Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04C17/00—Indicating the time optically by electric means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
  • G02B26/004—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid
  • G02B26/005—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid based on electrowetting
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
  • G04G9/00—Visual time or date indication means
  • G04G9/02—Visual time or date indication means by selecting desired characters out of a number of characters or by selecting indicating elements the position of which represent the time, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques

Definitions

• This invention relates to indicators and in particular analog visual indicators used to dispense a measured amount of liquid.
• Analog indicators have existed since time immemorial.
• the hour glass for example, uses sand or fluid which, influenced by the weight of gravity, moves from one reservoir to another by passing through a small aperture therebetween.
• Another example of an ancient analog indicator is the "Clepsydra", as illustrated in "Horloges Anciennes” by Richard Muhe and Horand M. Vogel, French Edition, Office durism, Fribourg, 1978, page 9.
• US Patent No. 3,783,598 describes an instrument 1 having a movement 2, a drive shaft 3, cams 4, pistons 5, fluid filled capillaries 6 and a relief chamber 7 used to indicate time.
• Automated fluid dosage devices exist.
• a typical insulin pump is a computerized device that looks like a pager and is usually worn on the patient's waistband or belt. The pump is programmed to deliver small, steady doses of insulin throughout the day. Additional doses are given to cover food or high blood glucose levels.
• the pump holds a reservoir of insulin that is attached to a system of tubing called an infusion set. Most infusion sets are started with a guide needle, then the plastic cannula (a tiny, flexible plastic tube) is left in place, taped with dressing, and the needle is removed. The cannula is usually changed every 2 or 3 days or when blood glucose levels remain above target range.
• such devices are bulky and are not always located at a place on the body that is easy to access or read.
• a wrist worn device such as the "GLUCOWATCH" is known.
• This prior art device said to be developed in 2001 , has a casing 8 supported on a bracelet 9.
• a reservoir dispenses insulin onto a patch similar to a transdermal medication patch used for smoking cessation and hormone therapy. It therefore provides a non-invasive, needle-free method of enhancing and controlling the transport of water-soluble ionic drugs out of the skin and surrounding tissues using a low level of electrical current.
• French patent No. 1552838 teaches putting a blob of mercury in an electrical field, i.e., expose it to a voltage differential, which may deform the blob a little but will not displace the blob from one place to another, which Applicant considers is necessary to perform electrowetting. Still further, it has the disadvantage of creating a current flow through the mercury, which effects the mercury by, for example, by heating it. Still further, mercury is considered a hazardous liquid.
• What is needed is a visual indicator that provides a quickly read indication of a measured dosage value and is inexpensive to manufacture.
• a visual indicator display device includes a bracelet, a transparent capillary chamber, and a displacement member.
• the transparent capillary chamber is matched to an 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 is responsive to a measureable input for moving a fluid contained therein a defined amount.
• An object of the invention is to provide a visual indicator which takes up rninimal space. Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible visual indicator which adapts to requirements which do not readily permit a straight, rigid indicator, such as when such indicator is worn on a wrist, ankles, a head or around or along some part of human body, or on objects such as clothes and sporting articles.
• Another object of the invention is to provide an aesthetic, comfortable, reliable and intellectually attractive indicator.
• Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser of fluids such as drugs, medication, ointment, oils or perfumes.
• FIG. 1 is a side, cross-sectional view of an analog indicator of the prior art.
• FIG.2 is a top view of a second indicator of the prior art.
• FIG. 3 is a side, cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 4B is a second perspective view of the second embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 5A is a second embodiment of the invention, used as a drug dispenser.
• FIG. 5B is a side view of a cartridge for use in the embodiment of FIG. 5A.
• FIG. 5C is a perspective view of a cartridge for use in the embodiment of FIG. 5 A, shown in a flexed state.
• FIG. 6 is a partially disassembled view of the fluid displacement device of the invention, having one reservoir.
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a reservoir and displacement member of the invention, showing features which aid in initializing the invention.
• FIGS. 8A-8E are progressive views of different stages of operation of the mechanical embodiment of FIG. 8F.
• FIG. 8F is a cross-sectional side view of a fully mechanical embodiment of the invention.
• FIG.9 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the invention for textile applications.
• FIGS. 10A-10B are side by side photos of a droplet undergoing the electrowetting effect, in which FIG. 10A shows the droplet with voltage applied to an electrode and.
• FIG. 10B shows the droplet without voltage applied to an electrode.
• FIG 11 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of an electrowetting display.
• FIGS. 12A-12D are time sequence photos showing the displacement of a droplet of water in silicone oil, with an electrode pitch of 1 mm, and a height of 400 ⁇ m.
• FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of an electrowetting display.
• FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional, wherein an adjacent electrode is activated including a surface behaviour change.
• FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of an electrowetting display with structure of the bottom plate on which all the electrodes are formed.
• FIG. 16 is a top view of FIG. 15, showing the channel shape and the structure of control electrodes.
• FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of an electrowetting display with all the electrodes structured on the bottom plate.
• FIG. 18 is a top view of FIG. 17, showing the electrodes structure.
• FIGS. 19A-19F are progressive schematics showing the displacement of a droplet according to the control electrodes activation.
• FIGS. 19G-19N are progressive schematics showing the displacement of a droplet according to the control electrodes activation.
• FIGS. 20A-20B are progressive schematics showing the droplet deformation according to the control electrodes activation.
• FIGS. 20C-20Q are sequential views of the droplet deformation detailed in FIGS. 20A-
• FIGS. 21 are progressive views of the assembly of an interchangeable indicia under a transparent display.
• FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the analog sensor over the entire tube.
• FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a digital sensor of the invention, implemented on an electrowetting display.
• FIGS. 24A-24C are progressive schematics showing the animation of a droplet deformation on an electrowetting display composed of one control electrode.
• FIGS. 25A-25G are progressive schematics showing the method of gathering several droplets on an electrowetting display.
• FIGS. 26A-26F are progressive schematics showing the method to shape a fluid droplet with a closed section of the other fluid.
• FIGS.27A-27E are progressive schematics showing the method to separate a fluid droplet in two fluid droplets.
• FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D are tables showing considerations of requirements of elements of the invention.
• FIG.29A is a side, cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention, such as in
• FIG. 29B is a block diagram related to the embodiment shown in FIG. 29 A.
• FIG. 29C is a block diagram of a preliminary design of the invention.
• FIG. 30A is another block diagram of the invention.
• FIG. 30B is a still another block diagram of all actuators of the first phase.
• FIG. 30C is a function diagram of phase 1.
• FIG. 31A are optional solutions for the phase interfaces.
• FIG. 3 IB is a table considering phases interface, displacement of the liquid and detection of the liquid position functions.
• FIG. 31C is a diagram showing vapor pressure vs. temperature for different liquids.
• FIG. 31D is a block diagram of alternate means for the displacement of the liquid of the invention.
• FIG. 32A to 32D is a table considering solutions for the displacement of the liquid.
• FIG.33 is a table discussing evaluation criteria for the liquid displacement systems.
• FIG. 34 is a table discussion the ranking of solutions for the displacement of the liquid.
• FIG.35 is a Shape-Memory Alloy (SMA) ratchet actuating a spiral wheel of the invention.
• SMA Shape-Memory Alloy
• FIGS. 36A to 36B are schematics of fluid moved by electrowetting of the invention.
• FIG. 37 is a schematic of a piezo membrane pump of the invention.
• FIG. 38 is a schematic view of a circular peristaltic pump of the invention.
• FIGS.39A to 39B are schematic representations of the spiral wheel design, with a possible implementation of a clutch to allow a manual setting of the display.
• FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a Nanopump, a device designed by Debiotech. of the invention.
• FIG. 41 is a schematic view of an electromagnetic membrane pump of the invention.
• FIGS. 42A to 42B are photos of the electrowetting effect, where, in Fig. 42A, no voltage is applied, and in FIG. 42B: voltage is applied.
• FIG. 43 is a schematic of the cross section of an electrowetting display.
• FIG. 44 is a sequence of displacement of a droplet of water in silicone oil with electrode pitch: 1 [mm], height: 400 [ ⁇ m].
• FIG.45 is an embodiment having an indicator of the invention with a liquid column, while inducing displacement on a droplet only.
• FIG. 46 is a plan view of a Squiggle drive of the invention.
• FIG. 47 are solution proposals for the detection of the indicator liquid position.
• FIG. 48 is a table discussing solutions for the detection of the liquid position.
• FIG. 49 is a table discussing evaluation criteria for the liquid sensing methods.
• FIG.50 is a table discussing the ranking of the selected solutions of the liquid level sensors.
• FIGS. 51A to 51B are two different implementations of the capacitive sensor as either analog or a digital sensor on an electrowetting display.
• FIG. 52 is a schematic representation of an inductive sensor of the invention.
• FIG. 53 A is a schematic of an encoder system of the invention.
• FIG. 53B is another schematic of an encoder wheel of the invention for an absolute positioning.
• FIG. 54 is a graph of the effect of temperature on liquid length in a tube.
• FIG. 55 is another graph of the effect of temperature on liquid length in a tube.
• FIG. 56 is a graph of the calculation bubble radius / tube radius ratio for different input parameters, considering helium dissolved in water.
• FIG. 57 is a graph of final pressure in the decompression chamber vs. tube diameter and chamber volume.
• FIG. 58 is a contour plot of the final pressure in the decompression chamber vs. chamber volume and tube diameter.
