Dot matrix display device based on electrochromic material and control method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a dot matrix display device based on an electrochromic material and a control method thereof, which comprises a substrate layer, a conductive layer, a control unit, an output circuit, a switch and a power supply; wherein the substrate layer is located at the bottom of the device and is used for providing support for the device; the conductive layer comprises, from bottom to top, a transparent conductive layer, an electrochromic material layer, an electrolyte gel, a transparent conductive film encapsulated on the surface of the electrolyte gel and a flexible transparent conductive film; the output circuit is connected to the substrate layer and the conductive layer; and the control unit controls the on-off of the output circuit and the conductive layer to realize display of the display device; wherein the transparent conductive film is provided with a plurality of electromagnets, the flexible transparent conductive film is provided with magnetic contacts, and a gap is arranged between the two. The application realizes dot matrix control display on a large-area electrochromic device and realizes the effect of rapid pattern display. In addition, the application can realize the functions of handwriting and electric control display, has a simple structure, low preparation cost and high reliability.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electrochromic device preparation, and particularly relates to a dot matrix display device based on electrochromic material and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] The development of science and technology has brought better experience to people's life, and with the improvement of people's living quality, the requirements for the products used in life are gradually increasing, and life has taken a big step towards intelligence. However, these intelligent experiences are gradually inseparable from the support of electricity, thereby bringing huge energy consumption and environmental pollution problems. In the field of intelligent display commonly used in life, such as billboards, electronic price tags, displays, and electronic blackboards.

[0003] The advantage of electrochromic material is to change the corresponding color under the action of a lower external direct current voltage, and most importantly, it can still maintain a color state for a certain period of time after power-off. When used as an electronic price tag, it has important significance for energy saving. In addition, electrochromic material only changes color and does not have a light source, so when used as an electronic screen, there is no fluorescent radiation, which is beneficial to protecting eyesight. In addition, this kind of display is erasable and can be used repeatedly, which is beneficial to saving materials and reducing use cost. When prepared into a device, it can replace high-power displays as an intelligent display, thereby effectively saving energy. However, how to make the dynamic display sensitivity and resolution close to the level of electronic displays is still a major challenge.

[0004] In view of this problem, the present application provides a dot matrix display device preparation and control method based on electrochromic material, which can simply and effectively solve the above problems and has important significance for promoting the engineering application of electrochromic devices. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a dot matrix display device based on electrochromic material and a control method thereof, which realizes the function of precisely controlling the on-off of the dot matrix unit adjustment circuit by using the principle of electromagnetic attraction and repulsion, and performs dot matrix control display on a large-area electrochromic device, which is beneficial to improving the display resolution of the electrochromic device, widening the application scenarios of the electrochromic device, and has low preparation cost and strong reliability.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides a dot matrix display device based on electrochromic material, comprising a substrate layer, a conductive layer, a control unit, an output circuit, a switch and a power supply; wherein the substrate layer is located at the bottom of the device, for providing support for the device, the conductive layer comprises, from bottom to top, a transparent conductive layer, an electrochromic material layer, an electrolyte gel, a transparent conductive film encapsulated on the surface of the electrolyte gel and a flexible transparent conductive film; the output circuit is connected to the substrate layer and the conductive layer, and the control unit controls the on-off of the output circuit and the conductive layer, so as to realize the display of the display device.

[0007] Preferably, the transparent conductive film is provided with a plurality of electromagnets, and the flexible transparent conductive film is provided with magnetic contacts, and a gap is provided between the contacts and the transparent conductive film.

[0008] Preferably, the transparent conductive layer and the flexible transparent conductive film are respectively connected to the positive and negative poles of the power supply, the control unit controls the output circuit, and when the corresponding electromagnet is powered, the magnetic contact directly above the corresponding electromagnet is attracted downward by magnetic force and contacts the transparent conductive film below, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is locally turned on, and the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point is discolored.

[0009] Preferably, when the control unit controls the circuit to output opposite voltage, the north and south poles of the electromagnet are reversed, the magnetic contact is bounced back to the original position, and the operation of disconnecting the power supply is realized.

[0010] Preferably, the device is encapsulated by using insulating double-sided adhesive between the flexible transparent conductive film and the transparent conductive layer.

[0011] Preferably, the top of the flexible transparent conductive film is provided with a transparent protective layer, and the transparent protective layer is a high-transparency plastic film with adhesive.

