Electronic label device

Abstract

To provide an electronic label device that can control a driving mode according to a display quality of a different temperature.SOLUTION: An electronic label device is provided which includes a driving substrate and an electronic paper film. The electronic paper film includes: a display module that is disposed on the driving substrate; and a driving chip that is disposed on the driving substrate, is electrically connected with the driving substrate, and drives the electronic paper film by the driving substrate to make an image displayed. The driving chip includes a memory unit that stores each of a plurality of look-up tables corresponding to a plurality of temperature ranges. Each look-up table includes: an index corresponding to one of the temperature ranges; and a plurality of processing procedures for multiple display colors of the electronic paper film. The index indicates a driving mode of the processing procedures.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic label device, and more particularly to an electronic label device applied to an Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL) system. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, there are electronic label devices that are applied to electronic shelf label (ESL) systems and whose display media contains electrophoretic materials. Electrophoretic materials are temperature-sensitive materials, and different drivers (or driving waveforms) must be used for different temperature ranges (temperature segments), and the drivers corresponding to these different temperature ranges are stored in a lookup table (LUT).

[0003] In addition, two driving modes, synchronous and asynchronous, are generally used to drive current electronic label devices. In the synchronous driving mode, multiple colors displayed corresponding to a certain temperature range have the same stage time, and the multiple display colors are driven at the same time; in the asynchronous driving mode, multiple colors displayed corresponding to a certain temperature range do not have a fixed stage time, and are driven independently at different times.

[0004] In the synchronous mode, the memory capacity of the lookup table that stores these drivers (or waveforms) is relatively small, but the variability of the drivers is low, making the design less flexible. Also, in the synchronous mode, the electrophoretic material is difficult to control at low temperatures (e.g., close to zero degrees), which reduces the optical quality of the display screen.

[0005] Compared with the synchronous mode, the lookup table in the asynchronous mode occupies a larger memory capacity, but the driver can be changed more easily, and the design is more flexible. In addition, in the asynchronous mode, the electrophoretic material is easier to control at low temperatures, and the optical taste of the display screen is better.

[0006] However, the drive structure of current electronic label devices requires the user to select either synchronous or asynchronous mode (generally synchronous drive mode) before shipment, and it is not possible to control synchronous or asynchronous according to the display quality at different temperatures, resulting in a lack of flexibility in application. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] This solves the problem that the current electronic label device cannot control the driving mode according to the display quality at different temperatures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic label device with application versatility, which can quickly control the driving mode and thus meet the display quality requirements of different temperatures.

[0009] To achieve the above object, the electronic label device of the present invention includes a driving substrate and an electronic paper film, the electronic paper film includes a display module mounted on the driving substrate, and a driving chip mounted on the driving substrate, electrically connected to the driving substrate, for driving the electronic paper film to display an image via the driving substrate. The driving chip includes a memory unit, the memory unit stores a plurality of lookup tables corresponding to a plurality of temperature ranges, each lookup table includes an index corresponding to one of the temperature ranges and a plurality of processing steps for a plurality of display colors in the electronic paper film, the index indicating a driving mode of the processing steps.

[0010] In one embodiment, the electronic paper film includes an electrophoretic material.

[0011] In one embodiment, the plurality of display colors may include, for example, black and white, red, black and white, red, black, white and yellow, or any other color that can be displayed.

[0012] In one embodiment, each lookup table includes a process for common voltages corresponding to the multiple display colors.

[0013] In one embodiment, the driving mode includes a synchronous driving mode or an asynchronous driving mode.

[0014] In one embodiment, the memory unit is a one-time programmable memory or a multi-time programmable memory.

[0015] In one embodiment, the driver chip further includes a scan driver circuit, the driver substrate includes a plurality of pixel units, and the scan driver circuit is electrically connected to the plurality of pixel units through a plurality of scan lines.

[0016] In one embodiment, the driver chip further includes a data driver circuit, which is electrically connected to the plurality of pixel units through the plurality of data lines.

[0017] In one embodiment, the electronic label device further includes a system board, which is electrically connected with the driver substrate and the driver chip.

[0018] In one embodiment, the electronic label device further includes a connection board, which is connected to the system board and the driving board respectively, and the system board is electrically connected to the driving board and the driving chip through the connection board.

