Electronic circuit, electronic device, method of driving electronic device, electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus

• US 8,144,081 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Miyazawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US11/466,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20070040104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• Field of Search: 345/76, 345/77, 345/205, 345/690, 345/211, 345/39, 345/82
• US Class Current: 345/39
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/303 the loading circuit of an amplifying stage comprising a diode or diode coupled transistor
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/08 controlled by light

Abstract

An electronic device includes a plurality of first wiring lines, a plurality of second wiring lines that intersect the plurality of first wiring lines, a plurality of unit circuits that are disposed so as to correspond to intersections between the plurality of first wiring lines and the plurality of second wiring lines, and a plurality of reference signal lines that supply reference signals to the plurality of unit circuits. Each of the plurality of unit circuits has a driven element that is driven by a driving voltage or a driving current, a driving unit that supplies the driving voltage or the driving current to the driven element, a switching element that controls electrical connection between an input terminal provided in the driving unit and one of the plurality of second wiring lines, and a capacitor element that has a first electrode connected to the input terminal and a second electrode connected to one of the plurality of reference signal lines, and accumulates a charge between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a signal line;

a unit circuit coupled to the signal line;

a voltage supply line; and

a voltage control circuit that sets a voltage of the voltage supply lines at any of a plurality of voltage values,

the unit circuit having;

a driving transistor that has a control terminal, a first terminal, and a second terminal coupled to the voltage supply line, a conductive state between the first terminal and the second terminal being set according to a voltage of the control terminal,

a driven element,

a first switching element that controls an electrical connection between the control terminal of the driving transistor and one of the first terminal and the second terminal,

a capacitor element that has a dielectric provided between a first electrode and a second electrode,

the first electrode being coupled to the control terminal of the driving transistor,

the second electrode being directly connected to the signal line,

a level of at least one of a driving current and a driving voltage that are supplied to the driven element being set according to the conductive state between the first terminal and the second terminal,

the control terminal of the driving transistor and one of the first terminal and the second terminal being electrically connected to each other through the first switching element in a first period,

a data signal being supplied to the second electrode through the signal line in the first period,

a control signal that temporally varies in a second period being supplied to the second electrode in the second period,

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a first voltage having a potential lower than the first terminal in at least a portion of the first period, and

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a second voltage having a potential higher than the first terminal in at least a portion of the second period.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1,

the first electrode being in a floating state in at least a portion of the second period.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1,

the first switching element being a switching transistor, and

the transistors included in the unit circuits corresponding to the driving transistor and the switching transistor.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1,

the driven element being driven when the voltage of the first terminal is greater than a predetermined voltage, and

the first voltage being determined such that the voltage of the first terminal becomes smaller than the predetermined voltage in a writing period.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1,

the unit circuit further having a first reset unit that sets the voltage of the first terminal to the predetermined voltage.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5,

the first reset unit having a second switching element that electrically connects the first terminal and the voltage supply line in an initialization period, and

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to the second voltage in the initialization period.

7. The electronic device according to claim 5,

the first reset unit having a second switching element that electrically connects the first terminal and a power line supplied with a constant voltage in an initialization period, and

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to the first voltage in the initialization period.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1,

the unit circuit further having a second reset unit that sets a voltage of the control terminal of the driving transistor to a predetermined voltage.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8,

the second reset unit having a third switching element that electrically connects the control terminal and the voltage supply line in the initialization period, and

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to the second voltage in the initialization period.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising the electronic device according to claim 1.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1,

the driving transistor of the unit circuit being a driving unit comprising an inverter formed from two transistors, one of the transistors having the control terminal, the first terminal, and the second terminal coupled to the voltage supply line.

12. An electronic circuit that drives a driven element, comprising:

a signal lines;

a unit circuit coupled to the signal;

a voltage supply lines; and

a voltage control circuit that sets a voltage of the voltage supply lines at any of a plurality of voltage values,

the unit circuit having;

a driving transistor that has a control terminal, a first terminal, and a second terminal coupled to the voltage supply line, a conductive state between the first terminal and the second terminal being set according to a voltage of the control terminal,

a first switching element that controls an electrical connection between the control terminal of the driving transistor and one of the first terminal and the second terminal,

a capacitor element that has a dielectric provided between a first electrode and a second electrode,

the first electrode being coupled to the control terminal of the driving transistor,

the second electrode being directly connected to the signal line,

a level of at least one of a driving current and a driving voltage that are supplied to the driven element being set according to the conductive state between the first terminal and the second terminal,

the control terminal of the driving transistor and one of the first terminal and the second terminal being electrically connected to each other through the first switching element in a first period,

a data signal being supplied to the second electrode through the signal line in the first period,

a control signal that temporally varies in a second period being supplied to the second electrode in the second period,

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a first voltage having a potential lower than the first terminal in at least a portion of the first period, and

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a second voltage having a potential higher than the first terminal in at least a portion of the second period.

13. An electro-optical device comprising:

a signal lines;

a unit circuit coupled to the signal;

a voltage supply line; and

a voltage control circuit that sets a voltage of the voltage supply lines at any of a plurality of voltage values,

the unit circuit having;

a driving transistor that has a control terminal, a first terminal, and a second terminal coupled to the voltage supply line, a conductive state between the first terminal and the second terminal being set according to a voltage of the control terminal,

an electro-optical element,

a first switching element that controls electrical connection between the control terminal of the driving transistor and one of the first terminal and the second terminal,

a capacitor element that has a dielectric provided between a first electrode and a second electrode,

the first electrode being coupled to the control terminal of the driving transistor,

the second electrode being directly connected to the signal line,

a level of at least one of a driving current and a driving voltage that are supplied to the electro-optical element being set according to the conductive state between the first terminal and the second terminal,

the control terminal of the driving transistor and one of the first terminal and the second terminal being electrically connected to each other through the first switching element in a first period,

a data signal being supplied to the second electrode through the signal line in the first period,

a control signal that temporally varies in a second period being supplied to the second electrode in the second period,

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a first voltage having a potential lower than the first terminal in at least a portion of the first period, and

the voltage control circuit setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a second voltage having a potential higher than the first terminal in at least a portion of the second period.

14. A method of driving an electronic device, the electronic device including a voltage control circuit and a unit circuit which includes a driven element, a driving transistor that has a control terminal, a first terminal, and a second terminal coupled to a voltage supply line, a conductive state between the first terminal and the second terminal being set according to a voltage of the control terminal, the voltage control circuit setting a voltage of the voltage supply line at any of a plurality of voltage values, and a capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode being coupled to the control terminal of the driving transistor and the second electrode being directly connected to a signal line, the method comprising:

causing one of the first terminal and the second terminal to be electrically connected to the control terminal of the driving transistor in a first period;

supplying a data signal to the second electrode through the signal line in the first period;

setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a first voltage having a potential lower than the first terminal in at least a portion of the first period;

supplying a control signal varying temporally in a second period to the second electrode, in the second period; and

setting the voltage of the voltage supply line to a second voltage having a potential higher than the first terminal in at least a portion of the second period.