WO2022132156A1

WO2022132156A1 - Ultraviolet light emitting diodes for electronic displays

Info

Publication number: WO2022132156A1
Application number: PCT/US2020/065609
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kuan-Ting Wu; Hsing-Hung Hsieh; Yung-Yun Chen
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2020-12-17
Filing date: 2020-12-17
Publication date: 2022-06-23

Abstract

An electronic device includes a processor and an electronic display coupled to the processor. The electronic display includes a set of pixels, each pixel in the set including a first light emitting diode (LED) to emit visible light, a second LED to emit ultraviolet (UV) light, and a driving circuit coupled to the processor. The driving circuit includes a pair of transistors to selectively drive the first and second LEDs responsive to signals received from the processor.

Description

ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT EMITTING DIODES FOR ELECTRONIC DISPLAYS

BACKGROUND

[0001] Interaction with an electronic device often involves physical engagement of some surface or component of the electronic device by a user. For instance, a user may touch a keyboard, a touch-sensitive electronic display, a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., trackpad), etc., during operation to provide inputs to the electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Various examples will be described below referring to the following figures: [0003] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device including a display that is to emit ultraviolet (UV) light according to some examples;

[0004] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic display including a UV light emitting pixel according to some examples;

[0005] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of anther electronic display including a UV light emitting pixel according to some examples;

[0006] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device including a display that is to emit UV light according to some examples;

[0007] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another electronic device including a display that is to emit UV light according to some examples;

[0008] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an electronic display including a UV light emitting pixel according to some examples; and

[0009] FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of an electronic device including a display that is to emit UV light according to some examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] A user may physically touch surfaces or components of an electronic device during operation. Each time a user touches a surface or component of an electronic device micro-organisms, including bacteria and viruses, may be transferred to the surface/component of the electronic device from the user or vice versa. In some circumstances, this transfer of micro-organisms may cause the user (or another individual) to become sick. Cleaning an electronic device with liquid anti-microbial agents (e.g., sodium hypochlorite) may not be advisable given the risk of damage to the components of the electronic device. UV light may be utilized to kill or inactivate micro-organisms by damaging their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

[0011] Electronic devices may include electronic displays for presenting information or images (collectively “images”) to the user. In some examples, an electronic display may comprise an “emissive display” that presents images by emitting light from an outer surface thereof. Examples disclosed herein include electronic displays that may selectively emit UV light to sterilize surfaces of the electronic device (e.g., a surface of the electronic display, keyboard, trackpad, palm rest, etc.). As used herein, “sterilizing” a surface comprises killing or deactivating some or all of the micro-organisms on the surface.

[0012] In some examples, the electronic displays may include light emitting diodes (LEDs) for emitting visible light (e.g., to form images presented on the display) and additional LEDs for emitting UV light. Thus, through use of the example electronic displays disclosed herein, various surfaces and/or components of an electronic device may be sterilized without utilizing additional cleaning agents (e.g., liquid anti-microbial agents).

[0013] Referring now to FIG. 1 , an electronic device 10 including a UV light emitting electronic display 20 (or more simply “display 20”) according to some examples is shown. As used herein, the term “electronic device” is any device that is to carry out machine-readable instructions, and may include components, such as, processors, power sources, memory devices, etc. For example, an electronic device may include, among other things, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc.

[0014] In some examples, display 20 may comprise a touch-sensitive display that may register and locate touch inputs by a user during operation. Display 20 may utilize any suitable touch-sensing technique and therefore may include (or be coupled to) any suitable touch-sensitive sensor assembly. For instance, in some examples, display 20 may comprise a resistive touch sensitive display, a capacitive touch sensitive display, an infrared touch sensitive display, etc.

[0015] Display 20 may comprise an emissive electronic display that emits light from a set of pixels 22 that are arranged in a plurality of adjacent rows and columns. In some examples, display 20 may comprise a micro-LED display such that each pixel 22 may include a plurality of LEDs for emitting light in particular colors, brightness levels, intensities, etc. to form images. In addition, as described in more detail below, pixels 22 may also include additional LEDs for emitting UV light to sterilize display 20 and/or adjacent surfaces of electronic device 10. In some examples, display 20 is not a touch-sensitive display.

[0016] FIG. 1 depicts one example pixel 22 in greater detail so as to illustrate the features of some (or all) of the set of pixels 22. In particular, each pixel 22 includes a first LED 50, a second LED 52, and a driving circuit 100 for selectively activating the first LED 50 and the second LED 52. The first LED 50 may emit visible light (e.g. , light having a wavelength from about 380 nanometers (nm) to about 700 nm), while second LED 52 may emit UV light (e.g., light having a wavelength from about 100 nm to about 400 nm). In some examples, the UV light emitted from second LED 52 may comprise UVC light, which may have a wavelength of about 100 nm to about 280 nm. As noted above, UV light (and particularly UVC light) may kill or inactivate micro-organisms so as to sterilize a surface or object. In some examples, the first LED 50 and second LED 52 may comprise thin-film LEDs.