• FIG. 59 is a 3D graph of isosurfaces of maximal force on the piston vs. tube diameter, chamber volume and piston diameter.
• FIG. 60 is a plot of piston stroke vs. tube diameter and piston diameter.
• FIG. 61 is a graph illustrating configurations allowing a function below 11 [mW] average power consumption (maximal admissible power), and below 3 [mW] (considering a 30% overall efficiency).
• FIG. 62 is a schematic of a liquid-vacuum interface.
• FIG. 63 is a graph of return time isosurfaces for a silicone-silicone interface.
• FIG. 64 is a graph of return time isosurfaces for a water-water interface.
• FIG. 65 is a schematic of the forces acting on the spiral ramp.
• FIG. 66 is a generalized spiral system with rigid compression chamber.
• FIG. 67 is an Archimedean spiral.
• FIG. 68 is a curve presenting required torque vs. angular position and chamber to tube volume ratio for a 2 [mm] tube.
• FIG. 69 is a graph of different ratios of torque vs. angular position for different chamber/tube volume ratios, for a 2 [mm] tube diameter.
• FIG. 70 is a graph of required torque on the spiral wheel vs. desired return time, for water and silicone oil.
• FIG. 71 is a cross-sectional schematic of the electrowetting principle, and equivalent electric schematic.
• FIG. 72 is a graph of displacement frequency of water in different media, as a function of the voltage.
• FIG. 73 are morphologic boxes presenting a summary of optional solutions, as well as global combinations.
• FIG. 74 is a table of five different options of displacement devices of the invention embodiment.
• FIG. 75 is a table discussing parameters of the embodiment 1 - spiral cam.
• FIG. 76 are photos of a watch movement of the invention.
• FIG. 77 are photos of off-the-shelf movements useable in the invention.
• FIG. 78A is a schematics of a digital quartz watch.
• FIG. 78B is a schematic of a mechanical watch.
• FIG. 79 is a graph of return spring force and reservoir thickness vs. reservoir diameter.
• FIG. 80A is a top view of embodiment 1, flat, with the indicator tube and the watch movement.
• FIG. 80B is a side view of the embodiment 1, flat.
• FIG. 80C is a front view of the embodiment 1 , flat.
• FIG. 81 is a cross sectional view through the reservoir of embodiment 1, flat.
• FIG. 82 is a perspective view of the cam wheel of embodiment 1, flat.
• FIG. 83A is a top view of the embodiment 1 with a long reservoir.
• FIG.83B is a side view of a cross section through the embodiment 1 with a long reservoir.
• FIG. 84 is a top view of embodiment 1, packaged in a watch.
• FIG. 85 is a cross sectional view through the mechanism of the watch of FIG. 84.
• FIG. 86A is a top view of embodiment 1 with a linear display, without the display mask.
• FIG. 86B is a top view of embodiment 1 with a linear display, with the display mask.
• FIG. 86C is side view of the embodiment 1 with the linear display of the invention.
• FIG. 87 is a flexible plastic bracelet of the invention.
• FIG. 88 is a side-by-side perspective and side view of an implementation of the spiral movement in a flexible bracelet.
• FIG. 89 is an optional implementation of the S shaped display, with the mechanism below the wrist.
• FIG. 90 is a schematic diagram of forces acting on the piston of the invention.
• FIG. 91 is a graph of torque vs. angular position for a 2 [mm] inner diameter wheel, 4.5 [mm] stroke.
• FIG. 92 is a table discussing torques.
• FIG. 93 is a schematic diagram of a 3 flip-flop based driver of the invention.
• FIG. 94 is a schematic diagram of the connection of the electrodes of the invention.
• FIG. 95 is a schematic diagram of the simplified sensing circuit of the invention.
• FIG. 96 is a more complete schematic diagram of the driving electronics of the invention.
• FIG. 97 is a table listing components required to drive the system of FIG. 96.
• FIG. 98 is a top and side view of an embodiment of the electrowetting display watch of the invention.
• FIGS. 99 A to 99E is a schematic of an integration of a low cost electrical or high-end mechanical movement.
• FIGS. 100A to 100D are views of assembly steps of the invention.
• FIGS. 101A to 101F are views of embodiment 1 and the integration of a circular fluid channel in a watch of the invention.
• FIGS. 102A to 102C are views of variable display variants and channel shapes of embodiment 1.
• FIGS. 103A to 103H are perspective views of embodiment 2 and the integration in an elastic bracelet of the invention.
• FIG. 104 is a perspective view of a variant of embodiment 2.
• FIG. 105 is a top view of another variant of embodiment 2.
• FIGS. 106A to 106F are perspective views of embodiment 3 and the integration in an "S" display of the invention.
• FIG. 107 is a perspective view of a variant of embodiment 3.
• FIG. 108 is a perspective view of a PCB with transparent ITO electrodes and electronic components of the invention.
• FIG. 109A is a perspective view of detail A of FIG. 108, of the sensing electrodes of the invention.
• FIG. 109B is the perspective view of detail A of FIG. 108, of the drive electrodes of the invention.
• FIG. 110 is a schematic view of electrowetting.
• FIG. 111 is a perspective view of the indication of time on a bracelet of the invention based upon electrowetting.
• FIG. 112 is a perspective view of the time indication of FIG. 111 in detail.
• FIG. 113 is a perspective view of the closing devices for the bracelet of the invention.
• a visual indicator display device includes a bracelet, a transparent capillary chamber, and a displacement member.
• the transparent capillary chamber is matched to an 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 is responsive to a measureable input for moving a fluid contained therein a defined amount.
• a suitable fluid may be an oil, a lotion, or a liquid such as a drug or other medication.
• the displacement member is attached to one end of the capillary chamber which is responsive to a measureable input for displacing the indicator surface thus allowing the user to read a measurement from the indicia.
• an analog indicator 10 of the invention indicates dosage.
• the indicator 10 includes a reservoir 12, a pump 14, a measuring device 16, a feedback circuit in a controller 20 and a power supply 22'.
• the reservoir 12 has a longitudinal axis 24 along which a indicia or a scale device 26 is disposed and is adapted for containing a fluid 28 bounded by at least an indicator surface 30.
• the pump 14 is made up of the plunger 32 mounted on a screw 33 driven by a micro motor 34.
• the plunger 32 generally uses an O-ring seal 29 disposed about its circumference, to seal against the fluid 28 passing between the top and bottom surface 31 and 35, respectively, of the plunger.
• the pump 14 pumps the fluid 28 out of the reservoir 12, and into the catheter 36.
• the measuring device 16 is an electronic clock which measures time and communicates a measured value of time to the feedback circuit 20.
• the feedback circuit 20 powered by the power supply 22, receives a measured time input from the measuring device 16 corresponding to a position on the scale device 26 and, in response thereto, activates the pump 14 to pump or move the fluid 28 out of the reservoir 12, until the surface 30 reaches a desired position in relation to the corresponding position on the indicia 26 (generally calibrated to equal a desired rate of dispensing of the fluid).
• the power supply 22 powers the pump 14 and feedback circuit 20.
• the reservoir 12 communicates the fluid 28 into the catheter 36.
• a clasp 52 connects ends of the device 10 to create a bracelet 21.
• an optical fiber and an LED light source illuminate the fluid 28 in the reservoir 12 in a known manner.
• a potentiometer 56 regulates the voltage setting to a displacement control system 60.
• the displacement control system 60 includes an incremental position sensor 62, for example, the tracker NSE-5310 (the specification of which is attached as Appendix A to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/235,725, filed 21 August 2009, incorporated herein by reference hereto) located adjacent the plunger 32.
• This control system 60 includes encoding for direct digital output, in which a hall element array on the chip 62 is used to derive the incremental position of an external magnetic strip 64 placed adjacent the chip at a distance of approximately 0.3 mm (typically), the magnetic strip 64 being attached to the plunger 32 in order to translate therewith.
• This sensor array detects the ends of the magnetic strip to provide a zero reference point.
• the power supply 22 can be solar cells, a wound watch spring, movement captured by an oscillating mass (such as used in automatic watches), or a pneumatic system storing compressed air.
• the plunger 32 may be returned by a return spring 40 or a magnetic device (not shown).
• Other options are conceivable, of course, which include the return line 42, which allows simple reversing of the motor 34 to reset the indicator 10.
• a suitable motor 34 is referred to by its trademark SQUIGGLETM, available from New Scale Technologies, Inc. of New York, USA.
• an application of the analog indicator of the invention is a wrist watch or necklace 10 worn around the user's wrist.
• the reservoir 12' may be made of a transparent or translucent material, or a mixture of transparent and translucent material, formed in any desired shape. It may be made of plastic, rubber, silicon or any suitable material.
• An elastic material has the advantage that the bracelet 21 ' may be stretched over the user' s wrist.
• the fluidic display 23 may be supplemented with a standard watch face 39 on the casing 43.
• the invention may be configured as a device 10" used to administer doses of liquid drugs 28 such as insulin.
• the flexible tube is a disposable drug reservoir cartridge 12' attached to housing 13 containing a dosage control device 18.
• the device 10" is carried like a wrist watch, with the flexible cartridge 12' serving as aportion of the band thereof.
• the indicator 10" includes the reservoir 12', a linear drive 14', an optional feedback circuit 16', a controller 20', and a power supply 22'.
• the reservoir 12' has a longitudinal axis 24' along which indicia 26' is disposed and is adapted for containing the fluid 28 bounded by at least an indicator surface 30' .
