Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
  • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
  • G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
  • G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
  • G09F9/33—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
  • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
  • G09F21/00—Mobile visual advertising
  • G09F21/02—Mobile visual advertising by a carrier person or animal
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
  • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
  • G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
  • G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
  • G09F9/301—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
  • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
  • G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
  • G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
  • G09F9/302—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements characterised by the form or geometrical disposition of the individual elements
  • G09F9/3026—Video wall, i.e. stackable semiconductor matrix display modules

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of flexible displays and more particularly flexible displays that can be integrated into textile supports, for example clothing. This is called “foldable" displays.
• the applications relate, among other things, to the advertising, security, signage, decoration, leisure and even events-related sectors. They relate in particular to the dissemination of visual information on a person's clothing, and allow this information to be perceived by people located in the immediate vicinity of the display.
• Current flexible display technologies have major drawbacks, which prevent their integration into textile supports. These drawbacks are, for example, too great a rigidity of the display, dimensions, and rigidity characteristics due to the integration of “hardware” electronic systems in textiles.
• An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible display which is less affected by the above limitations, and in particular to optimize the flexibility and the deformable appearance of the display, and to propose technical solutions allowing several possible configurations. screen.
• the invention provides a flexible display comprising: - a display matrix comprising discrete light sources fixed spacedly on the matrix and distributed over at least two substantially parallel flexible strips included in the matrix and, electrical conductors for each of the flexible strips connecting the discrete light sources of the same flexible strip in series, the parallel flexible strips being separated by slots, - control and power supply units for discrete light sources, and - a flexible circuit comprising conductive tracks connecting the control and power supply units to the electrical conductors of each strip.
• a display according to the invention has high flexibility or wrinkle characteristics, since it is designed from parallel flexible strips separated by slots enhancing the overall flexibility of the display.
• the electrical control and supply units comprise means for addressing discrete light sources in series, via the conductive tracks of the flexible circuit and the electrical conductors of each flexible strip. At least one control unit may for example be arranged in a corner of the flexible display thus produced.
• each flexible strip comprises a plurality of substantially parallel electrical wires or tracks and the discrete light sources comprise at least two control and supply electrodes welded to each of the electrical wires or tracks.
• the parallel flexible strips consist of a flexible polymer film of the polyimide or PVC type. It is for example made of the material known under the brand "Kapton".
• each flexible strip can then include tracks or electrically conductive wires onto which the discrete light sources are welded.
• each flexible strip consists of a fabric and has woven threads including electrically conductive threads used to transmit the control and power signals.
• the discrete light sources can then be soldered onto the conductor wires.
• Such a flexible strip of fabric can therefore be produced using tools known in the textile field.
• Each flexible strip thus makes it possible to route a control and supply signal from the control and supply units to the electroluminescent sources.
• the discrete light sources comprise light-emitting diodes (LED or "Light Emitting Diode").
• the invention provides a textile structure comprising a display according to the invention.
• FIG. 1 represents a flexible strip 1 intended for a flexible display according to the invention, comprising a flexible support 2 and electrical conductors 3 and 4.
• the flexible support 2 can be a flexible polymer film of the polyimide or PVC type, it is for example made of the material known under the brand "Kapton".
• the electrical conductors 3 and 4 can be conductive metal tracks produced on the flexible support 2, for example by deposition then selective etching.
• Electrical conductors can also be wires conductors contained in the flexible support 2. They can be made of copper, tinned copper, silver copper, or golden copper, and be sheathed with a polymer resin (for example polyester) which electrically insulates them from each other.
• a polymer resin for example polyester
• the flexible support 2 is produced from woven threads.
• these threads are electrically conductive threads 3 and 4 woven in a mixture with other textile threads.
• the support 2 is woven for example according to a weave of the canvas type, with a sufficiently loose mesh (openwork) to be able to leave the conductive wires visible by segments.
• the wires used have a sufficiently high titration (or fineness) to give the fabric a good surface condition, sufficient to be able to serve as a support for the soldering using soldering tools on conventional printed circuits (roughness less than 0.15 mm) .