[0017] The driving circuit 100 is coupled to the first LED 50 and the second LED 52. While described in greater detail below, the driving circuit 100 may generally operate to selectively activate one of the first LED 50 and second LED 52 within pixel 22 in response to received inputs. In FIG. 1 (as well as in other drawings referenced herein), the driving circuit 100 is depicted as being positioned within the pixel 22 so as to simplify the drawing and associated description. However, some or all of the driving circuit 100 may be physically positioned outside of pixel 22. In some examples, the driving circuit 100 (or some components thereof) may be distributed within the display 20.

[0018] In addition to display 20, electronic device 10 includes a processor 24, memory 26, and a power source 30. The processor 24 is coupled to memory 26, power source 30, and driving circuits 100 of pixels 22. In addition, the memory 26 is coupled to power source 30.

[0019] The processor 24 may comprise any suitable processing device, such as a microcontroller, central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), timing controller (TCON), a scaler unit. The processor 24 executes machine- readable instructions (e.g. machine-readable instructions 28) stored on memory 26, thereby causing the processor 24 (and, more generally, electronic device 10) to perform some or all of the actions attributed herein to the processor 24 (and, more generally, to electronic device 10). In general, processor 24 fetches, decodes, and executes instructions (e.g., machine-readable instructions 28). In addition, processor 24 may also perform other actions, such as, making determinations, detecting conditions or values, etc., and communicating signals. If processor 24 assists another component in performing a function, then processor 24 may be said to cause the component to perform the function.

[0020] The memory 26 may comprise volatile storage (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile storage (e.g., flash storage, etc.), or combinations of both volatile and non-volatile storage. Data read or written by the processor 24 when executing machine-readable instructions can also be stored on memory 26. Memory 26 may comprise “non-transitory machine readable medium.”

[0021] The processor 24 may comprise one processing device or a plurality of processing devices that are distributed within electronic device 10. Likewise, the memory 26 may comprise one memory device or a plurality of memory devices that are distributed within the electronic device 10.

[0022] Power source 30 may comprise any device or collection of devices for delivering electric power to other devices (e.g., display 20, processor 24, memory 26, etc.). In some examples, power source 30 may comprise a battery, capacitor, etc. In some examples, power source 30 may couple to a power outlet (e.g., mains power) that is electrically coupled to a power grid.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1 , processor 24 is coupled to the driving circuit 100 of pixel 22. As a result, during operation, processor 24 may provide an input signal (or plurality of input signals) to the driving circuit 100 to selectively activate the first LED 50 and the second LED 52. In particular, during operation the processor 24 may provide suitable input signal(s) to the driving circuit 100 to activate the first LED 50 and deactivate the second LED 52 when the display 20 is being utilized to present images for viewing by a user. In addition, during operation the processor 24 may provide suitable input signal(s) to the driving circuit 100 to activate the second LED 52 and deactivate the first LED 50 when the display 20 is being utilized to sterilize a surface/component of electronic device 10.

[0024] FIG. 2 includes a more particular example of driving circuit 100. The example driving circuit 100 shown in FIG. 2 may represent some or all of the remaining diving circuits 100 in the set of pixels 22 in FIG. 1 . In some examples, driving circuit 100, first LED 50, and second LED 52 are powered by a voltage supply node 101 and a ground voltage node 103. The nodes 101 , 103 may be coupled to a power source, such as, for instance, the power source 30 shown in FIG. 1.

[0025] In some examples, driving circuit 100 includes a first LED transistor 102 to supply current to the first LED 50, and a second LED transistor 104 to supply current to the second LED 52. More particularly, the first LED transistor 102 may include a pair of non-control terminals 106, 108, and a control terminal 110. The non-control terminal 106 may be coupled to the voltage supply node 101 , and the non-control terminal 108 may be coupled to an anode of the first LED 50. Thus, during operation, when a suitable voltage is applied to the control terminal 110, the first LED transistor 102 may turn on, and current may be supplied to first LED 50 via non-control terminals 106, 108 to activate (e.g., forward bias) first LED 50 to emit visible light.

[0026] Likewise, the second LED transistor 104 may include a pair of non-control terminals 112, 114, and a control terminal 116. The non-control terminal 112 may be coupled to the voltage supply node 101 , and the non-control terminal 114 may be coupled to second LED 52. Thus, during operation, when a suitable voltage is applied to the control terminal 116, the second LED transistor 104 may turn on, and current may be supplied to second LED 52 via non-control terminals 112, 114 to activate (e.g., forward bias) second LED 52 to emit UV light.

