Method of driving liquid crystal display device that reduces afterimages

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of driving an active-matrix type of liquid crystal display device that has a plurality of row electrodes to which a scanning signal is applied, a plurality of column electrodes to which a data signal is applied, and a plurality of picture elements (pixels) formed at a plurality of intersections between these row and column electrodes, each of these pixels comprising a liquid crystal layer and a two-terminal element having non-linear resistance characteristics connected in series therewith by means of applying a voltage of a difference signal between a scanning signal and a data signal to the pixels. A compensatory voltage is applied to each pixel immediately before a data write period during which the liquid crystal layer of the pixel is charged with a data charge voltage corresponding to a display gradation. This compensatory voltage is a voltage that charges the liquid crystal layer with a compensatory charge voltage of a polarity opposite to that of the data charge voltage. The relationship between the two voltages is such that when the magnitude of the data charge voltage is large, that of the compensatory charge voltage is small; when the magnitude of the data charge voltage is small, that of the compensatory charge voltage is large. This reduces the occurrence of afterimages that are caused by I-V characteristic shift in a non-linear two-terminal element.