GB2459320A

GB2459320A - Colour coded display device

Info

Publication number: GB2459320A
Application number: GB0803688A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Roderick Field
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-02-28
Filing date: 2008-02-28
Publication date: 2009-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 2028-02-28
Also published as: GB0803688D0; GB2459320B

Abstract

A display device comprises a tube having a plurality of illuminated rings which glow in different colours. The ten digits 0-9 can be encoded as ten distinct colours, possibly with reference to the standard resistor colour code, which can then be used to indicate time, date, temperature or other measures.

Description

DISPLAY DEVICE

This invention concerns a display particularly but not exclusively for displaying time and/or date It is an object of the invention to provide a display which is both functional and decorative.

Thus according to the invention there is provided a display device, which device comprises an array of segments each including a light source, a power supply operative to illuminate the light sources, a measure for a natural variable and a controller operative to adjust each illuminated light source to any one of a plurality of colours, characterised in that the controller is operatively connected to said measure so that the colours of the light sources combine to form a coded representation of the measured variable.

The array may extend axially and may be of generally tubular form, possibly of circular cross-section but otherwise possibly polygonal or of other form.

Preferably each segment comprises a translucent cover for its respective light source.

The segments may be held within a transparent tube, possibly by end caps configured and arranged to provide a mounting for the device.

Each light source preferably comprises a red LED, a green LED and a blue LED. The controller may adjust the light sources by adjusting the brightness of each of the red, green and blue LEDs using coloar mixing by addition.

At least some of the segments may be arranged in a group of six segments and with this configuration the segments may be arranged as pairs of segments mutually separated by relatively narrow spacers, said pairs being mutually separated by relatively wider spacers, which is convenient for displaying time as hh-mm-ss or date as dd-mm-yy derived from a said measure in the form of an electronic timer.

(It will be understood that the order may be varied). Otherwise at least some of the segments may be arranged in a group of three segments, eg to indicate temperature, derived from a measure in the form of an electronic temperature sensor.

The controller may adjust the light sources to the colours of the resistor colour code, which is to say blackO, brownl, red=2, orange=3, yellow4, green=5, blue6, purple (or violet) 7, grey8 and vhite9.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description, which is made by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which -Figure 1 is an exploded isometric view of a clock display embodying the invention; Figure 2 shows assembled the clock display of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a block diagram or a controller of the clock display.

Referring to Figure 1, the device comprises a clear perspex tube (10) containing six translucent rings (20-25) Printed circuit boards (PCBs) (60-65) are associated with each of the translucent rings (20-25) to make six display segments (1-6). On each PCB is mounted a three-colour light source integrated circuit (IC) (70-75) which includes individual red, green and blue light-emitting diodes. The brightness of each of the three LED's is individually controlled by the controller (90) via the connection wires (95). Using the physical principle of colour mixing by addition, this enables most of the colours in the visible spectrum to be generated. The light generated by the LED ICs is diffused by the translucent ring and the resulting visual effect is of a segment radiating any colour and able to change instantly to any other colour.

The six segments are arranged as three cell pairs (30, 31,32). Pairs of segments are separated by a narrow spacers (40-42). The cell pairs correspond to the pairs of digits used to report the time in hours, minutes and seconds (hh-mm-ss), or the date as day, month and year (dd-mm-yy). The three cell pairs are separated by two wider spacers (50, 51).

Figure 1 shows the central cell pair (31) fully exploded. It can be seen that each segment comprises a translucent ring with an associated PCB. The other cell pairs (30 and 32) comprise identical components.

All the translucent rings and spacers have an outside diameter the same as the inside diameter of the perspex tube (10) so that rings and spacers may be slid inside the tube (allowing for tolerance). Spacers and rings are secured in place by two end caps (65,66) which are a tight push fit into the outer tube (10). The end caps are hollow to allow wires to pass through and may be threaded to facilitate mounting the tube.

A ten digit code is used to represent digits as colours, one per ring. A suitable code exists in the form of the internationally recognised colour code for resistors. This is the default coding used in the device, but other colour schemes might be employed if they were seen to improve the aesthetic appeal of the device.

The six printed circuit boards in each of the segments are individually connected to the controller board by a multitude of wires (95). The end caps (65,66) include a central hole through which the wires pass. PCBs (60-65) incorporate holes for wires to pass through to other PCBs further inside the tube.

Both thin and thick spacers also include centrally drilled holes for wires to pass through.

The device is shown assembled in Figure 2.

The controller board (90) shown in Figure 3 comprises a microprocessor (100) and associated support circuitry, a clock/calendar chip (110) and associated circuitry, and a collection of 18 LED brightness control circuits (120). Control buttons (130,131) are provided for the purposes of controlling the display of date or time data and setting the date and time on the clock chip. The microprocessor monitors the clock chip second-by-second and interprets the instantaneous time (or date) as a sequence of six colours. Colour data is transferred to the LED controller which causes each of the LED ICs in each of the rings to generate the required colour. A numeric display (140) may optionally be included to provide a cross-check on the time displayed and to help in setting the date and time.

Various modifications may be made to the invention as described. The outer container may (particularly for relatively large forms of the invention) comprise a single translucent tube invisibly split into segments by dividers of some sort within the tube. Instead of arranging the segments in pairs, they may be evenly spaced. A twelve segment device allows time and date to be displayed side by side, and temperature display may be added with three more segments. Another possible use might be as a sound-to-light converter in which bands of frequencies and their associated instantaneous amplitudes are mapped on to the segments of the display.

Other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMSI A display device, which device comprises an array of segments each including a light source, a power suppiy operative to illuminate the light sources, a measure for a natural variable and a controller operative to adjust each illuminated light source to any one of a plurality of colours, characterised in that the controller is operatively connected to said measure so that the colours of the light sources combine to form a coded representation of the measured variable.
2 A display device as claimed in Claim 1 characterised in that said array extends axially.
3 A display device as claimed in Claim 2 characterised in that the array is of generally tubular form.
4 A display device as claimed in Claim 3 characterised in that the array is of generally circular cross section.
A display device as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that each segment comprises a translucent cover for its respective light source.
6 A display device as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that the segments are held within a transparent tube.
7 A display device as claimed in Claim 6 characterised in that the segments are held within the tube by end caps configured and arranged to provide a mounting for the device.
8 A display device as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that each light source comprises a red LED, a green LED and a blue LED.
9 A display device as claimed in Claim 8 characterised in that the controller adjusts the light sources by adjusting the brightness of each of the red, green and blue LEDs using colour mixing by addition.
A display device as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that at least some of the segments are arranged in a group of three segments.
11 A display device as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 9 characterised in that at least some of the segments are arranged in a group of six segments.
12 A display device as claimed in Claim 11 characterised in that the segments are arranged as pairs of spacers mutually separated by relatively narrow spacers, said pairs being mutually separated by relatively wider spacers.
13 A display device as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that the controller adjusts the light sources to the colours of the resistor colour code.
14 A display device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings A clock comprising a display device as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that said measure comprises an electronic timer.16 A calendar comprising a display device as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that said measure comprises an electronic timer.17 A thermometer comprising a display device as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that said measure comprises an electronic temperature sensor.