CN1299501A - Touch-sensitive flexible matrix display - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch-sensitive matrix display screen (10) for data acquisition and color display, comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes (14, 16, 18, 20) defining a plurality of image units and a plurality of acquisition units. According to the present invention, it is composed of a dot matrix (26), each dot comprising an image unit and a acquisition unit, each image unit being composed of the ends of at least three mutually parallel nanotubes, and each nanotube emitting light in one of three basic colors (14, 16, 18), and the acquisition unit being composed of the end of at least one fourth nanotube (20).

Description

Touch-sensitive flexible matrix display

This invention relates to touch-sensitive matrix displays, and more particularly to such displays made using a plurality of nanotubes.

Traditionally, in the field of information technology, the acquisition of data is carried out by means of peripherals of the keyboard or mouse type, and their display is carried out by means of displays of the cathode ray tube or liquid crystal or plasma type.

Cathode ray tubes are bulky and bulky, and emit powerful harmful rays at the user. LCD or Plasma displays can be small, but they are very fragile and cannot emit a lot of light. Additionally, flat-panel displays for use in the field are very expensive due to the extensive manual work required.

Usually, the mechanism for collecting data is generally separated from the information device, which together with the information device leads to a separation between the hand performing the collection and the vision performing the control, as opposed to the tracking of information on paper, where the hand and the eye are simultaneously work at the same location.

To overcome this shortcoming, touch-sensitive displays have been developed, which allow a computer to be controlled by touching a screen with a finger or pointed object. However, such systems are still cumbersome and do not allow good resolution, for example when capturing a graphic or text with the aid of a pen tip. Additionally, some flat panel displays cannot withstand localized pressure applied by a finger or stylus, even a small amount of pressure.

The present invention aims to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages by establishing a light, touch-sensitive, flexible matrix display to allow accurate data acquisition.

The present invention uses a plurality of nanotubes.

As everyone knows, a nanotube is a tube made of hollow cylindrical concentrically arranged carbon paper, which was disclosed by Sumio lijima in 1991. As a reminder, nanotubes are polymers consisting only of carbon and are periodic unidirectional crystals.

There have been several publications dealing with the fabrication of nanotubes. For example, reference may be made to: Journal LARECHERCHE ("Research") No. 307, March 1998, Journal SCIENCE ("Science") Vol. 282 November 6, 1998, or document WO-A-97/19208. Likewise, reference is also made to the subject matter of nanotube fabrication and applications on the Internet at the following sites prefixed with http://www.: archipress.Org,cerca.umontreal.ca/science,research.ibm.com/ topics, amsci.org/amsci/articles, etc.

The present invention is made under this background and can improve the limited performance of traditional display screens, thus, it can significantly but not exclusively promote better application of information technology in household and occupation.

The main purpose of the present invention is to identify a touch-sensitive matrix display screen which does not have the above disadvantages.

Another object of the invention is to specify such a touch-sensitive matrix display which has a low thickness and is flexible and not fragile.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved by a touch-sensitive matrix display for data acquisition and color display, comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes defining a plurality of picture elements and a plurality of acquisition elements.

According to the present invention, the touch-sensitive matrix display screen is composed of a dot matrix, each dot includes an image unit and an acquisition unit, each image unit is composed of at least three ends of nanotubes parallel to each other and each The nanotubes emit light in one of three primary colors, and the collection unit is formed by the end of at least one fourth nanotube.

Advantageously, each spot consists of at least the ends of a plurality of nanotubes, at least four of which are active.

Preferably, the nanotubes of each point are separated and held in place by means of a filling material, for example consisting of a plurality of inactive nanotubes.

Preferably, each picture element comprises a plurality of three active nanotubes respectively connected in parallel.

Also preferably, the end of each active nanotube of each picture element is covered with a phosphor of a primary color.

The invention will be well understood and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become clearer when reading the following description of preferred embodiments given in non-limiting form, some of which are given Attached are:

Figure 1 is a top view of a partial schematic representation of a touch-sensitive matrix display screen according to the present invention;

2 is a cross-sectional view of the display screen in FIG. 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the display screen in FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are merely illustrative, principally because they are not to scale. In fact, the diameter of the nanotube is on the order of 20 nanometers (20×10 ^-9 m), and the basic pitch of a point on the display is on the order of 0.2 millimeters (200×10 ^-6 m).

FIG. 1 shows a partial and schematic top view, ie a view of a corner of a display screen 10 according to the invention as seen by the user. The display screen 10 includes a large number of dots 12 that are substantially, but not necessarily, square in shape with each side being approximately 200 μm.

Each point 12 includes an image unit and an acquisition unit.

The picture unit consists of at least one set of three different nanotubes 14, 16, 18 parallel to each other, and each nanotube uses the three basic colors used in the display screen of a television or information device, namely red, green and One color of orchid shines.

In order to increase the brightness of the display screen, a plurality of nanotubes emitting in the same point 12 and emitting the same color are electrically connected in parallel with each other. In this case, each picture element of each dot 12 comprises a plurality of three active nanotubes respectively connected in parallel.

