SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING AN ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE (OLED) DISPLAY FOR OUTDOOR USE

A comprehensive system and method construction of an organic lighting diode (OLED) display for regular outdoor use. In one embodiment, the system includes an OLED display that includes an OLED panel with a front side and a back side, a front cover glass with an optional controllable UV light blocking medium coupled to the front side of the OLED panel, a rear cover coupled to the OLED panel. The incorporation of a controllable UV light blocking medium—such as electrochromic (EC) glass, Suspended Particle Device Film (SPD), Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) or any other equivalent controllable tinting technology bonded to the front side of the OLED panel—allows the display to protect itself from excess light. The UV light blocking medium can be controlled programmatically, by implementing light sensors, timers or by manual control via a switch or similar device.

FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to OLEDs, and more particularly, to a system and method for constructing an OLED display for outdoor use.

BACKGROUND

OLED is a display technology that uses organic molecules to produce their electrons. OLED technology is an improvement on traditional LED displays as it does not require a backlight unit to function, but rather light is emitted separately for each individual sub pixel and then passes through a passive color filter, like with LCD, and out through the display. Because OLED panels do not require a back light, and are significantly thinner and lighter than previous technologies, they can be incorporated into many useful applications.

Several methods exist to produce OLED display assemblies, however, for the most part they are geared toward indoor use, they do not allow for typical outdoor use which involves exposure to dust, moisture, or sunlight. Long term use of a standard OLED display outdoors will lead to damage to the OLED panel due to UV light exposure, thermal loading which could also affect the electronic components, or both. Therefore, it is beneficial to have a system and method to construct OLED displays designed for outdoor use while supporting removability, efficiency, serviceability, and aesthetics.

Furthermore, it would be advantageous to have a system and method of constructing the OLED assembly in a manner that it provides ingress protection while still allowing for disassembly for repair or maintenance. The key for this would be to have a reliable non-permanent seal around the components so that the OLED assembly can still undergo regular maintenance. In addition, it would be advantageous to have a system and method to construct the display assembly with a UV light protection system that can be activated when the screen is not in use and deactivated when the screen will be used. It is important that this UV protection feature can be implemented for any type of display, including OLED, TFT-LCD, LED, Micro LED, etc.

SUMMARY

A comprehensive system and method construction of an organic lighting diode (OLED) display for regular outdoor use. In one embodiment, the system includes an OLED display that includes an OLED panel with a front side and a back side, a front cover glass with an optional controllable UV light blocking medium such as electrochromic (EC) glass, Suspended Particle Device Film (SPD), Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) or any other equivalent controllable tinting technology coupled to the front side of the OLED panel, a metal or plastic rear cover coupled to the OLED panel. The incorporation of a controllable UV light blocking medium on the front side of the OLED panel (also applicable for TFT-LCD, LED, Micro LED displays) allows the display to protect itself from the constant UV light exposure to which the display will be subjected when used in its intended outdoor use. The controllable UV light blocking medium can be controlled programmatically, by implementing light sensors, timers or by manual control via a switch or similar device.

The system further includes an ingress protection sealing system that allows for multiple individually sealed compartments within the OLED display's outer cover to protect the electronics within from dust and moisture and light splashing of water.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG.1shows an exemplary installation100of an outdoor OLED display105ain landscape mode on an architectural column or wall105baccording to one exemplary embodiment.FIG.2illustrates an exemplary installation200of an outdoor OLED display205ain portrait mode on an architectural column or wall205baccording to one exemplary embodiment.

FIG.3shows an exemplary installation system300with multiple OLED displays305a,305b,305cand305din portrait mode on an architectural column or wall according to one exemplary embodiment. As illustrated inFIG.3, the installation system300allows for narrow borders between the OLED displays305a,305b,305cand305dthat would provide a better overall image. In one embodiment, multiple OLEDs (in either landscape or portrait) can be combined into a video wall.

FIG.4illustrates a cross section view400of the double layer encasing to protect the electronics405which power and control the OLED display410according to one exemplary embodiment. The electronics box415encases the electronics405, sealing out moisture and dust with gasket420between itself and the back cover425. The back cover425also works to protect the rear face of the OLED display from dust and moisture. Outer cover430acts as the second layer that protects the electronics box from direct solar loading, dust and mild splashing, while allowing for enhanced aesthetics. The outer cover is not sealed from dust. On the contrary, ventilation holes are added to the outer cover to allow air flow through it. The airflow allows for hot air trapped between the outer cover and the electronics box to be replaced by lower temperature air from the environment.

FIG.5shows an exploded view of an OLED display optically bonded to cover glass500according to one exemplary embodiment. The OLED display bonded assembly500includes an OLED display510a, an optical bond layer510b, and the cover glass510c. The bond layer510band cover glass510cprovide rigidity for OLED display510awhile also protecting OLED display510afrom dust and water.