[0012] Preferably, the substrate layer at the bottom is glass or flexible transparent plastic, the transparent conductive layer is indium tin oxide or silver nanowire transparent conductive layer, the electrochromic material is tungsten trioxide (WO3) or nickel oxide (NiO) cathode or anode electrochromic material, the electrolyte gel is usually a gel made of 0.5 mol / l lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) propylene carbonate (PC) mixed with methyl methacrylate (PMMA), the transparent conductive film is a film formed by solidifying polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel mixed with silver or copper metal conductive particles, and the flexible transparent conductive film has flexibility and elasticity.

[0013] In addition, the application further provides a control method of the dot matrix display device based on the electrochromic material, comprising the display device, the transparent conductive layer is connected with the positive and negative poles of the power supply through the first switch and the second switch respectively, the transparent conductive film is connected with the positive pole of the power supply through the third switch, one end of the flexible transparent conductive film is connected with the positive pole of the power supply through the fourth switch, and the other end is connected with the negative pole of the power supply in communication;

[0014] When the first switch is closed and the second, third and fourth switches are disconnected, the control unit outputs a signal to control the output circuit to supply power to the corresponding electromagnet, the magnetic contact directly above the corresponding electromagnet is subjected to magnetic force and is attracted downward to contact the transparent conductive film below, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is partially turned on, and the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point is discolored; and / or

[0015] When the first switch is closed and the second, third and fourth switches are disconnected, if the transparent protective layer is pressed by external force, the contact point at the corresponding pressing part contacts the transparent conductive film below, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is partially turned on, the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point is partially colored, and the handwriting function is realized.

[0016] Further, when the displayed pattern needs to be erased as a whole, the first and fourth switches are disconnected, and the second and third switches are closed, so that the device is provided with a reverse voltage by the transparent conductive film and the transparent conductive layer, and at this time, the device is colored or discolored as a whole, so that the displayed pattern is erased.

[0017] Further, when partial erasing is needed, the first and third switches are disconnected, and the second and fourth switches are closed, so that the device is provided with an opposite voltage, and the electrochromic material is partially discolored by pressing at the part to be erased, so that the purpose of partial erasing is achieved.

[0018] The dot matrix display device based on the electrochromic material and the control method thereof provided by the application realize the function of accurately controlling the on-off of the dot matrix unit adjusting circuit by using the principle of magnetic attraction and repulsion, realize the effect of rapid pattern display by using the dot matrix display method, and have the advantages that the dot matrix control display is performed on the large-area electrochromic device, the display resolution of the electrochromic device is improved, the limitation that the large-area electrochromic device is difficult to realize rapid high-resolution pattern display is broken through, the application scenarios of the electrochromic device are widened, the engineering application of the electrochromic device is promoted, the double functions of handwriting and electrically controlled display can be realized, the convenience of the application of the electrochromic device and the universality of the use scenarios are further improved, and in addition, the display device provided by the application has the advantages of simple structure, low preparation cost and high reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings by way of example and not limitation, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials is shown in one embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 schematically shown Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the distribution of magnetic contacts on the surface of the flexible transparent conductive film in the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 schematically shown Figure 1 The example provided illustrates the display of the letter "2021" using a dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The principles and spirit of the invention will now be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are given merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

[0024] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a dot-matrix display device 100 based on electrochromic materials, including a substrate layer 101, a conductive layer 102, a control unit 103, an output circuit 104, a switch, and a power supply; wherein, the substrate layer 101 is located at the bottom of the device and is used to provide support for the device; the conductive layer 102 includes, from bottom to top, a transparent conductive layer 1021, an electrochromic material layer 1022, an electrolyte gel 1023, a transparent conductive film 1024 encapsulated on the surface of the electrolyte gel, and a flexible transparent conductive film 1025; the output circuit 104 connects the substrate layer 101 and the conductive layer 102, and the control unit 103 controls the on / off state of the output circuit 104 and the conductive layer 102 to realize the display of the display device.

[0025] The dot-matrix display device 100 described above has a base layer 101 at its bottom, which provides support for the device. The second layer is a transparent conductive layer 1021. An electrochromic material layer 1022 is prepared on the surface of the transparent conductive layer. An electrolyte gel 1023 is injected onto the surface of the electrochromic material. A transparent conductive film 1024 is encapsulated on the surface of the electrolyte gel 1023, which serves two purposes: protecting the electrolyte gel and acting as a contact layer for the upper magnetic contacts. On top of the conductive layer 102 is a flexible transparent conductive substrate with magnetic contacts, and a certain gap is maintained between the contacts and the transparent conductive film.

