KR20040093437A - An electronic display system and display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An electronic display system for expressing dynamic contents on road facilities and a display device are provided to apply to an outdoor advertisement without requiring a manual contents distributing/updating process, and offer a simple and inexpensive passive contents display device fit to the outdoor advertisement. CONSTITUTION: The electronic display system(100) includes at least one display system(110) and a connecting tool for connecting the electronic display system to a network central processor(112). The display device includes a non-volatile electronic display device(124) keeping an image after power is turned off, a local storage(118) locally storing the image contents to the display device, a display driving circuit(120), and a transmitting tool. The transmitting tool displays the image on the non-volatile display device by transmitting the image contents stored in the local storage to the display driving circuit.

Description

Electronic display system and display device {AN ELECTRONIC DISPLAY SYSTEM AND DISPLAY APPARATUS}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention generally relates to an advertising billboard device, and more particularly, to a road facility electronic display unit capable of representing dynamic content.

Outdoor advertising is one of six major advertising media, along with newspapers, magazines, television, radio, Internet websites and theaters. Outdoor advertising is broadly defined as all advertising delivery experienced outdoors. The market can be divided into three main sectors: billboards, transportation and road facilities.

Advertising billboard is a traditional outdoor advertising product; The sector continues to account for the largest share of resources consumed in the outdoor advertising world. World leaders in billboards include Avenir (JCDecaux), Clear Channel and CBS. The transportation sector includes advertising on or within airports, ferry terminals, underground and railway stations, trams, trains and buses. Transportation advertising licenses are generally licensed by private or local governments. The rapid growth of air travel has created greater demands for airport panels, and new formats such as painted bus sides have renewed customer interest in the transportation sector. Road facilities are the smallest but fastest growing area of outdoor advertising. Road facility contracts are made with municipalities and typically last for 10 to 20 years. Road facilities also exist in private sectors installed in shopping malls and supermarkets.

Typically various messages consisting of a combination of text and graphics are displayed using an outdoor advertising device. Traditionally, such messages have been provided in the form of fixed sheets attached to the background or in the form of mechanical means (roll form or triple image output) and multiple fixed images for displaying different posters at different times. This traditional approach has the difficulty of quickly changing the displayed message because it requires the use of a crew to change the displayed message. The electronic display device provides the advantage that the displayed message can be changed more easily. Electronic display units are divided into two types: active content display devices and passive content display devices.

Active content display devices are display devices that display such dynamic content when the dynamic content is actively recorded or addressed, for example, on computer monitors, theater screens, and light emitting diode (LED) displays. While such active content display devices can be easily changed, they are difficult to manipulate and often require a lot of supporting resources to combine display content, require significant power and are very expensive. In contrast, passive content display devices are inexpensive and maintain a visible image without requiring active power when not actively written or addressed. Examples of materials forming such passive content display devices can be found in US Pat. No. 4,126,854, entitled "Twisting Ball Panel Display." The '854 patent has electrical anisotropy due to the distribution of hemispheric surface coatings and dielectric fluid amounts of different zeta potentials, and also due to the fact that hemispherical surface coatings have different optical properties and the color or other optical properties of the hemispherical coatings. Disclosed is a display system including a display panel composed of a plurality of particles having optical anisotropy due to the present invention.

In order to widely apply passive content display devices in the outdoor advertising industry, some technical challenges must be overcome, particularly with regard to the replacement of paper-based roadside advertising methods. For example, there is a need for a simple and cost effective alternative to paper based advertising. Moreover, it is necessary to be able to easily replace existing road facilities. Lastly, in order to apply the passive content display device to road facilities, it is necessary to overcome vandalism.

