Electrophoretic driving method and display device

• US 8,704,754 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Machida, Yoshinori, Moriyama, Hiroaki, Yamamoto, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/906,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 345/107, 359/296
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• 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 driving device of a display medium that including first and second particle groups migrating independently due to a first voltage being imparted for a first time period, forming aggregates due to the first voltage being imparted for a second time period, and the aggregates migrating due to a second voltage being imparted. The driving device includes a voltage imparting section that: imparts a third voltage that moves, to a display substrate side, a greater-amount-needed particle group for gradation display, in an amount of a difference between particles of the first particle group and second particle group needed for the display; when the greater-amount-needed particle group has an opposite polarity to the aggregates, imparts a fourth voltage that moves the aggregates needed to the display substrate side; and when the polarities are same, imparts a fifth voltage that moves the aggregates not needed to a rear substrate side.

Claims

1. A driving device of a display medium that includes:

a display substrate that is light-transmissive;

a rear substrate that is disposed so as to face the display substrate with a gap therebetween;

electrodes including a front electrode that is disposed at the display substrate and is light-transmissive and a rear electrode that is disposed at the rear substrate;

a dispersion medium that is disposed between the front electrode and the rear electrode; and

two or more types of particle groups that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and that include a first particle group and a second particle group having different colors and charge polarities, the first particle group and the second particle group migrating independently of each other and away from each other due to a first potential difference being imparted between the electrodes for a first time period, the first particle group and the second particle group respectively adhering to a display substrate side and a rear electrode side of the display medium, the first particle group and the second particle group forming aggregates, that have an overall positive or negative charge, due to the first potential difference being imparted between the electrodes, with opposite polarity to the polarity of the first potential difference that causes the first particle group and the second particle group to migrate away from each other, for a second time period that is shorter than the first time period, wherein the aggregates are formed by grouping the first particle group and the second particle group together, the formed aggregates migrating together due to a second potential difference being imparted that is smaller than the first potential difference,

the driving device comprising a potential difference imparting section that;

imparts, between the electrodes, the first potential difference that forms the aggregates;

imparts, between the electrodes, a third potential difference that dissociates a portion of the first particle group and a portion of the second particle group from the formed aggregates and moves, to the display substrate side, a particle group corresponding to the portion of the first particle group or the portion of the second particle group for which a greater amount of particles is needed for a gradation display of a particular gradation, in an amount of a difference between an amount of particles of the first particle group and an amount of particles of the second particle group needed for the gradation display;

when the particle group for which a greater amount of particles is needed for the gradation display has an opposite polarity to the aggregates, the potential difference imparting section imparts, between the electrodes, a fourth potential difference that moves the particle group and an amount of the aggregates needed for the gradation display toward the display substrate side; and

when the particle group of which a greater amount of particles is needed for the gradation display has a same polarity as the aggregates, the potential difference imparting section imparts, between the electrodes, a fifth potential difference that moves the particle group and an amount of the aggregates not needed for the gradation display toward the rear substrate side.

2. The driving device of a display medium of claim 1, wherein the display medium has a third particle group that is dispersed in the dispersion medium, that at least migrates independently due to a sixth potential difference being imparted between the electrodes for the first time period, and whose aggregating force with respect to the first particle group and the second particle group is weaker than an aggregating force between the aggregates of the first particle group and the second particle group.

3. The driving device of a display medium of claim 2, wherein the potential difference imparting section causes the third particle group to migrate independently by imparting a seventh potential difference, that is greater than the sixth potential difference, for a third time period that is shorter than the first time period.

4. The driving device of a display medium of claim 2, wherein the third particle group has an opposite polarity to the aggregates.

5. The driving device of a display medium of claim 2, wherein

the first particle group and the second particle group are respectively made up of particles that can pass through between particles of the third particle group, and

the third particle group has higher responsiveness, with respect to a potential difference imparted between the electrodes, than the first particle group and the second particle group.

6. The driving device of a display medium of claim 2, wherein a particle diameter of particles of the third particle group is 10 or more times greater than a particle diameter of particles of the first particle group and a particle diameter of particles of the second particle group.

