ELECTROPHORESIS DISPLAY

• US 20100134504A1
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: NAM, Seungseok, Lee, Chulkwon
• Granted Patent: US 8,797,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/536
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/16 Determination of a pixel data signal depending on the signal applied in the previous frame
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/18 Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165
• 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

An electrophoresis display is provided to reduce writing time of a memory. The electrophoresis display includes: an electrophoresis display panel; a first memory and a second memory for alternatively storing a previous state image and a current state image; and a controller sets the first digital data generated by the system as the current state image and stores it alternately in one of the first and second memories every cycle, keeps storing the first digital data previously stored in the other one of the first and second memories in it as the previous state image, compares the current state image and the previous state image, and generates second digital data to be displayed on the electrophoresis display panel by use of waveform information corresponding to the result of the comparison among the plurality of waveform information.

Claims

1. An electrophoresis display, comprising:

an electrophoresis display panel having a plurality of data lines and a plurality of gate lines which cross each other and a plurality of electrophoresis cells;

a first memory and a second memory for alternatively storing a previous state image and a current state image;

a system for sequentially generating first digital data every cycle;

a mode table for storing a plurality of waveform information; and

a controller which sets the first digital data generated by the system as the current state image and stores it alternately in one of the first and second memories every cycle, keeps storing the first digital data previously stored in the other one of the first and second memories in it as the previous state image, compares the current state image and the previous state image, and generates second digital data to be displayed on the electrophoresis display panel by use of waveform information corresponding to the result of the comparison among the plurality of waveform information.

2. The electrophoresis display of claim 1, wherein the cycle includes k frame periods.

3. The electrophoresis display of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a first memory control unit for writing and reading the first memory;

a second memory control unit for writing and reading the second memory;

a storage memory selection unit for alternately operating the first and second memory control units every cycle for the writing operation; and

a data generator for simultaneously receiving the current state image and the previous state image through the first and second memory control units, comparing the current state image and the previous state image, and generating the second digital data according to the result of the comparison.

4. The electrophoresis display of claim 3, wherein the cycle includes k frame periods, and the controller further comprises a frame counter for counting the number of frames and generating information of the number of frame periods,

wherein the storage memory selection unit alternately operates the first and second memory control units every k frame periods for the writing operation based on the information of the number of frame periods.

5. The electrophoresis display of claim 3, wherein the first memory control unit is operated during a writing period in a first cycle to set the first digital data generated by the system at the first cycle as the current state image and write the first digital data in the first memory;

and

the second memory control unit is operated during a writing period in a second cycle to set the first digital data generated by the system at the second cycle as the current state image and write the first digital data in the second memory.

6. The electrophoresis display of claim 5, wherein the first digital data stored in the second memory during the previous cycle right before the first cycle is re-set as the previous state image during the first cycle and then maintained in the second memory;

and

the first digital data stored in the first memory during the previous cycle right before the second cycle is re-set as the previous state image during the second cycle and then maintained in the first memory.

7. The electrophoresis display of claim 3, wherein the first and second memory control units are simultaneously operated during the reading period in all cycles and read out the first digital data stored in the first memory or the second memory, respectively.

8. The electrophoresis display of claim 3, wherein the controller further comprises a buffer unit for buffering a difference between the input timing of the first digital data from the system and the read and write timing of the first digital data of the first memory or the second memory

9. The electrophoresis display of claim 8, wherein the buffer unit includes a First In First Out (FIFO) buffer.

10. A display method for an electrophoresis display, which includes an electrophoresis display panel and a first memory and a second memory for alternatively storing a previous state image and a current state image, comprising:

sequentially generating first digital data every cycle;

setting the first digital data as the current state image and storing it alternately in one of the first and second memories every cycle;

keeping storing the first digital data previously stored in the other one of the first and second memories in it as the previous state image;

comparing the current state image and the previous state image; and

generating second digital data to be displayed on the electrophoresis display panel by use of waveform information corresponding to the result of the comparison.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the cycle includes k frame periods.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the cycle includes k frame periods, and the method further comprises:

counting the number of frames and generating information of the number of frame periods; and

alternatively operating the first and second memories every k frame periods for the writing operation based on the information of the number of frame periods.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first digital data generated at an first cycle is set as the current state image and written in the first memory during a writing period in the first cycle;

and

the first digital data generated at a second cycle is set as the current state image and written in the second memory during a writing period in the second cycle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first digital data stored in the second memory during the previous cycle right before the first cycle is re-set as the previous state image during the first cycle and then maintained in the second memory;

and

the first digital data stored in the first memory during the previous cycle right before the second cycle is re-set as the previous state image during the second cycle and then maintained in the first memory.