An example of a passive content display device can be found in US Publication No. 20020030638 entitled "Apparatus for the display of embedded information." The '638 patent application discloses an apparatus for electronically displaying information, which is a substrate comprising a digital recording medium attached or embedded therein. The substrate includes a flexible substrate display positioned on an exposed surface of the substrate, the display of at least two possible colors at each pixel location thereon to produce a substrate medium that can be modified according to the user's selection. It is a medium which can selectively display one. The '638 patent application describes a suitable low cost passive content display device, but does not address the replacement of certain requirements relating to outdoor advertising applications, such as road facility requirements, in particular paper-based advertising media.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic display system and / or passive content display device suitable for use in indoor / outdoor advertising applications.

An advantage of the present invention is that it can provide an electronic display and / or passive content display device suitable for use in external advertising applications that do not require a manual distribution / content update process.

An advantage of the present invention is that it is possible to provide a passive content display device that is suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications and which is low cost and simple.

An advantage of the present invention is that it is possible to provide a passive content display device suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications while easily replacing existing paper-based displays.

An advantage of the present invention is that it is possible to provide a passive content display device suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications without the tendency of vandalism.

An advantage of the present invention is that it can provide a passive content display device that can be seen from both sides and is suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications.

1 is a functional block diagram of an electronic display system according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are front and side views, respectively, of a physical example embodiment of an electronic display device according to the present invention;

Fig. 3A is a bottom view of a part of the print head used in the electronic display device of the present invention, showing the electrode matrix of the first example.

3B is a bottom view of a portion of the print head used in the electronic display device of the present invention, showing a second electrode matrix.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing detail A of the electronic display device shown in FIG. 2;

5 is a side view of another example of an electronic display device and a physical implementation in accordance with the present invention.

<Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

100: electronic display system,

110: electronic display device,

112: network central processor,

114: receiver unit,

116: processor unit,

118: content database,

120: drive circuit,

122: printhead,

124: electronic display.

In one aspect, the invention provides at least one content of a nonvolatile electronic display device, display drive circuitry, and at least one image to be displayed on at least one nonvolatile electronic display device that can retain the image even after power is switched off. An electronic display system comprising at least one electronic display device comprising storage means for local storage in an electronic display device of the same. Preferably, a transmission means is provided for transmitting the contents of at least one image from the local storage means to the display driving circuit to display the at least one image on the nonvolatile electronic display device. Preferably, a connection means for connecting the electronic display system to the network central processor is provided. Such a system has more than one power supply and the power supply can also be located locally relative to the electronic display device.

The electronic display system may further comprise diagnostic means for detecting a health or operating condition of the at least one electronic display device, in particular a harmful or emergency operating condition, and transmitting a signal indicative of the detected condition to the network central processor.

The network central processor may be a server that provides dynamic content to at least one nonvolatile display device. The means for storing locally on the at least one electronic display device preferably maintains the storage of at least one image even after the connection between the display device and the network central processor is lost.

Means for connecting the at least one display device to the network central processor may include any suitable connection, such as a wired connection or a wireless connection. Means for connecting at least one electronic display device to the network central processor generally comprise a receiving and transmitting unit.

In another aspect, the nonvolatile electronic display device includes passive display material. For example, the passive display material may be any electrophoretic material, electrochromic material, cholesteric and nematic bistable LCD material or bichromal beads. Material may be included.

Such electronic display systems are typically used for outdoor advertising. To provide such services and others, the present invention provides a method for displaying an image on a nonvolatile electronic display device of an electronic display device, wherein the nonvolatile electronic display device maintains the image even after power is switched off. Can be. This method includes receiving at least one image to be displayed on a nonvolatile electronic display device from a network central processor, and displaying at least one image to be displayed on a nonvolatile electronic display device received from a network central processor. Storing in the local storage means in the device, transmitting at least one image from the local storage means to the display driving circuit, and driving the non-volatile electronic display device in accordance with the image transmitted to the display driving circuit. .

