THE CLAIMS
1. A self-referenced half-tone liquid crystal display, having at least one pixel utilizing a parallel/series subpixel electrode configuration, comprising:
a first conductive film having a first area;
a second conductive film, proximate and parallel to said first film, having a second area aligned with the first area, wherein the second area has the same size as that of the first area, and the second area of said second conductive film is at a first distance from the first area of said first film; and
a third conductive film, proximate and parallel to said second conductive film, having a fourth area aligned with a third area of said second film, wherein the fourth area has the same size as that of the third area, and the fourth area of said third conductive film is at a second distance from the third area of said second film.
2. The pixel of claim 1, further comprising a fourth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said third film, having a sixth area aligned with a fifth area of said third film, wherein the sixth area has the same size as that of the fifth area, and the sixth area of said fourth conductive film is at a third distance from the fifth area of said third conductive film.
3. The pixel of claim 2, further comprising a fifth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said fourth film, having an eighth area aligned with a seventh area of said fourth film, wherein the eighth area has the same size as that of the seventh area, and the eighth area of said fifth conductive film is at a fourth distance from the seventh area of said fourth conductive film.
4. The pixel of claim 3, further comprising a sixth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said fifth film, having a tenth area aligned with a ninth area of said fifth film, wherein the tenth area has the same size as that of the ninth area, and the tenth area of said sixth conductive film is at a fifth distance from the ninth area of said fifth conductive film.
5. The pixel of claim 4, further comprising a seventh conductive film, proximate and parallel to said sixth film, having a twelfth area aligned with an eleventh area of said sixth film, wherein the twelfth area has the same size as that of the eleventh area, and the twelfth area of said seventh conductive film is at a sixth distance from the eleventh area of said sixth conductive film.
6. The pixel of claim 5, further comprising:
an eighth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said seventh film, having a fourteenth area aligned with a thirteenth area of said seventh film, wherein the fourteenth area has the same size as that of the thirteenth area, and the fourteenth area of said eighth conductive film is at a seventh distance from the thirteenth area of said seventh conductive film;
a ninth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said eighth film, having a sixteenth area aligned with a fifteenth area of said eighth film, wherein the sixteenth area has the same size as that of the fifteenth area, and the sixteenth area of said ninth conductive film is at a eighth distance from the fifteenth area of said eighth conductive film; and
a tenth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said ninth film, having an eighteenth area aligned with a seventeenth area of said ninth film, wherein the eighteenth area has the same size as that of the seventeenth area, and the eighteenth area of said tenth conductive film is at a ninth distance from the seventeenth area of said ninth conductive film.
7. The pixel of claim 1, wherein:
said first and third films are adhered to a first plate;
said second film is adhered to a second plate;
a liquid crystal material is situated between first and second plates;
a first voltage electrode is connected to said first conductive film;
a second voltage electrode is connected to said third conductive film;
aligned first and second areas form a first subpixel of said pixel; and
aligned third and fourth areas form a second subpixel of said pixel.
8. The pixel of claim 2, wherein:
said first and third films are adhered to a first plate;
said second and fourth films are adhered to a second plate;
a liquid crystal material is situated between first and second plates; a first voltage electrode is connected to said first conductive film;
a second voltage electrode is connected to said fourth conductive film; aligned first and second areas form a first subpixel of said pixel;
aligned third and fourth areas form a second subpixel of said pixel; and aligned fifth and sixth areas form a third subpixel of said pixel.
9. The pixel of claim 3, wherein:
said first, third and fifth films are adhered to a first plate;
said second and fourth films are adhered to a second plate;
a liquid crystal material is situated between first and second plates; a first voltage electrode is connected to said first conductive film;
a second voltage electrode is connected to said fifth conductive film; aligned first and second areas form a first subpixel of said pixel;
aligned third and fourth areas form a second subpixel of said pixel; aligned fifth and sixth areas form a third subpixel of said pixel; and aligned seventh and eighth areas form a fourth subpixel of said pixel.
10. The pixel of claim 5 , wherein:
said first, third, fifth and seventh films are adhered to a first plate;
said second, fourth and sixth films are adhered to a second plate;
a liquid crystal material is situated between first and second plates; a first voltage electrode is connected to said first conductive film;
a second voltage electrode is connected to said seventh conductive film; aligned first and second areas form a first subpixel of said pixel;
aligned third and fourth areas form a second subpixel of said pixel; aligned fifth and sixth areas form a third subpixel of said pixel;
aligned seventh and eighth areas form a fourth subpixel of said pixel; aligned ninth and tenth areas form a fifth subpixel of said pixel; and aligned eleventh and twelfth areas form a sixth subpixel of said pixel.
11. The pixel of claim 6, wherein:
said first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth films are adhered to a first plate;
said second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth films are adhered to a second plate; a liquid crystal material is situated between first and second plates;
a first voltage electrode is connected to said first conductive film;
a second voltage electrode is connected to said tenth conductive film;
aligned first and second areas form a first subpixel of said pixel;
aligned third and fourth areas form a second subpixel of said pixel;
aligned fifth and sixth areas form a third subpixel of said pixel;
aligned seventh and eighth areas form a fourth subpixel of said pixel;
aligned ninth and tenth areas form a fifth subpixel of said pixel;
aligned eleventh and twelfth areas form a sixth subpixel of said pixel;
aligned thirteenth and fourteenth areas form a seventh subpixel of said pixel; aligned fifteenth and sixteenth areas form an eighth subpixel of said pixel; and aligned seventeenth and eighteenth areas form a ninth subpixel of said pixel.