[0019] As described above, in the electronic label device of the present invention, the driving chip drives the electronic paper film to display an image. The memory unit of the driving chip stores a number of lookup tables corresponding to a number of temperature ranges, each lookup table includes an index corresponding to one of the temperature ranges and a number of processing steps for a number of display colors of the electronic paper film, and the index indicates the design of the driving mode of these processing steps. Compared with the prior art, the electronic label device of the present invention can quickly control the driving mode to meet the display quality requirements of different temperatures, so that it has application flexibility and better display quality, and also reduces the overall cost. Effect of the Invention

[0020] The electronic label device of the present invention has application versatility, and can quickly control the driving mode to meet the display quality requirements of different temperatures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electronic label device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic label device of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the function of the driver chip 12 in the electronic label device of FIG. 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a lookup table corresponding to one of the temperature ranges stored in the memory unit of FIG. 3; FIG. [Figure 5A] 5 is a diagram showing an example of processing steps (driving waveforms) when driving in a synchronous mode in a lookup table corresponding to the temperature range of FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 5B] 5 is a diagram showing an example of processing steps (driving waveforms) when driving in an asynchronous mode in a lookup table corresponding to the temperature range of FIG. 4. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Using each drawing, a better embodiment of the electronic label device of the present invention will be described below. The same elements will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electronic label device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-section of the electronic label device 1 of FIG. 1.

[0024] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The present invention is an electronic label device 1 applied to an electronic shelf label system, and includes a display module 11 and a drive chip 12. Further, the electronic label device 1 of this embodiment includes a system board 13 and a connection board 14.

[0025] The display module 11 includes a drive substrate 111 and an electronic paper film (E-paper film) 112. The electronic paper 112 is installed on the drive substrate 111, and the drive substrate 111 controls the electronic paper film 112 to display an image. The drive substrate 111 of this embodiment includes a display installation area A1 and a peripheral area A2 adjacent to the display installation area A1. Here, the display installation area A1 is the area of the electronic paper film 112, and the peripheral area A2 is the area adjacent to the display installation area A1 other than the display installation area A1. The peripheral area A2 of this embodiment is taken as an example of the portion surrounding the outside of the display installation area A1.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the driving substrate 111 includes a substrate 1111 and a plurality of pixel units 1112, and the plurality of pixel units 1112 are disposed on the surface of the substrate 1111 facing the electronic paper film 112. The material of the substrate 1111 can be changed according to the demand of the product. The substrate 1111 can be a flexible substrate or a non-flexible substrate, and can also be a glass substrate, a plastic substrate or a flexible substrate. The material of the flexible substrate can be, for example, polyimide (PI) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but is not limited thereto. In addition, each pixel unit 1112 includes at least one switch and a pixel electrode (not shown in the figure), and the switch is, for example, a thin film transistor (TFT), and the driving substrate 111 is an active matrix driving substrate (driving back plate), so as to control the field formation of each pixel unit 1112. In different embodiments, the driving substrate 111 can be, but is not limited to, a passive matrix driving substrate.

[0027] The electronic paper film 112 is a bistable electronic paper film (E-paper film), and may be a microcapsule type electronic paper or a microcup type electronic paper, which has advantages such as power saving characteristics and a wide viewing angle. The display medium of the electronic paper film 112 includes an electrophoretic material, which includes a plurality of charged light-colored pigment particles and a dark-colored medium solution, and the pigment particles and the medium solution are respectively contained in a plurality of microcapsules, and the microcapsules are bonded together using an adhesive. The contents of the electrophoretic material may also be a combination of dark-colored pigment particles and a light-colored medium solution; the contents of the electrophoretic material may also be a combination of pigment particles of multiple colors and a light-colored medium solution, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0028] 2, the electronic paper film 112 of this embodiment includes a plurality of charged particles C, a dielectric solution L, and a containing structure 1121. The containing structure 1121 has a plurality of micro-cups or a plurality of microcapsules. Thus, the containing structure 1121 is exemplified by a plurality of micro-cups 1122, and the plurality of charged particles C are suspended in the dielectric solution L, and the plurality of charged particles C and the dielectric solution L are all contained in the plurality of micro-cups 1122.

