E Ink Corporation

E Ink Corporatior

Teck Ping Sim

Kenneth R Crounse

Karl Raymond Amundson

Yuval Ben-Dov

Stephen J Telfer

Chih-Hsiang Ho

Pierre-Yves Emelie

Demetrious Mark Harrington

Matthew J Aprea

Kosta Ladavac

Joanna F Au

Yi Lu

Richard J Paolini, Jr

Sunil Krishna Sainis

Michael D McCreary

Timothy J O'Malley

Cristina Visani

Zdzislaw Jan Szymborski

Sherry Hsin-Yi Tsai

Paroma Palchoudhuri

Aaron Chen

Ana L Lattes

Jonathan L Zalesky

Amit Deliwala

Kenneth A Crounse

Yin Al

An electro-optic display having a plurality of pixels is driven from a first image to a second image using a first drive scheme, and then from the second image to a third image using a second drive scheme different from the first drive scheme and having at least one impulse differential gray level having an impulse potential different from the corresponding gray level in the first drive scheme. Each pixel which is in an impulse differential gray level in the second image is driven from the second image to the third image using a modified version of the second drive scheme which reduces its impulse differential The subsequent transition from the third image to a fourth image is also conducted using the modified second drive scheme but after a limited number of transitions using the modified second drive scheme, all subsequent transitions are conducted using the unmodified second drive scheme.

Electro-optic displays and methods for driving the same

Methods for driving an electro-optic displays having a plurality of display pixels are described. The method includes determining a level of stress quantity for a display pixel of the electro-optic display based on at least one prior update to the optical state of the display pixel, and receiving a request to update the optical state of the display pixel. The method also includes applying driving waveforms from first or second update schemes to the display pixel depending on the update scheme used for an immediately prior update of the display pixel and comparisons of the level of stress quantity to two level of stress thresholds.

Methods for driving electro-optic displays

Electrophoretic displays with multi-particle electrophoretic media and improved methods for driving such multi-particle electrophoretic media, especially using active matrix backplanes and controllers. Larger look-up tables are used, which include a plurality of time-shifted waveforms for each color transition. The controller can thus easily cause a phase shift in the color flashes across the display, which ultimate diminishes or removes the perception that the device is 'flashing' during an update from a first image to a second image. The methods are generalizable to any electrophoretic display using waveforms, and are particularly well-suited for newer multi-particle electrophoretic displays capable of producing four or more colors at each pixel.

Time-shifted waveforms for multi-particle electrophoretic displays providing low-flash image updates

A method and apparatus for reducing a remnant voltage of an electro-optic display. The display includes a light-transmissive front electrode, a layer of electro-optic material, pixel electrodes, thin film transistors positioned adjacent to the electro-optic material, a light source positioned adjacent the thin film transistors, and a display driver coupled to the light source and to a gate and source line of each thin film transistor. Each thin film transistor includes a photo-sensitive semiconductor region. The layer of electro-optic material and the light source are disposed on opposite sides of the thin film transistors. The display driver is configured to apply substantially the same voltage to the front electrode and source lines of the thin film transistors, and activate a driving signal to the light source to emit a light having an intensity sufficient to activate the thin film transistors to create a conduction path for draining a remnant voltage.

Electro-optic displays and methods for discharging remnant voltage using backlight

Methods are disclosed for driving an electrophoretic display having a plurality of display pixels arranged in a matrix comprising a two-dimensional array of rows and columns of display pixels. The methods include dividing the display pixels into groups made up of a plurality of clusters, where each cluster includes a number of adjacent display pixels. The method includes updating one group of display pixels during a first frame, where display pixels not in the one group are not updated during the first frame, and each cluster in the one group of display pixels is updated at the same time. The methods include applying an edge clearing waveform to no more than eight cardinal pixels of the adjacent display pixels of each cluster.

Electro-optic displays and driving methods

A method of driving an electro-optic display including a layer of electro-optic material disposed between a common electrode and a backplane including an array of pixel electrodes, each coupled to a transistor including a source, gate, and drain electrode. The gate electrode is coupled to a gate line, the source electrode is coupled to a scan line, and the drain electrode is coupled to the pixel electrode. A controller provides time-dependent voltages to the gate, scan, and common electrodes, including a common electrode that is the maximum voltage the controller is capable of applying, and a scan line voltage to every pixel that is the maximum voltage the controller is capable of applying. A gate voltage sufficient to activate the pixel transistor to the gate of every pixel transistor is applied, thereby applying voltage potential across the electro-optic material.

