Addressing schemes for electronic displays

Abstract

An electronic display comprises an electro-optic material (preferably an electrophoretic medium) having a plurality of pixels, and separate first, second and third sets of addressing means for addressing these pixels. Each of the pixels is associated with one addressing means in each of the three sets, such that addressing of any specific pixel requires application of signals within predetermined ranges to each of the three addressing means associated with the specific pixel being addressed. The display may be in the form of a multi-page electronic book.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of copending application Ser. No. 10 / 906,019, filed Jan. 31, 2005 (Publication No. 2006 / 0139308), which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09 / 683,179, filed Nov. 29, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,023,420, issued Apr. 4, 2006), which itself claims benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 253,892 filed Nov. 29, 2000. Application Ser. No. 10 / 906,019 is also a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08 / 983,404, filed Jul. 19, 1996 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,296, issued Sep. 12, 2006), which is the U.S. national phase of International Application PCT / US96 / 12000 (Publication No. WO 97 / 04398), filed Jul. 19, 1996, which in turn is (as regards the United States of America) a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08 / 504,896, filed Jul. 29, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,851, issued Sep. 26, 2000).[0002]The entire disclosures of all the aforementioned applications, and of all U.S. patents and pub...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes an electronic display with multiple pixels that can be addressed individually using different sets of addressing means. The method allows for precise and efficient addressing of pixels, even in large displays. The invention also provides a method for simultaneously addressing multiple rows or columns of pixels, and a method for addressing pixels based on their optical characteristics. The technical effects of this invention include improved precision and efficiency in addressing pixels, and improved image quality and display performance.

Problems solved by technology

Nevertheless, problems with the long-term image quality of these displays have prevented their widespread usage.

For example, particles that make up electrophoretic displays tend to settle, resulting in inadequate service-life for these displays.

This normally precludes the use of passive matrix addressing methods.

One problem with such high resolution displays is the sheer number of drivers required.

Especially in small displays, the cost of the drivers rivals or may outweigh the cost of the electro-optic material.

Another problem with such high resolution displays is the time taken to address the display.

If the addressing scheme used requires that each row be addressed for the time necessary to completely address an electrophoretic medium (which is typically of the order of 100 milliseconds), the total time taken to address the display may be undesirably great.

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