[0029] In addition, the electronic label device 1 of this embodiment includes an adhesive layer 15, another substrate 16 and a common electrode layer 17, and the receiving structure 1121 is located between the substrate 16, the common electrode layer 17 and the driving substrate 111. The substrate 16 is a protective substrate, which may be a flexible substrate or a non-flexible substrate, and may be a glass substrate, a plastic substrate or a flexible substrate. The material of the substrate 16 may be the same as or different from the material of the substrate 1111, and is not limited. In addition, the common electrode layer 17 is a transparent electrode layer, which is sandwiched between the receiving structure 1121 and the substrate 16, and is further disposed opposite to a plurality of pixel units 1112 of the driving substrate 111. The material of the common electrode layer 17 can be, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO) or zinc oxide (ZnO), but is not limited thereto.

[0030] The adhesive layer 15 is located between the electronic paper film 112 and the driving substrate 111. The adhesive layer 15 is for attaching the electronic paper film 112 to the driving substrate 111, so that the electronic paper film 112 can completely cover the multiple pixel units 1112 in the normal direction of the substrate 1111. Thus, when a voltage difference is applied between the pixel electrodes of the pixel units 1112 and the common electrode layer 17 to generate an electric field, the charged particles C in the receiving structure 1121 are driven and moved to reflect the ambient light and show the color of the charged particles C or the dielectric solution L, thereby displaying an image.

[0031] Please refer to FIG. 1. The driving chip 12 is installed on the driving substrate 111 adjacent to the electronic paper film 112. Here, the driving chip 12 is installed in the peripheral area A2 of the driving substrate 111 and is electrically connected to the driving substrate 111, so that the driving substrate 111 drives the electronic paper film 112 to display an image. The driving chip 12 is an integrated circuit (IC) and is installed in the peripheral area A2 by using chip on glass (COG) technology. The technical details of the driving chip 12 are introduced below.

[0032] The system board 13 is electrically connected to the driving substrate 111 and the driving chip 12 to control the display module 11 to display images. The system board 13 is, for example, a printed circuit board, and includes a main controller, which includes at least one microcontroller unit (MCU), thereby controlling the operation of the electronic label device 1.

[0033] The system board 13 and the driving board 111 are connected to both sides of the connection board 14, respectively, and the system board 13 is electrically connected to the driving board 111 and the driving chip 12 through the connection board 14. Specifically, the connection board 14 in this embodiment is, for example, a flexible printed circuit (FPC), but is not limited thereto. The driving board 111 (driving chip 12) and the system board 13 are connected to opposite sides of the connection board 14, respectively, and the driving board 111 (driving chip 12) and the system board 13 are electrically connected to the connection board 14, respectively. Therefore, the main controller of the system board 13 is electrically connected to the driving board 111 and the driving chip 12 through the connection board 14, and provides and transmits driving signals to the driving board 111 to control the display of images on the electronic paper film 112.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the function of the driving chip 12 in one embodiment of the electronic label device 1 of FIG.

[0035] The driver chip 12 of this embodiment includes a memory unit 121. The driver chip 12 of this embodiment also includes a timing control circuit (Tcon) 122, at least one scan driver circuit, a data driver circuit 124, and a data storage unit 125. Here, Figure 3 takes two scan driver circuits 123a and 123b as an example.

[0036] The memory unit 121 is electrically connected to the timing control circuit 122. The timing control circuit 122 stores data in the memory unit 121, the timing control circuit 122 retrieves the stored data from the memory unit 121, and controls the display module 11 to display an image according to the data stored in the memory unit 121. In this embodiment, the memory unit 121 stores a plurality of lookup tables LUTs (only one lookup table LUT is shown in FIG. 3 as an example) corresponding to a plurality of temperature ranges, and the data of these lookup tables LUTs include at least a plurality of processing steps of a plurality of display colors of the display module 11 and a processing step of a temperature range (temperature range) with different common voltages. In other words, the number of temperature ranges stored in the memory unit 121 and the number of lookup tables are the same and are in a one-to-one relationship. For example, taking a temperature range of 0° C. to 60° C. as an example, a temperature range of 0° C. to 5° C. corresponds to one lookup table, a temperature range of 5° C. to 10° C. corresponds to another lookup table,...and a temperature range of 50° C. to 60° C. corresponds to yet another lookup table. In one embodiment, the temperature range of 0° C. to 60° C. is divided into, for example, 14 temperature divisions (temperature ranges), and each of the 14 temperature divisions corresponds to 14 different lookup tables LUT.

