Image display device and driving method thereof

• US 20020196219A1
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Machida, Yoshinori, Shigehiro, Kiyoshi, Sakamaki, Motohiko, Matsunaga, Takeshi, Suwabe, Yasufumi, Yamaguchi, Yoshiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/06 Details of flat display driving waveforms
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167

Abstract

The image display device has an image display medium comprising a display substrate and a rear substrate having intersecting linear electrodes formed thereon, and containing black and white particles between the display substrate and the rear substrate. An image is displayed at high resolution by controlling a voltage applied to the electrodes.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

an image display medium which includes a display substrate, a rear substrate, display side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the display substrate in a predetermined direction, rear side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the rear substrate in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and plural types of colored particles each having different charging characteristics, which are interposed so as to be movable between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes; and

a voltage applying component by which a voltage is applied to the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes both contributing to image display to generate therebetween a potential difference which triggers particle movement, and a voltage is applied to the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, in which at least one of the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes do not contribute to image display, to generate therebetween a potential difference which is smaller than the potential difference which triggers particle movement.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage applying component applies a voltage to the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes such that a potential difference between the display side electrodes contributing to image display and the display side electrodes not contributing to the image display is smaller than a potential difference between the rear side electrodes contributing to the image display and the rear side electrodes not contributing to the image display.

3. The image display device according to claim 1, further comprising a pre-voltage applying component which, before the voltage applying component applies a voltage, applies a pre-voltage to both the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes so as to attract particles to be moved to the electrodes on which the particles are adhering.

4. The image display device according to claim 3, wherein, the pre-voltage applying component applies the pre-voltage, in a case that a potential difference between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, in which at least one of the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes do not contribute to image display, exceeds a predetermined value when the voltage applying component applies a voltage.

5. The image display device according to claim 3, wherein a value of the voltage applied by the pre-voltage applying component is the same as a value of the voltage which corresponds to the potential difference which triggers particle movement.

6. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the types of particles comprise positively charged black particles and negatively charged white particles.

7. An image display device comprising:

an image display medium which includes a display substrate, a rear substrate, display side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the display substrate in a predetermined direction, rear side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the rear substrate in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and plural types of colored particles each having different charging characteristics, which are interposed and movable between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes; and

a voltage applying component by which a voltage is applied to the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes both contributing to image display to generate therebetween a potential difference which triggers particle movement, and by which a voltage is applied to the rear side electrodes not contributing to image display to generate a potential difference which is smaller than the potential difference which triggers particle movement between the rear side electrodes and the display side electrodes both not contributing to the image display, and between the rear side electrodes not contributing to the image display and the display side electrodes contributing to the image display.

8. The image display device according to claim 7, wherein the voltage applying component applies substantially the same voltage to both the display side electrodes which contribute to image display and the rear side electrodes which do not contribute to image display.

9. The image display device according to claim 7, further comprising a pre-voltage applying component which, before the voltage applying component applies a voltage, applies a pre-voltage to both the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes so as to attract particles to be moved to the electrodes on which the particles are adhering.

10. The image display device according to claim 9, wherein the pre-voltage applying component applies the pre-voltage, in a case that a potential difference between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, in which at least one of the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes do not contribute to image display, exceeds a predetermined value when the voltage applying component applies a voltage.

11. The image display device according to claim 7, wherein a value of the voltage applied by the pre-voltage applying component is the same as a value of the voltage which corresponds to the potential difference which triggers particle movement.

12. The image display device according to claim 7, wherein the types of particles comprise positively charged black particles and negatively charged white particles.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of applying the pre-voltage, in a case that a potential difference between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, in which at least one of the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes do not contribute to image display, exceeds a predetermined value when the voltage applying component applies a voltage.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein a value of the voltage applied by the pre-voltage applying component is the same as that which corresponds to the potential difference which triggers particle movement.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the types of particles comprise positively charged black particles and negatively charged white particles.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising a step of applying the pre-voltage, in a case that a potential difference between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, in which at least one of the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes do not contribute to image display, exceeds a predetermined value when the voltage applying component applies a voltage.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein a value of the voltage applied by the pre-voltage applying component is the same as a value of the voltage which corresponds to the potential difference which triggers particle movement.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the types of particles comprise positively charged black particles and negatively charged white particles.

13. A driving method for displaying an image to an image display medium including a display substrate, a rear substrate, display side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the display substrate in a predetermined direction, rear side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the rear substrate in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and plural types of particles each having different charging characteristics which are interposed and movable between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, the method comprising the steps of

applying a voltage to the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes both contributing to image display so that a potential difference generated therebetween corresponds to a potential difference which triggers particle movement;

and

applying a voltage to the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, in which at least one of the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes do not contribute to image display, to make a potential difference generated therebetween smaller than the potential difference which triggers particle movement.

17. A driving method for displaying an image to an image display medium including a display substrate, a rear substrate, display side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the display substrate in a predetermined direction, rear side electrodes which are linearly disposed at the side of the rear substrate in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and at least one-colored particles having different charging characteristics which are interposed and movable between the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes, the method comprising the steps of:

applying a voltage to the display side electrodes and the rear side electrodes both contributing to image display so that a potential difference generated therebetween corresponds to a potential difference which triggers particle movement; and

applying a voltage to the rear side electrodes to generate a potential difference which is smaller than the potential difference which triggers particle movement between the rear side electrodes and the display side electrodes both not contributing to the image display, and the display side electrodes contributing to the image display.