[0026] In an embodiment, the transparent conductive film 1024 is provided with a plurality of electromagnets 1024-1, the flexible transparent conductive film 1025 is provided with magnetic contacts 1025-1, and a gap is provided between the transparent conductive film 1024 and the magnetic contacts 1025-1.

[0027] The device control part mainly consists of a control unit 103 and an output circuit 104, and the execution part includes electromagnets and magnetic contacts 1025-1.

[0028] In an embodiment, the transparent conductive layer 1021 and the flexible transparent conductive film 1025 are respectively connected to the positive and negative poles of a power supply, the control unit 103 controls the output circuit 104, and when the corresponding electromagnet is powered, the magnetic contact 1025-1 directly above the corresponding electromagnet is subjected to magnetic force and is attracted downward to move and contact the transparent conductive film 1024 below, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is locally turned on, and the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point changes color. The flexible transparent conductive film on the top has good conductivity, as well as good flexibility and elasticity, to ensure the elasticity required when the magnetic contact moves up and down. The transparent protective layer on the top is a high-transparency plastic film with adhesive, to protect the device from wear and tear.

[0029] Preferably, when the control unit 103 controls the circuit to output opposite voltages, the north and south poles of the electromagnet are reversed, which can make the magnetic contact 1025-1 bounce back to the original position, realizing the operation of turning off the power supply.

[0030] Preferably, the device is packaged with insulating double-sided tape between the flexible transparent conductive film 1024 and the transparent conductive layer 1021. The insulating double-sided tape is located circumferentially between the flexible transparent conductive substrate and the transparent conductive layer, encapsulating the transparent conductive film, the electrolyte gel, and the electrochromic material between the two in the device.

[0031] Based on the color change mechanism of electrochromic materials, when the transparent conductive layer turns on the electrolyte gel and the electrochromic material, the electrochromic material can exhibit coloration or bleaching effect.

[0032] Preferably, the top of the flexible transparent conductive film 1024 is provided with a transparent protective layer 106, which is a high-transparency plastic film with adhesive, to prevent wear and tear of the flexible transparent conductive film.

[0033] Preferably, the base layer 101 of the bottom is glass or flexible transparent plastic, the transparent conductive layer 1021 is indium tin oxide or silver nanowire transparent conductive layer, the electrochromic material is tungsten trioxide (WO3) or nickel oxide (NiO) cathode or anode electrochromic material, the electrolyte gel is usually a gel made of 0.5 mol / l lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) propylene carbonate (PC) mixed methyl methacrylate (PMMA), the transparent conductive film is a film formed after the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel is mixed with metal conductive particles such as silver or copper and then solidified, and the flexible transparent conductive film has flexibility and elasticity.

[0034] The dot matrix display device of the embodiment, the transparent conductive layer 1021 of the bottom and the flexible transparent conductive film 1024 of the top are respectively connected to the positive and negative poles of the power supply, but at this time, due to the gap between the flexible transparent conductive film and the transparent conductive film below it, the circuit is in an open state, so the entire device cannot exhibit electrochromic phenomenon. When the first switch K1 is closed and the second switch K2, the third switch K3 and the fourth switch K4 are opened, when the control unit 103 controls the output circuit 104 to supply power to the corresponding electromagnet, at this time, the magnetic contact directly above the corresponding electromagnet is attracted downward by magnetic force and contacts the transparent conductive film below it, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is locally turned on, and the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point changes color. The device can display the color of a pixel point.

[0035] When a pattern needs to be displayed, the controller outputs a signal to control the electromagnet at the corresponding contact point position to be powered on, attracting the magnetic contact 1025-1 above the corresponding position down to make it contact the transparent conductive film 1024 at the corresponding position, and the corresponding pixel point position changes color, thereby realizing patterned color change.

[0036] When the color change is complete, the control circuit outputs an opposite voltage to reverse the north and south poles of the electromagnet, and uses the principle of same polarity repulsion to bounce the magnetic contact 1025-1 back to its original position, thus realizing the operation of disconnecting the power supply. Since the color retention performance of the electrochromic material after power-off is good, the energy consumption of the device is very low. Figure 3 The dot matrix display device based on electrochromic material displays the case of "2021" logo.

[0037] When the displayed pattern needs to be erased, the K1 and K4 switches need to be opened, the K2 and K3 switches need to be closed, and the device needs to be provided with a reverse voltage by the transparent conductive film 1024 and the transparent conductive base. At this time, the entire device is colored or decolorized, thereby erasing the displayed pattern. When the next pattern display is performed, the K1 switch is closed, the K2, K3 and K4 switches are opened, and the corresponding magnetic contact is controlled to move downward to realize local conduction on the transparent conductive film 1024, and single contact coloring or decoloring is performed, thereby realizing pattern change.