[0027] In addition, driving circuit 100 may include a pair of control transistors 120, 122 coupled to the LED transistors 102, 104, respectively. A first of the control transistors 120 (or more simply, the “first control transistor 120”) is to control the first LED transistor 102, and a second of the control transistors 122 (or more simply, the “second control transistor 122”) is to control the second LED transistor 104. [0028] The first control transistor 120 includes a pair of non-control term inals 124, 126, and a control terminal 128. The non-control terminal 124 may be coupled to the control terminal 110 of first LED transistor 102. The non-control terminal 126 and control terminal 128 may both be coupled to processor 24 (FIG. 1 ).

[0029] Likewise, the second control transistor 122 includes a pair of non-control terminals 130, 132, and a control terminal 134. The non-control terminal 130 may be coupled to the control terminal 116 of second LED transistor 104. The non- control terminal 132 and control terminal 134 may both be coupled in parallel to processor 24 (FIG. 1 ).

[0030] In some examples, the control terminals 128, 134 of the control transistors 120, 122, respectively, may be coupled to one another, so that an input signal received by the control terminal 128 of first control transistor 120 may also be received at control terminal 134 of second control transistor 122.

[0031] In addition, in some examples, the control terminals 128, 134 may receive input signals from a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) according to a set refresh rate for the display 20. Thus, the control terminals 128, 134 may receive input signals from a processor at regular intervals that correspond with the refresh rate (e.g., 60 Hertz (Hz), 75 Hz, 120 Hz, 144 Hz, 240 Hz, etc.) of the display 20. On the other hand, the non-control terminals 126, 132 may receive input signals from a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) that may comprise or correspond to data for forming an image on display 20. More particular, the input signals provided to non-control terminals 126, 132 may be adjusted during operation to cause a determined amount and/or color of light to be emitted from the corresponding pixel 22 for purposes of forming an image on display 20.

[0032] Further, in some examples, driving circuit 100 may comprise capacitors that are coupled between the voltage supply node 101 and the control terminal 110 of first LED transistor 102 and/or between the voltage supply node 101 and the control terminal 116 of second LED transistor 104. These capacitors may smooth out current fluctuations at control terminals 110, 116, thereby preventing flickering in the first and second LEDs 50, 52.

[0033] During operation, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may provide suitable input signals to the driving circuit 100 at the non-control terminals 126, 132 of control transistors 120, 122, respectively, and to the control terminals 128 ,134 of control transistors 120, 122, respectively. More specifically, when display 20 is emitting visible light to form images for viewing by a user, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may provide an input signal to the control terminals 128, 134. In addition, the processor may also provide a suitable input signal to the noncontrol terminal 126 of first control transistor 120, and may provide no input signal to non-control terminal 132 of second control transistor 122. As described in more detail below, the signals to the non-control terminal 126 and control terminal 128 may cause first LED 50 to emit visible light, and the lack of signal to non-control terminal 132 may prevent second LED 52 from emitting UV light.

[0034] For the first control transistor 120, the input signal provided to control terminal 128 may have a sufficient voltage to cause the input signal received at non-control terminal 126 to be conducted through first control transistor 120 to control terminal 110 of first LED transistor 102 via non-control terminal 124. In turn, the voltage applied to the control terminal 110 by the input signal conducted through the first control transistor 120 may cause first LED transistor 102 to conduct current to first LED 50, which turns on and emits visible light. The characteristics of the input signal produced to non-control terminal 126 may be adjusted to achieve a desired brightness, intensity, etc. for the light emitted from first LED 50.

[0035] For the second control transistor 122, while the same input signal is provided to the control terminal 134 as for control terminal 128 of first control transistor 120, because no input signal is provided to the non-control terminal 132, no current is conducted through second control transistor 122 to second LED transistor 104. As a result, the second LED transistor 104 remains off, and second LED 52 is not activated to emit UV light.

[0036] Conversely, when display 20 is emitting UV light to sterilize a surface of display 20 or another surface (e.g., another surface of electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1 ), a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may provide an input signal to the control terminals 128, 134. The processor may also provide a suitable input signal to the non-control terminal 132 of second control transistor 122, and may provide no input signals (e.g., a digital “low”) to non-control terminal 126 of first control transistor 120. [0037] For the second control transistor 122, the input signal provided to control terminal 134 may have a sufficient voltage to cause the input signal received at non-control terminal 132 to be conducted through second control transistor 122 to control terminal 116 of second LED transistor 104 via non-control terminal 130. In turn, the voltage applied to the control terminal 116 by the input signal conducted through the second control transistor 122 may cause second LED transistor 104 to conduct current to second LED 52, which turns on and emits UV light.

