CN108597460A - A kind of electrophoretype electric paper apparatus and its driving method to prolong the service life - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrophoretic electronic paper device with extended service life and a driving method thereof. The device includes: a display screen, a drive control chip, and a waveform storage unit, wherein multiple sets of driving waveforms are stored in the waveform storage unit; when in use, the drive The control chip calls the first set of driving waveforms to drive the display to display information. If the display effect of the display cannot meet the use requirements at this time, it will call other driving waveforms to drive the display to display information until all the driving waveforms are traversed and the display effect cannot be satisfied. If the usage requirements are met, the service life of the device is terminated. The technical solution of the present invention solves the problem in the prior art that the display contrast of the electrophoretic electronic paper driven by a single waveform decreases with the increase of the use time, thereby causing a short service life.

Description

An electrophoretic electronic paper device with extended service life and its driving method

technical field

The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic paper display, in particular, to an electrophoretic electronic paper device with extended service life and a driving method thereof.

Background technique

Since its inception, electrophoretic electronic paper has attracted widespread attention in many application fields such as e-book products, electronic price tag products, wearable devices, and decoration materials due to its high contrast, wide viewing angle, and low power consumption. On the other hand, because its cost is higher than that of conventional LCD, and its service life is shorter, it also limits the promotion and use of this technology in more products to a certain extent. The service life of an electrophoretic electronic paper display is limited not only by the electronic ink material itself, but also by the type of packaging material. After being used for a period of time, the stripe contrast and display effect cannot meet the requirements, which means the end of the product life. How to delay the reduction of the contrast of the electrophoretic electronic paper display and improve the display effect, thereby prolonging the service life of the product and reducing the cost has become a research hotspot in the field.

Generally, the driving method of electrophoretic electronic paper can be summarized as dividing a given working temperature range into multiple temperature zones according to the use requirements, and driving with a waveform of a certain frequency and voltage combination in each temperature zone according to the characteristics of electronic paper. The charged particles in the electronic paper make it display the corresponding information. Electrophoretic electronic paper has high contrast, fast response, and low power consumption. However, as time goes by, when the contrast drops to a certain level, this set of waveforms is no longer suitable for driving electronic paper, and the display contrast cannot meet the usage requirements. This is also a technical bottleneck that restricts the further promotion of related technologies.

Contents of the invention

According to the technical problems of failure of driving waveform and short service life of the existing electrophoretic electronic paper, a device for prolonging the service life of the electrophoretic electronic paper is provided. In the present invention, after the electronic paper is driven by a set of driving waveforms to reach the service life, multiple sets of spare waveforms are sequentially called, thereby increasing the service life of the electrophoretic electronic paper.

The technical means adopted in the present invention are as follows:

An electrophoretic electronic paper device with extended service life, mainly comprising: a display screen, a drive control chip, and a waveform storage unit, wherein multiple sets of drive waveforms are stored in the waveform storage unit; when in use, the drive control chip calls the first A set of driving waveforms drives the display to display information. If the display effect of the display cannot meet the use requirements at this time, then call other driving waveforms to drive the display to display information until all driving waveforms are traversed and the display effects cannot meet the use requirements. The device has reached the end of its useful life.

Further, the display effect of the display screen is judged according to the display contrast, and when the contrast drops to a certain level, it is judged that the display effect cannot meet the usage requirements.

Further, the waveform storage unit is any one of the drive control chip built-in storage space, external storage space and application software.

Further, each of the driving waveforms is debugged according to the results of the product life acceleration test, and the debugging process adopts the method of adjusting frequency or voltage alone, or using a combination of frequency and voltage.

Further, each of the driving waveforms is effective in the whole working temperature range or in a certain working temperature range.

Further, the device further includes a temperature sensing chip, and the drive control chip invokes a corresponding drive waveform according to the test temperature.