[0038] When handwriting is needed, the K1 switch is closed, and the K2, K3 and K4 switches are opened. By external pressing, the top magnetic contact 1025-1 is made to contact the transparent conductive film, thereby conducting the circuit, and the electrochromic material realizes coloring or discoloring, that is, the color can be displayed on the external pressure track, realizing the function of the handwriting screen. When writing is wrong and partial erasing is needed, the K1 and K3 switches are opened, and the K2 and K4 switches are closed, and the electrochromic device is provided with opposite voltage, and the electrochromic material is pressed at the position needing erasing, thereby realizing partial discoloring of the electrochromic material, so as to achieve the purpose of partial erasing. When overall erasing is needed, the K1 and K4 switches are opened, and the K2 and K3 switches are closed, thereby coloring or discoloring the overall electrochromic material, realizing the purpose of overall erasing.

[0039] In addition, the application also provides a control method of the dot matrix display device based on the electrochromic material, comprising the display device 100, the transparent conductive layer 1021 is connected with the positive and negative poles of the power supply through the first switch K1 and the second switch K2 respectively, the transparent conductive film is connected with the positive pole of the power supply through the third switch K3, and one end of the flexible transparent conductive film is connected with the positive pole of the power supply through the fourth switch K4, and the other end is communicated with the negative pole of the power supply.

[0040] When the first switch K1 is closed, and the second K2, the third K3 and the fourth switch K4 are opened, the control unit 103 outputs the signal to control the output circuit 104, and when the corresponding electromagnet is powered, the magnetic contact 1025-1 directly above the corresponding electromagnet is subjected to magnetic force and is attracted downward to move and contact the transparent conductive film below, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is partially conducted, and the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point is discolored.

[0041] When the first switch K1 is closed, and the second K2, the third K3 and the fourth switch K4 are opened, the transparent protective layer is pressed by external force, the contact point at the corresponding pressing position contacts the transparent conductive film 1024 below, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is partially conducted, and the corresponding contact point is locally colored, realizing the handwriting function.

[0042] When overall erasing of the displayed pattern is needed, the first and fourth switches are opened, and the second and third switches are closed, and the device is provided with reverse voltage by the transparent conductive film 1024 and the transparent conductive layer 1021, at this time, the device is colored or discolored as a whole, thereby erasing the displayed pattern.

[0043] When partial erasing is needed, the first and third switches are opened, and the second and fourth switches are closed, and the device is provided with opposite voltage, and the electrochromic material is pressed at the position needing erasing, thereby realizing partial discoloring of the electrochromic material, so as to achieve the purpose of partial erasing.

[0044] Specifically, when the first switch K1 is closed, the second switch K2, the third switch K3 and the fourth switch K4 are opened, when the control unit 103 controls the output circuit 104 to supply power to the corresponding electromagnet, at this time, the magnetic contact 1025-1 directly above the corresponding electromagnet is attracted downward by magnetic force and contacts the transparent conductive film below, the circuit at the corresponding contact point is partially turned on, the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point changes color, and the device can display a pixel point color.

[0045] When a pattern needs to be displayed, the controller outputs a signal to control the electromagnet at the corresponding contact point position to be powered on, the magnetic contact 1025-1 above the corresponding position is attracted downward to make it contact the transparent conductive film at the corresponding position, the corresponding pixel point position changes color, thereby realizing patterned color change.

[0046] When the color change is completed, the control circuit outputs an opposite voltage to reverse the north and south poles of the electromagnet, and the magnetic contact 1025-1 is bounced back to the original position by the principle of same polarity repulsion, so that the power supply can be turned off. Since the color retention performance of the electrochromic material after power-off is good, the energy consumption of the device is very low. Figure 3 The device "2021" is a dot matrix display device based on electrochromic material.

[0047] When the displayed pattern needs to be erased, the K1 and K4 switches need to be opened, the K2 and K3 switches need to be closed, and the device needs to be provided with a reverse voltage by the transparent conductive film and the transparent conductive substrate, at this time, the device as a whole is colored or decolorized, thereby erasing the displayed pattern. When the next pattern is displayed, the K1 switch is closed, the K2, K3 and K4 switches are opened, and the corresponding magnetic contact is controlled to move downward to realize local conduction on the transparent conductive film, and single contact coloring or decolorization is realized, thereby realizing pattern change.