In another aspect, the present invention includes an electronic display system having one or more display devices updateable or changeable by electronic control, thereby eliminating the need for a manual dispensing / change update process. More specifically, under the control of the electronic display system of the present invention, an image is generated according to predetermined image data on the passive electronic display in each electronic display device. Each electronic display device is a simple, low cost, low power passive display device, which is electrically recordable and erasable in accordance with the dynamic content supplied by the network central processor. As a result, each electronic display device is inexpensive, provides network connectivity, and provides outdoor advertising devices suitable for use in road facility applications that can be viewed from one or both sides.

1 illustrates a functional block diagram of an electronic display system 100 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The electronic display system 100 includes an electronic display device 110 that is wired or wirelessly connected to a network central processor. The network central processor 112 may be a standard server that provides dynamic content, for example, to the electronic display device 110 via a standard transmitter (not shown). In addition, the network central processor 112 may receive data, such as system health information, from the electronic display device 110, for example, via a standard receiver (not shown). Network central processor 112 represents a country, region or local host computer. The electronic display device 110 includes a receiving / transmitting unit 114, a processor unit 116, a “local” content database 118, a drive circuit 120, a printhead 122, an electronic display 124 and optionally The diagnostic and sensor unit 130 further includes. 1 illustrates an electronic display system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention in its simplest form with only one electronic display device 110, the electronic display system 100 may include a plurality of electronic display devices ( 110) (even on-site inkjet or laser plotters). If so selected, the display device 110 can also be configured in a more traditional form without requiring the printer mechanism printhead 122. Traditionally, displays are composed of Cartesian pixel arrays, where pixels are the smallest addressable image parts and can emit or reflect light at any intensity and color. To this end, the pixels may comprise neighboring sub-pixels that are essentially coplanar or stacked. Each subpixel emits or reflects only a single color of light, but will emit or reflect light at different intensities to blend together in pixel color. Examples include LED displays and stacked cholesteric LCDs.

The passive display includes at least display material having a memory function. This means that the image shown on the display remains even when the power supply is removed. In order to be able to display moving images and on the line with the latest manufacturing process, the passive display can be seen at least on one side with the driving circuit and within each frame within an arbitrary frame period (e.g., 1/25 seconds-5 seconds). It can consist of a Cartesian array of pixel materials or an array of Cartesian pixel arrays addressable to. Every frame represents a new image on the display.

Such a typical passive display can be assembled as follows:

A first transparent layer or substrate of plastic or glass coated with a conductive material or material trace;

A display material layer such as bistable electrophoretic or electrochromic material or even LCD material;

A substrate or back layer having a suitable electrode structure to address individual pixels or subpixels and connect or bias the drive circuitry;

A location with a driver located on the back side of the white layer near the pixels to reduce voltage and resistance losses;

If necessary for the display material, to form a seal from the environment to prevent rot.

Materials forming the front are often ITO coated glass or ITO coated mylar (DuPont) sheets, and as the back layer material, polyimide sheets with copper leads coated or embedded with graphite traces are often used. These materials are also suitable for bonding electronic components, such as drivers, onto leads, so that the electronic components can be applied near the pixel. Large displays (greater than 40 "diagonal) can be constructed from a single substrate using a suitable process, from several individual substrates, using a single substrate of display material and front layer, and using multiple back substrates to produce one large display. It can be configured as a combination of the two, if there is a line at the boundary of the tile, the image quality is reduced, so care should be taken to ensure that there is no line at the boundary of the tile.

Receive / transmit unit 114 is a low power standard receiver / transmitter device that can receive data from network central processor 112 and transmit data to network central processor 112 via a wired or wireless connection. For example, the image and timing data can be received by the receive / transmit unit 114. In contrast, electronic display device 110 related data, such as device ID and system health data of electronic display device 110, may be transmitted to network central processor 112. For example, the electronic display device 110 may include a method of detecting an increase in humidity or contamination such as dust on the visible glass indicating that water is required to provide emergency services. If necessary, the reception / transmission unit 114 performs analog to digital conversion for outputting digital data to the processor unit 116.

Processor unit 116 is a low power standard processing device such as a Jumptec DIMMPC / 386. The processor unit 116 manages timing data (ie, timing when updating an image) and image data associated with one or more graphical images and transmits this data to the content database 118.

