MULTICOLOR DISPLAY ARCHITECTURE USING ENHANCED DARK STATE

• US 20100165448A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Corporation (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SiPix Imaging, Inc. (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sprague, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/296
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1681 having two or more microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. of microcup type

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an alternative design of a multicolor display. The display device is capable of achieving high quality black and white states. The pixel electrodes and the microcups in the display device may be aligned only in one axis. In practice, a standard active matrix array may be used to drive the display device.

Claims

1. A multi-color display device comprising a plurality of Microcups, wherein

a) said microcups are separated by partition walls,

b) each of said microcups is filled with a display fluid comprising white charged pigment particles dispersed in a solvent of a dark color,

c) said microcups are sandwiched between a first layer and a second layer wherein said first layer comprises a common electrode and said second layer comprises a plurality of pixel electrodes, and

d) each of said microcups is capable of displaying a white color state, a dark color state and a medium color state.

2. The multi-color display device of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer of a dark color or a color complementary to the color of the solvent.

3. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the partition walls is of a dark color or a color complementary to the color of the solvent.

4. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein said partition walls are of a black or dark color.

5. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein the reflectance of the medium color state achieved by driving the white charged pigment particles to an area between the common electrode and the pixel electrode in the microcup has at least five times the reflectance of the dark color state.

6. The multi-color display device of claim 5, wherein the reflectance of the medium color state is at least ten times the reflectance of the dark color state.

7. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein said dark color of the solvent is dark red, dark green or dark blue.

8. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein no more than 10% of the light is reflected at the peak transmission of the dark color state.

9. The multi-color display device of claim 8, wherein no more than 3% of the light is reflected at the peak transmission of the dark color state.

10. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein said microcups and said pixel electrodes are aligned.

11. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein said microcups and said pixel electrodes are aligned only in one axis.

12. The multi-color display device of claim 1, wherein each microcup represents a sub-pixel and three sub-pixels form a pixel.

13. The multi-color display device of claim 1, further comprising an active matrix driving system.

14. A multi-color display device comprising a plurality of microcups, wherein

a) each of said microcups is filled with a display fluid comprising black and white charged particles carrying charges of opposite polarities and dispersed in a clear and colored solvent;

b) said microcups are sandwiched between a first layer and a second layer wherein said first layer comprises a common electrode and said second layer comprises a plurality of pixel electrodes; and

c) each of said microcups is capable of achieving a white state, a black state and a color state.

15. The multi-color display device of claim 14, wherein said colored solvent is red, green or blue respectively.

16. The multi-color display device of claim 14, wherein said microcups and said pixel electrodes are aligned.

17. The multi-color display device of claim 14, wherein said microcups and said pixel electrodes are aligned only in one axis.

18. The multi-color display device of claim 14, wherein the color state achieved by driving both the white and black charged pigment particles to an area between the common electrode and the pixel electrode has a reflectance at least five times the reflectance of the black state.

19. The multi-color display device of claim 14, wherein each microcup represents a sub-pixel and three sub-pixels form a pixel.

20. The multi-color display device of claim 14, further comprising an active matrix driving system.