FIG.6Ashows an exploded view of a cable cavity or box (shown as element810inFIG.8) with gasketing system assembly600according to one exemplary embodiment. As shown inFIG.6A, the gasketing system assembly600includes a bottom housing portion605afor a lower thick and compressible foam gasket strip610aand a top housing portion605bfor an upper thick and compressible foam gasket strip610b. The bottom housing portion605aand the top housing portion605bhave cut-out portions630aand630bto rout cables (shown as element640inFIG.6B). The top housing portion605band the bottom housing portion605aare secured together via screw holes615. Assembly600also includes a cavity lid625and a thin foam gasket620between the cavity lid625and the cavity bottom635to prevent moisture and dust from damaging cable inputs.

FIG.6Bshows a collapsed view of a cable cavity with gasketing system assembly600according to one exemplary embodiment. As shown inFIG.6B, gasketing system assembly600includes a top housing portion605bwith a thick foam gasket (shown as element610binFIG.6A), and a bottom housing portion605awith a thick foam gasket (shown as element610ainFIG.6A). When the top housing portion605ais secured or attached to the bottom housing portion605a, the foam gaskets (shown as elements610aand610binFIG.6A) clamp around cables640to prevent moisture and dust from damaging cable inputs. The cables640are routed through cut-out portions (shown as elements630aand630binFIG.6A) of the bottom housing portion605aand the top housing portion605b.

FIG.7Ashows a detail view of a room-temperature-vulcanized (RTV) sealant applied to front face seams of an OLED display assembly according to one exemplary embodiment. As shown, RTV seal705is applied in between cover glass510cand bezel710to create a seal that protects OLED display from dust, water ingress and moisture.FIG.7Bshows a detail view of the same RTV system700applied to the rear face edge seams of the OLED display assembly according to one exemplary embodiment. In one embodiment, RTV sealant705is applied between back cover425and bezel710to create a seal that protects the OLED display from dust, water ingress, and moisture.

FIG.8depicts the placement of gaskets800on a rear view of an OLED display according to one exemplary embodiment with the back cover removed for visibility. There are many potential ingresses for contaminants, for example, around electronics box805, between electronics box and cable cavity810, around infrared sensor casing815, around speaker housings820, under any external lids825, or under outer cover at any holes830into the OLED assembly. Gaskets are applied to any potential ingresses to protect the sensitive electronics within from dust and moisture.

FIGS.9A and9Billustrate an embodiment where a controllable UV light blocking medium such as electrochromic (EC) glass, Suspended Particle Device Film (SPD), Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) or any other equivalent controllable tinting technology is optically bonded to the front side of the OLED panel to provide protection from the sun's UV light. according to one exemplary embodiment. As shown inFIG.9A, the front of the OLED assembly900includes a controllable UV light blocking medium905ain its untinted state attached to the OLED panel910via an optical bond layer915. Optical bond layer915permanently mates the OLED panel910to the cover glass, providing impact, dust and water protection.FIG.9Billustrates the tinted state of the EC glass while the OLED display assembly900is in standby mode (not in use). The tinted UV light blocking medium905bacts a UV barrier that blocks up to 99% of UV light emitted by the sun or any other source, however, this also reduces the transmissivity of light from the display, thus significantly reducing the overall brightness of the device while the UV blocking medium remains in its tinted state. Therefore, the UV light blocking medium tinting is suggested for when the outdoor display is not in operational use. Reducing exposure to UV light helps prolong the life of the OLED display910.

The incorporation of a controllable UV light blocking medium—such as electrochromic (EC) glass, Suspended Particle Device Film (SPD), Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) or any other equivalent controllable tinting technology (as illustrated inFIGS.9A-9B) —allows the front cover glass transmissivity to be regulated in a controlled manner. In general, when content needs to be visible on the OLED panel, the controllable UV light blocking medium can be disabled or un-tinted. When the TOLED display is turned off the controllable UV light blocking medium can be tinted to block most of the direct and ambient sunlight, thus protecting the OLED display. Furthermore, certain controllable mediums such as Electrochromic (EC) coated glass or suspended particle device films (SPD) can be partially tinted to closely match the environment lighting conditions. The UV light blocking medium of choice can be controlled with ambient light sensors, timers or even manually overridden as needed. The OLED and the UV light blocking medium are mechanically coupled together, however, their functionality is independent of each other, i.e., one can be in an ON state while the other remains in an OFF state and vice versa.

EC Glass

In one embodiment, by incorporating or integrating the EC glass into the OLED assembly (shown as element900inFIG.9A), the transmissivity can be controlled to reduce direct light to the OLED panel. EC glass can generally block up to 99% of ultraviolet (UV) light which would help to extend the life of the OLED panel when installed outdoors and under constant exposure to direct sunlight.

EC glass generally requires a low voltage (<3.3v) electric current applied through it to start the tinting process. By regulating the voltage of the electric current, different tinting levels of the EC glass can be achieved. When no electric current is applied, the tinting on the EC glass disappears. Typical EC glass has a transmittance range of 60% (not tinted) to 2% (fully tinted).

Various aspects of the disclosure have been described above. It should be apparent that the teachings herein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention. Moreover, various features and functionalities described in this application and Figures may be combined individually and/or plurality of features and functionalities with others. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. the known and customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains.