Method for driving an electro-wetting display panel and electro-wetting display apparatus for performing the same

• US 9,019,200 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Choi, Uk-Chul, Park, Su-Hyeong, Park, Cheol-Woo, Seo, Ji-Myoung, Jang, Yong-Jun, Hwang, Hyun-Sik
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US13/674,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/005 based on electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/08 Active matrix structure, i.e. with use of active elements, inclusive of non-linear two terminal elements, in the pixels together with light emitting or modulating elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/063 Waveforms for resetting the whole screen at once
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0673 for control of gamma adjustment, e.g. selecting another gamma curve
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/348 based on the deformation of a fluid drop, e.g. electrowetting

Abstract

A method of driving an electro-wetting display panel including a pixel part is provided. In the method, data voltages are applied to the electro-wetting display panel during a first time of a frame. The frame has the first time and a second time. The first time has a plurality of horizontal periods. The data voltages are generated based on reference gamma voltages. At least one of reference gamma voltages of one of the horizontal periods is different from another of the reference gamma voltages of another of the horizontal periods. A reset voltage is applied to the electro-wetting display panel during the second time of the frame.

Claims

1. A method for driving an electro-wetting display panel including a pixel part, the method comprising:

applying data voltages to the electro-wetting display panel during a first time of a frame, the frame including the first time and a second time, the first time having a plurality of horizontal periods, wherein the data voltages are generated based on reference gamma voltages, and wherein at least one of the reference gamma voltages of one of the horizontal periods is different from another of the reference gamma voltages of another of the horizontal periods; and

applying a reset voltage to the electro-wetting display panel during the second time of the frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying of the data voltages comprises:

receiving driving voltages to generate the reference gamma voltages, wherein the driving voltages of the horizontal periods are different from each other; and

applying the data voltages to the pixel part based on image data and the reference gamma voltages.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of horizontal periods includes a first horizontal period to an n-th horizontal period, and wherein the reference gamma voltages are generated by:

receiving a first driving voltage to an n-th driving voltage during the first to n-th horizontal periods, respectively, the first to n-th horizontal periods corresponding to a first gate line to an n-th gate line, respectively.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a voltage difference between a common voltage and the first to n-th driving voltages increases from the first to the n-th horizontal periods.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time is n times longer than the second time (‘

n’

is an integer number which is no less than

     2).

6. A method for driving an electro-wetting display panel including a pixel part, the method comprising:

compensating image data based on gamma curves which are different from each other to generate compensated data at each horizontal period;

applying data voltages to the electro-wetting display panel based on the compensated data during a first time of a frame, wherein the frame includes the first time and a second time; and

applying a reset voltage to the electro-wetting display panel during the second time of the frame.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the compensated data is generated by:

using a first look-up table to an n-th look-up table, the first to n-th look-up tables corresponding to a first horizontal period to an n-th horizontal period, respectively,

wherein the first to n-th horizontal periods correspond to a first gate line to an n-th gate line, respectively, and

wherein brightness corresponding to the first to n-th look-up tables storing the compensated data increases from the first to the n-th look-up tables.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first look-up table corresponds to an original gamma curve of the image data, and wherein the brightness corresponding to the second to n-th look-up tables corresponding to the gamma curves is higher than the brightness of the original gamma curve, and the brightness corresponding to the second to n-th look-up tables substantially linearly increases from the second to the n-th look-up tables.

9. A method for driving an electro-wetting display panel including a plurality of pixel parts controlling light transmittance by controlling movement of a fluid in each pixel part, the method comprising:

sequentially applying data voltages to a first gate line to an n-th gate line of the electro-wetting display panel in a first direction;

sequentially applying the data voltages to a first pixel part to an n-th pixel part through the first to n-th gate lines during a first time of a frame, the first to n-th gate lines are arranged in a first direction, the frame having the first time, a second time, a third time and a fourth time, the first time having a plurality of periods, the first to n-th pixel parts are connected to the first to n-th gate lines, respectively;

sequentially applying reset voltages to the first to n-th gate lines in the first direction;

sequentially applying the reset voltages to the first to n-th pixel parts during the second time of the frame;

sequentially applying the data voltages to the first to n-th gate lines in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

sequentially applying the data voltages to the n-th to first pixel parts during the third time of the frame;

sequentially applying the reset voltages to the first to n-th gate lines in the second direction; and

sequentially applying the reset voltages to the n-th to first pixel parts during the fourth time of the frame.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first time is n times longer than the second time, and the third time is n times longer than the fourth time, wherein ‘

n’

is an integer number which is no less than 3.

11. An electro-wetting display apparatus comprising:

an electro-wetting display panel configured to display an image, the electro-wetting display panel comprising a pixel part including a pixel electrode, a common electrode facing the pixel electrode and a fluidic layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the fluidic layer configured to control light transmittance of the pixel part; and

a driving part configured to apply data voltages to the electro-wetting display panel during a plurality of horizontal periods of a first time of a frame and configured to apply a reset voltage to the electro-wetting display panel during a second time of the frame.

