Method and device for reducing effect of polarity inversion in driving display

• US 8,836,681 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parmar, Manu, Lee, Jeho, Chuei, Nao S., Aflatooni, Koorosh
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, VINH TANG
• Application Number:
  US13/279,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20130100100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 345 36- 97, 345211-215, 345/690, 257 57- 98, 382260-264
• US Class Current: 345/209
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/06 Passive matrix structure, i.e. with direct application of both column and row voltages to the light emitting or modulating elements, other than LCD or OLED
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0254 Control of polarity reversal in general, other than for liquid crystal displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/067 Special waveforms for scanning, where no circuit details of the gate driver are given
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0204 Compensation of DC component across the pixels in flat panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3466 based on interferometric effect

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for reducing artifacts in an image generated by a display device. In one aspect, data is written to a display and a position of display elements is maintained based on the application of a bias voltage pattern. The bias voltage pattern includes alternating polarities along one dimension in a pattern having a first frequency spectrum, and alternating polarities along a second dimension in a pattern having a second frequency spectrum that is different than the first frequency spectrum. At least one of the first and second frequency spectrums may include a plurality of frequency components.

Claims

1. A method of displaying an image on a display, the display including display elements arranged in an array having a first direction and a second direction that intersects the first direction, the method comprising:

writing image data to the array of display elements; and

maintaining a current position of each display element of the array of display elements, wherein maintaining a current position includes alternating the polarity of a first voltage signal along the first direction in a first pattern having a first frequency spectrum, and alternating the polarity of a second voltage signal along the second direction in a second pattern having a second frequency spectrum, wherein at least one of the first and second frequency spectrums includes a plurality of frequency components, and wherein the first frequency spectrum corresponds to a pattern of polarities of voltage signals applied to rows of display elements, and wherein the second frequency spectrum corresponds to a pattern of polarities of voltage signals applied to columns of display elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies that includes at least one frequency component that is lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second frequency spectrums each include frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes multiple frequency components lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the array includes a plurality of pixels each including a plurality of display elements, and wherein the first pattern is a pixel by pixel polarity alternation.

6. An apparatus for driving a display, the display including display elements arranged in an array having a first direction and a second direction that intersects the first direction, the apparatus comprising:

a first driver configured to drive the array of display elements, the first driver including a plurality of first driving signal lines connected to the array of display elements along the first direction; and

a second driver to drive the array of display elements, the second driver including a plurality of second driving signal lines connected to the array of display elements along the second direction,

wherein the first driver is configured to maintain a current position of each display element of the array of display elements by alternating a polarity of the plurality of first driving signal lines in a first pattern having a first frequency spectrum,

wherein the second driver is configured to alternate the polarity of the plurality of second driver signal lines in a second pattern having a second frequency spectrum, and wherein at least one of the first and second frequency spectrums includes a plurality of frequency components, and

wherein the first frequency spectrum corresponds to alternating polarities of voltage signals along a row of display elements, and wherein the second frequency spectrum corresponds to alternating polarities of voltage signals along a column of display elements.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies that includes at least one frequency component that is lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first and second frequency spectrums each include frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes multiple frequency components lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first driver is a common driver, and wherein the second driver is a segment driver.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first driver is a segment driver, and wherein the second driver is a common driver.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a processor that is configured to communicate with the display, the processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device that is configured to communicate with the processor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the image source module includes at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to at least one of the first driver and the second signal driver.

17. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the array includes a plurality of pixels each including a plurality of display elements, and wherein the first pattern is a pixel by pixel polarity alternation.

18. An apparatus for displaying an image on a display, the display including display elements arranged in an array having a first direction and a second direction that intersects the first direction, the apparatus comprising:

means for writing image data to the array of display elements;

means for maintaining a current position of each display element of the array of display elements, wherein the means for maintaining a current position includes means for alternating the polarity of a first voltage signal along the first direction in a first pattern having a first frequency spectrum, and means for alternating the polarity of a second voltage signal along the second direction in a second pattern having a second frequency spectrum, wherein at least one of the first and second frequency spectrums includes a plurality of frequency components, and wherein the first frequency spectrum corresponds to a pattern of polarities of voltage signals along rows of display elements, and wherein the second frequency spectrum corresponds to a pattern of polarities of voltage signals along columns of display elements.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies that includes at least one frequency component that is lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first and second frequency spectrums each include frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for alternating a first voltage signal includes one of a segment line driver and a common line driver, and wherein the means for alternating a second voltage signal includes the other of the segment line driver and common line driver.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes multiple frequency components lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the array includes a plurality of pixels each including a plurality of display elements, and wherein the first pattern is a pixel by pixel polarity alternation.

24. A computer program product for processing data for a program configured to drive a display including a plurality display elements arranged in an array having a first direction and a second direction that intersects the first direction, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon code for causing processing circuitry to;

write image data to the array of display elements; and

maintain a current position of each display element of the array of display elements, wherein maintaining a current position includes alternating the polarity of a first voltage signal along the first direction in a first pattern having a first frequency spectrum, and alternating the polarity of a second voltage signal along the second direction in a second pattern having a second frequency spectrum, wherein at least one of the first and second frequency spectrums includes a plurality of frequency components, wherein the first frequency spectrum corresponds to a pattern of polarities of voltage signals along rows of display elements, and wherein the second frequency spectrum corresponds to a pattern of polarities of voltage signals along columns of display elements.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies that includes at least one frequency component that is lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the first and second frequency spectrums each include frequency components that are distributed among a range of frequencies.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the second frequency spectrum includes multiple frequency components lower than any frequency components of the first frequency spectrum.

28. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the array includes a plurality of pixels each including a plurality of display elements, and wherein the first pattern is a pixel by pixel polarity alternation.