The content database 118 is a low power standard storage or memory device such as static or dynamic RAM or computer hard disk. The content database 118 locally stores image content for the electronic display 124. This image content is then sent to the drive circuit 120 in the appropriate data format.

Drive circuitry 120 includes standard or custom drive electronics suitable for driving a typical image generating device such as printhead 122. Drivers suitable for use within the drive circuit 120 are, for example, voltage drivers for standard Super Twisted Nematic (STN) liquid crystal display device (LCD) drivers, any commercially available low power drivers, or commercially available and It is a high voltage driver for a thermal printer manufactured by Supertex, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) that depends on the switching properties of the materials used.

Printhead 122 represents a line generation device. The printhead 122 generates line-by-line content based on the data received via the content database 118 and the driver circuit 120 and writes to the electronic display 124 to generate the required image.

Electronic display 124 may be a passive display device formed of any commercially available rewritable material. Different types of such display materials exist, including electrophoretic, electrochromic, cholesteric and nematic bistable LCDs as bichromal bead materials. Electrophoretic materials are developed or manufactured, for example, by E Ink Corporation (Cambridge, MA), Canon (Japan), SiPix Imaging (Milpitas, Calif.), Papyron (Holland). Electrochromic materials change color when they gain or lose electrons when an electrical potential is applied. Such electrochromic display technology is described, for example, by NTera Ltd. (Dublin, Ireland). LCD displays are manufactured, for example, by Kent Displays (Kent, OH), Binem (France). Bichromal beads are manufactured, for example, from GyriconMedia (Palo Alto, Calif.).

For example, the electronic display 124 is formed of a flexible electronic paper using bichromal beads, an electrophoretic display of E Ink, or a gyricon sphere of Xerox, as described in US Pat. No. 4,126,854. Can be.

The selective diagnosis and sensor unit 130 is an electronic device that monitors various health conditions of the electronic display device 110. In a first example, the diagnostic and sensor unit 130 may include a sensor that measures rubbish and / or dust on the viewing surface of the electronic display device 110. In a second example, the diagnostic and sensor unit 130 may include a sensor that measures humidity or other current, which may indicate the penetration of water into the electronic display device 110. In a third example, diagnostic and sensor unit 130 may include a thermal measurement sensor, which may represent a fan or shorted circuit component that has ceased operation within electronic display device 110. In operation, the diagnostic and sensor unit 130 may continuously transmit the health status of the electronic display device 110 to the network central processor 112 via the processor unit 116 and the receive / transmit unit 114. . Alternatively, the diagnostic and sensor unit 130 may transmit the health state of the electronic display device 110 only when it detects a problem. Moreover, the diagnostic and sensor unit 130 is accessible via external serial or parallel input / output ports, i.e., I / O PORT. The local administrator may read the health state of the electronic device device 110 by connecting an external device such as a personal terminal device (PDA) to the diagnosis and sensor unit 130 via the I / O PORT.

In any case, there may be a group of sensors that are monitored by individual modules (which may be integrated into the processor) and transmit data to the processor. If desired, the required data can be passed over the network for alerting.

A more detailed electronic display device 110 and its elements are described with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3 and 4 below.

2A and 2B show front and side views, respectively, of an exemplary physical implementation of an electronic display device 110 according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the electronic display device 110 displays the electronic display 124 in the form of an endless loop of rewritable display material disposed on the first roller 210 and the second roller 212. Include. Rollers 210 and 212 may be solid cylinders or hollows composed of a conductive material such as copper or aluminum, and have typical diameters in the range of 2-20 cm. The printhead 122 is positioned proximate to the electronic display 124 passing around the roller 210. The printhead 122 is as long as the length of the roller 210. Electronic displays 124 disposed on rollers 210 and 212 along printhead 122 are both located within exposed portion 214 having a first visible surface 216 and a second visible surface 218. The first visible surface 216 and the second visible surface 218 may be formed of a transparent material such as, for example, Plexiglas or glass so that the electronic display 124 can be seen by a passenger. Such a transparent material may be suitable to protect the electronic display 124 from ultraviolet light and to reduce adhesion of paint and dust. Since the remaining surface of the exposed portion does not need to be transparent, it may be composed of a durable, waterproof, inexpensive material that does not tend to vandalism and is practical, such as plastic or aluminum, for example.