[0038] For the first control transistor 120, while the same input signal is provided to the control terminal 128 as for control terminal 134 of second control transistor 122, because no input signal (e.g., a digital “low”) is provided to the non-control terminal 126, no current is conducted through the first control transistor 120 to first LED transistor 102. As a result, the first LED transistor 102 remains off, and first LED 50 is not activated to emit visible light.

[0039] Thus, during operations, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may selectively provide an input signal to one of the non-control terminals 126, 132 of control transistors 120, 122, respectively, to selectively activate the first LED 50 and the second LED 52. Specifically, the processor may provide input signals to the control terminals 128, 134 of control transistors 120, 122 to refresh the output from the display 20 according to the refresh rate as noted above. In addition, the processor may send input signals to control terminals 126 of the pixels 22 to selectively activate the first LEDs 50 to form images on display 20 based on applications that are being executed on an associated electronic device (e.g., electronic device 10). For example, an application for playing a video may include instructions that cause the processor to selectively activate first LEDs 50 based on images that are to be displayed on display 20. Further, the processor may determine that sterilization of display 20 and/or other surfaces on the associated electronic device 10 is to be performed. For instance, the processor may receive a suitable stimulus, such as a sensor output (e.g., sensor 412 and/or sensor assembly 414 discussed below), a user command, a timer expiration (e.g., a timer for initiating cleaning a regular intervals or a specified amount of time after another event occurs), etc., to initiate a sterilization operation, and in response may provide suitable input signals to non-control terminal 132 of control transistor 122 so as to turn on the second LEDs 52 to emit UV light as described. In some examples, a sensor may detect when display 20 is occluded from view (e.g., such as when a lid of a laptop is closed or a cover is placed over display 20). The processor may determine that the display 20 is occluded based on the output from the sensor and then initiate a sterilization operation as described above in response to the determination. Moreover, because the control terminals 128, 134 are coupled together as described above, the number of connections from driving circuit 100 to a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may be reduced, a benefit which is further multiplied when applied across multiple pixels 22 of the display 20.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 3, an example driving circuit 200 that may be utilized within pixels 22 of the display 20 in FIG. 1 in place of driving circuit 100 of FIG. 2 is shown. In the drawings and the following description, like reference numerals will be used to indicate components of driving circuit 200 that correspond with components of driving circuit 100, and focus will be provided to features of the driving circuit 200 that are different from the driving circuit 100.

[0041] More specifically, in the driving circuit 200, the control terminals 128, 134 are not coupled to one another, and instead, the non-control terminals 126, 132, of control transistors 120, 122, respectively, are coupled to one another. Accordingly, separate input signals may be provided to the control terminals 128, 134, while an input signal may be provided to both the non-control terminals 126, 132.

[0042] During operation, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may provide suitable input signals to the driving circuit 200 at the non-control terminals 126, 132 of control transistors 120, 122, respectively, and to the control terminals 128 ,134 of control transistors 120, 122, respectively. More specifically, when display 20 is to emit visible light to form images for viewing by a user, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may provide an input signal to the non-control terminals 126, 132. In addition, the processor may provide an input signal to the control terminal 128 of first control transistor 120, and may provide no input signal (e.g., a digital “low”) to control terminal 134 of second control transistor 122.

[0043] For the first control transistor 120, the input signal provided to control terminal 128 may have a voltage that is sufficient to cause the input signal received at non-control terminal 126 to be conducted through first control transistor 120 to control terminal 110 of first LED transistor 102 via non-control terminal 124. In turn, the voltage applied to the control terminal 110 by the input signal conducted through first control transistor 120 may cause first LED transistor 102 to conduct current to first LED 50, which thereby emits visible light.

[0044] For the second control transistor 122, while the same input signal is provided to the non-control terminal 132 as for non-control terminal 126 of second control transistor 122, because no input signal is provided to the control terminal 134, no current is conducted through second control transistor 122 to second LED transistor 104 or second LED 52. As a result, second LED 52 is not activated to emit UV light.

[0045] Conversely, when display 20 is to emit UV light to sterilize a surface of display 20 or another surface (e.g., another surface of electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1 ), a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may provide an input signal to the non-control terminals 126, 132. In addition, the processor may also provide an input signal to the control terminal 134 of second control transistor 122, and may provide no input signals (e.g., digital “low”) to control terminal 128 of first control transistor 120.

[0046] For the second control transistor 122, the input signal provided to control terminal 134 may have a sufficient voltage to cause the input signal received at non-control terminal 132 to be conducted through second control transistor 122 to control terminal 116 of second LED transistor 104 via non-control terminal 130. In turn, the voltage applied to the control terminal 116 by the input signal conducted through the second control transistor 122 may cause second LED transistor 104 to conduct current to second LED 52, which thereby emits UV light.

[0047] For the first control transistor 120, while the same input signal is provided to the non-control terminal 126 as for non-control terminal 132 of second control transistor 122, because no input signal is provided to the control terminal 128, no current is provided to first LED transistor 102 or first LED 50. As a result, first LED 50 is not activated to emit visible light.

