Methods for driving electro-optic displays

• US 9,230,492 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Harrington, Demetrious Mark, Sjodin, Theodore A., Zehner, Robert W., O'Malley, Timothy J., Paletsky, Benjamin Harris
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERMAN, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US13/083,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 345/107, 345/96, 345/204, 345/690, 359/296
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/063 Waveforms for resetting the whole screen at once
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0204 Compensation of DC component across the pixels in flat panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0209 Crosstalk reduction, i.e. to reduce direct or indirect influences of signals directed to a certain pixel of the displayed image on other pixels of said image, inclusive of influences affecting pixels in different frames or fields or sub-images which constitute a same image, e.g. left and right images of a stereoscopic display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0257 Reduction of after-image effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2022 using sub-frames
• 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

An electro-optic display uses first and second drive schemes differing from each other, for example a slow gray scale drive scheme and a fast monochrome drive scheme. The display is first driven to a pre-determined transition image using the first drive scheme, then driven to a second image, different from the transition image, using the second drive scheme. The display is thereafter driven to the same transition image using the second drive scheme; and from then to a third image, different from both the transition image and the second image, using the first drive scheme.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electro-optic display using first and second drive schemes differing from each other, the method comprising, in this order:

driving the display to a pre-determined transition image using the first drive scheme;

driving the display to a second image, different from the transition image, using the second drive scheme

driving the display to the same transition image using the second drive scheme; and

driving the display is driven to a third image, different from both the transition and the second image, using the first drive scheme,

wherein the transition image is only provided between transitions between the drive schemes.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first drive scheme is a gray scale drive scheme capable of driving the display to at least four gray levels.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the first drive scheme is a gray scale drive scheme capable of driving the display to at least eight gray levels.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the second drive scheme is an application update drive scheme having fewer gray levels than the first drive scheme and a maximum update time less than the length of the saturation pulse of the display.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the transition image comprises a single tone applied to all the pixels of the display.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the display is provided with a plurality of transition images and a display controller is arranged to choose one transition image dependent upon the image already present on the display.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the display is driven successively to a plurality of transition images before being driven to the second image and/or before being driven to the third image.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the electro-optic display comprises a rotating bichromal member or electrochromic material.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the electro-optic display comprises an electrophoretic material comprising a plurality of electrically charged particles disposed in a fluid and capable of moving through the fluid under the influence of an electric field.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the electrically charged particles and the fluid are confined within a plurality of capsules or microcells.

11. A method according to claim 9 wherein the electrically charged particles and the fluid are present as a plurality of discrete droplets surrounded by a continuous phase comprising a polymeric material.

12. A method according to claim 9 wherein the fluid is gaseous.