Patent ID: 8208194
Filing Date: 2012-06-26
Classification: G02B,G09G

Abstract:
1. A display device including at least one electronically controllable display element, comprising: at least one non-polar and at least two electrically conducting or polar liquids, wherein at least said electrically conducting or polar liquids are immiscible with the non-polar liquid and wherein said electrically conducting or polar liquids are always spatially separated from another; a fluidically closed volume comprising a visible subvolume, a further subvolume and at least two storage volumes in fluidic communication with said visible subvolume and said further subvolume for providing respectively only one of said electrically conducting or polar liquids in which respectively at least a portion of said non-polar liquid is located when said electrically conducting or polar liquid provided in the respective storage volume is located in said visible subvolume or in said further subvolume at least for its most part; and at least one voltage supply source connected to a first electrode array which is adapted to selectively intersperse said further subvolume at least partly with an electrical field, such that at least one of said electrically conducting or polar liquids is at least partly movable from its storage volume into said further subvolume, wherein in said further subvolume an overpressure or in said visible subvolume an underpressure, respectively, is created causing that said electrically conducting or polar liquid which is not subjected to an electric field of said first electrode array is drawn into said visible subvolume, wherein said visible and said further subvolumes are flat, with dimensions which are selected such that said electrically conducting or polar liquids in a de-energized state of said first electrode array are drawn into the respective storage volume due to the Young-Laplace pressure, and wherein said first electrode array and/or said further subvolume comprise a geometric structure preventing mixing of said electrically conducting or polar liquids, if plural thereof are present in subvolume; and wherein each of said electrically conducting or polar liquids assumes a volume dimensioned such that they independently of being charged with voltage by said electrode array always form a fluidically tight closure for said non-polar liquid between the respective storage volume and either the visible or the further subvolume.