The exposed portion 214 is continuously mounted on a conventional pedestal 220, where the motor 222 is not shown for simplicity in other elements of the electronic display device 110, for example in FIG. 2. May be housed together with devices such as the drive circuit 120, the content database 118, the processor unit 116, and the receive / transmit unit 114. Motor 222 may be any conventional stepper motor, which is mechanically connected to rollers 210 and 212 in a known manner such as belts, pulleys, gears or direct connections. Physical locations of the motor 222, the receiving / transmitting unit 114, the processor unit 116, the content database 118, and the drive circuitry are not limited to the pedestal 220; Such elements may be practically located at any location within the electronic display device 110. For brevity, the motor 222 may be mounted, for example, in the second roller 212.

For illustrative purposes in this embodiment, the electronic display 124 is comprised of a continuous sheet of SmartPaper ™ from Gyrocon Media, which, for example, stores many of the characteristics of ordinary paper that stores images and reflects light. It has a wide viewing angle, is flexible and relatively inexpensive. SmartPaper ™ is a technology that uses an array of small (less than 100 microns in diameter) solid beads, where one hemisphere of each bead has one color (e.g. white) and the other hemisphere is a different color (e.g. For example, black, red, green or blue). The beads are embedded in a flexible plastic sheet in a small cavity surrounded by liquid. Each beads carries an electrical charge. When an external electric field is applied, the beads rotate or pivot. The adhesion between each bead and the cavity wall requires an electrical threshold to be exceeded before each bead rotates. This allows the image to be electrically stable and invariably printed on the material until erased by another transfer. In this way, electronic display 124 represents an electrically recordable and erasable monochrome display.

The size of the visible area of the electronic display 124 may vary from several square inches to several square feet, depending on the application. The overall size of the electronic display device 110 and its elements is appropriately set.

3A is a bottom view of a portion of the printhead 122 showing the matrix of the first example of electrodes. As shown in FIG. 3A, the printhead 122 further includes a main body having a printhead surface 312 that is directed to the electronic display 124 in operation. A plurality of electrodes 314 arranged in one or more rows along the length of the printhead 122 is embedded within the body 310 of the printhead 122. Each row of electrodes 314 is associated with a line of image data over the width of the electronic display 124. The number of rows of electrodes 314 affects the feasible print speed of the electronic display device 110. More specifically, the more rows of electrodes 314, the faster the print speed. As an example, FIG. 3A illustrates rows A, B, and C of electrodes 314 along the length of printhead 122 to form matrix 3X (n) in body 310. The electrodes 314 are aligned at a predetermined pitch P, for low resolution displays the pitch typically ranges from 1 to 2 mm (ie, the display resolution is about 10 to 25 dpi). The electrodes 314 are aligned to be exposed through the printhead surface of the printhead 122, as further shown in FIG. 4. The diameter of each electrode 314 is typically in the range of 0.1 to 5 mm. Moreover, the shape of the electrode 314 is not limited to the circle; Any custom shape is possible.

3B is a bottom view of a portion of the printhead 122 showing the matrix of the second example of electrodes. 3B shows that the hexagonal grid can also be used so that the electrodes 314 do not need to be aligned with the Cartesian grid, and more densely stacked for higher recording resolution. 3B shows the highest recording density possible by showing all electrodes 314 equidistantly.

For certain applications, the electrodes may also be dense. Each cluster has a relatively large number of electrodes to achieve a high local write density, but the total number of electrodes and consequently the driver remains relatively lower than when the overall width of the printhead has the same high density. If such a display is used primarily for writing text characters in a fixed position, this is cost effective. This high density cluster allows the recording of high quality characters, while the remaining display becomes writable at low resolution.

