Display device and electronic paper

• US 7,907,156 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Todorokihara, Masayoshi, Hirai, Eiju, Komatsu, Yuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang; Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ghafari; Sepideh
• Application Number:
  US12/021,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 345/83, 345/84.87, 345/88, 345/89, 345/107, 345/173, 345/690, 345/694
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/16756 Insulating layers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04146 using pressure sensitive conductive elements delivering a boolean signal and located between crossing sensing lines, e.g. located between X and Y sensing line layers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0814 used for selection purposes, e.g. logical AND for partial update
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• 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

A display device for an active matrix drive includes a plurality of pixels each having display retainability and including a first sub-pixel through an nth sub-pixel (n is a natural number greater than 1), a selection switching element provided correspondingly to each of the sub-pixels, connected to a data line, and for selecting the corresponding sub-pixel, and an external input switch provided correspondingly to each of the sub-pixels, connected to a selection line, and for supplying a signal from the selection line to the corresponding sub-pixel in response to an input operation from the outside. The selection line includes n kinds of selection lines, from a first selection line connected to the first sub-pixel to an nth selection line connected to the nth sub-pixel, and the n kinds of selection lines are connected to selection switches for one of selecting the selection lines individually and selecting two or more of the selection lines in a lump.

Claims

1. A display device for an active matrix drive, comprising:

a plurality of pixels each having display retainability and including a first sub-pixel through an nth sub-pixel, n being a natural number greater than 1;

a selection switching element provided correspondingly to each of the sub-pixels, connected to a data line, and for selecting the corresponding sub-pixel; and

an external input switch provided correspondingly to each of the sub-pixels, connected to a selection line, and for supplying a signal from the selection line to the corresponding sub-pixel in response to an input operation from the outside,

wherein the selection line includes n kinds of selection lines, from a first selection line connected to the first sub-pixel to an nth selection line connected to the nth sub-pixel, and

the n kinds of selection lines are connected to selection switches for one of selecting the selection lines individually and selecting two or more of the selection lines in a lump.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the sub-pixels display different colors from each other.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the external input switch is a pressure-sensitive switching element.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the pressure-sensitive switching element is a microelectromechanical switch.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the selection switch is a pressure-sensitive switching element.

6. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the display device has a microcapsule encapsulating an electrophoretic dispersion liquid held between a pair of substrates, and a protective film attached to an outer surface of a display side substrate out of the pair of substrates.

7. An electronic paper comprising a display device according to claim 1.