Electrophoresis device, method of driving electrophoresis device, and electronic apparatus

• US 7,612,760 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated, Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kawai, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu; Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHOU, HONG
• Application Number:
  US11/319,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20060181504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 345 84-107, 345/204, 345/210, 359/245, 359/249, 359/269, 359/296
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/063 Waveforms for resetting the whole screen at once
• 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 3/16 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

Abstract

An electrophoresis device includes a pair of substrates, a plurality of pixel electrodes, and a common electrode formed on the pair of substrates, a liquid material formed by dispersing charged particles sealed between the pair of substrates and a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the pixel electrodes and the common electrode to generate an electric field therebetween. When display image is changed, the driving circuit generates a first electric field between all the pixel electrodes and the common electrode to delete the image displayed by that time over the entire display region. Then, when new display image is written, the driving circuit generates a second electric field between the pixel electrodes corresponding to display and the common electrode, and generates a third electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes not corresponding to display.

Claims

1. An electrophoresis device comprising:

a pair of substrates;

a plurality of pixel electrodes and a common electrode respectively formed on the pair of substrates;

a liquid material obtained by dispersing charged particles sealed between the pair of substrates; and

a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the pixel electrodes and the common electrode to generate an electric field therebetween, the electrophoresis device performing display by moving the charged particles through the electric field generated by applying the voltage, wherein

the driving circuit is adapted to cause all of the pixel electrodes to have a first electric potential cause the common electrode to have a second electric potential, and thereby generate a first electric field between all the pixel electrodes and the common electrode to delete current image displayed over an entire display region when a display image is changed,

the driving circuit is adapted to cause the electric potential of the common electrode to change to a third electric potential, cause the electric potentials of the pixel electrodes corresponding to the display to change to a fourth electric potential, cause the electric potentials of the pixel electrodes not corresponding to the display to change to a fifth electric potential, and thereby generate a second electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes corresponding to display and generate a third electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes not corresponding to the display when new display image is to be depicted,

the direction of the first electric field is opposite to that of the second electric field,

the direction of the first electric field is the same as that of the third electric field,

the intensity of the second electric field is greater than that of the third electric field, and

the third electric potential is defined according to a maximum voltage shift of electric potential which occurs among the pixel electrodes when the first electric potential is applied to the pixel electrodes.

2. The electrophoresis device according to claim 1, wherein the relationship between the second electric field and the third electric field satisfies the following Formula 1:

the intensity of the third electric field ≦

(the intensity of the second electric field)/10 

 

[Formula 1].

3. The electrophoresis device according to claim 1, wherein the intensity of the third electric field is substantially zero.

4. The electrophoresis device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid material in which the charged particles are dispersed is filled into a microcapsule.

5. The electrophoresis device according to claim 1, wherein the charged particles are composed of a first electrophoresis particle charged with a first polarity and having a first color and a second electrophoresis particle charged with a second polarity and having a second color.

6. The electrophoresis device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of substrates are composed of flexible substrates.

7. An electronic apparatus having the electrophoresis device according to claim 1.

8. A method of driving an electrophoresis device comprising a pair of substrates, a plurality of pixel electrodes and a common electrode formed on the pair of substrates, a liquid material obtained by dispersing charged particles sealed between the pair of substrates, and a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the pixel electrodes and the common electrode to generate an electric field therebetween, the electrophoresis device performing display by moving the charged particles through the electric field generated by applying the voltage, the method comprising:

generating, when a display image is changed, a first electric field between all the pixel electrodes and the common electrode to delete current image displayed over an entire display region by causing all of the pixel electrodes to have a first electric potential, and causing the common electrode to have a second electric potential; and

generating a second electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes corresponding to display and a third electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes not corresponding to the display when new display image is written, by causing the electric potential of the common electrode to change to a third electric potential, causing the electric potentials of the pixel electrodes corresponding to the display to change to a fourth electric potential and causing the electric potentials of the pixel electrodes not corresponding to the display to change to a fifth electric potential;

wherein the direction of the first electric field is opposite to that of the second electric field,

the direction of the first electric field is the same as that of the third electric field,

the intensity of the second electric field is greater than that of the third electric field and

the third electric potential is defined according to a maximum voltage shift of electric potential which occurs among the pixel electrodes when the first electric potential is applied to the pixel electrodes.