Color display device

• US 8,717,664 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SiPix Imaging, Inc. (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wang, Ming, Li, Yu, Du, Hui, Zhang, Xiaojia
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Application Number:
  US13/633,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 359/296, 359/253, 359/452, 345105-107, 252/500, 252/586, 204/450, 204/483, 204/600
• US Class Current: 359/296
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1685 Operation of cells; Circuit arrangements affecting the entire cell
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1678 characterised by the composition or particle type

Abstract

The present invention provides a solution for a highlight or multicolor display device, in which each display cell can display high quality color states. More specifically, an electrophoretic fluid is provided which comprises three types of pigment particles, having different levels of size, threshold voltage or charge intensity.

Claims

1. An electrophoretic fluid comprising a first type of pigment particles, a second type of pigment particles and a third type of pigment particles, all of which are dispersed in a solvent or solvent mixture, wherein:

(a) the first type of pigment particles and the second type of pigment particles carry opposite charge polarities;

(b) the third type of pigment particles has a charge level being less than about 50% of the charge level of the first type or the second type of pigment particles; and

(c) the three types of pigment particles have different levels of threshold voltage, or different levels of mobility, or both.

2. The fluid of claim 1, wherein the first type of pigment particles and the second type of pigment particles are of the black and white colors, respectively.

3. The fluid of claim 1, wherein the third type of pigment particles is non-white and non-black.

4. The fluid of claim 3, wherein the third type of pigment particles is of a color selected from the group consisting red, green and blue.

5. The fluid of claim 1, wherein the three types of pigment particles have different levels of threshold voltage.

6. The fluid of claim 5, wherein one of the first type and the second type of pigment particles has a threshold voltage.

7. The fluid of claim 6, wherein the third type of pigment particles is larger than the first or the second type of pigment particles.

8. The fluid of claim 7, wherein the third type of pigment particles is about 2 to about 50 times larger than the first or second type of pigment particles.

9. The fluid of claim 6, wherein the third type of pigment particles carries the same charge polarity as one of the first and second types of pigment particles which has a threshold voltage.

10. The fluid of claim 1, wherein the three types of pigment particles have different levels of mobility.

11. The fluid of claim 10, wherein charge intensity of the first type of pigment particles is at least about 2 times charge intensity of the second type of pigment particles, and charge intensity of the third type of pigment particles is about 50% less than the charge intensity of the second type of pigment particles.

12. The fluid of claim 11, wherein the third type of pigment particles is larger than the first or the second type of pigment particles.

13. The fluid of claim 12, wherein the third type of pigment particles is about 2 to about 50 times larger than the first or second type of pigment particles.

14. A device comprising display cells filled with the fluid of claim 1, wherein the display cells are sandwiched between a common electrode layer and a layer of pixel electrodes.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the display cells are microcups.

16. The display device of claim 14, wherein the display cells are microcapsules.

17. The display device of claim 14, wherein the display cells are aligned with the pixel electrodes.

18. The display device of claim 14, wherein the display cells are not aligned with the pixel electrodes.

19. The display device of claim 14, wherein the third type of pigment particles is of the same color in all display cells.

20. The display device of claim 14, wherein the third type of pigment particles is of different colors in display cells.

21. The display device of claim 14, which is driven by a voltage potential difference between the common electrode layer and a pixel electrode.

22. The display device of claim 21, wherein at least three different levels of voltage potential difference are applied to the common electrode layer and the pixel electrode.