Liquid crystal apparatus

• US 5,506,601 A
• Filed: 03/31/1994
• Issued: 04/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsuboyama, Akira, Inoue, Hiroshi, Mizutome, Atsushi, Taniguchi, Osamu, Onitsuka, Yoshihiro, Mihara, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US08/220,572
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 345/89, 345/94, 345/97, 345/98, 345/99, 345/100, 345/103, 359/55, 359/56, 359/87
• US Class Current: 345/103
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134336 Matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0227 related to multiple interlacing, i.e. involving more fields than just one odd field and one even field
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/06 Details of flat display driving waveforms
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/061 for resetting or blanking
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/065 Waveforms comprising zero voltage phase or pause
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2074 using sub-pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3607 for displaying colours or for displaying grey scales with a specific pixel layout, e.g. using sub-pixels display of colours in flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; grey scales specific for television H04N3/127
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3629 using liquid crystals having memory effects, e.g. ferroelectric liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/364 with use of subpixels

Abstract

A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of scanning electrodes and data electrodes, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal; and b) a driving means. The driving means includes a first drive means for applying a scanning selection signal two or more scanning electrodes apart in one vertical scanning so at to effect in one picture scanning in plural times of vertical scanning, and a second drive means for applying data signals in synchronism with the scanning selection signal.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

(a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of a group of horizontal scanning electrodes and a group of vertical data electrodes, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal, said data electrodes being formed in at least two different electrode widths; and

(b) driving means including first drive means for sequentially applying, in one vertical scanning, a scanning selection signal to successively select scanning electrodes which are two or more scanning electrodes apart and for effecting one picture scanning by scanning said group of scanning electrodes in at least seven vertical scannings, and a second drive means for applying data signals to said group of data electrodes in synchronism with the scanning selection signal,

wherein, during a latter one of two consecutive vertical scannings, the scanning selection signal is applied to scanning electrodes which are not adjacent to scanning electrodes to which the scanning selection signal was applied in a former one of the two consecutive vertical scannings.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first drive means comprises means for applying the scanning selection signal to scanning electrodes which are 4 or more scanning electrodes apart in one vertical scanning.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least two different electrode widths provide width ratios of 1:

2;

4;

. . . ;

2^n-1, where n is an integer equal to at least two.

4. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

(a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of a group of horizontal scanning electrodes and a group of vertical data electrodes, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal, said data electrodes being formed in at least two different electrode widths;

(b) a first driver for sequentially applying, in one vertical scanning, a scanning selection signal to successively select scanning electrodes which are two or more scanning electrodes apart and for effecting one picture scanning by scanning said group of scanning electrodes in at least seven vertical scannings; and

(c) a second driver for applying data signals to said group of data electrodes in synchronism with the scanning selection signal,

wherein, during a latter one of two consecutive vertical scannings, the scanning selection signal is applied to scanning electrodes which are not adjacent to scanning electrodes to which the scanning selection signal was applied in a former one of the two consecutive vertical scannings.

5. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

(a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of a group of horizontal scanning electrodes and a group of vertical data electrodes, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal, said data electrodes being formed in at least two different electrode widths; and

(b) driving means including first drive means for sequentially applying, in one vertical scanning, a scanning selection signal to successively select scanning electrodes which are two or more scanning electrodes apart and for effecting one picture scanning by scanning said group of scanning electrodes in at least five vertical scannings, and a second drive means for applying data signals to said group of data electrodes in synchronism with the scanning selection signal,

wherein, during a latter one of two consecutive vertical scannings, the scanning selection signal is applied to scanning electrodes which are not adjacent to scanning electrodes to which the scanning selection signal was applied in a former one of the two consecutive vertical scannings.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first drive means comprises means for applying the scanning selection signal to scanning electrodes which are 4 or more scanning electrodes apart in one vertical scanning.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said at least two different electrode widths provide width ratios of 1:

2;

4;

. . . ;

2^n-1, where n is an integer equal to at least two.

8. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

(a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of a group of horizontal scanning electrodes and a group of vertical data electrodes, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal, said data electrodes being formed in at least two different electrode widths;

(b) a first driver for sequentially applying, in one vertical scanning, a scanning selection signal to successively select scanning electrodes which are two or more scanning electrodes apart and for effecting one picture scanning by scanning said group of scanning electrodes in at least five vertical scannings; and

(c) a second driver for applying data signals to said group of data electrodes in synchronism with the scanning selection signal,

wherein, during a latter one of two consecutive vertical scannings, the scanning selection signal is applied to scanning electrodes which are not adjacent to scanning electrodes to which the scanning selection signal was applied in a former one of the two consecutive vertical scannings.