[0048] Thus, during operations, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may selectively provide an input signal to one of the control term inals 128, 134 of control transistors 120, 122, respectively, to selectively activate the first LED 50 and the second LED 52. Specifically, the processor may provide input signals to the control terminals 128 of control transistors 120 to refresh the output from the display 20 according to the refresh rate as noted above. In addition, the processor may send input signals to control terminals 126 of the pixels 22 to selectively activate the first LEDs 50 to form images on display 20 based on applications that are being executed on an associated electronic device (e.g., electronic device 10). During these operations, the processor may determine that sterilization of display 20 and/or other surfaces on the associated electronic device 10 is to be performed. For instance, the processor may receive a suitable stimulus, such as a sensor output (e.g., sensor 412 and/or sensor assembly 414 discussed below), a user command, a timer expiration, etc., to initiate a sterilization operation, and in response may provide suitable input signals to control terminal 130 of control transistor 122 so as to turn on the second LEDs 52 to emit UV light as described. In addition, because the non-control terminals 126, 132 are coupled together as described above, the number of connections from driving circuit 200 to a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) may be reduced, a benefit which is further multiplied when applied across multiple pixels 22 of the display 20.

[0049] Referring now to FIG. 4, in some examples, each pixel 22 of display 20 may include a plurality of sub-pixels for emitting light during operation. For instance, in some examples, each pixel 22 may include three sub-pixels 21a, 21 b, 21 c. Each sub-pixel 21a, 21 b, 21c may include a corresponding first LED 50 for emitting visible light and a corresponding second LED 52 for emitting UV light, and a driving circuit 100 (which may comprise any of the example driving circuits disclosed herein). The driving circuits 100 of sub-pixels 21 a, 21 b, 21c may selectively activate the first LED 50 and the second LED 52 in response to input signals from processor 24 in the manner described above.

[0050] The first LED 50 of each sub-pixel 21 a, 21 b, 21 c may emit a different color of visible light. For instance, the first LED 50 of a first sub-pixel 21a may emit red light, the first LED 50 of second sub-pixel 21 b may emit green light, and the first LED 50 of third sub-pixel 21c may emit blue light. The processor 24 may activate the first LED(s) 50 of a sub-pixel 21 a, 21 b, 21c or of a combination of sub-pixels 21 a, 21 b, 21 c via driving circuits 100 to provide light from pixel 22 that is of a particular color, shade, brightness, intensity, etc., when display 20 is presenting images. In addition, processor 24 may activate the second LEDs 52 of sub-pixels 21 a, 21 b, 21 c via driving circuits 100 to sterilize a surface of display 20 or another surface (e.g., another surface of electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1 ) as described above.

[0051] Referring now to FIG. 5, in some examples, each pixel 22 may include a plurality of sub-pixels as described above. However, in some examples (e.g., in the example of FIG. 5), the sub-pixels may each include either a corresponding first LED 50 for emitting visible light, or a corresponding second LED 52 for emitting UV light. Specifically, in some examples, each pixel 22 includes four sub-pixels 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d. Three of the sub-pixels 23a, 23b, 23c each include a corresponding first LED 50, and the fourth sub-pixel 23d includes a corresponding second LED 52. [0052] The sub-pixels 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d may also each comprise a corresponding driving circuit 300 for selectively activating the first LEDs 50 in subpixels 23a, 23b, 23c, or the second LED 52 in sub-pixel 23d. The first LEDs 50 in the sub-pixels 23a, 23b, 23c may emit different colors (e.g., red, green, blue, respectively) to allow pixel 22 to produce light of a particular color, shade, etc. as described above for sub-pixels 21 a, 21 b, 21 c (FIG. 4).

[0053] During operation, processor 24 may provide suitable input signals to driving circuits 300 of sub-pixels 23a, 23b, 23c to cause first LEDs 50 to produce visible light from pixel 22 that forms (along with the light from the other pixels 22) an image on display 20. In addition, processor 24 may also provide suitable input signals to driving circuits 300 of sub-pixels 23d of pixels 22 to cause second LEDs 52 to provide UV light from pixels 22 (e.g., particularly from sub-pixels 23d) to sterilize a surface of display 20 or another surface of electronic device 10.

[0054] Referring now to FIG. 6, an example of driving circuits 300 is shown in more detail. In the depiction of FIG. 6, the driving circuits 300 of the sub-pixels 23c and 23d are depicted to simplify the description and drawings. However, while not specifically shown, the driving circuits 300 for the sub-pixels 23a and 23b shown in FIG. 5 may also be arranged in the manner described below for the sub-pixel 23c. In addition, to ensure the clarity of the following description, the driving circuits 300 depicted for sub-pixels 23c and 23d are referred to with reference numerals 300a and 300b, respectively; however, otherwise corresponding components of the driving circuits 300a, 300b are identified with corresponding reference numerals.