12. The electro-wetting display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the driving part comprises:

a timing controlling part configured to receive image data from outside of the electro-wetting display apparatus;

a power generating part configured to generate driving voltages at each horizontal period, wherein voltage differences between the common electrode and the driving voltages are different from each other in each of the horizontal periods;

a gamma voltage generating part configured to generate the reference gamma voltages different from each other based on the driving voltage during each horizontal period; and

a data driver configured to generate a data voltage based on the image data and each of the reference gamma voltages during each horizontal period.

13. The electro-wetting display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of horizontal periods includes a first horizontal period to an n-th horizontal period, and wherein the voltage generating part is configured to generate a first driving voltage to an n-th driving voltage during the first to n-th horizontal periods, respectively, the first to n-th horizontal periods corresponding to a first gate line to an n-th gate line, respectively.

14. The electro-wetting display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first time is n times longer than the second time, wherein ‘

n’

is an integer number which is no less than 2.

15. An electro-wetting display apparatus comprising:

an electro-wetting display panel configured to display an image, the electro-wetting display panel comprising a pixel part including a pixel electrode, a common electrode facing the pixel electrode and a fluidic layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the fluidic layer configured to control light transmittance of the pixel part; and

a driving part configured to

compensate an image data based on gamma curves during a plurality of horizontal periods during a first time of a frame to generated compensated data,

apply a data voltage to the electro-wetting display panel during the first time of the frame, and

apply a reset voltage to the electrode-wetting display panel during a second time of the frame, the gamma curves of different horizontal periods being different from each other, the data voltage being generated based on the compensated data.

16. The electro-wetting display apparatus of claim 15, wherein

the plurality of horizontal periods includes a first horizontal period to an n-th horizontal period,

the driving part comprises a timing controlling part configured to compensate image data based on gamma curves during the first to n-th horizontal periods to generate compensated data using a first look-up table to an n-th look-up table corresponding to the first to n-th horizontal periods, respectively,

the first to n-th horizontal periods corresponds to a first gate line to an n-th gate line, respectively, and

brightness of the gamma curves corresponding to the compensated data stored in the first to n-th look-up tables increases as the number of the look-up tables increases from the first look-up table to the n-th look-up table.

17. The electro-wetting display apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first look-up table corresponds to an original gamma curve of the image data, and

brightness corresponding to the second to n-th look-up tables corresponding to the gamma curves higher than that the brightness of the original gamma curve substantially linearly increases, and the brightness corresponding to the second to n-th look-up tables substantially linearly increases.

18. An electro-wetting display apparatus comprising:

an electro-wetting display panel configured to display an image, the electro-wetting display panel comprising a pixel part including a pixel electrode, a common electrode facing the pixel electrode and a fluidic layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the fluidic layer configured to control light transmittance of the pixel part; and

a driving part configured to sequentially apply data voltages to first to n-th gate lines of the electro-wetting display panel in a first direction to sequentially apply the data voltages to first to n-th pixel parts through the first to n-th gate lines during a first time of a frame, the first to n-th gate lines being arranged in a first direction, the frame having the first time, a second time, a third time and a fourth time, the first time having a plurality of periods, the first to n-th pixel parts being connected to the first to n-th gate lines, respectively,

the driving part further configured to sequentially apply reset voltages to the first to n-th gate lines in the first direction to sequentially apply the reset voltages to the first to n-th pixel parts during the second time of the frame,

the driving part further configured to sequentially apply the data voltages to the first to n-th gate lines in a second direction opposite to the first direction to sequentially apply data voltages to the n-th to first pixel parts during the third time of the frame, and

the driving part further configured to sequentially apply the reset voltages to the first to n-th gate lines in the second direction to sequentially apply the reset voltages to the n-th to first pixel parts during the fourth time of the frame.

19. The electro-wetting display apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first time is n times longer than the second time, and the third time is n times longer than the fourth time, wherein ‘

n’

is an integer number which is no less than 3.

20. An electro-wetting display apparatus comprising:

an electro-wetting display panel comprising

a first substrate,

a second substrate facing the first substrate,

a fluidic layer,

a first conductive spacer and a second conductive spacer, wherein

the first substrate includes a pixel electrode disposed in a display area configured to display an image and first and second common voltage lines disposed in a peripheral area surrounding the display area,

the second substrate includes a common electrode facing the pixel electrode and the first and second common voltage lines,

the fluidic layer is disposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode,

the fluidic layer is configured to control light transmittance of the electro-wetting display panel, and

each of the first and second conductive spacers is disposed between the common electrode and each of the first and second common voltage lines;

a driving part configured to

apply a first voltage and a second voltage to the first and second common voltage lines, respectively, during a first time of a frame, wherein the second voltage has a different level from the first voltage; and

apply a reset voltage to the electro-wetting display panel during the second time of the frame.