• the linear drive 14' drives a spherical plunger 32' mounted on a long flexible threaded shaft 33' which is driven by a micro motor 34'.
• the shaft 33' is preferably made of a superelastic material such as NITINOL.
• the linear drive 14' drives the plunger 32' against the piston 35 (preferably made of a flexible material such as rubber) which in turn presses the fluid 28 along the reservoir 12' and ultimately through the cannula tube or catheter 36', which then guides the fluid 28 into the patient's body.
• the electronics of the device 10" ensures that a programmed dosage of fluid is administered at regular intervals or constantly as prescribed by a physician. Note that optionally, the fluid 28, instead of passing into a wearer's body via a cannula, charges an absorptive patch 25 worn by the patient, for slow diffusion of the drug into the patient's body through the skin.
• the patch may include an outer layer which is semi-permeable, in order to prevent the medication from evaporating before it has its intended effect (i.e. diffusion into the skin).
• a perfume may be delivered in a similar manner.
• the patch may be located partially or entirely under the housing 13, or to the side of the housing and may be affixed thereto using a temporary adhesive rather than directly to the living organism, in order to avoid the need to attach the same to the living organism.
• Such a patch may be sized to be replaced in a defined area (such as circular area marked 39) against the back or any side of the housing 13, adjacent the living organism, much like a "POST-IT" note, so that replacement patches can readily replace soiled patches.
• the number of turns of the linear drive 14' is recorded and controlled so as to ensure the proper dosage.
• the electronics are powered by the power supply 22'.
• the position of the piston 35 can be controlled in the manner as described in the above embodiment shown in FIG.3.
• the cartridge 12' installs on one side 13' of the housing 13, with its piston 35 adjacent the plunger 32', and on the other side 13", adjacent a piercing mechanism 50 which includes a piercing tube 52 connected to a slidable tab 54. The user may slide the tab 54 to cause the piercing tube 52 to pierce the upper membrane 56 of the cartridge 12', in order to permit the communication of the fluid 28 through the cannula 38 into the patient' s body.
• this piercing served to open one end of the cartridge 12' to allow the delivery of perfume into the air, or via a conductive channel (not shown), to, near, or adjacent the skin of the user (for example, directly to and through the patch).
• the computer controller can use this to regulate the dosage administered to the patient.
• the power supply 22' can be a battery, solar power, a wound watch spring, an oscillating mass (such as used in automatic watches), or a pneumatic system storing compressed air,
• a button (not shown) on the housing 13 can be activated to retract the plunger 32'.
• the piston 35 remains stationary to prevent any aspiration of fluid from the patient, should the cannula still be connected to the body.
• the device 10" can be reloaded with a replacement cartridge 12'.
• a suitable motor 34 is the SQUIGGLETM motor already described.
• the housing 13 can be fitted with a watch face 39 and corresponding movement (not shown), in order that the drug administration device can also serve as a wrist watch.
• the threaded rod 33' of the drug administration device 10" is enclosed in a tube 41 which connects on the side 13" of the housing 13' and wraps around the wearer's wrist to reconnect to the side 13' of the housing, giving the visual effect of a two or multi-banded wrist watch.
• the cartridge 12' used in such drug administration device 10" would include a chemical litmus-type indicator which would indicate whether the irisulin or other drug is suitable for continued injection. This indication could be expressed by an element of the cartridge 12' changing color, from a color that indicates the fluid is suitable for use, to another color that indicates the fluid is no longer suitable for use.
• the device 10" can be used as a perfume dispenser by replacing the cannula with an aspirating head which can be manually (via a dispenser head or button) or automatically (via the dosage control of the invention) operated.
• a cam 152 attached to the stem of a watch movement 132 connects to a fluid displacement device 90 via a piston shaft 160, mounted on sealed bearings 162 to axially translate, which is guided in its axial translation by a cam surface 164 thereof.
• the piston shaft 160 is connected to a piston head 166 which acts against a flexible rolling diaphragm 170 of a reservoir 36' (alternatively, of course the piston may have an O-ring mounted about its periphery or be otherwise sealed, as shown in the embodiment of FIG.
• the rolling diaphragm 170 has a flange 172 which is sealingly fixed at one end so as to effectively separate a fluid 28 from below the piston head 166, from a fluid 28' (which may include air as a fluid gas) above the piston.
• the reservoir 36' is shown in an extreme position.
• a passageway 110' provides a return passage to the opposite side of the piston head 166.
• the cam 152 is formed resembling a nautilus spiral so as to progressively move the piston shaft 160 and therefore the piston head 166 to displace a determined amount of fluid 28 into the capillary channel 120, at a rate which will indicate the time accurately.
• a similar determined amount of drug or perfume may be administered to living organism in this manner as well.
• an adjustment screw 186 having an O-ring seal 190 mounted in a recess therein includes an "ALLEN” or "TORX” interface in an exterior end 192 thereof which allows factory adjustment of the position of the meniscus 30 for calibration purposes.
• a septum or access port 194 (not shown) or pair thereof, made of an elastic material, may also be used to allow removal and injection of air and fluid 28' and 29' into and out of capillary channel 102 and/or reservoir 36".
• the invention 10, 10', 10" may be made exclusive of all electronics (such as would typically be the case where the invention is positioned in the luxury watch market).
• the power source 22" may be movement from an oscillating mass, which winds a watch spring, which powers a gear train, for which the rate of rotation is controlled by a pendulum-like regulator or oscillating disk (e.g., a balancier/turbion), which has a characteristic period, as known in the art.
• the device 10" may be made exclusive of all electronics, such as would typically be the case where the invention is positioned in the luxury watch market.
• the power source 22" may be movement from an oscillating mass, which winds a watch spring 70, which powers a gear train 72, for which the rate of rotation is controlled by a pendulum-like regulator or oscillating disk 74 (e.g., a balancier/turbion), which has a characteristic period.
• a pendulum-like regulator or oscillating disk 74 e.g., a balancier/turbion
• FIGS. 8A to 8E which drives a fluid 28 as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E, where valves 82 are opened or closed in order to effect the desired fluid movement in the reservoir 12.
• the arrows 84 show the direction of movement of the plunger 32".
• FIG. 8A the indicator reservoir 12 is empty.
• FIGs. 8B and 8C show the continued advancement of the fluid in the indicator to the left.
• FIGs. 8D and 8E show advancement of air to the left, to show day.
• a threaded rod may be formed as a closed loop and having a surface of which (painted for example) which contrasts with the remaining loop, in order to indicate time on the scale device.
• a colored reed form, with divots cut at bend points may be actuated along the length of the reservoir so as to resemble a moving liquid.
• the reservoir 12' may be made of a transparent or translucent material, or a mixture of transparent and translucent material, formed in any desired shape. It may be made of plastic, rubber, silicon.
• a conductive wire (not shown), made of conductive material such as metal, is exposed along at least a portion of its length to fluid in the reservoir 12', as described above.
• the conductive wire is therefore in contact with any fluid in the reservoir.
• the wire may be calibrated using a variable electric resistance along its length as the fluid contacting the wire is pumped in the reservoir, and wherein the fluid is pumped until the electric resistance measured in the wire matches that which corresponds to the measured value, as calibrated.
• Calibration of the indicator 10 is performed by comparing variable resistance measures with locations along the length of the reservoir, the locations marked with a scale to indicate the corresponding measured value.
• a workable embodiment includes:
• the electric source S maintains a voltage level of R depending on the electrical resistance of R, but independent of the consumption of the molecules or florescent micro LEDs M;
• the florescent molecules M have an infinite resistance as long as the voltage applied is less than T and they become fluorescent as soon as a set voltage level is applied;
• the voltage delivered by the source S to R varies as a function of the measured value G.
• What remains flexible is the chain of LEDs, which light up and turn off together or via waves, but not for indicating a measured value. It may be as fine and flexible as a thread which may be integrated into a textile item (because it has a small diameter on the order of a millimeter), water resistant, washable, etc.
• fluid may be displaced within a display by a process called electrowetting.
• Electrowetting is a phenomenon where a normally hydrophobic surfaces loses its properties and becomes hydrophilic as represented in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B.
• FIG. 10A shows the droplet with voltage applied to an electrode.
• FIG. 10B shows the droplet without voltage applied to an electrode.
• FIG. 11 A schematic representation of an electrowetting display is shown in FIG. 11 along with a detailed schematic of the different layers used to make the actuator.
• FIG. 12A - FIG. 12D show pictures from a test involving the displacement of a droplet of water in silicone oil with Electrode pitch: 1 [mm], height: 400 [ ⁇ m].
• FIG. 13 is a detailed schematic of an electrowetting display with different layers. It is composed of a top plate 201 that can be rigid or flexible, on which is deposed a common electrode 202, a thin conductive layer that can be structured in different sections. The surface is treated by a coating 203 that assumes phobic surface behavior. All of these elements could be transparent, translucent or even colored in order to keep visible what is below. They can have variable thickness or structure.
• the bottom plate 207 is the rigid or flexible substrate on which are deposited and structured the control electrodes 208 that are electrically conductive. These control electrodes are electrically isolated by the dielectric layer 206 on which the phobic coating 203 is deposited.
• the bottom plate 207 and its inherent layers can have any visual aspect including transparent, translucent, colored, partially opaque, and opaque. They can have variable thickness or structure.
