Method of driving electro-optical device and electronic apparatus

• US 7,535,449 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Element Capital Commercial Company Pte. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Miyazawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar; Vijay
• Application Number:
  US10/773,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20040201581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,926 Days
• Field of Search: 345 76-104, 345204-215, 345690-699
• US Class Current: 345/92
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0819 used for counteracting undesired variations, e.g. feedback or autozeroing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0852 being a dynamic memory with more than 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 2310/0224 Details of interlacing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0251 Precharge or discharge of pixel before applying new pixel voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0262 The addressing of the pixel, in a display other than an active matrix LCD, involving the control of two or more scan electrodes or two or more data electrodes, e.g. pixel voltage dependent on signals of two data electrodes
• 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 2320/043 Preventing or counteracting the effects of ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3233 with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element

Abstract

The invention provides a method of driving an electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus which are capable of reducing the time for writing data without providing special circuits. In the electro-optical device pixel circuits having reset transistors for controlling an electric connection between drains and gates of driving transistors between the drains and the gates of the driving transistors are arranged on a display panel in a matrix. The pixel circuits arranged in a matrix are electrically connected to a scanning line driving circuit via scanning lines. The scanning line driving circuit sequentially switches on the reset transistors from the pixel circuit connected to first scanning lines in accordance with scanning line control signals supplied from a control circuit and then lets organic EL elements emit light.

Claims

1. A method of driving electro-optical device having scanning lines, data lines, power lines and pixel circuits each of which includes an electro-scanning optical element and a driving transistor, the method comprising:

setting a potential of a controlling terminal of the driving transistor to a first voltage level, the setting of the potential of the controlling terminal to the first voltage level including electrically connecting one of a source and a drain to the controlling terminal during a first period;

setting the potential of the controlling terminal to a second voltage level by a capacitive coupling occurring at a capacitive element connected to the controlling terminal, the setting of the potential of the controlling terminal to the second voltage level including applying a data voltage to the capacitive element through one data line of the data lines and a switching transistor; and

supplying a driving current or driving voltage to the electro-optical element during a second period, the source and the drain being electrically disconnected from the controlling terminal of the driving transistor during at least part of the second period, the driving current or the driving voltage having a level corresponding to a conduction state of the driving transistor during a second period,

the electro-optical element being electrically connected to one power line of the power lines during a second period in which the supplying of the driving current or the driving voltage to the electro-optical element is carried out.

2. An electro-optical device using the method according to claim 1.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 2,

each of the power lines being disposed along a direction along which each of scanning lines extends.

4. The electro-optical device according to claim 2,

the power lines intersecting the data lines.

5. A method of driving an electro-optical device having scanning lines, data lines, and pixel circuits each of which includes an electro-optical element and a driving transistor, the method comprising:

setting a potential of a controlling terminal of the driving transistor to a first voltage level, the setting of the potential of the controlling terminal to the first voltage level including electrically connecting one of a source and a drain to the controlling terminal during a first period;

setting the potential of the controlling terminal to a second voltage level by using a capacitive coupling occurring at a capacitive element connected to the controlling terminal, the setting of the potential of the controlling terminal to the second voltage level including applying a data voltage to the capacitive element through one data line of the data lines and a switching transistor; and

supplying a driving current or a driving voltage to the electro-optical element during a second period, the source and the drain being electrically disconnected from the controlling terminal of the driving transistor during at least part of the second period, the driving current or the driving voltage having a level corresponding to a conduction state of the driving transistor.

6. The method according to claim 5,

the first voltage level being a voltage level the driving transistor in an off-state.

7. The method according to claim 5,

the pixel circuits including a plurality of group of pixel circuits each of which is disposed along one scanning line of the scanning lines, and

each of the plurality of groups of pixel circuits including electro-optical elements for an identical color.

8. The method according to claim 7,

each of the plurality of groups of pixel circuits including electro-optical elements that emit an identical color.

9. The method according to claim 5,

the electro-optical element being EL element.

10. An electronic apparatus using the method of driving the electro-optical device according to claim 5.

11. The method according to claim 5,

the switching transistor being included in each of the pixel circuits.

12. The method according to claim 5,

the electro-optical device further including power lines each of which disposed along a direction along which each of scanning lines extends.

13. The method according to claim 12,

the electro-optical element being electrically connected to one power line of the power lines through the driving transistor during the second period in which the supplying of the driving current or the driving voltage to the electro-optical element is carried out.

14. The method according to claim 5,

the conduction state of the driving transistor being set according to the second voltage level.

15. The method according to claim 5,

the electro-optical device further including power lines intersecting the data lines.