Device and method for driving electro-optical panel, electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus

• US 7,463,225 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Tokuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar; Vijay
• Application Number:
  US10/994,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 345 76-101, 345204-215, 345690-699
• US Class Current: 345/76
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0861 with additional control of the display period without amending the charge stored in a pixel memory, e.g. by means of additional select electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0205 Simultaneous scanning of several lines in flat panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0251 Precharge or discharge of pixel before applying new pixel voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0223 Compensation for problems related to R-C delay and attenuation in electrodes of matrix panels, e.g. in gate electrodes or on-substrate video signal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/325 the data current flowing through the driving transistor during a setting phase, e.g. by using a switch for connecting the driving transistor to the data driver

Abstract

To increase a current value of a source line at the time of current programming. A device for driving an electro-optical panel in which a plurality of pixels each have an electro-optical element and active element means for selectively supplying electric charge to the electro-optical element through a source line in response to a write selection signal. The driving device comprises: first driving means for simultaneously supplying the write selection signal to k rows of pixel units including an n-th row of pixel units through a write scanning line in a first period of a horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge in the n-th row of pixels, and for supplying the write selection signal to the n-th row of pixel units in a second period of the horizontal scanning period for storing electric charge; and a second driving means for simultaneously performing first electric charge supply on the k rows of pixel units arranged along any one of the source lines through the one source line in the first period, and for performing second electric charge supply on the n-th row of pixel units through the one source line in the second period.

Claims

1. A device for driving an active matrix electro-optical panel in which a plurality of pixels in an image display region each have an electro-optical element and active element means for actively controlling the electro-optical element to selectively supply electric charge to the electro-optical element through a source line in response to a write selection signal that selects a horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge in each row of pixel units, the driving device comprising:

first driving circuit for, in a first period of the horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge in an n-th row of pixel units (where, n is a natural number), simultaneously supplying the write selection signal to k rows of pixel units (where, k is a natural number greater than or equal to

     2) including the n-th row of pixel units through write scanning lines arranged to correspond to the respective rows of the pixel units, and for supplying the write selection signal to the n-th row of pixel units in a second period of the horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge; and

second driving circuit for simultaneously performing first electric charge supply on the k rows of pixel units arranged along any one of the source lines through the one source line in the first period, and for performing second electric charge supply on the n-th row of pixel units through the one source line in the second period,

wherein after the second period, the second electric charge is stored in the n-th row of pixel units and the first electric charge is stored in the k rows of pixel units other than the n-th row of pixel units.

2. The device for driving an electro-optical panel according to claim 1,

wherein, after the second period, the active element means supplies the electric charge to the electro-optical element belonging to the n-th row of pixel units according to the second electric charge supply in response to a display selection signal that selects the horizontal scanning period for displaying each row of pixel units, after the second period, the first driving circuit supplies the display selection signal to the n-th row of pixel units through a selection scanning line arranged to correspond to each row of pixel units, and

wherein the second driving circuit performs pseudo data signal supply as the first electric charge supply in the first period and performs the data signal supply to the n-th row of pixel units as the second electric charge supply in the second period.

3. The device for driving an electro-optical panel according to claim 2,

wherein, after the horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge in the k rows of pixel units is over, the first driving circuit supplies the display selection signal to the n-th row of pixel units included in the k rows of pixel units to select the horizontal scanning period for display.

4. The device for driving an electro-optical panel according to claim 2,

the active element means further comprising:

one or more first active elements for starting the first and second electric charge supplies in response to the write selection signal; and

one or more second active elements for supplying the electric charge to the electro-optical element belonging to the n-th row of pixel units according to the second electric charge supply in response to the display selection signal.

5. The device for driving an electro-optical panel according to claim 1, the plurality of pixels each further comprise a storage capacitor for storing the electric charge supplied by the second charge supply so as to define the amount of electric charge applied to the electro-optical element through some of the active element means, and

wherein, in the first and second periods, the second driving circuit performs the first and second electric charge supplies on the source lines and the storage capacitors, respectively.

6. The device for driving an electro-optical panel according to claim 5,

wherein, in the second period, the second driving circuit performs the second electric charge supply on the source lines and the storage capacitors to write a voltage corresponding to the data signal with respect to the n-th row of pixel units to the storage capacitor.

7. The device for driving an electro-optical panel according to claim 1,

wherein the k rows of pixel units include the n-th row of pixel units, an (n+1)-th row of pixel units, and an (n+2)-th row of pixel units.

8. An electro-optical device comprising the device for driving an electro-optical panel and the electro-optical panel according to claim 1.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 8.

10. A method of driving an active matrix electro-optical panel in which a plurality of pixels in an image display region each have an electro-optical element and active element means for actively controlling the electro-optical element to selectively supply electric charge to the electro-optical element through a source line in response to a write selection signal that selects a horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge in each row of pixel units, the method comprising:

a first driving step of, in a first period of the horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge in an n-th row of pixel units (where, n is a natural number), simultaneously supplying the write selection signal to k rows of pixel units (where, k is a natural number greater than or equal to

     2) including the n-th row of pixel units through write scanning lines arranged to correspond to the respective rows of the pixel units, and of supplying the write selection signal to the n-th row of pixel units in a second period of the horizontal scanning period for storing the electric charge; and

a second driving step of simultaneously performing first electric charge supply on the k rows of pixel units arranged along any one of the source lines through the one source line in the first period, and of performing second electric charge supply on the n-th row of pixel units through the one source line in the second period,

wherein after the second period, the second electric charge is stored in the n-th row of pixel units and the first electric charge is stored in the k rows of pixel units other than the n-th row of pixel units.