So far, it has been assumed that the printhead covers the entire width of the display. However, if writing speed is not an issue, considerably smaller printheads can be selected to move back and forth over the display material to write row by row or set of rows. The cost of the mechanism for further movement and the cost of having more drive circuits (silicon chip material of mm ² ) are optional.

On the other hand, if the recording speed becomes a problem, the wait loop concept can be introduced. On a portion of the display that is not visible to the viewer, the printhead may write the next image on the display during the time the first image is shown. When the next image is ready and the time for showing the first image has elapsed, in a moment, the loop moves forward the length of the image so that the next image is now visible to the viewer. This conceptual process requires a considerably longer loop. This need not be considered substantially expensive as the display material is produced in a high volume process. Moreover, this makes more time to record new images on the display material and can reduce the printhead to smaller widths.

4 illustrates a detail A of the electronic display device 110 of FIG. 2B. More specifically, detail A shows a side enlarged view of the relationship between the printhead 122 and the electronic display 124. 4 shows that the printhead surface 312 of the body 310 is directed to the outer surface of the electronic display 124 material, while the inner surface of the electronic display 124 material is in contact with the roller 210. Electrode 314 is exposed at printhead surface 312. In contrast, the body 310 of the printhead 122 is formed of a non-conductive material such as FR4 or a glass fiber substrate, plastic or the like to prevent electrical shorts between the individual electrodes 314. The electrode 314 is electrically connected to the drive circuit 120 to allow a voltage potential to be applied to each individual electrode 314 under the control of the drive circuit 120. The roller 210 is formed of a conductive material such as copper or aluminum. Alternatively, the roller 210 may be formed of a non-conductive material such as plastic or glass fiber coated with a highly conductive metal layer. Moreover, the roller 210 is electrically connected to the ground potential. The spacing between the electrode 314 and the outer surface of the electronic display 124 should be small enough so that the electric field radiating from the electrode 314 during operation sufficiently affects the bistable material of the electronic display 124. The range of this spacing is typically 0 to 0.5 mm, depending on the material used. Finally, the printhead surface 312 of the body 310 with the electrodes 314 embedded therein is curved rather than flat, along the contour of the roller 210 to form the electrode 314 and the electronic display 124. Make sure the spacing between the outer surfaces of the shell is uniform.

5 is a variation of the print mechanism. Continuous loop systems require that any applied display material is suitable for flexible carrier substrates. However, when passing over a roll, the bending radius of the substrate is so small that it can place too much stress on the display material. Alternatively, the display material may be completely sealed from the environment depending on the glass (as with most LCD materials).

In such a case, the display device may have a surface of display material while the printhead moves along the line to record the line along a line (horizontal printhead moves vertically) or along a row (move a vertical print horizontally). It should consist of a fixed sheet on the This is shown in FIG. 5.

If the display material can tolerate some bending radius, it is possible to record the data by creating a bending surface and moving the print head along a circular path.

Similar to the standby loop concept of the display in FIG. 2, writing to a straight rigid substrate while invisible to an observer, then using two equally sized substrates of display material to replace the depicted image with a known image.

1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4, and 5, the operation of the electronic display system 100 is as follows. The network central processor 112 transmits image data and timing data associated with one or more desired advertisement display images to the receive / transmit unit 114 of the electronic display device 110. Such transmissions are, for example, via telephone lines, internet links, wireless communications, cellular telephones, microwave links, infrared (IR) links, local area networks or satellite broadcasts. Receive / transmit unit 114 receives image data and timing data, if necessary, analog-to-digital conversion and then transmits such image data and timing data to processor unit 116, which processor unit 116 receives such data. Manage locally. The processor unit 116 sends image data related to one or more desired advertisement display images to the content database 118, which stores a schedule of a series of images. Based on the timing data, the processor unit 116 continuously extracts an image from the content database 118 and transmits specific driving data to the driving circuit 120. The drive circuit 120 supplies the appropriate positive or negative voltage potential to the individual electrodes 314 of each of the printheads 122 according to the image data while the grounded roller 120 acts as a counter electrode. At the same time, the motor 222 is operated and the electronic display 124 transfers the past electrode 314 of the printhead 122 applying an electric field to the electronic display 124 line by line. Appropriate tension is present on the electronic display 124 such that the electronic display 124 switches to rollers 210 and 212 due to friction.