Further, the temperature range is divided according to the display requirements of the display screen, and within the working temperature range of the device, the working temperature range of each set of waveforms is customized.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a kind of driving method based on above-mentioned device, its step comprises:

S1. Use the electrophoretic electronic paper device described in any of the above items, and select a set of driving waveform driving device to display corresponding information;

S2. When the display effect cannot meet the use requirements, select a set of driving devices from the remaining driving waveforms to display corresponding information, and if the effect is not good, replace the driving waveform again.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

The electrophoretic electronic paper device with extended service life provided by the present invention realizes the display of a specific driving waveform driving device in a certain temperature range by storing multiple sets of driving waveforms, and uses a different driving waveform driving device in another temperature range Display, use the corresponding relationship between the temperature range and the driving waveform to improve the display effect of the device. In addition, the electronic paper device provided by the present invention can also be effectively driven by multiple sets of waveforms in the same temperature range, so as to overcome the disadvantage of degrading the display effect of the device as the usage time increases, and further prolong the service life of the device.

To sum up, applying the technical solution of the present invention can solve the problems of short service life and poor use effect of existing electronic paper devices. Based on the above reasons, the present invention can be widely promoted in fields such as electronic book products, electronic price tag products, wearable devices, and decoration materials.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description These are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings without any creative effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the driving method of the present invention.

Fig. 3a is a schematic diagram of the initial state of the product in Example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3b is a schematic diagram of the failure state of the product in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3c is a schematic diagram of the adjusted product state in Example 1 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

It should be noted that, in the case of no conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments It is only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and in no way taken as limiting the invention, its application or uses. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that the terminology used here is only for describing specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the singular is intended to include the plural, and it should also be understood that when the terms "comprising" and/or "comprising" are used in this specification, they mean There are features, steps, operations, means, components and/or combinations thereof.

The relative arrangements of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless specifically stated otherwise. At the same time, it should be clear that, for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the authorized description. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be construed as exemplary only, and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiment may have different values. It should be noted that like numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not require further discussion in subsequent figures.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the present invention provides an electrophoretic electronic paper device with extended service life, which mainly includes: a display screen, a drive control chip and a waveform storage unit.

There are multiple sets of driving waveforms solidified in the waveform storage unit, which can be any one of the built-in storage space of the drive control chip, external storage space and application software, or other carriers capable of realizing the waveform storage function. When in use, the drive control chip calls the first set of driving waveforms to drive the display screen to display information as shown in Figure 3a. If the display effect of the display screen cannot meet the use requirements at this time, then call other drive waveforms to drive the display screen to display information. Until all the driving waveforms are traversed and the display effect cannot meet the usage requirements, the service life of the device is terminated.

The display effect of electrophoretic electronic paper changes with changes in temperature and humidity, and its display contrast will decrease as time goes by. When the contrast drops to a certain value, it can be considered that its service life has ended. The display effect of the display screen is judged according to the display contrast. When the contrast drops to a certain level, it is judged that the display effect cannot meet the use requirements. The effect is shown in Figure 3b. The driving waveform at this time is obviously no longer suitable for driving electronic paper. . Based on the above situation, the present invention provides an electronic paper display device that can store multiple sets of waveforms, and after the electronic paper is driven by one set of driving waveforms and reaches the service life, call the second, third...N sets Waveform, thereby increasing the service life of the electrophoretic electronic paper, this technical solution is suitable for all electrophoretic electronic paper devices, and is suitable for wide promotion in this field and related fields.

All driving waveforms stored in the waveform storage section are debugged according to the results of product life acceleration experiments. The debugging process adopts the method of frequency or voltage alone adjustment, or the combination of frequency and voltage adjustment. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each set of driving waveforms can be sorted, followed by the first, second, third...Nth set of (N>1) waveforms. For the convenience of setting and use, the driving frequency or The voltage increases sequentially to adjust each set of waveforms. When in use, the driving waveforms can also be called in this order within the full operating temperature range of the device to extend the service life of the device.

In addition, the device also includes a temperature sensing chip, and the drive control chip calls and calls corresponding drive waveforms stored inside or outside the drive chip according to the test temperature. As another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driving waveform can also be adjusted according to different working temperature ranges. Each of the driving waveforms is valid for the entire working temperature range or a certain working temperature range. The temperature range is divided according to the display requirements of the display screen. Within the working temperature range of the device, the working temperature range of each set of waveforms is customized. Similarly, each set of driving waveforms can be sorted into the first, second, third...Nth set (N>1) waveforms. In order to facilitate setting and use, the driving frequency or voltage can be increased in sequence. Adjust each set of waveforms in each preset temperature range to obtain the driving waveform that makes the device display the best effect in the temperature range. When in use, the driving waveform corresponding to the temperature range included in it can also be called according to the current working temperature to achieve the best display effect. The so-called optimal display effect means that the power consumption of the display effect is as low as possible under the premise that the contrast, optical value, and response speed of the display effect meet the needs.