• the coating 203 is optional in the display depicted in FIG. 13, as additives in the fluids 204 and 205 could assume the phobic function with the surfaces of the reservoir containing the fluids 204 and 205. In some cases, the electrical contact is guaranteed between the fluid 205 and the common electrode 202, otherwise it is electrically isolated.
• the fluid 205 is the active liquid in the electrowetting process. This fluid 205 constitutes a visible separate phase within the passive fluid 204 supposed to fill the space left by the first fluid 205 in the reservoir.
• the fluid 204 can be liquid or gas. Both fluids 204 and 205 can have any visual aspects including transparent, translucent, colored, partially opaque, and opaque as long as a strong contrast allows to distinguish them from one another. One or several droplets of fluid 205 could be comprised in the system. Both fluids are contained in a reservoir, a channel or a tube for instance.
• FIG. 14 shows how the fluid 205 reacts efficiently under an electrical field represented by the lightning symbol 225 and applied by the electrical activation of the control electrode 209 which is similar to the other control electrodes 208.
• the contact angle of the fluid 205 over the surface of the bottom plate 207 and its inherent layers changes inducing an attraction force by capillarity effect. This attraction force causes the movement of the fluid 205 droplet.
• FIG. 15 describes another way of implementing the different components of a display where the fluids are displaced by the electrowetting effect.
• the bottom plate 211 is structured to form a channel where the common electrode 210 is divided in 2 sections placed on the walls of the channel.
• the surface of the top plate 201 is not closing the channel.
• the coating 203 is placed everywhere in order to assume that the droplet stays in the channel and hence avoid a capillarity effect that would drag out the droplet in the thin space formed by the bottom plate 210 and the top plate 201.
• FIG. 16 is a vertical cross section of the implementation example of FIG. 15 where the location of the cross section is indicated.
• the control electrodes 208 are placed along the channel and the common electrodes 210 are placed along the channel on both side.
• FIG. 17 shows another way of implementing the different components of a display where the fluids are displaced by electrowetting effect.
• the common electrode 202 is placed along the control electrodes 208 on the bottom plate 207. All the layers numbered and described as within the FIG. 13 have the same function here in this implementation. In that case, the droplet of active fluid 205 is isolated from the common electrode 202 by the dielectric layer 206 (see FIG. 17).
• FIG. 18 highlights the details of structure of the common electrode 202 which can be divided in several section. In this case, the common electrode 202 is an elongated electrode placed along the control electrodes 208. The droplet of fluid 205 is spread all over both kinds of electrodes.
• FIG. 19 shows the sequence with the stages from A to F explaining how to control the displacement of the fluid that has 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, in order to assume that it can move to the adjoining control electrodes 223 when it is supplied with a voltage. This voltage can be of DC or AC type.
• stage A the droplet is static as no control electrodes 223 have been activated.
• the fluid is moving in stage B because the adjacent control electrode is activated as shown by the lightning symbol 225.
• the displacement occurs until the droplet reaches an energetic equilibrium (that doesn't imply necessary that it has to cover the activated control electrode 223 completely). As shown in FIG.
• FIG. 19 shows the sequences with the stages G to N.
• FIG. 20A-B show another way of implementing a display that takes advantage of the electrowetting effect.
• the droplet that shows the same properties as the fluid 205 shown in FIG. 13, is not translated but the movement of fluid is inducing a deformation of the droplet.
• the control electrodes 220 are forming the 12 branches of a star in this particular embodiment, each of them could be activated.
• the droplet center 219 could be actively held by a control electrode placed below, or passively with an appropriate surface treatment to make the droplet stick on this area.
• the star branch 221 contains the deformation of the droplet because its control electrode 220 below has been activated as shown by the lightning 225.
• stage B another star branch 222 is activated to attract the part of the droplet and hence modify the deformation.
• it is not necessary to activate the adjacent control electrode 220 which the droplet deformation would be in contact with.
• It is the droplet center 219 that has to be in contact with the new activated control electrode 220.
• This principle of droplet deformation is supposed to animate the droplet and if relevant, indicate a measured value that can be referenced by an indicia.
• FIG. 20C-Q shows a sequence with the stages C to Q.
• a particular implementation of the display is when all the layers and fluids depicted in FIG. 13 are transparent excepting the fluid 205 that is colored in order to have a good contrast, making the droplet of fluid visible to the user.
• FIG. 21 describes this embodiment for a wrist timepiece 212.
• there are two droplets indicating the hours for droplet 214 and the minutes for droplet 213.
• the circles 215 and 216 are not visible for the user, they are just showing the path that the droplets are following. Thanks to the transparency of the display, it is possible to have an interchangeable indicia 217 that allows the user to customize his device 218 as shown in FIG. 21. Still further, two embodiments apply the electrowetting phenomenon using a capacitive sensor.
• a single electrode is used, where the liquid level is inferred from the analogical value of capacitance measured across the whole tube.
• This embodiment allows the use of a simpler electronic circuit. However, it is more difficult to calibrate given the influence of environmental parameters.
• the liquid level is determined as a digital value, using for example, one hundred and forty-four electrodes, one for each time step.
• the above solution is extremely robust, not being influenced by environmental parameters as in the first capacitive sensor embodiment.
• One reason for that resides in the fact that the area 226 of dielectric layer 206 below the droplet of fluid 205 is highly capacitive.
• the electrowetting fluid actuation for animation purposes is applied.
• Their construct follows the same scheme as described of FIG. 13 as well as the electrical activation of FIG. 14.
• they contain 2 immiscible fluids, one of them being indicated with reference number 228.
• the eleclrowetting display is composed of one control electrode 229 that is designed in order to represent any aesthetic shape, a heart in this case. It can be translucent or opaque, but preferentially transparent to provide a surprise effect in the animation.
• step A shown in FIG. 24A
• the fluid droplet 228 floats freely in the reservoir 226.
• the area 227 is coated the same way as above the control electrode 229 such that the fluid droplet 228 moves without constraint. If the control electrode 229 is transparent, its electrical activation in step B (shown in FIG. 24B) induces a surprise effect because the droplet deformation is unexpected.
• step C shows the shape of the control electrode 229 as depicted in step C (shown in FIG. 24C).
• the fluid droplet 228 or any separated fluid droplet has to overlap the control electrode in order to move correctly onto the control electrode 229.
• Having only one control electrode is the simplest implementation where the control system can be reduced to an activated power supply.
• more complex construction can be made to enhance the fluidic animation.
• the electrowetting display implements a system able to gather any separated droplets.
• step A shown in FIG. 25A
• all the portions of fluid 228 are floating freely in the reservoir 226.
• Substantially the whole surface of the reservoir 226 is treated in order to provide no constraint on the movement of the fluid.
• 4 concentric control electrodes 229 to 232 are provided. Again, they can be opaque or translucent but preferentially transparent to provide the surprise effect. It is not necessary to have a concentric structure as long as the control electrodes cover a portion of the surface such as any droplet of fluid 228 will overlap at least a portion of any control electrodes.
• step B starts by the activation of the control electrodes 229 to 232 described in step B (shown in FIG. 25B). It generates a surprising effect because the droplet of fluid 228 moves unexpectedly.
• step C shows in FIG. 25C
• the droplet of fluid 228 moves in order to leave the inactivated area 227 by capillarity effect thanks to the difference of contact angle between the droplet edges that are over the activated control electrodes 229 to 232 and the inactivated area 227.
• the sequence begins to disable, step by step, all the control electrodes from the external one 232 in step D (shown in FIG. 25D), the control electrode 231 in step E (shown in FIG. 25E), and the control electrode 230 in step F (shown in FIG.
• step F the droplets of fluid 228 move toward the center for the same reasons as explained in step C.
• step F the droplets touch one another and merge together to form the shape defined by the final control electrode 229 at the end of step G (shown in FIG.25G).
• the merging of droplet can happen at any step as it depends on the initial position and the deformation of each droplet 228.
• the concentric principle is not the only possible means of gathering droplets as the sequence may be defined in relation with the structure of the control electrodes.
• the electrowetting display implements a method obtaining a controlled enclosed portion of passive fluid surrounded by active fluid.
• This method shapes a droplet with at least one cavity enclosing a second fluid that covers essentially the total area of the reservoir 226 excepting the region occupied by the droplet of fluid 228.
• substantially the whole surface of the reservoir has been uniformly treated and the control electrodes 230 to 235 can be opaque or translucent but preferably transparent.
• step A shown in FIG. 26 A
• the droplet floats freely in the reservoir 226.
• step B shown in FIG.26B
• all control electrodes 230 to 235 are activated to start moving the droplet of fluid 228 onto the center of the display above the control electrodes 232 and 233 as described in step C (shown in FIG. 26C).
• step D (shown in FIG.26D) the droplet is moved on one half-circle over the control electrode 231 and 232.
• step D shows the initial preparation for hole formation.
• the foregoing sequence generates a ring of active fluid surrounded by passive fluid (as for other animations), the inside of the circle also being filled with passive fluid.
• step E the control electrodes 234 are activated and the center control electrode 232 disabled to let the droplet take a horseshoe shape.
• the droplet still covers a portion of the electrode 232 in spite of its inactivity.
• the final control electrode 235 is disabled to let a section be uncovered by the fluid 228, allowing the second fluid to flow inside the future hole.
• the fluid 228 retracts toward the activated electrodes to allow the other fluid to cover the control electrode 231.
• step F shown in FIG. 26F
• the final control electrode 235 is activated, dragging the droplet of fluid 228 that merges its two arms and take its final shape with a hole of the second fluid inside over the control electrodes 232 and 233.