12. The pixel of claim 1 wherein at least one said pixel forms a half-tone liquid crystal display.
13. A self-referenced half-tone liquid crystal display comprising at least one pixel, wherein each pixel comprises:
a first conductive film having a first area; and
an Nth conductive film having an (2N-2)th area proximate to a (2N-3)th area of an (N-1)th conductive film, wherein N ranges sequentially from a positive integer greater than one to a positive integer indicating a total number of conductive films.
14. A self-referenced half-tone liquid crystal display comprising at least one pixel, wherein each pixel comprises:
a first conductive film having a first arra; and an (N-1)th conductive film having an (N-1 )th area proximate to and overlapping the (N- 1)th area of an (N-2)th conductive film and having an Nth area; and
wherein:
the (N-1)th areas overlap and result in an (N-1)th subpixel and an (N-1)th subpixel capacitor;
an Nth conductive film having an Nth area proximate to and overlapping the Nth area of an (N-1)th conductive film; and
wherein:
the Nth areas overlap and result in an Nth subpixel and an Nth subpixel capacitor; and
wherein:
N is an appropriate integer from a complete set of positive integers ranging from three through a greatest integer; and
the greatest integer represents a total number of conductive films in each said pixel.
15. A self-referenced half-tone liquid crystal display comprising:
a first non-conductive plate;
a second non-conductive plate parallel and proximate to said first plate; and at least one pixel wherein each pixel comprises N conductive films on said first and second plates, wherein each of said films on said second plate overlaps two of said films on said first plate, and, in turn, each of said films on said first plate overlaps two of a group of said films on said second plate, such that said films overlap each other, each area of overlap results in a subpixel of said pixel and in a capacitance of the respective subpixel, the overlapping films begin a first film, sequentially end with an
Nth film and result in subpixels and subpixel capacitances electrically connected in series.
16. The display of claim 15 further comprising a liquid crystal material sandwiched between said first and second plates.
17. The display of claim 16 wherein: a first voltage terminal is connected to a first film;
a second voltage terminal is connected to the Nth film; and
each subpixel is activated at a particular voltage which is dependent, at least in part, on an amount of overlap constituting the respective subpixel.
18. A gray-scale liquid crystal display having at least one pixel element, said pixel element comprising:
a first surface having a plurality of conducting elements;
a second surface having a plurality of conducting elements, said second surface being approximately parallel to and at a distance from said first surface; and
wherein:
most conducting elements on said first surface overlap at the distance from two conducting elements on said second surface, and vice versa, overlapping elements being sequential and serial;
each overlapping of two conducting elements on said first and second surfaces, forms a subpixel and a subpixel capacitance, such that resultant subpixels and subpixel capacitances of said pixel are electrically connected in series; and
a liquid crystal material situated between said first and second surfaces.
19. The display of claim 18, wherein subpixel capacitances have various values, such that an applied voltage on two conducting elements at opposite ends of a series of overlapping conducting elements of said first and second surfaces results in a portion of the applied voltage across each subpixel capacitance, and that none, one, or more subpixels are activated in accordance with the amount of the applied voltage, resulting in said pixel element having gray-scale capability as a function of voltage magnitude.
20. A method of implementing a gray-scale for a pixel in a liquid crystal display, comprising:
dividing an area of the pixel into a plurality of subpixel areas on first and second surfaces, the first and second surfaces being approximately parallel to each other and at a distance from each other; forming a first plurality of conducting elements on the first surface of subpixel areas in that almost every conducting element covers a pair of adjacent subpixel areas; forming a second plurality of conducting elements on the second surface of the subpixel areas in that almost every conducting element covers a pair of adjacent pixel areas, resulting in an overlapping of conductive elements on the first surface with the conductive elements of the second surface in that a conducting element on the first surface and a conducting element on the second surface in each subpixel area result in a subpixel and a corresponding subpixel capacitor, and all of the resulting subpixel capacitors of the pixel being electrically connected in series; and
placing a liquid crystal material between the first and second surfaces.
21. The method of claim 20 further comprising applying a voltage across the series of subpixel capacitors, such that none, one, or more subpixels are activated according to a magnitude of the voltage thereby resulting in the pixel having a gray-scale capability as a function of voltage.
22. A self-referenced half-tone liquid crystal display, having at least one pixel utilizing a parallel/series subpixel electrode configuration, comprising:
a first conductive film having a first area;
a second conductive film, proximate and parallel to said first film, having a second area aligned with the first area, wherein the second area has the same size as that of the first area, and the second area of said second conductive film is at a first distance from the first area of said first film;
a third conductive film, proximate and parallel to said second conductive film, having a fourth area aligned with a third area of said second film, wherein the fourth area has the same size as that of the third area, and the fourth area of said third conductive film is at a second distance from the third area of said second film;
a fourth conductive film having a fifth area;
a fifth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said fourth film, having a sixth area aligned with the fifth area, wherein the sixth area has the same size as that of the fifth area, and the sixth area of said fifth conductive film is at a third distance from the fifth area of said fourth film; a sixth conductive film, proximate and parallel to said fifth conductive film, having a eighth area aligned with a seventh area of said fifth film, wherein the eighth area has the same size as that of the seventh area, and the eighth area of said sixth conductive film is at a fourth distance from the seventh area of said fifth film;
a first voltage terminal connected to said first and fourth conductive films; and a second voltage terminal connected to said third and sixth conductive films.