[0037] In some embodiments, the memory unit 121 is a One Time Programmable Read Only Memory (OTPROM, abbreviated as OTP) or a Multi-time Programmable Memory (MTPROM, abbreviated as MTP). The memory capacity can be, but is not limited to, 8k Bytes, 16k Bytes, or other capacity.

[0038] The scan driving circuits 123a and 123b are located on both sides of the data driving circuit 124, and are electrically connected to the timing control circuit 122 and the plurality of pixel units 1112 (FIG. 2) of the driving substrate 111, respectively. The scan driving circuits 123a and 123b are electrically connected to the plurality of pixel units 1112 of the driving substrate 111 through a plurality of scan lines SL. In addition, the data driving circuit 124 is electrically connected to the timing control circuit 122 and the plurality of pixel units 1112 of the driving substrate 111, respectively, and the data driving circuit 124 is electrically connected to the plurality of image units 1112 of the driving substrate 111 through a plurality of data lines DL. In addition, the data storage unit 125 is electrically connected to the timing control circuit 122. The data storage unit 125 can be, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) that stores display data required for displaying an image on the display module 11.

[0039] Therefore, in the electronic label device 1 of this embodiment, the timing control circuit 122 transmits the vertical clock signal and the vertical synchronization signal to the scan driving circuits 123a and 123b, respectively, and converts the display data stored in the data storage unit 125 into a data signal (data voltage) used by the data driving circuit 124, and transmits the data signal. Then, based on the data of the look-up table LUT in the memory unit 121, the horizontal clock signal and the horizontal synchronization signal are transmitted to the data driving circuit 124, so that the scan driving circuits 123a and 123b conduct the scan lines SL in sequence, and the data driving circuit 124 transmits the data signals to the pixel electrodes of each pixel unit 1112 through the multiple data lines DL, thereby generating an electric field between the pixel electrodes of each pixel unit 1112 and the common electrode layer 17, thereby controlling the display of an image on the electronic paper film 112.

[0040] In addition, the driver chip 12 of this embodiment further includes necessary elements, units or circuits, such as a power conversion unit 126 (which may include, but is not limited to, a DC-DC converter), an output / input (I / O) port 127, a temperature sensor TS, a low power detection circuit LPD, an oscillation circuit OSC, or other necessary elements, units or circuits, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a lookup table LUT corresponding to one of the temperature ranges stored in the memory unit 121 of FIG.

[0042] Among these lookup tables LUT stored in the memory unit 121, one lookup table corresponds to one temperature range. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, each lookup table LUT in this embodiment includes an index Inx corresponding to one of the temperature ranges and multiple processing steps R1, R2, R3 for multiple display colors in the electronic paper film 112, and the index Inx indicates the driving mode of these processing steps R1, R2, R3. Here, the driving mode includes a synchronous driving mode or an asynchronous driving mode. For example, when the content of the index Inx is "S", it represents the "synchronous mode", and when the content of the index Inx is "A", it represents the "asynchronous mode". Or, when the content of the index Inx is "0", it represents the "synchronous mode", and when the content of the index Inx is "1", it represents the "asynchronous mode".

[0043] First, please refer to Figures 5A and 5B. Figures 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of process steps R1, R2, and R3 (driving waveforms) when driving in synchronous mode and asynchronous mode in the lookup table LUT of Figure 4, respectively. Here, Figure 5A shows process steps R1, R2, and R3 (driving waveforms) corresponding to the synchronous mode in three display colors: R (red), K (black), and W (white) in the lookup table LUT corresponding to one of the temperature ranges, and Figure 5B shows process steps R1, R2, and R3 (driving waveforms) corresponding to the asynchronous mode in three display colors: R, K, and W in the lookup table LUT corresponding to one of the temperature ranges. The multiple display colors in Figures 5A and 5B are three colors as an example, but are not limited to these three colors.

