FULL COLOR REFLECTIVE DISPLAY WITH MULTICHROMATIC SUB-PIXELS

• US 20080048970A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: E Ink Corporation (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: E Ink Corporation (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wilcox, Russell, Drzaic, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/926,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20080048970A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4076 printing on rewritable, bistable "electronic paper" by a focused electric or magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/026 based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1334 based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1678 characterised by the composition or particle type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/28 Adhesive materials or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/302 characterised by the form or geometrical disposition of the individual elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2074 using sub-pixels
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/462 Insulated gate field-effect transistors [IGFETs]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 19/00 Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one organic element specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching, covered by group H10K10/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/30 Coordination compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/60 Organic compounds having low molecular weight H10K85/10 - H10K85/50 take precedence

Abstract

A full color, reflective display having superior saturation and brightness is achieved with a novel display element comprising multichromatic elements. In one embodiment a capsule includes more than three species of particles which differ visually. On embodiment of the invention employs three sub-pixels, each sub-pixel comprising a capsules including three species of particles which differ visually. Another embodiment of the invention employs color filters to provide different visual states to the user. The display element provides a visual display in response to the application of an electrical signal to at least one of the capsules.

Claims

1. A color reflective electronic display comprising at least two microcells each containing at least two particles and not having any suspending fluid, the microcells being disposed adjacent a color filter.

2. A display according to claim 1 in combination with at least one electrode.

3. A display according to claim 2 having a plurality of electrodes arranged to drive the display using a passive matrix addressing scheme.

4. A display according to claim 2 further comprising at least one thin film transistor arranged to control the potential of the at least one electrode.

5. A display according to claim 4 further comprising a flexible substrate on which the thin film transistor is disposed.

6. A display according to claim 1 wherein the at least two microcells are formed by photolithography.

7. A display according to claim 1 wherein the at least two microcells are formed by embossing a plastic substrate.

8. An electrophoretic display element which is substantially hexagonal in shape and comprises at least two types of electrically charged particles bearing charges of opposite polarity.

9. An electrophoretic display element according to claim 8 in combination with at least one electrode.

10. An electrophoretic display element according to claim 9 having a plurality of electrodes arranged to drive the display using a passive matrix addressing scheme.

11. An electrophoretic display element according to claim 9 further comprising at least one thin film transistor arranged to control the potential of the at least one electrode.

12. A display according to claim 11 further comprising a flexible substrate on which the thin film transistor is disposed.

13. A color reflective electronic display comprising at least one pixel having a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein at least one of the sub-pixels is capable of displaying three colors.

14. A display according to claim 13 wherein said at least one sub-pixel comprises an electrophoretic medium comprising first and second types of electrically charged particles bearing charges of opposite polarity and differing in at least one optical characteristic.

15. A display according to claim 14 wherein said at least one sub-pixel has a viewing surface and is capable of being driven to a first optical state, in which the first type of particles are disposed adjacent the viewing surface and the second type of particles are disposed spaced from the viewing surface, a second optical state, in which the second type of particles are disposed adjacent the viewing surface and the first type of particles are disposed spaced from the viewing surface, and a third optical state in which both the first and second types of particles are disposed spaced from the viewing surface.

16. A display according to claim 15 wherein the first and second types of particles are disposed in a colored fluid, and the third optical state displays the color of the colored fluid.

17. A display according to claim 15 wherein said at least one sub-pixel further comprises a third type of particles, the third type of particles being substantially uncharged and differing from the first and second types of particles in at least one optical characteristic, and wherein the third optical state displays the optical characteristic of the third type of particles.

18. A display according to claim 15 wherein said at least one sub-pixel further comprises a colored member disposed on the opposed side of the sub-pixel from the viewing surface, and wherein the third optical state displays the optical characteristic of the colored member.