DRIVE CONTROL APPARATUS AND DRIVE CONTROL METHOD FOR ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAY UNIT, ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAY DEVICE, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20110187756A1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: ONO, Takuya
• Application Number:
  US13/009,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20110187756A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• 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 3/34 by control of light from an independent source
• 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: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

Provided is a drive control apparatus for an electrophoretic display unit which performs drive control on the electrophoretic display unit. If a writing request of a new display image to be displayed on the electrophoretic display unit is detected, before a voltage of a pixel electrode for each pixel, and a common electrode is controlled to have a voltage corresponding to the new display image, a display change preprocessing portion controls the pixel electrode and the common electrode for the pixel displaying the black color to have an equal potential.

Claims

1. A drive control apparatus for an electrophoretic display unit performing drive control on the electrophoretic display unit which includes a plurality of pixels which are configured by placing electrophoretic elements storing electrophoretic particles between pixel electrodes and a common electrode opposite to the pixel electrodes, and which displays an image by determining a gradation to be displayed at each of the plurality of pixels in accordance with a voltage applied to the pixel electrodes and the common electrode, the drive control apparatus comprising:

a display change preprocessing portion that, if a writing request of the display image to be displayed on the electrophoretic display unit is detected, controls the pixel electrodes and the common electrode for at least a part of the plurality of pixels to have an equal potential before the voltage of the pixel electrode and the common electrode for each of the plurality of pixels, is controlled to have a voltage corresponding to the display image having a writing request.

2. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels have at least a first gradation as each display, and

the display change preprocessing portion controls the pixel electrode and the common electrode of the pixel, which becomes the first gradation, to have an equal potential in the display image having a writing request.

3. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pixels has at least a first gradation, and first electrophoretic particles for displaying the first gradation is negatively or positively charged;

and

the display change preprocessing portion controls a first pixel electrode and the common electrode of a first pixel, which becomes the first gradation, in the display image having a writing request, among each of the plurality of pixels, to have an equal potential, and controls a second pixel electrode and the common electrode of a second pixel, which becomes a second gradation different from the first gradation, in the display image having a writing request, to have a voltage corresponding to the gradation displayed on the display image having a writing request.

4. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage of the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each of the plurality of pixels is respectively controlled to have any one of two kinds of the predetermined voltage values to control each display of the plurality of pixels with the gradation according to the image to be displayed;

and

the display change preprocessing portion sets the voltage of the plurality of pixel electrodes and the voltage of the common electrode to any one of two kinds of the voltage values to control the pixel electrode and the common electrode to have the equal potential.

5. The drive control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage of the pixel electrode of each pixel is set to any one of two kinds of the predetermined voltage values, and the voltage of the common electrode is set to have an intermediate potential which is a voltage value between two kinds of the voltage values, thereby controlling each display of the plurality of pixels with the gradation according to the image to be displayed;

and

the display change preprocessing portion sets the voltage of the pixel electrodes and the voltage of the common electrode to the intermediate potential to control the pixel electrode and the common electrode to have the equal potential.

6. An electrophoretic display device comprising the electrophoretic display unit according to claim 1, and a drive control device for the electrophoretic display unit.

7. An electrophoretic display device comprising the electrophoretic display unit according to claim 2, and a drive control device for the electrophoretic display unit.

8. An electrophoretic display device comprising the electrophoretic display unit according to claim 3, and a drive control device for the electrophoretic display unit.

9. An electrophoretic display device comprising the electrophoretic display unit according to claim 4, and a drive control device for the electrophoretic display unit.

10. An electrophoretic display device comprising the electrophoretic display unit according to claim 5, and a drive control device for the electrophoretic display unit.

11. An electronic apparatus comprising the electrophoretic display device according to claim 6.

12. An electronic apparatus comprising the electrophoretic display device according to claim 7.

13. An electronic apparatus comprising the electrophoretic display device according to claim 8.

14. An electronic apparatus comprising the electrophoretic display device according to claim 9.

15. An electronic apparatus comprising the electrophoretic display device according to claim 10.

16. A drive control method for an electrophoretic display unit which includes a plurality of pixels configured by placing electrophoretic elements having a storage container storing first electrophoretic particles corresponding to at least a first gradation and including charged particles, between pixel electrodes and a common electrode opposite to the pixel electrodes, and which displays an image by determining each gradation of the plurality of pixels in accordance with a voltage applied to the pixel electrodes and the common electrode,

wherein if a writing request of the display image to be displayed on the electrophoretic display unit is detected, before the voltage of plurality of the pixel electrodes and the common electrode for the plurality of pixels, is controlled to have a voltage corresponding to the display image having a writing request, in each of the plurality of pixels, a potential difference between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes which become the first gradation in the display image having a writing request is set to a potential difference, which can float the first electrophoretic particles including the charged particles away from a wall surface of the storage container of the electrophoretic element, during a predetermined reset period.