Display apparatus having a display region and a non-display region

• US 5,526,015 A
• Filed: 04/25/1994
• Issued: 06/11/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsuboyama, Akira, Inoue, Hiroshi, Ooki, Akiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Application Number:
  US08/232,584
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 350/331 R, 350/331 T, 350/333, 350/350, 350/336, 345/94-97
• US Class Current: 345/97
• 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 2310/0232 Special driving of display border areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/06 Details of flat display driving waveforms
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/063 Waveforms for resetting the whole screen at once
• 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 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3629 using liquid crystals having memory effects, e.g. ferroelectric liquid crystals

Abstract

A display apparatus includes: (a) a liquid crystal device comprising scanning electrodes, data electrodes and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the scanning electrodes and data electrodes, the scanning electrodes and data electrodes being disposed to intersect each other so as to form an electrode matrix and provide a display surface covering the electrode matrix, (b) first means for applying a scanning selection signal to the scanning electrodes and applying data signals to the data electrodes in synchronism with the scanning selection signal, and (c) second means for dividing the display surface into an effective display region and a non-display region and controlling the first means so as to apply a scanning selection signal to a scanning electrode covered by the non-display region in a shorter cycle than the application of a scanning selection signal to scanning electrodes covered by the effective display region.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

(a) a liquid crystal device comprising scanning electrodes, data electrodes and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between said scanning electrodes and data electrodes, said scanning electrodes and data electrodes being disposed to intersect each other so as to form an electrode matrix comprising a pixel at each intersection of said scanning electrodes and said data electrodes and to provide a display surface having an effective display region including a total of M scanning electrodes for use as display-scanning electrodes and a region not displaying an image including at least one non-display-scanning electrode which has a total area larger than that of one display-scanning electrode;

(b) first means for applying a scanning selection signal to said scanning electrodes and applying data signals to said data electrodes in synchronism with the scanning selection signal;

(c) second means for controlling said first means so as to apply a scanning selection signal to said display-scanning electrodes in the display region in such a manner that a scanning selection signal is applied to said display-scanning electrodes N electrodes apart, where N;

an integer of 3 or more, in one scanning operation and applied to all said M display-scanning electrodes included by the display region in N+1 times of the one scanning operation, and to apply a voltage signal pulse for providing a single display state regardless of any data signals applied through the data electrodes to said at least one non-display-scanning electrode included by the region not displaying an image so as to simultaneously cause the pixels on said at least one non-display-scanning electrode to assume the single display state in the one scanning operation during which the scanning selection signal is applied to less than M/(N+1) scanning electrodes in the display region.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage signal pulse is applied to said one scanning electrode included by the region not displaying an image in a cycle during which the scanning selection signal is applied to M/2(N+1) or less scanning electrodes in the display region.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said one scanning electrode included by the region not displaying an image is disposed outside said scanning electrodes included by the display region and is set to have a larger width than a scanning electrode included by the display region.

4. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second means applies the voltage signal pulse to said at least one non-display-scanning electrode at least two times in the one scanning operation.

5. A display apparatus comprising:

(a) a display panel comprising scanning electrodes and data electrodes disposed to intersect said scanning electrodes so as to form a pixel at each intersection, and including a display region comprising a plurality of the pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns and a marginal region not displaying an image disposed outside the display region and constituted by at least one third electrode which is disposed in parallel with said scanning electrodes, intersects with said data electrodes to form a pixel at each intersection, and has a total area larger than that of one scanning electrode;

(b) first drive means for applying a scanning selection signal to said scanning electrodes in a total number of M corresponding to the display region in such a manner that a scanning selection signal is applied to said scanning electrodes N electrodes apart, where N;

an integer of 3 or more, in one scanning operation and applied to all said M electrodes in the display region in N+1 times of the one scanning operation, and applying a voltage signal for providing a single display state regardless of any data signals applied through the data electrodes to said at least one third electrode corresponding to the marginal region not displaying an image so as to simultaneously cause the pixels on said at least one third electrode to assume the single display state in the one scanning operation during which the scanning selection signal is applied to a prescribed number of less than M/(N+1) scanning electrodes in the display region;

