned above are incorporated herein by reference to the extent that they are not consistent with this specification, unless otherwise stated.

Other features and modes of the invention are described in the appended claims.

In addition, the present invention should be considered to include all possible combinations of all features described in this specification, the appended claims and/or drawings, which may be regarded as novel, creative and industrially applicable.

Numerous variations and modifications are possible in the embodiments of the invention described herein. While certain exemplary embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, a wide variety of modifications, alterations and replacements are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure. For example, these indicators can be used as vehicle speed or RPM indicators. In addition, such indicators can be used to indicate other parameters such as body temperature or heart rate in sports, or indicators used in medical devices or diagnostic equipment. The above description includes many details, but these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but should be construed as exemplifying one or another preferred embodiment. In some cases, some features of the invention can be utilized without corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the foregoing description be interpreted broadly and provided only by way of illustration and example, and the spirit and scope of the invention is limited only by the scope of the claims ultimately issued in this application.

US Patent Application Publication No. US 2007/0249916 A1 to Matsumura, US Patent No. 5,050,612 and Pesach et al., are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (36)

A device for a fluid display comprising a fluid, comprising:
The fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process so that the electrical activation of the second control electrode causes deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode. , While the device is filled with at least two immiscible fluids, one fluid is located in the electric field generated by a reference electrode and a control electrode and the same reference electrode and at least one second A device for fluid display comprising a fluid, partially located within the electric field generated by a control electrode. According to claim 1,
And the fluid being displaced is at least one droplet of liquid. According to claim 1,
The fluids are transparent or translucent or opaque, a fluid display device comprising a fluid. According to claim 1,
The fluid is a device for a fluid display comprising a fluid, showing an animation. According to claim 1,
A device for a fluid display comprising a fluid, wherein said fluids move along an indicia to indicate a measured value. According to claim 1,
The reference electrode is not divided or divided into several parts, the fluid display device comprising a fluid. According to claim 1,
And the reference electrode is in direct electrical contact with or isolated from the fluids. According to claim 1,
And the control electrodes are isolated from the fluids by a dielectric layer. According to claim 1,
And the reference electrode is positioned opposite the surface of the control electrodes and/or adjacent to the surface of the control electrodes. A method of switching the control electrodes of a device according to claim 1 in a sequence such that a portion of the fluid is displaced within the device. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the control electrodes are activated by AC voltage or DC voltage. A method of sequentially supplying power to the control electrodes of the device according to claim 1 so that the position of the fluid with respect to the control electrodes is detected. A device comprising the device according to claim 5,
The device in which all the electrodes are transparent and the mark is placed under the electrodes. The method of claim 13,
A device in which an interchangeable indicia is provided for the user to customize the user's device. A timepiece comprising a device according to claim 1,
The measured value is time, clock. According to claim 1,
While the electrical activation of the second control electrode is filled with at least two immiscible fluids to cause deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode, one fluid is controlled with the reference electrode A device for fluid display comprising a fluid, located in the electric field generated by an electrode and partially located in the electric field generated by the same reference electrode and at least one second control electrode. The method of claim 16,
The displaced fluid is at least one droplet of a liquid, a device for a fluid display comprising a fluid. The method of claim 16,
The fluids are transparent or translucent or opaque, a fluid display device comprising a fluid. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the fluids are animated, a device for a fluid display comprising fluids. The method of claim 16,
A device for a fluid display comprising a fluid, said fluids moving along an indication to indicate a measured value. The method of claim 17,
The reference electrode is not divided or divided into several parts, the fluid display device comprising a fluid. The method of claim 17,
And the reference electrode is in direct electrical contact with or isolated from the fluids. The method of claim 17,
And the control electrodes are isolated from the fluids by a dielectric layer. The method of claim 17,
And the reference electrode is positioned opposite the surface of the control electrodes and/or adjacent to the surface of the control electrodes. A method of sequentially switching the control electrodes of a device according to claim 17 so that a part of the fluid is displaced within the device. The method of claim 25,
The method of switching control electrodes, wherein the control electrodes are activated by an AC or DC voltage. A method of sequentially supplying power to the control electrodes of the indicator according to claim 17 so that the position of the fluid with respect to the control electrodes is detected. A device comprising the device according to claim 21,
The device in which all the electrodes are transparent and the mark is placed under the electrodes. The method of claim 28,
And an interchangeable indication is provided for the user to customize the user's device. A watch comprising the device according to claim 1,
The measured value is time, clock. A device comprising a fluid that displays a measured value or produces an aesthetic shape, comprising:
The fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process such that the electrical activation of the second control electrode causes deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode, and the device is characterized by at least two immiscible fluids. Whereas, one fluid is located in the electric field generated by the reference electrode and the control electrode while partially filled in the electric field generated by the same reference electrode and at least one second control electrode, and optionally at least One control electrode is a device comprising a fluid having a size greater than .01 mm and displaying a measured value or creating an aesthetic shape that is large enough to be seen by the human eye. The method of claim 19,
A device comprising a fluid that displays a measured value or produces an aesthetic shape, in which at least one control electrode is designed to represent the aesthetic shape. The method of claim 32,
A device comprising a fluid that displays a measured value or generates an aesthetic shape, wherein control electrodes are present that collect the fluid droplets and direct them to an area where the control electrodes form the aesthetic shape. A method of switching the control electrodes of the device according to claim 33 such that the fluid is deformed to obtain at least one closed section of another fluid. A method of switching the control electrodes of an indicator according to claim 34 such that the fluid droplet is separated into two or more droplets. A device for a fluid display comprising a fluid, comprising:
The fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process, and the device is filled with at least two immiscible fluids, while one fluid is activated by an electric field generated by a control electrode and activation of the electrode is one of the fluids. An apparatus for a fluid display comprising a fluid that causes at least one deformation or movement.

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