Methods for globally applying voltages to the display pixels of electro-optic displays

An electrophoretic display includes an electrophoretic medium having a non-polar fluid and two sets of charged pigment particles dispersed in the non-polar fluid and movable through the non-polar fluid under influence of an electric field. The two sets of charged pigment particles have different optical characteristics from each other. The display also includes a light-transmissive electrode on one side of the electrophoretic medium, a rear electrode on an opposite side of the electrophoretic medium, and a dielectric layer having a dielectric constant greater than 5 between the electrophoretic medium and the light-transmissive electrode or between the electrophoretic medium and the rear electrode configured to reduce electrode electrochemical degradation and buildup of remnant voltages in the display.

Layered structure with high dielectric constant for use with active matrix backplanes

A method for driving electro-optic displays including electro-optic material disposed between a common electrode and a backplane. The backplane includes an array of pixel electrodes, each coupled to a transistor. A display controller applies waveforms to the pixel electrodes. The method includes applying first measurement waveforms to a first portion of the pixel electrodes. During each frame of the first measurement waveforms, the same time-dependent voltages are applied to each pixel electrode of the first portion of pixel electrodes. The method includes determining the impedance of the electro-optic material in proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes based on a measurement of the current flowing through a current measurement circuit and the time-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode during the first measurement waveforms, and selecting driving waveforms based on the impedance of the electro-optic material in proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes.

Methods for measuring electrical properties of electro-optic displays

Improved electrophoretic media including a first particle of a first polarity and three particles of the opposite polarity, wherein the first particle and optionally one of the particles of the opposite polarity undergo a diminution of electrophoretic mobility with increased electric field. Such electrophoretic media enable full-color displays with very fast updates between white and black pixels.

Four particle electrophoretic medium providing fast, high-contrast optical state switching

A method for driving an electrophoretic display having a plurality of display pixels, the method comprising dividing the plurality of display pixels into a plurality of groups, updating one group of display pixels from the plurality of groups of display pixels, the one group of display pixels includes at least n number of adjacent display pixels being updated at the same time, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and applying an edge clearing waveform to no more than (n×2)+2 number of cardinal pixels of the one group of display pixels.

A variety of methods for driving electro-optic displays so as to reduce visible artifacts are described. Such methods includes driving an electro-optic display having a plurality of display pixels and controlled by a display controller, the display controller associated with a host for providing operational instructions to the display controller, the method may include updating the display with a first image, updating the display with a second image subsequent to the first image, processing image data associated with the first image and the second image to identify display pixels with edge artifacts and generate image data associated with the identified pixels, storing the image data associated pixels with edge artifacts at a memory location, and initiating a waveform to clear the edge artifacts.

Electro-optic displays, and methods for driving same

Methods are described for driving an electro-optic display having a plurality of display pixels. Each of the display pixels is associated with a display transistor. The method includes the following steps in order. A first voltage is applied to a first display transistor associated with a first display pixel of the plurality of display pixels. The first voltage is applied during at least one frame of a driving waveform. A second voltage is applied to the first display transistor associated with the first display pixel. The second voltage has a non-zero amplitude less than the first voltage and is applied during the last frame of the driving waveform. The amplitude of the second voltage is based on a voltage offset value and a sum of remnant voltages each frame of the driving waveform contributes to the first display pixel when the first voltage is applied to the first display transistor.

The invention provides methods and related apparatuses for driving an electro-optic display having an electrophoretic display medium electrically coupled between a common electrode and a display pixel associated with a display pixel electrode and an n-type transistor electrically coupled to a display controller circuit capable of applying waveforms comprising frames to the display pixel by applying voltages to the common electrode and the display pixel electrode via the n-type transistor. The method includes applying one or more waveforms to the display pixel to drive the electrophoretic display medium in proximity to the display pixel to a first optical state, and discharging a remnant voltage from the electrophoretic display medium utilizing a leakage conduction effect of the n-type transistor. The method can also include maintaining the display pixel in the first optical state for a hold period comprising one or more frames, and placing the display pixel in a floating state.

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Acton, MA, United States of America

Teck Ping Sim