(c) second drive means for applying data signals to said data electrodes so as to display an image in the display region and display either one of a bright state and a dark state in the marginal region not displaying an image; and

(d) control means for controlling said first and second drive means so that the prescribed number of less than M is increased corresponding to an increase in environmental temperature.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said display panel includes a liquid crystal disposed between said scanning electrodes and data electrodes.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said liquid crystal comprises a ferroelectric liquid crystal.

8. A display apparatus comprising:

(a) a display panel comprising first electrodes and second electrodes disposed to intersect said first electrodes so as to form pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each pixel being formed at an intersection of said first electrodes and said second electrodes;

(b) first electrode drive means for supplying a scanning signal to said first electrodes;

(c) second electrode drive means for supplying data signals to said second electrodes in synchronism with the scanning signal; and

(d) control means for controlling said first electrode drive means and said second electrode drive means so that;

the pixels are divided to form a display region and a region not displaying an image outside the display region, the pixels in the region not displaying an image outside the display region having a total area which is larger than that of the pixels on one of said first electrodes,

a scanning signal is applied to said first electrodes constituting the display region and a voltage signal is applied to at least one of said first electrodes constituting the region not displaying an image so as to form an image corresponding to given image data in the display region and form either one of a bright state and a dark state in the region not displaying an image, and

a scanning selection signal is applied to said first electrodes in a total number of M corresponding to the display region in such a manner that a scanning selection signal is applied to said first electrodes N electrodes apart, where N;

an integer of 3 or more, in one scanning operation and applied to all said M electrodes in the display region in N+1 times of the one scanning operation, and a voltage signal pulse for providing a single display state regardless of any data signals applied through the data electrodes is applied to said at least one first electrode corresponding to the region not displaying an image in the one scanning operation during which the scanning selection signal is applied to a prescribed number less than M/(N+1) first electrodes in the display region, and

the voltage signal is applied to said at least one first electrode constituting the region not displaying an image each time after the scanning signal is applied to prescribed number of said first electrodes constituting the display region and the prescribed number is changed corresponding to a change in environmental temperature.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said display panel comprises a liquid crystal disposed between said first electrodes and second electrodes.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said liquid crystal comprises a ferroelectric liquid crystal.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said prescribed number of said first electrodes is increased corresponding to an increase in environmental temperature.

12. A display apparatus, comprising:

(a) a liquid crystal device comprising scanning electrodes, data electrodes and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between said scanning electrodes and data electrodes, said scanning electrodes and data electrodes being disposed to intersect each other so as to form an electrode matrix comprising a pixel at each intersection of said scanning electrodes and said data electrodes and to provide a display surface including said electrode matrix;

(b) first means for applying a scanning selection signal to said scanning electrodes and applying data signals to said data electrodes in synchronism with the scanning selection signal;

(c) second means for defining an effective display region including a total of M scanning electrodes and a region not displaying an image including at least one of said scanning electrodes, said at least one scanning electrodes in the region not displaying an image having a total area which is larger than that of one said M scanning electrodes in the display region; and

(d) third means for controlling said first means so as to apply a scanning selection signal to said scanning electrodes in the display region in such a manner that a scanning selection signal is applied to said scanning electrodes N electrodes apart, where N;

an integer of 3 or more, in one scanning operation and applied to all said M scanning electrodes included by the display region in N+1 times of the one scanning operation, and to apply a voltage signal pulse for providing a single display state regardless of any data signals applied through the data electrodes to said at least one scanning electrode included by the region not displaying an image so as to simultaneously cause the pixels on said at least one scanning electrode included by the region not displaying an image to assume the single display state in the one scanning operation during which the scanning selection signal is applied to less than M/(N+1) scanning electrodes in the display region.