Electrophoretic Display

• US 20070047065A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Toyoda, Yoshito
• Granted Patent: US 7,499,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/296
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1679 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells

Abstract

An electrophoretic display includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a mesh-like body, and charged particles At least a surface of the mesh-like body is formed of an insulating material, and the mesh-like body is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The charged particles are dispersed in a space formed by a surface of the first substrate opposing the second substrate, a surface of the second substrate opposing the first substrate, and a surface of the mesh-like body. The charged particles can form desired images by moving within the space in response to an electric field generated between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Claims

1. An electrophoretic display comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate disposed in opposition to the first substrate;

a mesh-like body interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, at least a surface of the mesh-like body is formed of an insulating material; and

charged particles dispersed in a space formed by a surface of the first substrate opposing the second substrate, a surface of the second substrate opposing the first substrate, and the surface of the mesh-like body, the charged particles moving within the space in response to an electric field generated between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein the mesh-like body is formed in a mesh shape by assembling threadlike members extending in one direction with threadlike members extending in another direction intersecting one direction.

3. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein the threadlike members extending in one direction are woven with the threadlike members extending in another direction each time the threadlike members extending in one direction intersect a prescribed number of the threadlike members extending in another direction.

4. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein a unit including a plurality of threadlike members extending in one direction intersects the threadlike members extending in another direction.

5. The electrophoretic display according to claim 4, wherein the unit of threadlike members passes between adjacent threadlike members extending in another direction.

6. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein the threadlike member extending in one direction has a different diameter from the threadlike member extending in another direction.

7. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of threadlike members having different diameters and extending at least in one of one direction and another direction are repeatedly arranged in a prescribed order.

8. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein the mesh-like body is formed uniformly by intertwining a plurality of the threadlike members.

9. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein the mesh-like body is formed uniformly by weaving a plurality of the threadlike members.

10. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein the mesh-like body is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate so that a plane of the mesh shape is parallel to the first substrate and the second substrate.

11. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein the threadlike members are formed of an organic polymer compound.

12. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein the mesh-like body is bonded to at least one of the surface of the first substrate opposing the second substrate and the surface of the second substrate opposing the first substrate.

13. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate is a translucent substrate disposed on a display surface side;

and

the mesh-like body is bonded to the substrate disposed on the display surface side.

14. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein the first and second substrates and the mesh-like body have flexibility.

15. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate has first electrodes and the second substrate has second electrodes;

and

the first electrodes and the second electrodes generate an electric field between the first and second substrates.

16. The electrophoretic display according to claim 15, wherein the first electrodes are line electrodes parallel to the first substrate, and the second electrodes are line electrodes that are oriented parallel to the second substrate and orthogonal to the first electrodes.

17. The electrophoretic display according to claim 15, wherein one of the first electrodes and the second electrodes is a single electrode to which a fixed potential is applied, and the other of the first electrodes and the second electrodes is configured of a plurality of electrodes to which voltages are applied individually.

18. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein the charged particles comprise at least two types of charged particles having different color tones respectively.

19. The electrophoretic display according to claim 2, wherein the charged particles comprise at least two types of charged particles having differing color tones respectively;

and

color tone of the threadlike members is identical to the color tone of one type of the charged particles.

20. The electrophoretic display according to claim 1, wherein the mesh-like body is a spacer for maintaining a fixed distance between the first substrate and the second substrate.