Method and system for driving a bi-stable display

• US 20060066595A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sampsell, Jeffrey B., Tyger, Karen, Mathew, Mithran
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2007 Display of intermediate tones
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3466 based on interferometric effect
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/395 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of the bit-mapped memory to the screen G09G5/399 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing video data and display signals. In one embodiment, a system is configured to display video data on an array of bi-stable display elements, where the system includes a processor, a display comprising an array of bi-stable display elements, a driver controller connected to the processor and configured to receive video data from the processor, and an array driver configured to receive video data from the driver controller and display signals from the processor, and to display the video data on the array of bi-stable display elements using the display signals. In another embodiment, a method of displaying data on a bi-stable display includes transmitting display signals from a processor to a driver of an array of bi-stable display elements, and updating an image displayed on the array of bi-stable display elements, wherein the updating is based on signals from the driver and performed on a periodic basis that is based at least in part upon the transmitted display signals.

Claims

1. A system configured to display video data on an array of bi-stable display elements, the system comprising:

a processor configured to receive video data;

a display comprising an array of bi-stable display elements;

a driver controller in data communication with the processor and configured to receive video data from the processor; and

an array driver configured to receive video data from the driver controller and receive display signals from the processor, and further configured to display the video data on the array of bi-stable display elements using the display signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the array of bi-stable display elements comprise interferometric modulators.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver controller is a non-bi-stable display driver controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display signals control a rate of displaying the video data on the array of bi-stable display elements.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display signals comprise instructions that are used by the array driver to control a drive scheme for the array of bi-stable display elements.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the array driver is configured to partition the array into one or more regions based on the display signals.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the array driver receives region information from the processor that identifies a group of bi-stable display elements of the array of bi-stable display elements, and wherein the display signals are used to control a refresh rate for the identified group of bi-stable display elements.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the array driver is further configured to display the video data in an interlaced format.

9. A system for displaying video data on an array of bi-stable display elements, the system comprising:

a processor;

a display comprising an array of bi-stable display elements;

a driver controller connected to the processor, the driver controller configured to receive video data from the processor and provide the video data and display signals for displaying the video data on the array of bi-stable display elements; and

an array driver connected to the driver controller and the display, the array driver configured to receive the video data and display signals from the driver controller, and to display the video data on the array of bi-stable display elements using the display signals.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the array of bi-stable display elements comprises interferometric display elements.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the array driver is configured to partition the array into one or more regions based on the display signals.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the display signals comprise information for controlling the rate of displaying the video data on the array of bi-stable display elements.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the array driver is further configured to display the video data in an interlaced format.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the array driver receives region information from the processor that identifies a group of bi-stable display elements of the array of bi-stable display elements, and wherein the display signals are used to control a refresh rate for the identified group of bi-stable display elements.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the display signals comprise instructions that are used by the array driver to control a drive scheme for the array of bi-stable display elements.

16. A method of displaying data, comprising:

transmitting display signals from a processor to a driver of an array of bi-stable display elements; and

updating an image displayed on the array of bi-stable display elements, wherein the updating is based on the transmitted display signals.

17. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising:

determining a display rate of video data; and

generating display signals based at least in part upon the determined display rate.

18. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising executing at least part of the transmitted display signal, wherein the executed display signals operate to control the frequency that the image displayed by the array of bi-stable display elements is updated.

19. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising

partitioning the array into one or more groups of bi-stable display elements using partition information contained in the display signals, wherein updating an image displayed comprises updating an image displayed on the one or more groups of bi-stable display elements of the array, wherein each of the one or more groups is updated at a refresh rate that is specified by information contained in the display signals.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the array of bi-stable display elements comprises a plurality of interferometric modulators.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the display signals are transmitted from a driver controller to an array driver.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the display signals are transmitted from a processor to an array driver.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein updating an image displayed on the array comprises displaying the image in an interlaced format.

24. A system for displaying video data on a bi-stable display, comprising:

means for transmitting display signals from a processor to a driver of an array of bi-stable display elements; and

means for updating an image displayed by the array of bi-stable display elements, wherein the updating is based on the transmitted display signals.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the array of bi-stable display elements comprise interferometric modulators.

26. The system of claim 24, additionally comprising:

means for determining a display rate of video data; and

means for generating display signals based at least in part upon the determined display rate.

27. The system of claim 24, additionally comprising:

means for transmitting region information identifying a group of the interferometric modulators; and

wherein updating the image that is displayed is performed for the group of bi-stable display elements.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the display signals are transmitted from a driver controller to an array driver.

29. The system of claim 24, additionally comprising means for executing at least part of the transmitted refresh instructions, wherein the executed instructions operate to control frequency the image that is displayed by the array of bi-stable display elements is updated.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the display signals are transmitted from a processor to an array driver.

31. A system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a plurality of bi-stable display elements; and

a driver controller configured to receive video data from the central processing unit and display the video data via the plurality of bi-stable display elements at a dynamically modifiable refresh period.

32. A system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a plurality of bi-stable display elements; and

a driver controller configured to receive video data from the central processing unit and display the video data via the plurality of bi-stable display elements independently of a predetermined refresh period.

33. The system of claim 32, additionally comprising a sense circuit configured to sense the state of any one of bi-stable display elements.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the driver controller modifies a state of a subset of the plurality of bi-stable display elements in response to sensing a previous state.

35. The system of claim 32, additionally comprising:

a stimulus generator for generating an electrical stimulus to one of the bi-stable display elements; and

a sense circuit configured to sense a response to the generated electrical stimulus.

36. The system of claim 32, additionally comprising:

a frame buffer;

a first interface in the driver controller, the first interface configured to receive video data and store the video data in the frame buffer; and

a second interface in the driver controller, the second interface configured to receive video data and transmit the video data to the array driver independently of the frame buffer.