• the textile threads are, for example, electrically insulating and resistant to physical constraints, in particular from temperatures imposed by welding.
• the flexible strip of FIG. 1 can be produced continuously so as to have a very long strip, which will be cut into a shorter strip according to the needs and the size of the flexible display that it is desired to constitute. It can also, in the case of the flexible strip of polymer film, be produced directly on a flexible circuit which may in this case comprise several parallel flexible strips as explained below in one of the embodiments according to the invention. In the rest of the description, the embodiments presented will interchangeably, unless otherwise specified, the flexible strips of polymer film or woven. In the example of FIG. 1, there are four conductive tracks or wires.
• Discrete light sources 10 are spaced apart on the flexible support 2 and connected to these tracks or conductive wires 3 and 4.
• the light sources 10 are electronic modules directly addressable in series comprising for example an LED of the CMS type ("Component Surface Mounted "), a shift register and an amplifier. These modules are called LED modules below.
• Each LED module 10 includes two power supply electrodes 11 and several data electrodes 12 (or control electrodes), for example two, to define the intensity value to be given to each LED.
• the conductive tracks or wires 3 are intended for supplying the LED modules and connected to the supply electrodes 11
• the conductive tracks or wires 4 are intended for supplying the control signal of the LED modules and are connected to the control electrodes 12.
• the electrodes of the LED modules are soldered on the tracks or conductive wires 3 and 4.
• the soldering must be short enough not to degrade the flexible support 2.
• the welds of the electrodes 11, 12 on the conductive wires 3 and 4 are made in a very short period of time and at a temperature sufficient to be able to very quickly rid the electrical wires of their insulating protection, which melts in the heat, and solder these wires, without, however, damaging the rest of the flexible strip.
• the flexible displays of the present invention are therefore formed from these flexible strips arranged in parallel.
• the LED modules can be soldered directly onto the flexible strips before the display is built up, or else welded later, once the strips are in place to form the display. FIG.
• FIG. 2 represents a first embodiment of a flexible display 50 according to the invention.
• four flexible bands 30 are used.
• Each flexible strip 30 comprises four LED modules 40 each forming a pixel.
• the whole forms a screen or display matrix.
• the flexible display shown therefore includes a screen or display matrix of 4x4 pixels.
• the flexible strips are cut to the desired length for the flexible display, then positioned in parallel and then welded one by one to a peripheral flexible circuit 60.
• the flexible circuit 60 is a support of the flexible polymer film type (polyimide or PVC, for example ), also commonly called flexible circuit or "flex". It includes tracks 22 connecting one or more control and supply units 20 to the flexible strips 30, via the solder points 21.
• the flexible circuit 60 preferably has an upper surface on the screen so as to be able to place the tracks 22 and the control and supply units 20 around the periphery of the flexible circuit 60, and therefore on the periphery of the screen.
• the control and supply units 20 of the LED modules 40 are in the form of two control boxes 20 controlling and supplying several tracks 22, in this case four in number (two and two data). This set of four tracks 22 relays the four signals corresponding to the different tracks or conductive wires 31 of the flexible strips 30 via the different solder points 21.
• the LED modules are controlled in series by the control boxes 20. Each flexible strip 30 is retained via the solder points 21 on the flexible circuit 60.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a second embodiment of the display according to the invention. Only the main differences between the embodiments of Figures 2 and 3 will be detailed below. In the figures, identical references designate similar elements.
• the screen can be produced in one piece independently of the flexible circuit 60.
• the flexible strips 30 are produced continuously so as to be integral with each other. For example, the number of pixels required in the direction Y of FIG. 3 is determined, which corresponds to as many flexible strips 30, and they are then manufactured in the direction X continuously, as in the case of the exposed single flexible strip. earlier.
• the strips thus produced share the same support which is then cut according to the length necessary for the screen in the direction X.
• the screen thus produced is then welded on the flexible circuit at the solder points 21 in order to connect the modules LED 40 to the control and supply units 20 via the conductive tracks 22.
• the flexible display thus produced is perforated at the level of the slots 66 in FIG. 3 in order to increase the flexibility of the display thus obtained.