The working temperature range of the electronic paper product can be subdivided into several ranges, and each range stores a specific driving waveform. The division of the working range is not necessarily divided into equal intervals, for example, 0°C-3°C can be a waveform working range, and 3°C-8°C can also be used as a waveform working range.

The driving waveform involved in the present invention should ensure waveform balance to avoid polarization of the electronic paper. The so-called waveform balance is that the product of positive voltage and time driven is equal to the product of negative voltage and time. It is further divided into C-BALANCE (color waveform balance), KW-BALANCE (black and white waveform balance), SHAKING (fast pulse waveform), and PUSH-PULL (pull out display waveform). If only two colors of black and white are required, There is no C-BALANCE part.

As shown in Figure 2, the present invention also provides a driving method based on the above device, including:

S1. Use the electrophoretic electronic paper device described in any of the above items, and select a set of driving waveform driving device to display corresponding information;

S2. When the display effect cannot meet the use requirements, select a set of driving devices from the remaining driving waveforms to display corresponding information, and if the effect is not good, replace the driving waveform again.

The core of the present invention is to drive the electronic paper with multiple sets of driving waveforms to achieve the purpose of prolonging the service life. The confirmation of the first set of waveforms is based on the current state of the product, and the optimal display effect of the product is debugged. The second, third... The confirmation of the Nth set of waveforms is based on the accelerated life test of the electronic paper product. When it is considered that the display effect of the product does not meet the requirements for use, then the driving frequency, voltage or a combination of the two can be changed. , to achieve the purpose of increasing the driving capability, thereby improving the display effect of the product and prolonging the service life of the electronic paper product. This process also includes the step of solidifying the confirmed sets of driving waveforms into the drive chip's own storage space or external storage space or software. After the electronic paper product has been used for a period of time, when it is considered that its display effect can no longer meet the needs of use, the second, third... Nth sets of waveforms are called in turn, thereby prolonging the service life of the electrophoretic electronic paper product. After applying the present invention, the electronic The display effect of the paper is shown in Figure 3c.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than limiting them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: It is still possible to modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention. scope.

Claims (7)

1. An electrophoretic electronic paper device with extended service life, characterized in that it comprises: A display screen, a drive control chip and a waveform storage unit. There are multiple sets of drive waveforms stored in the waveform storage unit; when in use, the drive control chip calls the first set of drive waveforms to drive the display screen to display information. If the display effect cannot meet the use requirements, other driving waveforms are called in turn to drive the display to display information until all the drive waveforms are traversed and the display effects cannot meet the use requirements, then the service life of the device ends. 2. The electrophoretic electronic paper device according to claim 1, wherein the display effect of the display screen is judged according to the display contrast, and when the contrast drops to a certain level, it is judged that the display effect cannot meet the use requirements. 3. The electrophoretic electronic paper device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the waveform storage unit is any one of a drive control chip built-in storage space, an external storage space, and application software. 4. The electrophoretic electronic paper device according to claim 3, characterized in that, each of the driving waveforms is debugged according to the results of the product life acceleration test, and the debugging process adopts the mode of adjusting frequency or voltage separately, or adopts frequency and voltage combination regulation. 5. The electrophoretic electronic paper device according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 4, wherein the device further comprises a temperature sensing chip, and the drive control chip invokes a corresponding drive waveform according to the test temperature . 6 . The electrophoretic electronic paper device according to claim 5 , wherein each of the driving waveforms is valid for the entire working temperature range or valid for a certain working temperature range. 7 . 7. An electrophoretic electronic paper driving method based on the device of any claim 1-6, wherein the steps include: S1. Use the electrophoretic electronic paper device described in any of the above items, and select a set of driving waveform driving device to display corresponding information; S2. When the display effect cannot meet the use requirements, select a set of driving devices from the remaining driving waveforms to display corresponding information, and if the effect is not good, replace the driving waveform again.