Appeal No. 1998-2570
Application No. 08/381,156
The claimed invention relates to a display apparatus
employing a digital micromirror device having an array of
movable micromirrors. In one embodiment, a resetting
operation to dislodge micromirrors that have become stuck is
achieved by emitting current pulses through the micromirrors
while exposing them to a magnetic field. In a variation of
this embodiment, a voltage differential applied across
piezoelectric material coated on electrodes beneath the
mirrors is utilized to cause mechanical movement to dislodge
stuck mirrors. In a further embodiment, an updating technique
is employed which, instead of moving the micromirrors from a
latched position to their updated states simultaneously, the
micromirrors are updated on a row-by-row basis while being
exposed steadily to light.
Claims 13 and 15 are illustrative of the invention and read
as follows:
13. A display apparatus, comprising:
a digital micromirror device having an array of movable
micromirrors;
resetting means for dislodging any micromirrors that
become stuck, the resetting means including means for exposing
the array of micromirrors to a magnetic field and means for
causing current to flow through the micromirrors; and
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007