[0048] When handwriting is needed, the K1 switch is closed, and the K2, K3 and K4 switches are opened. By external pressing, the top magnetic contact 1025-1 contacts the transparent conductive film, thereby conducting the circuit and realizing coloring or decolorization of the electrochromic material, which can display color on the external pressure track and realize the function of a handwriting screen. When writing is wrong and local erasing is needed, the K1 and K3 switches are opened, the K2 and K4 switches are closed, and the electrochromic device is provided with an opposite voltage. Pressing at the position to be erased can make the electrochromic material locally decolorized, thereby achieving the purpose of local erasing. When overall erasing is needed, the K1 and K4 switches are opened, and the K2 and K3 switches are closed, thereby coloring or decolorizing the overall electrochromic material and achieving the purpose of overall erasing.

[0049] While the forgoing detailed description describes the application, it is to be understood that the application is not limited to the precise embodiments described, and that various modifications and / or changes in the aspects described can be possible through the content of the foregoing description without departing from the spirit and principles of the application. The application is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials, characterized in that, The device comprises a substrate layer, a conductive layer, a control unit, an output circuit, a switch, and a power supply. The substrate layer, located at the bottom of the device, provides support. The conductive layer, from bottom to top, includes a transparent conductive layer, an electrochromic material layer, an electrolyte gel, a transparent conductive film encapsulated on the surface of the electrolyte gel, and a flexible transparent conductive film. The output circuit connects the substrate layer and the conductive layer. The control unit controls the on / off state of the output circuit and the conductive layer to enable the display. The transparent conductive film has multiple electromagnets, and the flexible transparent conductive film has magnetic contacts with a gap between them. The transparent conductive layer and the flexible transparent conductive film are connected to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply, respectively. When the control unit controls the output circuit to supply power to the corresponding electromagnet, the magnetic contact directly above the corresponding electromagnet is attracted downwards by the magnetic force and comes into contact with the transparent conductive film below it. The circuit at the corresponding contact is partially connected, and the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact changes color.

2. A dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the control circuit outputs the opposite voltage, the north and south poles of the electromagnet are reversed, which can cause the magnetic contact to spring back to its original position, thus disconnecting the power supply.

3. A dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device is encapsulated between a flexible transparent conductive film and a transparent conductive layer using insulating double-sided adhesive.

4. A dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible transparent conductive film is topped with a transparent protective layer, which is a high-transparency plastic film with adhesive backing.

5. A dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom substrate layer is glass or flexible transparent plastic, the transparent conductive layer is indium tin oxide or silver nanowire transparent conductive layer, the electrochromic material is tungsten trioxide (WO3) or nickel oxide (NiO) cathode or anode electrochromic material, the electrolyte gel is a gel made of propylene carbonate (PC) mixed with methyl methacrylate (PMMA) of lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) at 0.5 mol / L, and the transparent conductive film is a film formed by curing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel mixed with silver or copper particles. The flexible transparent conductive film has flexibility and elasticity.

6. A control method for a dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials, comprising the display device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The two ends of the transparent conductive layer are connected to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply through the first and second switches, respectively. The transparent conductive film is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply through the third switch. One end of the flexible transparent conductive film is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply through the fourth switch, and the other end is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply. Specifically, when the first switch is closed and the second, third, and fourth switches are open, the control unit outputs a signal to control the output circuit. When power is supplied to the corresponding electromagnet, the magnetic contact directly above the corresponding electromagnet is attracted downward by magnetic force and comes into contact with the transparent conductive film underneath. The circuit at the corresponding contact point is partially connected, and the electrochromic material at the corresponding contact point changes color; and / or When the first switch is closed and the second, third and fourth switches are open, if the transparent protective layer is pressed by an external force, the contact point at the corresponding pressed part will contact the corresponding transparent conductive film below, and the circuit at the corresponding contact point will be partially connected, causing it to be partially colored, thus realizing the handwriting function.

7. The control method for a dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials according to claim 6, characterized in that, When it is necessary to completely erase the displayed pattern, the first and fourth switches are disconnected, and the second and third switches are closed. The transparent conductive film and transparent conductive layer provide a reverse voltage to the device, at which point the device is colored or faded, thereby erasing the displayed pattern.

8. The control method for a dot-matrix display device based on electrochromic materials according to claim 6, characterized in that, When local erasure is required, disconnect the first and third switches and close the second and fourth switches to provide the device with the opposite voltage. Press the area to be erased to cause the electrochromic material to fade locally, thereby achieving the purpose of local erasure.

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