[0055] The driving circuits 300a, 300b each include a voltage supply node 301 and ground voltage node 303. In addition, driving circuits 300a, 300b, both include LED transistors 302 that each have a pair of non-control terminals 304, 306 and a control terminal 308. The non-control terminal 304 of driving circuits 300a, 300b is coupled to the corresponding voltage supply nodes 301 . The non-control terminal 306 of LED transistor 302 in driving circuit 300a is coupled to first LED 50 in subpixel 23c, whereas the non-control terminal 306 of LED transistor 302 in driving circuit 300b is coupled to second LED 52 in sub-pixel 23d.

[0056] Further, the driving circuits 300a, 300b both include control transistors 310 that are coupled to the corresponding LED transistors 302 that each have a pair of non-control terminals 312, 314 and a control terminal 316. The non-control terminals 312 of control transistors 310 are coupled to the control terminal 308 of the corresponding LED transistors 302. In addition, the non-control terminal 314 and control terminal 316 of control transistors 310 of both driving circuits 300a, 300b are to receive input signal(s) from a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 5). [0057] In some examples, the control terminals 316 of driving circuits 300a, 300b may receive input signals from a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) according to a set refresh rate for the display 20. Thus, the control terminals 316 may receive input signals from a processor at regular intervals that correspond with the refresh rate (e.g., 60 Hertz (Hz), 75 Hz, 120 Hz, 144 Hz, 240 Hz, etc.) of the display 20. On the other hand, the non-control terminals 314 of driving circuits 300a, 300b may receive input signals from a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 1 ) that may comprise or correspond to data for forming an image on display 20. More particular, the input signals provided to non-control terminals 314 may be adjusted during operation to cause a determined amount of light to be emitted from the corresponding sub-pixels 23c and 23d.

[0058] Further, in some examples, driving circuits 300a, 300b may comprise capacitors that are coupled between the voltage supply nodes 301 and the control terminals 308 of LED transistors 302 to smooth out current fluctuations at control terminals 308 during operations. [0059] During operation, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 5) may provide input signals to the sub-pixels 23c and 23d via control terminals 316 and noncontrol terminals 314 to selectively activate the first LED 50 in sub-pixel 23c or second LED 52 in sub-pixel 23d. In particular, when display 20 is being utilized to present images for viewing by a user, a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 5) may provide an input signal to non-control terminal 314 of driving circuit 300a for sub-pixel 23c. In addition, the processor may also provide input signals to the control terminal 316 in driving circuit 300a, which may have suitable voltage that allows the input signal provided to non-control terminal 314 to be conducted through control transistor 310 to control terminal 308 of LED transistor 302. In turn, the input signal conducted across the control transistor 310 to the control terminal 308 may cause LED transistor 302 to conduct current to first LED 50, which thereby emits visible light having corresponding characteristics (e.g., brightness, intensity, etc.).

[0060] During these operations, the processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 5) may not send input signals to non-control terminal 314 of driving circuit 300b for subpixel 23d. As a result, no UV light is emitted from second LED 52. In some examples, input signals may still be provided to control terminal 316 of control transistor 310 of driving circuit 300b, even if second LED 52 is not activated via an input signal to non-control terminal 314. Specifically, input signals may continue to be received at control terminal 316 in driving circuit 300b as a part of the cyclical refresh operation of display 20 during operation.

[0061] Conversely, when display 20 is to emit UV light to sterilize a surface of display 20 or another surface (e.g., another surface of electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1 ), a processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 5) may provide an input signal to non-control terminal 314 of driving circuit 300b for sub-pixel 23d. In addition, the processor may also provide input signals to the control terminal 316 in driving circuit 300b, which may have suitable voltage that allows the input signal provided to non- control terminal 314 to be conducted through control transistor 310 to control terminal 308 of LED transistor 302. In turn, the input signal conducted through the control transistor 310 to the control terminal 308 may cause LED transistor 302 to conduct current to second LED 52, which thereby emits UV light. [0062] During these operations, the processor (e.g., processor 24 in FIG. 5) may not send input signals to non-control terminal 314 of driving circuit 300a for subpixel 23c (or the corresponding driving circuits for sub-pixels 23a, 23b shown in FIG. 5). As a result, no light is emitted from first LED 50. In some examples, input signals may still be provided to control terminal 316 of control transistor 310 of driving circuit 300a, even if first LED 50 is not activated via an input signal to noncontrol terminal 314. Specifically, input signals may continue to be received at control terminal 316 in driving circuit 300a as a part of the cyclical refresh operation of display 20 during operation.

