Ambient energy powered display

摘要

A bistable display device (400) that is powered only by ambient energy. Ambient energy is collected by an ambient energy receiver (420) which converts the ambient energy into an operating signal and provides the operating signal to a controller (C). The controller (C) drives the display device based on the operating signal. A user can create a custom display by fixing customizable patterned electrodes to the display. A display controller uses a self-starting oscillator (530). The oscillator (530) outputs a clock input signal wave to a ripple counter (540) and a voltage signal to a voltage doubler (560). The voltage doubler (560) outputs a stored charge signal to a transformer (570) concurrently with a clock pulse that is output by the ripple counter (540) to change a state of the voltage output from the transformer to conductive electrodes within or on the display. The voltage output from the transformer (570) applies an electric field across the display in the portions of the display covered by the conductors to switch the image on the display. As the display is bistable, if the ambient energy receiver and controller are detached from the display or there is an insufficient amount of ambient energy, the image on the display will stop switching, but will not fade. <IMAGE>