As the electronic display 124 transfers the fast electrode 314 of the printhead 122, beads in the electronic display 124 are exposed to an electric field line by line. When this electric field is applied, the beads in the electronic display 124 rotate or pivot to show one or the other to the viewer. The adhesion force present between the walls of each bead and cavity requires an electrical threshold that will be exceeded before they rotate. In this way, the image is electrically printed line by line on the material of the electronic display 124, which image does not change until it is erased by another transmission occurring based on timing data received by the electronic display device 110. It remains stable.

The electronic display 124 switching the fast electrode 314 of the printhead 122 by the motor 222 is until the image viewed through the first visible surface 216 is completed and, optionally, the second visible surface. The image shown through 218 continues until completion on the electronic display 124.

The processor unit 116 may change the visual display of the electronic display 124 as a function of time in accordance with timing data received from the network central processor 112. For example, if the electronic display 124 is located near the commuter highway visible to the commuter, display the first message on the electronic display 124 during the commuter's commute time and on the electronic display 124 at any other time. It is desirable to display a different second message at. This may be commanded via the network central processor 112 or may be programmed locally in the processor unit 116. A plurality of electronic display devices 110 can be used when providing a means of interfacing with a traffic monitoring system to support traffic messages along a highway.

In an alternate embodiment, the electronic display 124 is secured within the electronic display device 110 and mounted on a motion control system that allows the printhead 122 to scan all lengths of the electronic display 124 to advertise images. You can print

In another embodiment of the present invention, the light filter can be combined with the monochrome display material of the electronic display 124 to achieve a full color effect. This simply requires placing a conventional optical filter near the electronic display 124 and between the electronic display 124 and the viewer. The optical filter should be sized according to the visible area of the electronic display 124. The pattern for filtering the material is similar to a cluster of pixels or subpixels, for example red / green / blue filter material. In this embodiment, the alignment of the light filters with respect to the electronic display 124 is important for proper visual representation to the viewer.

In another embodiment of the invention, to display in full color, the electronic display 124 is vertically red / green repeated at a predetermined pitch along the width of the electronic display 124 using the same principles as in the SmartPaper ™. / Is formed of a rewritable material formed of a plurality of sets of blue stripes. More specifically, each red stripe is formed of red / white bichromal beads, each green stripe is formed of green / white bichromal beads, and each blue stripe is formed of blue / white bichromal beads do. In this way, full color display is achieved through color pixels that are defined in the horizontal direction but not in the vertical direction. Gyricon Media, Inc. suggested that several colors may be embedded in the material of the electronic display 124; However, it is not easy to manufacture. In this embodiment, it is important for the proper write operation to align the electrodes 314 of the printhead 122 with known positions of these vertical red / green / blue stripes.

In another embodiment of the present invention, to achieve a full color display, the electronic display 124 is a horizontal product repeated at a predetermined pitch along the vertical length of the electronic display 124 using the same principles as in the SmartPaper ™. It is formed of a rewritable material formed of multiple sets of / green / blue stripes. In this case, a reference can be appended to the outer end of each stripe that can be read and sent back to the driver circuit 120.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the electronic display 124 is formed of beads of different colors that are mixed unevenly but have a single threshold voltage. In the example where red requires 100 volts, green requires 70 volts, and blue requires 30 volts, applying 100 volts activates the required red beads but also green and blue beads. However, switching the application to 70 volts then allows the green and blue beads to be dynamic without affecting the red beads, thereby limiting the red content. Next, applying 70 volts activates the required green beads but also the associated blue beads. The next time you switch the application to 30 volts, the blue beads will be dynamic without affecting the red and green beads, thereby limiting the green content. Finally, the eternal blue content is defined by applying 30 volts to operate the required blue beads. Thus, a three-row recording system can be used to perform this process simultaneously.