9. A display device comprising the display medium and the potential difference imparting section of claim 1.

7. A non-transitory medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a process of driving a display medium, the display medium including:

a display substrate that is light-transmissive;

a rear substrate that is disposed so as to face the display substrate with a gap therebetween;

electrodes including a front electrode that is disposed at the display substrate and is light-transmissive and a rear electrode that is disposed at the rear substrate;

a dispersion medium that is disposed between the front electrode and the rear electrode; and

two or more types of particle groups that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and that include a first particle group and a second particle group having different colors and charge polarities, the first particle group and the second particle group migrating independently of each other and away from each other due to a first potential difference being imparted between the electrodes for a first time period, the first particle group and the second particle group respectively adhering to a display substrate side and a rear electrode side of the display medium, the first particle group and the second particle group forming aggregates, that have an overall positive or negative charge, due to the first potential difference being imparted between the electrodes, with opposite polarity to the polarity of the first potential difference that causes the first particle group and the second particle group to migrate away from each other, for a second time period that is shorter than the first time period, wherein the aggregates are formed by grouping the first particle group and the second particle group together, the formed aggregates migrating together due to a second potential difference being imparted that is smaller than the first potential difference,

the process of driving comprising;

imparting, between the electrodes, the first potential difference that forms the aggregates;

imparting, between the electrodes, a third potential difference that dissociates a portion of the first particle group and a portion of the second particle group from the formed aggregates and moves, to the display substrate side, a particle group corresponding to the portion of the first particle group or the portion of the second particle group for which a greater amount of particles is needed for a gradation display of a particular gradation, in an amount of a difference between an amount of particles of the first particle group and an amount of particles of the second particle group needed for the gradation display;

when the particle group for which a greater amount of particles is needed for the gradation display has an opposite polarity to the aggregates, the driving imparting, between the electrodes, a fourth potential difference that moves the particle group and an amount of the aggregates needed for the gradation display toward the display substrate side; and

when the particle group of which a greater amount of particles is needed for the gradation display has a same polarity as the aggregates, the driving imparting, between the electrodes, a fifth potential difference that moves the particle group and an amount of the aggregates not needed for the gradation display toward the rear substrate side.

8. A method of driving a display medium, the display medium including:

a display substrate that is light-transmissive;

a rear substrate that is disposed so as to face the display substrate with a gap therebetween;

electrodes including a front electrode that is disposed at the display substrate and is light-transmissive and a rear electrode that is disposed at the rear substrate;

a dispersion medium that is disposed between the front electrode and the rear electrode; and

two or more types of particle groups that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and that include a first particle group and a second particle group having different colors and charge polarities, the first particle group and the second particle group migrating independently of each other and away from each other due to a first potential difference being imparted between the electrodes for a first time period, the first particle group and the second particle group respectively adhering to a display substrate side and a rear electrode side of the display medium, the first particle group and the second particle group forming aggregates, that have an overall positive or negative charge, due to the first potential difference being imparted between the electrodes, with opposite polarity to the polarity of the first potential difference that causes the first particle group and the second particle group to migrate away from each other, for a second time period that is shorter than the first time period, wherein the aggregates are formed by grouping the first particle group and the second particle group together, the formed aggregates migrating together due to a second potential difference being imparted that is smaller than the first potential difference,

the method comprising;

imparting, between the electrodes, the first potential difference that forms the aggregates;

imparting, between the electrodes, a third potential difference that dissociates a portion of the first particle group and a portion of the second particle group from the formed aggregates and moves, to the display substrate side, a particle group corresponding to the portion of the first particle group or the portion of the second particle group for which a greater amount of particles is needed for a gradation display of a particular gradation, in an amount of a difference between an amount of particles of the first particle group and an amount of particles of the second particle group needed for the gradation display;

when the particle group for which a greater amount of particles is needed for the gradation display has an opposite polarity to the aggregates, the driving imparting, between the electrodes, a fourth potential difference that moves the particle group and an amount of the aggregates needed for the gradation display toward the display substrate side; and

when the particle group of which a greater amount of particles is needed for the gradation display has a same polarity as the aggregates, the driving imparting, between the electrodes, a fifth potential difference that moves the particle group and an amount of the aggregates not needed for the gradation display toward the rear substrate side.