[0063] Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, an electronic device 400 that includes a UV light emitting electronic display 20 according to some examples is shown. Electronic device 400 may include a laptop computer, that includes a housing 401 comprising a first housing member 402 pivotably coupled to a second housing member 404 with a hinge 406. The first housing member 402 may be pivotable about the hinge 406 between an open position as shown in FIG. 7 in which the display 20 is visible, and a closed position shown in FIG. 8, in which the display 20 is occluded by housing 401 .

[0064] The display 20 is supported in the first housing member 402, and the second housing member 404 supports user input devices such as a keyboard 408 and a trackpad 410. In addition, processor 24 and memory 26, previously described above, are disposed within second housing member 404. The processor 24 and/or memory 26 may be distributed within both the first housing member 402 and second housing member 404 in some examples.

[0065] As described above, display 20 includes a plurality of pixels 22, and each pixel 22 includes a driving circuit 100 (which may comprise any of the driving circuits disclosed herein) coupled to a first LED 50 to emit visible light and a second LED 52 to emit UV light. During operation, processor 24 may provide input signals to driving circuits 100 of pixels 22 to selectively activate the first LEDs 50 and the second LEDs 52 in the manners described above.

[0066] In addition, in some examples, the processor 24 may condition the activation of the first LEDs 50 and second LEDs 52 based on an orientation of the first housing member 402 relative to second housing member 404 about hinge 406. In particular, a suitable position sensor 412 may be coupled to hinge 406 that is to measure or detect the rotative position (or a value indicative thereof) of first housing member 402 about hinge 406, relative to second housing member 404. The processor 24 may be coupled to sensor 412, such that processor 24 may determine, based on an output from sensor 412, whether the first housing member 402 is in the open position of FIG. 7 or the closed position of FIG. 8.

[0067] If the first housing member 402 is in the open position of FIG. 7, the processor 24 may send suitable input signals to driving circuits 100 of pixels 22 so as to activate first LEDs 50 and prevent activation of second LEDs 52. In particular, when the first housing member 402 is in the open position of FIG. 7, a user may be viewing images presented on the display 20. As a result, processor 24 may prevent activation of the second LEDs 52 so as to avoid causing damage to the eyes and skin of the user with the UV light emitted therefrom.

[0068] Referring now to FIG. 8, if the first housing member 402 is in the closed position of FIG. 8, the processor 24 may send suitable input signals to driving circuits 100 of pixels 22 to activate the second LEDs 52 and prevent activation of first LEDs 50. In particular, when first housing member 402 is in the closed position of FIG. 8, a user may not be viewing images presented on display 20. As a result, processor 24 may activate the second LEDs 52 to emit UV light so as to sterilize display 20, keyboard 408, trackpad 410 and other surfaces of housing 401 that may oppose display 20 when first housing member 402 is in the closed position. However, during these operations, because no images are being viewed by a user on the display 20, the processor 24 may prevent activation of the first LEDs 50.

[0069] In some examples, the processor 24 may activate the second LEDs 52 for an established period of time following placing the first housing member 402 in the closed position of FIG. 8. For instance, in some examples processor 24 may activate the second LEDs 52 for about 15 seconds to about 60 seconds after the first housing member 402 is rotated about hinge 406 to the closed position. By regularly activating the second LEDs 52 in this manner, surfaces of electronic device 400 that are normally touched or engaged by a user may be sterilized to thereby prevent the spread of potentially harmful micro-organisms via the surfaces of electronic device 400. [0070] In some examples, the processor 24 may activate the second LEDs 52 for portions of the display 20 that may have received a touch input during operation but may otherwise avoid or prevent activation of the second LEDs 52 for other portions of the display 20. In particular, referring again to FIGS. 7 and 8, as generally described above, display 20 may be touch-sensitive display that includes or is coupled to a touch-sensitive sensor assembly 414. The touch-sensitive sensor assembly 414 may utilize any suitable touch-sensing technology, such as those generally listed above, and therefore may detect touch events (e.g., by a user’s finger, a stylus, etc.) during operation. Touch-sensitive sensor assembly 414 may be coupled to processor 24, so that during operation processor 24 may detect touch events, and may determine the location(s) of the touch events on display 20 via touch-sensitive sensor assembly 414. Thus, when processor 24 is to turn on second LEDs 52 in pixels 22 to sterilize display 20, the processor 24 may activate second LEDs 52 to emit UV light in pixels 22 positioned in the locations or regions of the detected touch events. Activation of less than all of the second LEDs 52 may reduce the amount of electrical power consumed by emission of UV light.

[0071] Example electronic displays and electronic devices including the electronic displays have been described herein for selectively emitting UV light to sterilize surfaces of the electronic device. Accordingly, through use of the example electronic displays disclosed herein, various surfaces and/or components of an electronic device may be disinfected without utilizing additional cleaning agents (e.g., liquid anti-microbial agents).