All the principles mentioned above can also be applied to E Ink materials, which are substantially easier to make pigment filled capsules for different properties while maintaining low voltage.

In summary, since the electronic display device 110 is updatable and changeable by electronic control, it eliminates the need for a manual distribution / content update process. More specifically, under the control of the electronic display system 100, an image is printed in accordance with certain image data on the electronic display 124 of the electronic display device 110, which is supplied by the network central processor 112. It is a simple, low cost, low power passive display device that is electrically recordable and erasable depending on the dynamic content being created. As a result, the electronic display apparatus 110 provides a low cost, networkable and durable outdoor advertising device suitable for use in road facility applications where one or two sides are visible.

Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that the concepts and principles disclosed in connection with the electronic display system 100 are not limited to road facilities. The electronic display system 100 having one or more electronic display devices 110 is applicable to other outdoor advertising applications such as external billboards or transportation advertisements.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic display and / or passive content display apparatus suitable for use in an external advertisement application that does not require a manual distribution / content update process. In addition, it is not only possible to provide a low cost and simple passive content display device suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications, but also provides a passive content display device suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications while easily replacing existing paper-based displays. can do. Moreover, it is advantageous to provide a passive content display device suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications without a tendency to vandalism. In addition, it is possible to provide a passive content display device that can be viewed from both sides and is suitable for use in outdoor advertising applications.

Claims (11)

In the electronic display system 100, At least one electronic display device 110, and Connection means for connecting the electronic display system 100 to a network central processor 112, At least one electronic display device 110, Non-volatile electronic display device 124 capable of retaining the image after power is switched off, Display drive circuit 120, Storage means 118 for locally storing content of at least one image to be displayed on at least one non-volatile electronic display device 124 in at least one electronic display device 110, and Transmitting means for transmitting the contents of at least one image from the local storage means 118 to the display driving circuit 120 to display at least one image on the non-volatile electronic display device 124. Electronic display system comprising a. According to claim 1, And a diagnostic unit 130 for detecting a health condition of the at least one electronic display apparatus 110 and transmitting a signal representing the detected health condition to the network central processor 112. Display system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, An electronic display system further comprising a power supply. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And said network central processor (112) is a server for providing dynamic content to at least one said nonvolatile display device (124). The method according to claim 1 or 2, Means for connecting at least one said display device (110) to said network central processor (112) comprises a wired connection. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Means for connecting at least one said display device (110) to said network central processor (112) comprising a wireless connection. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Means for connecting at least one said display device (110) to said network central processor (112) comprising a receiving and transmitting unit (114). The method according to claim 1 or 2, The non-volatile electronic display device (124) comprises a passive display material. 9. The electronic display system of claim 8, wherein the passive display material comprises any electrophoretic material, electrochromic material, cholesteric and nematic bistable LCD material or bichromal bead material. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Means (118) for locally storing at least one said electronic display device (124) maintains at least one image storage after a connection to said network central processor (112) is lost. A method of displaying an image on a nonvolatile electronic display device of an electronic display device 110, wherein the nonvolatile electronic display device can retain an image even after power is switched off. Receiving at least one image from network central processor 112 to be displayed on the non-volatile electronic display device 124, Storing at least one of the images received from the network central processor 112 and to be displayed on the nonvolatile display device 124 in a storage means 118 local to the nonvolatile electronic display device 124. step, Transmitting at least one said image from said local storage means 118 to a display drive circuit 120, and Driving the nonvolatile display device 124 according to the image transmitted to the display driving circuit 120. Display method comprising a.