Electrophoretic display activation with blanking frames

• US 20070057905A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Mark, Zhou, Guofu, Kamer, Jan
• Application Number:
  US10/570,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20070057905A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/08 Active matrix structure, i.e. with use of active elements, inclusive of non-linear two terminal elements, in the pixels together with light emitting or modulating elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/02 Addressing, scanning or driving the display screen or processing steps related thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/061 for resetting or blanking
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/068 Application of pulses of alternating polarity prior to the drive pulse in electrophoretic displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/02 Improving the quality of display appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2007 Display of intermediate tones
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2018 by time modulation using two or more time intervals
• 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

A system implements a method of activating an electrophoretic display (10). First, the system provides at least one image-dependent data frame (70) including pixel data (72) and a data frame time (74). Second, the system determines a blanking frame (80) including a blanking frame time (84) based on the data frame time. Third, the system addresses the electrophoretic display (10) based on the pixel data (72), the data frame time (74), and the blanking frame (80) to reduce vertical crosstalk.

Claims

1. A method of activating an electrophoretic display (10), the method comprising:

providing at least one data frame (70), the data frame including pixel data (72) and a data frame time (74);

determining a blanking frame (80) including a blanking frame time (84) based on the data frame time; and

addressing the electrophoretic display based on the pixel data, the data frame time, and the blanking frame,

wherein the blanking frame reduces vertical crosstalk.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the provided data frame comprises an image-dependent data frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the blanking frame time of the determined blanking frame is substantially equal to the data frame time of a preceding data frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrophoretic display is addressed by sequentially following each data frame with the determined blanking frame.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sequentially following blanking frame has a blanking frame time substantially equal to the data frame time of the preceding data frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrophoretic display is addressed by inserting the determined blanking frame between two adjacent data frames having different frame times.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrophoretic display is addressed by inserting at least one blanking frame sequentially after a plurality of adjacent data frames.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the blanking frame includes null pixel data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the null pixel data comprises an activation voltage less than an activation threshold value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the blanking frame is inserted at least once within a driving waveform (60).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data frame and the blanking frame based on the data frame are positioned after at least one shaking pulse in a preconditioning portion (76) of a driving waveform (60).

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the data frame time of the data frame to provide increased grayscale resolution.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

resetting the electrophoretic display to a predetermined optical state.

14. A system (12) for activating an electrophoretic display (10), the system comprising:

an electrophoretic pixel array (20) disposed on a backplane (32);

means for determining a blanking frame (80) including a blanking frame time (84) based on a data frame time (74) of a data frame (70); and

means for addressing the electrophoretic pixel array based on pixel data (72) of the data frame, the data frame time, and the blanking frame.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for providing at least one data frame, the data frame including pixel data and data frame time.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for adjusting the data frame time of the data frame to provide increased grayscale resolution.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for resetting the electrophoretic display to a predetermined optical state.

18. An electrophoretic display (10) comprising:

an electrophoretic pixel array (20) disposed on a backplane (32);

a row driver (40) electrically connected to a set of rows (44) of the electrophoretic pixel array;

a column driver (50) electrically connected to a set of columns (54) of the electrophoretic pixel array; and

a controller (30) electrically connected to the row driver and the column driver,

wherein the controller determines a blanking frame (80) including a blanking frame time (84) based on a data frame time (74) of at least one data frame (70); and

wherein the controller addresses the row driver and the column driver based on pixel data (72) of the data frame, the data frame time, and the blanking frame time to activate at least one electrophoretic pixel (22) in the electrophoretic pixel array.

19. The electrophoretic display of claim 19, wherein the electrophoretic pixel is activated by placing a predetermined charge (34) onto a pixel electrode (36) when the electrophoretic pixel is addressed by the row driver and the column driver.