• Other implementations can be envisioned which shape cavities of passive fluids in a droplet of active fluid. It depends on the control electrodes structure and the control sequence.
• the electrowetting display implements an animation where a droplet of fluid 228 is separated into two parts.
• step A shown in FIG. 27A
• the droplet of fluid 228 floats and moves freely thanks to the uniformity of surface treatment all over the reservoir 226.
• the control electrode can be opaque, translucent but preferentially transparent in order to provide a surprise effect during the step B (shown in FIG. 27B) where all the control electrodes 230 to 232 and 236 and 237 are activated to attract the droplet in the center of the display.
• the droplet ends up over the control electrode in the center 232 in step C (shown in FIG. 27C).
• the droplet is attracted in two opposite directions by the activation of the control electrode 236 and 237 in step D (shown in FIG. 27D).
• the droplet of fluid 228 deforms in the direction of both electrodes and eventually divides in two separate, smaller droplets that will cover the two activated electrodes 236 and 237. To work well, this process has to be fine-tuned between the design of the control electrodes, the control sequence and the size of the droplet of fluid 228.
• the device shall fulfil the general watch requirements ISO 764, ISO 1413 and ISO 2281.
• FIG.28A to FIG. 28D are tables showing considerations of requirements of elements of the invention.
• FIG. 29A shows a Prototype as after URS (cf. FIG. 3) and FIG.29B shows a related Black Box.
• FIG. 29C shows Design specific requirements of the invention for Phase I.
• FIG.30A The original block diagram of the project is presented in FIG.30A. Some of its parts are oriented specifically towards the application of the Squiggle drive.
• FIG.30B The generalized block diagram is presented in FIG.30B.
• the scope of the first phase of this project is outlined. The goal is to develop the actuator with its direct dependencies, which are the reservoir and the decompression chamber.
• FIG. 30C A succinct function analysis of the device is presented in FIG. 30C.
• the functions framed in blue will be treated in the first phase of the project.
• FIG. 31 A The tree of solutions for the phases interface is presented in FIG. 31 A.
• liquid- vacuum phases interface would in fact be a liquid-vapor interface, the "empty" space being instead filled with vaporized liquid, at its vapor pressure.
• the vapor pressure as a function of the temperature, for different liquids, is presented in FIG. 31 C. It is clear that this value has a large variation with respect to the temperature. For instance:
• the liquid-liquid interface is preferable, as:
• the liquid has a lesser sensitivity to dilatation, the risk of making bubbles in the case of a shock is reduced, the advance of the meniscus is more regular, and in case of rapid changes of temperature and pressure, bubbles risk to be formed in a liquid-gas interface.
• the tree of solutions for the displacement of the liquid is presented in FIG. 31D.
• the solutions are clustered in five main categories:
• Piston systems where a piston compresses liquid contained in a bellows reservoir
• the categories 1 to 4 are discussed in FIG. 32A to 32D.
• the ranking criteria are presented in FIG. 33.
• the ranking is done using the 1-3-9 method in which every solution is assigned a grade of 1, 3 or 9 for each considered ranking criterion.
• the ranking criteria themselves have a weight, also 1, 3 or 9. This way, any contribution can bring a value between 1 and 81 to the total grade of the solution.
• the complexity due to the anticipated high-end segment to which the product is designed for, the complexity is not considered to be a criterion of the utmost importance.
• the scalability the product is for the moment for watch displays. Although possible further applications could require scaling to other dimensions, it is not for the moment a key criterion.
• the stepper motor actuating a spiral wheel comes first in this ranking. It is a very simple solution, relying on a relatively simple mechanism and known actuators. In addition, the manual setting of the indicator can be done very quickly, using a mechanical clutch to disengage the spiral wheel from its gear train. It is only handicapped by its relatively larger size.
• the piezo membrane pump is second. It has a good ranking due to its low size, robust design and known technology. It is handicapped by a relatively low scalability, possibly higher cost than some other solutions.
• the electromagnetic membrane/piston pump is in fourth position. It has the advantages of the piezo membrane pump, at the cost of a higher size.
• the electrowetting is in fifth position.
• FIG.39A a top view
• FIG.39B a side view
• All the components are simple and well-known, including the stepper motor.
• FIG. 40 the Nanopump/piezo membrane pump, a device designed by Debiotech for insulin infusion purposes. This particular device has a 200 [nl] dispense per pulse. It is entirely micro- machined on Silicon On Insulator (SOI) wafers, which grants a high repeatability.
• SOI Silicon On Insulator
• the device is self-priming, it would allow for open-loop regulation: at the end of one 12 hours cycle, the liquid can be pulled back in the reservoir by opening the return valves. Then, the pump can be activated until the liquid is detected by a single capacitive sensor placed on its outlet. After this point, the pump can be trusted to provide regular steps during the next 12 hours period.
• capacitive sensor could theoretically be integrated in the device.
• Nanopump Some devices as the Nanopump exist on the market, or are in development.
• FIG. 41 A schematic of such an electromagnetic membrane/piston pump device is presented in FIG. 41, for the case of a membrane pump. It is noteworthy that the piston configuration is also implementable. However, both solutions are for the moment considered together, as the function of both devices is massively similar.
• the electrowetting is a phenomenon where a normally hydrophobic surface loses its properties and becomes hydrophilic. This is presented in FIG. 42A and 42B. This way, with several electrodes lined up, it is possible to control the displacement of a droplet of water in a display.
• FIG. 43 A schematic of such a display is presented in FIG. 43, as well as a detailed schematic of the different layers used to make the actuator. Using a droplet slightly larger than the electrode, the droplet moves to the adjoining electrode when it is supplied with current.
• FIG.44 Pictures from a test involving the displacement of a droplet of water in silicone oil are presented in FIG.44. It is visible that the displacement is extremely quick. In addition, the power involved is relatively low as the electrodes act as capacitors: no conduction of current takes place in the system.
• the display behavior can also be achieved by the displacement of a single droplet, such as presented in FIG. 45.
• the droplet in this case is used to make the separation between a colored and a colorless oil, the colored oil being the indication medium.
• FIG. 46 shows the Squiggle driven piston variant. This solution relies on an existing product, such an actuator could be adapted to a spiral wheel system, for instance.
• the tree of solutions for the detection of the liquid position is presented in FIG. 47.
• the three large groups are first - the 'direct sensing', where the sensor is integrated on the indicator tube, and detects directly the position of the liquid; second - the 'open-loop', where no sensor is used and the system is reset every twelve hours in order to prevent accumulation of errors; and third - the 'indirect sensing', where the position of the actuator is tracked, and the position of the liquid column is inferred.
• a compensation for the temperature may have to be done if an indirect sensor is used with a liquid-gas interface.
• a sensitivity to environmental parameters is specified only if the sensing method is inherently sensitive, with no possibility of avoid this sensitivity by selecting an appropriate interface, for instance.
• the actuator that displaces the liquid is volumetric, i.e. that certain position of the actuator corresponds to a position of the liquid column. This is taken as assumption as no pressure generators made it past the selection of the actuators.
• the ranking of the selected solutions of the liquid level sensors is presented in FIG. 50.
• the capacitive sensor is the preferred solution, as it allows for a reliable closed-loop control of the position of the liquid column, while relying on a relatively simple technology.
• the resistive sensor will not, as it has similar performances, while it has a significantly more complex design.
• One implementation solution is a single-electrode sensor, where the liquid level is inferred from the analogical value of capacity measured across the whole tube.
• Another implementation solution is a multi-electrode sensor, where the liquid level is determined as a digital value, using 144 electrodes, for all the time steps.
• FIG. 51B is a diagrammatic representation of FIG. 51B.
• the inductive sensor placed on the actuator measures the position of a ferrite in a coil, by measuring the inductance of this coil. It is presented schematically in FIG.52. Such sensors are already widely used and provide very reliable results.
• An encoder is a simple system that provides the absolute position, or the displacement, of a rotating actuator.
• a schematic of such a system, as well as an encoder wheel for an absolute positioning, are presented in FIG. 53A and FIG. 53B respectively. This system can be realised with virtually any desired accuracy, depending on the application.
• the encoder and the inductive sensor have similar performances.
• the former is more adapted to rotating applications, and the latter to linear translation.
• the main direction of displacement of the actuator should be the rationale for the discrimination between those two sensors
• Ambient temperature is an external parameter that directly acts on the system and on liquid in the display tube and therefore on its accuracy for time display. Its effect is increased for a bigger reservoir volume attached to a small display capillary. Parts such as liquid container, display tube and the liquid itself must be considered along with the 2 nd liquid container for a liquid- liquid scenario. Applicable temperature range: °C [-10; +40].
• Liquids volume expansion coefficient is more or less 3 times greater than a, however water for example is highly non-linear.
• the graph in FIG. 54 shows liquid increase length in indicator tube for a 25°C temperature change. Temperature applied to the whole system. Reservoir material PP, Tube material PVC, Liquid with volume dilatation coefficient of 500x10 -6 [K -1 ].
• Vtube is the maximal liquid volume in display tube (length 120m, diameter 0.5mm giving 0.024mL).
• Curves confirm that for a relative bigger reservoir volume, temperature coefficients mismatch between casing and liquid, induces a bigger inaccuracy. Effect is widely increased for a capillary display tube.
• Reservoir volume is linearly scaled to the tube volume. If tube diameter is big, reservoir is scaled up to match volume. Therefore, offset in tube due to temperature does not depend on tube diameter.
