(http://www.gizmowatch.com/images/e-paper1_48.jpg) & (http://www.alerte-environnement.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/e-paper.jpg)
Under its most basic definition electronic paper (E-Paper) is a “portable, reusable storage and display medium that looks like paper but can be repeatedly written on (refreshed) - by electronic means.” (http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/
0,,sid40_gci535038,00.html) It is ‘written’ on with electronic ink (E-Ink) and mimics the look and feel of actual paper and ink. However, E-Paper displays have several benefits over the display technology currently on the market including; low power usage, flexibility and readability.
Expanding on the aforementioned definition, E-Paper can be thought of as “a display [medium] that possesses a paper-like high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption, and a thin, light form.” (http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/
Expanding on the aforementioned definition, E-Paper can be thought of as “a display [medium] that possesses a paper-like high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption, and a thin, light form.” (http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/
0,,sid40_gci535038,00.html) Not only can it be read under any lighting conditions (including direct sunlight) but, the image appears the same from any angle (unlike images on liquid crystal display screens). The image also withstands distortion when touched and modern day versions of E-Paper allow it to be bent, like real paper, without any consequences.
This innovative technology uses very little power to easily update content via WiFi and USB connections and no power at all to maintain the text or image it is displaying. An initial charge “creates the display, which then remains fixed until another charge is applied to change it.” (http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/
This innovative technology uses very little power to easily update content via WiFi and USB connections and no power at all to maintain the text or image it is displaying. An initial charge “creates the display, which then remains fixed until another charge is applied to change it.” (http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/
0,,sid40_gci535038,00.html)
Today, there are two companies developing electronic ink: E-Ink Corporation and Xerox. The basic components used by both companies are the same and consist of microcapsules, an oily substance (or ink) which fills the microcapsules and pigmented balls with a negative charge which float inside the substance.
Xerox was the first to work on electronic paper (called Gyricon) when an employee, physicist Nick Sheridon, invented it in the 1970s. His version, the basis for modern day Xerox’s developments, was comprised of millions of tiny polyethylene spheres which had a negatively charged, black colored half and a positively charged, white colored half. The spheres were placed in a “transparent silicone sheet, with each sphere suspended in a bubble of oil so that they [could] rotate freely.” (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/e-ink1.htm)
An electric field would then be used to rotate the spheres. A positive charge would cause the spheres’ black side to be near the surface and the white half to be hidden thus, the viewer would see black. A negative charge would have the opposite effect. The spheres would be rotated in such a manner as to achieve the desired text or image. The one downside was that the rigid and complex circuitry which was used resulted in a rigid paper.
It wasn’t until the 1990s when Joseph Jacobson, co-founder of E-Ink Corporation, began working on perfecting E-Ink (and E-Paper) that he developed microcapsules which allowed the display to be used on flexible plastic sheets.
The microcapsules, which are 100 microns wide (that means 100,000 microcapsules can fit on a square inch of paper), hold smaller pigmented chips. E-Ink Corporation is currently using white chips inside microcapsules and blue ink, in which the microcapsules float. The company’s method then applies an electrical charge to the microcapsules and the chips either rise to the top (and the viewer sees white) or they’re pulled to the bottom (and the viewer sees blue; the color of the ink). Patterns of white and dark are used to create text and images.
Today, there are two companies developing electronic ink: E-Ink Corporation and Xerox. The basic components used by both companies are the same and consist of microcapsules, an oily substance (or ink) which fills the microcapsules and pigmented balls with a negative charge which float inside the substance.
Xerox was the first to work on electronic paper (called Gyricon) when an employee, physicist Nick Sheridon, invented it in the 1970s. His version, the basis for modern day Xerox’s developments, was comprised of millions of tiny polyethylene spheres which had a negatively charged, black colored half and a positively charged, white colored half. The spheres were placed in a “transparent silicone sheet, with each sphere suspended in a bubble of oil so that they [could] rotate freely.” (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/e-ink1.htm)
An electric field would then be used to rotate the spheres. A positive charge would cause the spheres’ black side to be near the surface and the white half to be hidden thus, the viewer would see black. A negative charge would have the opposite effect. The spheres would be rotated in such a manner as to achieve the desired text or image. The one downside was that the rigid and complex circuitry which was used resulted in a rigid paper.
It wasn’t until the 1990s when Joseph Jacobson, co-founder of E-Ink Corporation, began working on perfecting E-Ink (and E-Paper) that he developed microcapsules which allowed the display to be used on flexible plastic sheets.
The microcapsules, which are 100 microns wide (that means 100,000 microcapsules can fit on a square inch of paper), hold smaller pigmented chips. E-Ink Corporation is currently using white chips inside microcapsules and blue ink, in which the microcapsules float. The company’s method then applies an electrical charge to the microcapsules and the chips either rise to the top (and the viewer sees white) or they’re pulled to the bottom (and the viewer sees blue; the color of the ink). Patterns of white and dark are used to create text and images.In another version each microcapsule contains positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles which are suspended in a clear fluid. A positive charge attracts black particles to the surface and repels white ones to the bottom of the sphere thus, the viewer sees black. A negative charge has an opposite effect and the viewer sees white.
The electronic ink is then “printed onto a sheet of plastic film that is laminated to a layer of circuitry [which] forms a pattern of pixels that can then be controlled by a display driver.” (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/e-ink1.htm) The film can be used as the optical component in the making of an E-Paper display but can also turn almost any surface into a display.
Electronic ink can be printed onto any surface including walls, billboards, product labels and T-shirts and has many benefits. However, achieving an e-paper which is as thin as actual paper whilst, having wiring to create an electrical charge has proven tricky. E-Ink’s solution has been to print tiny plastic transistors onto a page so they can provide the needed charge for the E-Ink to work.
The electronic ink is then “printed onto a sheet of plastic film that is laminated to a layer of circuitry [which] forms a pattern of pixels that can then be controlled by a display driver.” (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/e-ink1.htm) The film can be used as the optical component in the making of an E-Paper display but can also turn almost any surface into a display.
Electronic ink can be printed onto any surface including walls, billboards, product labels and T-shirts and has many benefits. However, achieving an e-paper which is as thin as actual paper whilst, having wiring to create an electrical charge has proven tricky. E-Ink’s solution has been to print tiny plastic transistors onto a page so they can provide the needed charge for the E-Ink to work.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_paper
(http://www.eink.com/technology/flexible.html)
(http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/e-ink.htm)
(http://www.bookrags.com/research/electronic-digital-paper-e-paper-e--wcs/)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_paper
(http://www.eink.com/technology/flexible.html)
(http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/e-ink.htm)
(http://www.bookrags.com/research/electronic-digital-paper-e-paper-e--wcs/)
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