• the slits can be more or less long, until reaching the length of the flexible strips (direction X).
• the cohesion of the assembly can be reinforced by gluing the rear surface of the screen to the flexible circuit 60.
• This embodiment has less mechanical complexity and better consistency than the first embodiment of FIG. 2.
• the strips are directly formed on the flexible circuit 60, rather than being produced from flexible woven strips or made of polymer film distinct from the flexible circuit 60.
• the conductive tracks 22 and 31 are produced for example by deposition and then selective etching directly on the flexible circuit 60.
• the solder points 21 are then no longer necessary.
• the slots 66 are perforated directly on the flexible circuit 60.
• FIG. 3 The pixel density of the flexible display or of the matrix according to the two embodiments illustrated in FIG. 3 is identical to that of the first embodiment of FIG. 2.
• Figure 4 shows another embodiment according to the invention. Only the main differences with the embodiments will be detailed below.
• identical references designate similar elements.
• the parallel flexible bands 30 extend in a weft direction (in the X direction of Figure 4) and additional flexible bands 35 are woven on the flexible bands 30 in a warp direction (Y direction of Figure 4) perpendicular to the weft direction of the flexible strips 30, so as to present an alternating pattern (according to the “1 in 2” principle).
• Each section of flexible strip not covered includes an LED module 40. Behind each LED module or pixel of a given strip, there is a flexible strip section devoid of LED module.
• the density of the screen thus obtained is equal to that of the other embodiments, the density per flexible strip is twice less.
• This embodiment requires an additional step of weaving the screen, by hand or with a suitable machine.
• the screen is then welded to the flexible circuit 60 via the solder points 21 in order to connect the tracks 22 to the control and supply units 20.
• the number of control units and power supply 20 is four, and the flexible circuit 60 requires twice as many conductive tracks 22 as for the previous embodiments.
• the screen can be glued to the flexible circuit 60 to reinforce the mechanical coherence of the flexible display 50.
• FIG. 5 presents a display 122 according to the invention, comprising for example a display 101 of a type similar to the display shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, comprising a screen or display matrix 102.
• a matrix of 7 ⁇ 5 LED modules 106 spaced apart from each other is welded onto conductive tracks or wires transmitting the control and supply signals of the LED modules from at least one control and supply unit.
• the latter as well as the conductive tracks or wires are not shown in FIG. 5.
• the display 122 also comprises a diffusing element 123 covering the LED modules 106 so as to diffuse the light coming from two LEDs adjacent to produce a substantially continuous light display on a face 123a of the diffusing element 123 opposite the LEDs.
• the display 101 and the diffusing element 123 are shown in a manner which is not completely superimposed for the sole purpose of being able to highlight the contribution of each of the components taken individually. This diffusing element 123 increases the visibility of each LED by multiplying its emission surface beyond the emission surface of the LED.
• the flexible display 122 further comprises a non-diffusing covering element 124 (shown in a non-superimposed manner as for the diffusing element 123) to provide a specific covering for the display 122, by means of textile materials. , of different colors and weaving or knitting patterns, which thus facilitates integration into a textile support.
• This covering element 124 also brings new physical properties to the display 101, for example sealing or impact resistance.
• the diffusing element 123 could itself integrate the characteristics presented here by the covering element 124.
• the diffusing element 123 is flexible and can be a foam, a fabric or a mesh structure.
• the diffusing element 123 and the covering element 124 are for example assembled by laminating.
• FIG. 6 is a cross section of the display of FIG. 5, at the level of the last line at the bottom of the display 122.
• the diffusing element 123 shown in FIG. 6 can be made of a foam type material.
• the covering element 124 allows the covering element 124 to be positioned at the desired distance from the LEDs 106.
• the surface of the light spot or pixel visible from the display 122 according to the invention considered, will therefore depend on the angle of the emission cone ⁇ an LED 106, the thickness d of the diffusing element 123, as well as the spacing e between the LEDs 106.
• the LEDs 106 are also embedded in a flexible resin 128, which allows the display 101 to resist the mechanical stresses linked to bending. There are many other possible embodiments of the display 122 according to the invention, depending in particular on the type of diffusing element 123 chosen.