• Equation expresses the offset length versus a reservoir volume de- pending on display volume.
• P is the parameter starting from 1 (minimum liquid volume for display tube) to 5 (Reservoir contains up to 5 times the display volume) and Ltube: 120mm.
• volume must be minimized while tube diameter must be maximized, ideally, liquid volume matches required display volume (120mm long channel and reading comfort);
• a compliant chamber is required in case of liquid/air (linear channel) or a double liquid/liquid interface (close-looped channel);
• Gases are contained in the display chamber and decompression chamber in case of a liquid/gas interface. They follow the ideal gas law.
• the number of moles of gas dissolved in a given amount of liquid, at a given pressure is calculated as:
• 13 ⁇ 4 is a constant, dependent on the liquid and on the gas.
• the pressure reached in the compression chamber when the display is at the end is calculated as:
• the total volume of liquid available in the system is equal to the reservoir volume.
• the reservoir volume itself can be expressed as:
• a criterion can be that the volume of degassing gas should not occupy a spherical bubble of a diameter equal or superior to the tube diameter. This way, if the bubble is smaller than the tube, it is likely that it will migrate towards the reservoir or the decompression chamber, thus not being visible in the display. Therefore, we want that:
• Design must consider space available for additional coin cell (doubling capacity) and reduce as much as possible actuation time for steps and resets. Design could also implement a mechanical- based energy storage in a spiral spring for mechanical reload, nevertheless actuation must work against spring reload.
• LED button light must be redefined in duration time and intensity in order to reduce its consumption. Energy budget for actuator would be less than 20% of capacity.
• the final pressure can therefore be calculated as The final pressure in the compression chamber as a function of these parameters is presented in FIG. 57.
• the same values are represented as a contour plot in FIG. 58.
• the decompression chamber volume can be maximized, which involves an increase of the overall size.
• the tube section can be minimized, which may, however, affect the visibility.
• a liquid-liquid interface may be used, which requires either one compliant reservoir at each end of the tube, or, as an alternative, a tube making a loop, which would not require any kind of reservoir space.
• the piston stroke as a function of the piston diameter and tube diameter, is presented in FIG. 60. It will have to be set depending on the dimensional constraints of the device, but will also affect the pump energy consumption, for a larger piston will require more force to be actuated.
• the mechanical power is defined i
• d stroke the distance that has to be provided by the piston for one 5 minutes increment
• d overall stroke the previously computed overall stroke length of the piston
• tstroke the stroke duration defined as 1 [s].
• the required electrical power can then be computed as:
• ⁇ total the overall efficiency of the system, considering both electrical and mechanical power losses. Isosurfaces of power consumption can then be drawn, such as presented in FIG. 61.
• the overall allowable power consumption is estimated to be 11 [mW], such as that which one coin cell can supply the system during two years of continuous operation.
• the assumption is taken that the return is done using the pressure generated during the forward motion, i.e. that the actuator does not have to be activated for the return.
• FIG. 62 A schematic representation of a liquid- vacuum system is presented in FIG. 62.
• the force exerted by the vacuum has to be compensated by the force of the return spring, so that the system is in equilibrium.
• a force has to be added so that the return is done sufficiently quickly.
• Rtube is the fluidic resistance of the tube to the advance of the liquid. It can be calculated by Poiseuille's law as:
• the maximal specified time for the return is of 30 [s].
• FIG. 63 Isosurfaces of return times as a function of the tube and piston radius, and of the return force, are presented in FIG. 63 for a silicone-silicone interface, and in FIG. 64 for a water- water interface. It is visible that in both cases, the situation where the return takes 30 seconds or more is exceptional. However, if a much quicker return is required, particular care should be taken on the choice of the dimensions.
• the spiral shape has to be adapted accordingly, in order to keep the torque on the drive constant. If a logarithmic spiral were used in this case, the torque would augment while the display advances, which would require implementing a drive that would be overdimensioned over most of the stroke distance, in order to be capable of providing enough torque at the end of the stroke.
• the generalized spiral system is presented with some of its key values in FIG. 66.
• the pressure in the compression chamber can be written as:
• a constant torque means that we want the derivative of the torque as a function of the angular position of the spiral to be zero. Therefore:
• the step size to be performed by the motor will not be constant along the movement of the piston, for the distance increment of the spiral will not be constant with the angle.
• the Archimedean spiral is one of the simplest shapes, with as equation:
• the Archimedean spiral has the property that the spiral slope a decreases with the progression of the angular position ⁇ , which in turn diminishes the required torque. It is hereafter presented as a possible solution for the situations where gas has to be compressed in a rigid chamber.
• the torque to be provided by the actuator for a general spiral compressing gas is:
• the spiral slope angle is calculated as:
• the spiral will have only one turn.
• the parameters of the spiral therefore be defined as a is the minimal radius of the spiral, which has only a design importance.
• volume of the reservoir does not have a role in the calculation, as it is by definition equal to the volume of the tube.
• the reservoir will merely have to be scaled according to the tube dimensions.
• FIG. 68 presents the curve of the torque as a function of the chamber volume to tube volume ratio, and to the angular position, for a 2 [mm] tube diameter.
• the force is constant, and depends only on the overall stroke of the spiral.
• the force will be determined as the minimal force ensuring a rapid enough return of the liquid in the reservoir, with the calculations established in 5.8.
• the return spring force can be calculated as a function of the desired return time as:
• this torque would be divided by two, as is the average fluidic resistance of the tube during the return of the liquid in such a case.
• an electrowetting display can be represented as an array of capacitors.
• the electrode next to it is supplied with current, which diminishes the surface tension on this spot, dragging the droplet.
• the electrode supplied with current is connected to a capacitor generated by the insulation and hydrophobization, whose ground electrode is the water droplet itself.
• the value of a planar capacitor is calculated as:
• the electrodes are rectangular, and the capacitor is constituted of two consecutive layers (insulation and hydrophobization).
• the hydrophobization layer is too thin to provide an electrical insulation.
• the properties of the insulation layer are:
• the size of the electrodes can be determined as follows:
• a first assumption of the power consumption for one step increment assuming that the capacitor gets completely charged in the process, can then be done with the following:
• the goal is to do the displacement with the minimal possible voltage. If one considers the results presented in FIG. 72, it appears possible to move the droplet with a 20 [V] voltage, at 3 [Hz]. The displacement time is therefore of 0.3 [s], and the power required is of 0.038 [ ⁇ W].
• the proposed interface can still be changed, for some of the proposed concepts.
• Five different concepts are presented in FIG. 74.
• This section presents preliminary designs of the two solutions presented in the latter section.
• Part 'Assumptions' presents the parameters that are assumed, for practical reasons or to simplify the calculation.
• Part 'Preliminary design selections' presents the calculations that lead to the other parameters.
• Stepper motors are widely used in the watchmaker industry such as the "Lavet" motor named after its inventor name.
• Several off the shelf watch movements are available on the market with following main characteristics:
• Low cost plastic and metallic watch movement typically have a gear train that is addressing the seconds wheel, the minute wheel (optional) and hour wheel. Design is also sometimes mcluding a friction clutch allowing to adjust time (hours and minutes) with help of setting stem without turning the motor.
• Design of watch movement is as illustrated for a digital quartz watch in FIG. 78A and for a mechanical watch in FIG. 78B.
• Low cost plastic and metallic watch movement typically have a gear train that is addressing the seconds wheel, the minute wheel (optional) and hour wheel.
• Design is also sometimes including a friction clutch allowing to adjust time (hours and minutes) with help of setting stem without turning the motor.
• the hour wheel is of interest as it is on the top of movement assembly and can directly be connected to the spiral cam for the device. Movement has already a dimension of 24hours/day and can be easily adapted for a demonstrator design.
• stepper motor continuously increments time giving a minute resolution of 67seconds, 6°/minutes and 15°/hour for 24hour cycles.
• time is relatively adapted to new time by acting on hour and minutes gear train in a 12hour time resolution. Stepper motor will then increment time with new relative time indication.
• Time is relatively adjustable in a 24hour time range (12hours for display, 24hours for button LED indicator).
• Time increments are not in open loop as every 12hours a reset occurs and must match the 6am or 6pm value. In this regard, coupling over liquid display and relative hour wheel must perfectly match (open loop time display).
• Liquid display cannot be scaled according to variable channel length unless piston size and reservoir are adapted during device assembly.
• the reservoir is the most critical part of our system.
• the key criterion is the linearity of the display with the advance of the piston in the reservoir; this linearity would be perfect with a piston running in a straight cylinder, but is challenging to achieve even with bellows reservoir.
• the reservoir itself should not have a spring rate.
• capillarity is here integrated.
• the capillary force is calculated as:
• the capillary force in a 1 [mm] diameter tube is therefore of 94 [ ⁇ ] . This force is negligible with respect to the other contributions.
• a flat reservoir means a short stroke, which imposes high tolerances on the cam wheel.
• the first design with a 1 [mm] stroke, has a 6.9 [ ⁇ m] vertical displacement of the piston per time step. This is critical regarding the tolerances of the wheel.
• embodiment 1 as a flat version.
• the embodiment 1, flat version is presented in FIG. 80A, with the movement and the indicator tube. It is clear that, with this design, the reservoir occupies only a fraction of the total volume.
• FIG. 80B A side view of the assembly is presented in FIG. 80B, and a front view in FIG. 80C. Note that a significant optimization of the total size is still possible. Note also that, in this preliminary design, the setting wheel is in the watch.