The acquisition unit consists of a fourth nanotube 20, which has the same function as the field effect transistor drain.

In a practical and advantageous manner, the non-surface ends of the nanotubes can be bundled and collected into a collector 22 and connected to a socket 24 in the form of a connector for constituting the central unit of the control mechanism and the detection mechanism (not shown in the figure).

The active nanotubes 14, 16, 18, 20 of each point are separated and held in place by a filling material 26. The filling material 26 may advantageously consist of non-active nanotubes and/or other nanoparticles, such as carbon particles.

According to a first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 as a cross-section of the matrix display screen in FIG. 1, only two nanotubes 14 and 16 are shown, these nanotubes 14, 16 being bent into an elbow shape so as to form a Bundles of nanotubes are connected at their other ends to a central unit.

A glow film 30 is placed onto the point 12 from the user's viewing direction, mainly for protecting the latter, while a protective cloth layer 32 is applied on its opposite side.

According to a second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 also in a schematic section of the display screen in FIG. 1 , the nanotubes 14 , 16 , 14 ′, 16 ′ etc. are arranged parallel to each other and are not bent. Electrical conductors 34, 34' are connected to each nanotube 14, 16 to apply the desired voltage at the end of the nanotube which is not visible. These conductors are collectively connected to a connector 24 through a collector 22 .

A protective cloth layer 32 is glued to the outer layer of the conductors 34, 34' on the lower surface of the screen 10 which is not visible.

Each visible end of the active nanotubes 14, 16, etc. is covered with a layer of phosphors 36, 36' which emit light in one of the three primary colors as described above.

A substantially transparent film 30 covers the display screen. The membrane is insulating on the end facing the nanotubes. The film is a conductive film which is connected to a reference potential, such as ground 38, to form an anode relative to a plurality of cathodes made up of nanotubes of the picture element.

Preferably, the nanotubes 14, 16, etc. are formed directly on or in a layer of carbon fiber fabric, indicated at 40 in FIG. effect.

As can be understood by those skilled in the art, thus we have obtained the touch-sensitive matrix display screen 10 with the above-mentioned advantages. Such a display is easy to implement in various sizes, for example for a signal display or an advertising screen, or for a clock display or for a display fixed on a plastic card of the chip card type which may have a self-powered photocell.

The display isn't fragile, and it's flexible so it can be rolled up for shipping. Furthermore, the electrical power required for its operation is small, which allows it to be used in more hostile environments.

A particular advantage of this touch-sensitive matrix display is that it can be used as a board, for example, to place plans or document papers and to obtain the plan very simply by simply following the lines with the tip of a pen or finger collection of information on.

While there has been illustrated and described what is considered to be the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that various changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims and modification.

Obviously, the use of this touch-sensitive matrix display in no way prevents data acquisition with traditional devices such as keyboards, mice or joysticks.

Claims (12)

1. A touch-sensitive matrix display screen (10) for data acquisition and color display, which includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes (14, 16, 18, 20) defining a plurality of image units and a plurality of acquisition units, wherein Features: The touch-sensitive matrix display screen consists of a dot matrix (26), each dot includes an image unit and an acquisition unit, each image unit is composed of at least three ends of nanotubes parallel to each other, and each The nanotubes emit light in one of three primary colors (14, 16, 18), and the collection unit is formed by the end of at least one fourth nanotube (20). 2. Matrix display according to claim 1, characterized in that each dot (12) consists of at least the ends of a plurality of nanotubes, of which at least four (14,16,18,20) are active. 3. 2. Matrix display screen according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the nanotubes of each point (12) are separated and held in place by means of a filling material (26). 4. 2. Matrix display screen according to claim 2, characterized in that the filling material (26) consists, for example, of a plurality of void nanotubes. 5. Matrix display screen according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each picture element comprises a multiplicity of three active nanotubes (14, 16, 18) respectively connected in parallel. 6. A matrix display screen according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end of each active nanotube of each picture element is covered with a phosphor (36, 36') of a substantially colored color. 7. A matrix display according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said nanotubes (14, 16, 18, 20) are bent into an elbow shape so as to form a bundle of nanotubes whose other ends are It is connected to a central unit, which includes a control mechanism for the nanotubes constituting the image unit and a detection mechanism for the nanotubes constituting the acquisition unit. 8. A matrix display according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said nanotubes (14, 16, 18, 20) are straight and parallel to each other, the distal ends of said points being connected to a central unit , the central unit includes a control mechanism for the nanotubes constituting the image unit and a detection mechanism for the nanotubes constituting the acquisition unit. 9. Matrix display according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall formed by the dots (12) is covered by a transparent plastic film (30). 10. The matrix display screen according to claim 9, characterized in that: said film (30) is a conductive film, which is opposite to the respective ends of the cathodes of a plurality of nanotubes forming picture elements (14, 16, 18) Anodes are formed and insulated from the ends. 11. A matrix display screen according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that said plastic film (30) is a glow film. 12. Matrix display according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the nanotubes (14, 16, 18, 20) are formed on a carbon fiber fabric layer (40).

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