• the light emitted by the LEDs 106 can be diffused and diffracted inside a diffusing element made up of transparent encapsulating cells, before being projected onto the covering element 124.
• a diffusing element made up of transparent encapsulating cells, before being projected onto the covering element 124.
• These cells may advantageously not be integral with each other, and the cover element 124 not be integral with the cells, which guarantees maximum flexibility on the display.
• the light emitted by the LEDs is diffused directly in a diffusing element further ensuring the functions of covering element made of a material having specific characteristics of light conduction, either by the nature of the material used (polyester, polyamide, etc.), or by - or in combination with - its use (fabric, mesh structure, non-woven fabric, foam, etc.).
• One of the main advantages of a display according to the invention is to be able to adapt the elements constituting it according to the desired effect or in particular the constraints of flexibility imposed. Indeed, depending on the choice in particular of the diffusing element, it is possible to generate on the surface of the display 122 more or less large pixels, and therefore use more or less light sources, with equal image definition. We can thus adapt the flexibility of the display, which depends in particular on the number of light sources, according to the desired flexibility.
• the fabric support lined with light sources, a diffusing element and possibly a covering element can be assembled by gluing. In another embodiment, the flexible support and the diffusing element can be glued, the covering element being simply placed on the diffusing element, in order to allow the sliding of one over the other.
• the diffusing element and the covering element can be assembled by gluing or sewing, then can be placed on the support furnished with light sources with, in this case also, a possibility of sliding.
• This assembly must guarantee perfect contact between the various components of the display: support fitted with light sources, diffusing element and covering element to be able to ensure a size as well as a uniform visibility of the pixels on the screen surface.
• Another aspect of the invention relates to a textile structure comprising a display according to the first aspect of the invention.
• the display can be assembled, definitively or not, to the rest of the textile structure in different ways; using conventional donrdashery systems such as zippers, flexible Velcro straps, press studs or even sewing.
• the display or some of the elements constituting it can also be inserted into a suitable pocket through an opening.
• This pocket can have a simple holding function with transparency, or also include, as detailed below, a diffusing element and / or a covering element.
• This pocket can in particular allow the display to be removed from the textile structure.
• a diffusing element and / or a covering element can be made in the textile structure itself. They can, for example be part of a holding pocket, as mentioned above and as shown in Figure 7.
• a shirt 125 has a pocket 126.
• An upper part 127 of pocket 126 consists of a diffusing element and a covering element, for example sewn together, the covering element being arranged so as to cover the face of the diffusing element opposite to the LEDs, once the display inserted in the pocket as indicated below.
• the periphery of this upper part is sewn, with the exception of one of the sides, on the rest of the textile structure, thus delimiting, on the rest of the textile structure, a lower part of the pocket, and a housing between the lower part and the upper part making it possible to accommodate a display 101 there, for example like the display described in FIGS. 2 to 4.
• This support can be inserted by sliding into the pocket 126 as shown in FIG. pocket is provided with a closure system 31, for example a zipper 31.
• the cover element on the upper part 127 can be adapted so as not to have any visible demarcation with respect to the rest of the surface of the shirt 125 when the display is off.
• the different assembly possibilities between the fabric support furnished with LEDs, a diffusing element and a covering element presented in the case of the display according to the invention are of course applicable in the case of the textile structure according to the invention .
• a display according to the invention has many advantages, in particular in terms of flexibility thanks to the relative freedom which is available in the number of light sources to be used, in terms of display quality due to pixelation made continuous by the use of 'a diffusing element, size, weight and simplicity of implementation. It allows the creation of a communicating textile structure, guaranteeing both quality display and wearing comfort.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
• Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
• Led Device Packages (AREA)

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• 2004
  • 2004-02-20 WO PCT/FR2004/000398 patent/WO2005091258A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2004-02-20 AT AT04713097T patent/ATE370492T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-02-20 DE DE602004008345T patent/DE602004008345T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-02-20 EP EP04713097A patent/EP1716553B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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