• the cam wheel can be seen in the front view: it is at the "zero" position. As the watch mechanism rotates the cam wheel, it presses on the piston, which actuates the liquid.
• FIG.81 A cross section of the reservoir is presented in FIG.81.
• the rolling diaphragm is represented in green, and the piston is outlined in red.
• the reservoir is in its "zero" position, where the indicator liquid is entirely in the reservoir, and the vast majority of the other liquid is in the tube.
• the piston advances, it pushes the water out, and frees space for the heptane behind the membrane.
• FIG. 82 A view of the cam wheel alone is presented in FIG. 82.
• the wheel is designed such as to provide a 1 [mm] stroke over one rotation.
• FIG.83 A A top view of the embodiment 1 with long reservoir is presented in FIG.83 A.
• FIG. 83B A side view, with a cut through the reservoir area, is presented in FIG. 83B.
• the reservoir design is identical to the case with a flat reservoir.
• FIG. 84 presents the embodiment 1, with the previously presented mechanism, packaged in a watch.
• the front of the watch is a flat, opaque panel, with twelve glasses indicating the twelve hours.
• a cross section of the mechanism is presented in FIG. 85. Note that the casing is roomy for the current design of the mechanism. The overall size and cluttering of the watch could be reduced by making an oval display, instead of a round one, for instance.
• embodiment 1, as a long, linear version in a first variant.
• the linear display of the embodiment 1 is presented in FIG. 86A and FIG. 86B in a top view, and in FIG. 86C in a side view.
• the tube has twice the length required for the display.
• the system could be built with 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 space for a loop of tube.
• embodiment 1 As a long, linear version in a second variant. Another was to implement the linear version of the embodiment 1 in a low-cost watch, while circumventing the limitations imposed by the need to close the bracelet, would be to build it into a flexible bracelet watch, such as the one presented in FIG. 87.
• FIG. 88 An implementation of the spiral cam mechanism in this design is presented in FIG. 88. It is visible that the mechanism itself can be integrated in a relatively small capsule, that would in a final device be shaped as an outgrowth of the bracelet itself. The surface of this capsule can be opaque, optionally bearing the logo of the manufacturer.
• FIG. 89 a variation with a S shaped display is presented in FIG. 89.
• a flexible tube is fully embedded in a flexible bracelet, allowing the watch to fit on the wrist.
• the mechanism rests below the wrist, as it is too large to be placed on either end of the S shape.
• the display itself should be of a stiffer material so as to keep its shape. Note that this could also be achieved by embedding the flexible tube in a harder display casing, that could also bear the time marks.
• the force of the spring is defined as 50 [mN].
• the force of the sealing has to be estimated. Considering that the pressure at the interface between the sealing and the piston is of 0.5 [bar], in order to grant a sufficient sealing, and considering that the sealing has a 1 [mm] inner diameter, and a 1 [mm] height, the radial force applied on the piston is of 0.157 [N]. Taking a worst-case friction coefficient between the rubber of the sealing and the Teflon of the piston of 1, this leads to 157 [mN] of additional force on the piston.
• the long design, with the linear display, should have a twice higher spring force, as the tube is twice as long.
• the spring force is overestimated in the case with a circular display, therefore the same force can be applied to the linear display as well.
• the torque values are reasonable for both embodiments, and both considered friction coefficients.
• the ETA 802.001, 6 3 ⁇ 4" x 8" watch movement has a typical torque on the minute shaft of 250 [ ⁇ ].
• the same movement has a typical current consumption of 0.95 [ ⁇ ] . Therefore, a 16.6 [mAh] capacity of battery is required to power the movement for two years (not considering the energy consumption of other elements, such as the LED).
• tungsten carbide As the Teflon piston would risk to wear off over the life of the device, especially considering a high- end device that should have a high durability.
• a sappWre-sapphire interface would also have a low friction, but machining the cams out of sapphire would be challenging.
• Tungsten carbide is almost as hard as sapphire, and its machining is known, as many drill bits are machined out of this material.
• FIG. 93 a schematic representation of a simplified driver circuit for the electro wetting display is presented in FIG. 93. Following elements are visible in this figure: the light bulb LI corresponds to the state of an electrode;
• the supply L0 corresponds to the state of the preceding electrode
• the supply L2 correspond to the state of the next electrode.
• This system requires only two parameters to work, namely the clock signal CLK, that indicates when to switch, and the direction DIRECT, that indicates in which direction the droplet should be moved.
• the electrodes themselves would be connected as it is schematically represented in FIG. 94. This way, the actuation could be achieved by addressing three groups of electrodes, instead of addressing each electrode separately.
• One gate mounted as an astable, in order to generate a finite length pulse, and one relay to apply the driving voltage on the electrodes.
• This system allows detecting an approximate position only. It can therefore be used only in the case where the droplet can safely be assumed to remain in its position over a 15 minutes time lapse.
• FIG. 96 The schematic of the full driving electronics is presented schematically in FIG. 96. This representation integrates the principal components and some electrodes. Note that not all the wires are represented, and neither are the passive components required to have the system running.
• FIG. 97 is a list of all the components required to drive the system. Note that if this product were to be mass-produced, the size and the cost could be reduced by developing a custom IC. In addition, the components presented in the latter table are a tentative list for purposes of rough design, not an optimized solution.
• FIG. 98 The top and side view of an implementation of the electrowetting display are presented in FIG. 98, with the aforementioned components. It is noteworthy that the size limitations for the length of the display, and the width of the coin cell, allow for a large amount of space for the electronics.
• the substrate could be a flex print circuit, allowing it to be wrapped around the wrist.
• Concept 1 is a circular fluidic channel in a standard wrist watch casing
• concept 2 is an elastic linear fluidic channel incorporated in a flexible bracelet
• concept 3 is a fluidic channel in a shaped "S" display.
• electrowetting concept Concept 4 is the electrowetting design.
• the fluidic concept is based on a watch movement. Integration of a low cost electrical or high-end mechanical movement are feasible. This is shown in FIG. 99 A to FIG. 99E.
• a circular fluidic channel in a standard wrist watch casing The design can be close to a "normal" wrist watch.
• Channel circular is in a casing.
• Fluidic design is protected from the outside.
• a variable channel shape is possible under, above or inside of the display window.
• a display of fluidic/mechanic assembly is possible.
• a display of higher-end watch mechanism or complications is possible.
• FIG. 101 A to FIG. 101F Integration of concept lin a watch is shown in FIG. 101 A to FIG. 101F.
• FIG. 102A shows a 355° display variant 6am/pm centered.
• FIG. 102B shows a 330° display variant Fluidic mechanism centered.
• FIG. 102C shows a 360° display variant /! ⁇ hour length increases as channel expands along radius.
• the mechanism could also include seconds and minutes hand inside of casing.
• the cam wheel (hour hand) could integrate an indicator (hour hand).
• the watch would have a fluidic time display in the bracelet and a hands display in the casing bellow the wrist. This concept is shown in FIG. 104.
• Fluidic channel in a shaped "S" display The design is "reversed” compared to a watch, the casing is worn bellow the wrist.
• the channel is in a bracelet, both bracelet and channel are semi-elastic.
• the bracelet cannot be opened.
• the bracelet has no fixation clips.
• a user puts it on by stretching the bracelet and display over the fingers and palm.
• the channel glass is around wrist.
• the fluidic design is not protected from outside. It must resist to multiple stretching cycles.
• the mechanism could be damaged if user applies pressure on the channel.
• the front and backside of the casing could be transparent to show the mechanism. This concept is shown in FIG. 106A to FIG. 106F.
• the channel is in the "S" display with an opening system.
• the channel is doubled and has a return branch back to the decompression chamber in the casing.
• the bracelet can be opened on the other branch.
• the channel is partially around wrist.
• the fluidic design is not protected from outside. It must resist to multiple sketching cycles.
• the mechanism could be damaged if user applies pressure on the channel.
• the front and backside of the casing could be transparent to show the mechanism.
• Concept 3B allows display casing exchangeability (high end), which is not possible for concept 3A. This concept is shown in FIG. 107.
• the fluidic concept is based on electrowetting. It uses capacitive sensing, and actuation with the same electrodes.
• the design is based on a rectangular channel. The assembly is layered, allowing bending.
• FIG. 108 shows a PCB with transparent ITO electrodes and electronic components.
• FIG. 109A and FIG. 109B show the detail A of FIG. 108.
• the sensing electrodes are highlighted.
• the drive electrodes are highlighted.
• FIG. 110 shows a schematic of the electrowetting, as provided e.g. in FIG. 43, FIG. 45, FIG. 71.
• Concept 4 could have following variants.
• concept 4A timeline around the wrist is similar to concept 2. This design cannot be stretched. Therefore, the watch has a conventional clipping bracelet.
• concept 4B time is displayed in a standard watch casing. 3 droplets are moved around in different channels. Each channel has a scaling and represents seconds, minutes and hour on three concentric circles.
• FIG. 111 shows the indication of time on a bracelet based electro wetting.
• FIG. 112 shows the time indication of FIG. 111 in detail.
• FIG. 113 shows closing devices for the bracelet.
• a device for fluid display comprising a fluid, wherein the fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process, the device filled with at least 2 irnmiscible fluids whereas one fluid is located within the electrical field generated by a reference electrode and a control electrode and partially within the electrical field generated by the same reference electrode and at least one second control electrode so that the electric activation of the second control electrode generates a deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode.