[0072] In the figures, certain features and components disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form, and some details of certain elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. In some of the figures, in order to improve clarity and conciseness, a component or an aspect of a component may be omitted.

[0073] In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to... ." Also, the term "couple" or "couples" is intended to be broad enough to encompass both indirect and direct connections. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections.

[0074] As used herein, including in the claims, the word “or” is used in an inclusive manner. For example, “A or B” means any of the following: “A” alone, “B” alone, or both “A” and “B.” In addition, when used herein including the claims, the word “generally” or “substantially” means within a range of plus or minus 10% of the stated value.

[0075] The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various examples of the present disclosure. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device, comprising: a processor; and an electronic display coupled to the processor and comprising a set of pixels, each pixel in the set comprising: a first light emitting diode (LED) to emit visible light; a second LED to emit ultraviolet (UV) light; and a driving circuit coupled to the processor, the driving circuit including a pair of transistors to selectively drive the first and second LEDs responsive to signals received from the processor.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pair of transistors comprises: a first LED transistor to supply current to the first LED; and a second LED transistor to supply current to the second LED, wherein the driving circuit comprises a set of control transistors to control the first LED transistor and the second LED transistor responsive to signals received from the processor.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein each pixel in the set comprises a plurality of sub-pixels, and wherein for each pixel the first LED and the second LED are disposed within one sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the set of control transistors comprises a first control transistor to control the first LED transistor and a second control transistor to control the second LED transistor.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein each pixel in the set comprises a plurality of first LEDs to emit visible light and a plurality of second LEDs to emit UV light, wherein the first LED is one of the plurality of first LEDs and the second LED is one of the plurality of second LEDs, and wherein each sub-pixel of each pixel in the set comprises a corresponding one of the plurality of first LEDs and a corresponding one of the plurality of second LEDs.

6. An electronic display, comprising: a pixel including a first light emitting diode (LED) to emit visible light and a second LED to emit ultraviolet light; and a driving circuit coupled to the pixel, the driving circuit including: a first LED transistor to supply current to the first LED; a second LED transistor to supply current to the second LED; and a set of control transistors to control the first LED transistor and the second LED transistor based on an orientation of the display.

7. The electronic display of claim 6, wherein the set of control transistors comprises a first control transistor to control the first LED transistor and a second control transistor to control the second LED transistor.

8. The electronic display of claim 7, wherein the first control transistor and the second control transistor each comprise a control terminal and a pair of non-control terminals, wherein a first non-control terminal of the non-control terminals of the first control transistor is coupled to the first LED transistor, a second non- control terminal of the non-control terminals of the first control transistor is to be coupled to a processor, and the control terminal of the first control transistor is to be coupled to the processor, and wherein a first non-control terminal of the non-control terminals of the second control transistor is coupled to the second LED transistor, a second non-control terminal of the non-control terminals of the second control transistor is to be coupled to the processor, and the control terminal of the second control transistor is to be coupled to the processor.

9. The electronic display of claim 8, wherein the first non-control terminal of the first control transistor is coupled to the first non-control terminal of the second control transistor.

10. The electronic display of claim 9, wherein the control terminal of the first control transistor is coupled to the control terminal of the second control transistor.

11. An electronic device, comprising: a housing comprising first and second housing members; an electronic display supported by the first housing member and comprising a plurality of pixels that each comprise: a first light emitting diode (LED) to emit visible light; a second LED to emit ultraviolet light; and a driving circuit coupled to the first LED and the second LED; and a processor positioned within the housing and coupled to the electronic display, a memory coupled to the processor and positioned within the housing, the memory including instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to adjust a plurality of inputs to the driving circuits of the pixels to selectively activate one of the first LED and the second LED based on an orientation of the first housing member relative to the second housing member. 22

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the first housing member is pivotably coupled to the second housing member with a hinge, wherein the first housing member is pivotable about the hinge between an open position in which the electronic display is visible and a closed position in which the electronic display is occluded, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: adjust the plurality of inputs to the driving circuits of the pixels to activate the first LED and deactivate the second LED in response to determining that the first housing member is in the open position; and adjust the plurality of inputs to the driving circuits of the pixels to activate the second LED and deactivate the first LED in response to determining that the first housing member is in the closed position.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the driving circuit of each pixel comprises: a first LED transistor to supply current to the first LED; a second LED transistor to supply current to the second LED; and a set of control transistors to control the first LED transistor and the second LED transistor responsive to the plurality of inputs received from the processor.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein, the driving circuit of each pixel, the set of control transistors comprises: a first control transistor to control the first LED transistor; and a second control transistor to control the second LED transistor. 23

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein each pixel comprises a plurality of sub-pixels, and wherein the first LED and the second LED of each pixel are positioned within one of the plurality of sub-pixels.