• control electrodes are activated by AC or DC voltage.
• a device including the device of feature set 5, where all electrodes are transparent and where the indicia are placed below the electrodes.
• a timepiece comprising the device of any one of the foregoing feature sets, said measured value being time.
• the device of feature set 1 filled with at least 2 immiscible fluids whereas one fluid is located within the electrical field generated by a reference electrode and a control electrode and partially within the electrical field generated by the same reference electrode and at least one second control electrode so that the electric activation of the second control electrode generates a deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode.
• a device including the device of feature set 21, where all electrodes are transparent and where the indicia are placed below the electrodes.
• a timepiece comprising the device of any one of the foregoing feature sets, said measured value being time.
• a device comprising a fluid which indicates a measured value or creates an aesthetic shape, wherein the fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process, the device filled with at least 2 immiscible fluids whereas one fluid is located within the electrical field generated by a reference electrode and a control electrode and partially within the electrical field generated by the same reference electrode and at least one second control electrode so that the electric activation of the scond control electrode generates a deformation or movement of the fluid in the direction of the second control electrode, wherein optionally at least one control electrode is of a size greater than .01 mm and so large enough to be seen by human eyes.
• control electrodes serving to gather the fluids droplets guiding them onto the area where the control electrodes are forming the aesthetic shape.
• a device for fluid display comprising a fluid, wherein the fluid is displaced by an electrowetting process, the device filled with at least 2 immiscible fluids whereas one fluid is activated by an electrical field generated by a control electrode wherein activation of the electrode generates a deformation or movement of at least one of the fluids.
• the present invention may be a wearable device, comprising a fluid display, composed of at least one active liquid and a passive fluid.
• the at least one fluid is brought in motion by an input action as described in this specification.
• the motion of the fluid(s) may be in the form of an animation or an indication.
• the motion of the fluid(s) may also create a 3D effect.
• the active liquid is a polar solvent, is non-miscible with a passive fluid, and has high surface energy.
• the passive fluid has low energy surface, is non-miscible with an active liquid, and has low viscosity.
• the passive fluid may be gaseous or liquid, and if it is used in the present invention as a liquid, it is preferably an apolar/nonpolar solvent.
• the active liquid has a fusion point below -20°C and a boiling point of above +80°C.
• the passive fluid if used in the present invention in the form of a liquid at ambient temperature, has a fusion point below -20°C and a boiling point of above +80°C.
• the passive fluid if used in the present invention in the form of a gas at ambient temperature, has a boiling point of below -20°C.
• the surfactants of the active liquid and/or the passive liquid is transparent, is chemically stable in the disclosed temperature range, has a low diffusion rate into an adjacent dielectric, is of large molecular size, and is robust against electrical fields.
• the surfactants may be ionic (e.g. cationic, zwitterionic, or anionic) or non-ionic.
• the surfactants are lowering the operating voltage of the system.
• the liquids, the passive and/or the active ones, may be transparent or colored.
• the colorant may be ionic (e.g. cationic, zwitterionic, or anionic) or non-ionic.
• the colorant may be of large molecule size, is chemically stable in the disclosed temperature range, has a low diffusion rate into an adjacent dielectric, is robust against electrical fields, allow high contrast between fluids, in particular between passive and active fluids, and has good solubility properties.
• the colorant may be e.g. of the type of organic die, quantum dots, inorganic die, or pigments.
• Cavities provided in the present invention may be made of ceramic, polymer, or glass, and in particular sapphire glass.
• the cavity if in the form of a channel may be etched, and if in the form of a chamber, it may be etched in and build of plates, or made of interne diary layers.
• the cavity may be refined by a further etching step, a layer deposition and structuration step, or a hot embossing step.
• the inside surface of the cavity is of low roughness.
• the substrate used to accommodate cavities may be made of polymers, or glass, and in particular sapphire glass and are substantially transparent at least in the viewing direction of a user viewing the cavity.
• the substrate can be of rectangular, circular, circular with an opening (e.g. a hole) in the inner area (e.g. in the center), or any other suitable geometry.
• the substrate may also function as a common electrode or as a control electrode.
• common and/or control electrodes proposed in the present invention may be made of metal (e.g. gold or chromium) or transparent conducting film (TCF) such as e.g. indium tin oxide (ITO).
• TCF transparent conducting film
• ITO indium tin oxide
• the electrodes are of low resistivity. The electrodes do not tend to fuse and are configured not to form cracks at intended operating conditions, in particular over the intended operating temperature range.
• the dielectric layer does not require a pin hole and is conformal.
• the electrical connections to the electrodes are positioned internal or external, and may be realized as through glass via (TGV). Multiple connections per electrode are possible. Suitable connectors to establish a connection are Zebra connectors, Flex connectors, or Pogo pins.
• the dielectric layer may be a mono-layer or a multi-layer, may be made of organic material or of an oxide layer, and is substantially transparent.
• the dielectric may 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 fluids.
• the coating is a hydrophobic and oleophobic coating. Further, the coating has a low hysteresis and is chemically stable in the disclosed temperature range. It is possible to apply a structure to the coating.
• the coating is deposited by molecular vapor deposition (MVD), dipping, flushing, spin coating, or spraying.
• the deposited coating is of constant thickness, homogenous, substantially transparent, and conformal. Suitable materials are fluoropolymer, silane with fiuoropolymer, or alcanic chains.
• the coating can optionally be cured, e.g. by a thermal cure or a ultraviolet cure (UV cure).
• the assembling of the invention may comprise following assembling operations.
• the cavity is diced into substrate plates by means of a laser, a waterjet, SACE, or sewing.
• the plates are assembled by means of laser welding, anodic bonding, fusion bonding, gluing, or ultrasonic welding.
• the assembling of the plates requires good adhesion between the plates, low shrinkage, chemical stability, integrity of the sub-layers, that swelling is avoided, tightness is ensured, gas bubbles are avoided.
• the assembling of the plates comprises, but is not limited to, the assembling of the plate with the common electrode and the plate with the control electrode.
• the at least one cavity, formed by the assembled plates, is primed by means of applied vacuum and active microdroplet injection.
• the assembled plates must be orientated such that gas bubbles are avoided completely.
• a sealing step is applied. An opening may be sealed by gluing, laser welding, or by insertion of a screw or a press fit. As well during sealing, gas bubbles must be avoided completely.
• the detection of the position and/or the presence of one of the fluids, but in particular of the active fluid, may be realized by a capacitive detection method such as transmission/response time (in a RC-circuit), unit pulse response, or pulse integration. For such capacitive principles a high signal to noise ratio is required.
• the signal processing can be done by means of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or a conventional digital signal processing (DSP) unit.
• ASIC application specific integrated circuit
• FPGA field programmable gate arrays
• DSP digital signal processing
• the present invention allows to control the fluids and thereby generating an animation.
• a droplet can be deformed by means of electrode shaping or by the form of the channel. Droplets can be manipulated as a single and individual droplet, but also as a group of droplets (multiple droplets). Droplets can further be merged (fusion) and divided (division). Fluids (as well as droplet) can be moved into hidden reservoirs. A user can initiate on demand such an animation.
• the fluids are controlled by means of electronic and electrodes.
• the electrode may generate and apply to the electrodes waveforms such as AC, non-sinusoidal AC, DC, and quasi DC, thereby respecting requirements related to electromagnetic interferences.
• the electronic may be integrated, or partially integrated into an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or a conventional digital signal processing (DSP) unit.
• the electronic provides a microcontroller, a timing controller, a power management system (e.g. to control DCDC step-up), droplet detection capabilities, a user interface controller and apply voltage to the electrodes and driver the droplets.
• the stability of the droplets can be controlled by applying low voltage, realizing a suitable shape of the cavity, and by selecting liquids with matching density, such that the droplets in the system are shock proved and resistible against gravity and any other acceleration force.
• Materials used for the realization of the present invention are chosen to be suitable and in compliance to the operating temperature range of the invention.
• Such materials are e.g. metals, polymers or glass, and in particular sapphire glass.
• structures used for the realization of the present invention are configured to be suitable and in compliance to the operating temperature range of the invention.
• Other embodiments are shown and described in the attached appendix, which is incorporated herein in this written description.
• system contemplates the use, sale and/or distribution of any goods, services or information having similar functionality described herein.
• the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any variation thereof, are intended to refer to a non-exclusive listing of elements, such that any process, method, article, composition or apparatus of the invention that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements recited, but may also include other elements described in this specification.
• the use of the term “consisting” or “consisting of or “consisting essentially of is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the enumerated elements named thereafter, unless otherwise indicated.
• Other combinations and/or modifications of the above-described elements, materials or structures used in the practice of the present invention may be varied or otherwise adapted by the skilled artisan to other design without departing from the general principles of the invention.
• such indicators can be used as speed or RPM indicators in vehicles. Further, such indicators can be used to indicate body temperature or other parameters, like heart rate in sports, or in indicators used in medical devices or diagnostic equipment. While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of one or another preferred embodiment thereof. In some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the foregoing description be construed broadly and understood as being given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the claims which ultimately issue in this application.

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• Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)
• Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)

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• 2018
  • 2018-10-31 JP JP2020524168A patent/JP2021501371A/ja active Pending
  • 2018-10-31 WO PCT/IB2018/058549 patent/WO2019087104A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2018-10-31 EP EP18812257.6A patent/EP3704549A2/en active Pending
  • 2018-10-31 KR KR1020207015516A patent/KR102699751B1/ko active IP Right Grant
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