[0044] In the synchronous mode of Fig. 5A, the three colors (R, K, W) displayed corresponding to one temperature range have the same step time, and the three display colors are driven at the same time (e.g., t1, t2, ..., t8 in Fig. 5A). However, in the asynchronous mode of Fig. 5B, the three colors (R, K, W) displayed corresponding to one temperature range do not have a fixed step time, and the three display colors are driven independently at different times.

[0045] In addition to the plurality of processing steps R1, R2, R3 of the three display colors, each lookup table LUT further includes a processing step R4 (FIG. 4) corresponding to a common voltage (Vcom) of the three display colors, that is, the synchronous mode of FIG. 5A and the asynchronous mode of FIG. 5B need to be matched with the processing step R4 of the common voltage (the driving waveform of the common voltage is not shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B), and the common voltage is the common voltage of the display module 11.

[0046] Furthermore, the plurality of display colors are exemplified as three colors, R (red), K (black), and W (white), but are not limited thereto, as should be understood by those skilled in the art. In different embodiments, the plurality of display colors may be different. Alternatively, the plurality of display colors may include two, four, or more than four colors. An example of two display colors may include, but is not limited to, K and W; an example of four display colors may include, but is not limited to, R, K, W, and Y (yellow), or any color that can be displayed. The present invention does not limit the displayed colors.

[0047] As described above, as in the prior art, the driving structure of the current electronic label device selects either a synchronous driving mode or an asynchronous driving mode, but in the electronic label device 1 of this embodiment, as shown in the embodiment of Figures 4 to 5B, a lookup table LUT corresponding to one temperature range includes an index Inx corresponding to the temperature range and multiple processing steps R1, R2, R3 of multiple display colors (e.g. R, K, W), and the content of the index Inx can indicate the driving mode of these processing steps R1, R2, R3 to be synchronous mode or asynchronous mode. Thus, before the electronic label device 1 is shipped, the designer can appropriately adjust the driving mode according to different temperature ranges, and the driving mode can be quickly controlled to meet the display quality requirements of different temperatures, so that the electronic label device 1 of this embodiment has both application flexibility and good display quality.

[0048] For example, current electronic label devices generally adopt a single driving mode, that is, a synchronous driving mode. However, in the synchronous driving mode, the electrophoretic material is difficult to control at low temperatures (e.g., close to zero degrees), so the optical taste of the display screen is deteriorated. In one application example of the present invention, as shown in Table 1 below, under the condition of adopting 14 temperature ranges (temperature divisions) between 0°C and 60°C, if all are driven in asynchronous mode, the memory capacity of the entire lookup table will require 8302 bytes, which will increase the cost of the electronic label device; if all are driven in synchronous mode, the memory capacity of the entire lookup table will require only 3626 bytes, which is low cost, but the display quality at low temperatures is poor.

[0049] When the method of the present invention is adopted, for example, if five asynchronous modes are adopted for driving at a relatively low temperature and nine synchronous modes are adopted for driving at a relatively high temperature, the memory capacity occupied by the entire lookup table is only 5295 bytes, which is more than that of the synchronous mode but less than that of the asynchronous mode. However, because the asynchronous mode is adopted for driving at a low temperature, in addition to being able to appropriately control the driving mode, the electronic label device 1 has better optical taste and display quality at low temperatures and the overall cost of the electronic label device 1 does not increase significantly.

[0050] [Table 1]

[0051] To sum up, the electronic label device of the present invention uses a driving chip to drive an electronic paper film to display an image. The memory unit of the driving chip stores a number of lookup tables corresponding to a number of temperature ranges, each lookup table includes an index corresponding to one of the temperature ranges and a number of processing steps of a number of display colors in the electronic paper film, and the index indicates the driving mode of these processing steps. Compared with the current technology, the electronic label device of the present invention can quickly control the driving mode, so that it can meet the display quality requirements of different temperatures, and in addition to having application flexibility and relatively good display quality, the overall cost does not increase significantly.

[0052] The foregoing is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and all modifications or variations thereto that do not depart from the scope of the claims of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] The present invention provides an electronic label device that can quickly control the driving mode and thus meet the display quality requirements of different temperatures. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Electronic label device 11 Display module 12 Driving Chip 13 System Board 14 Connecting Board 15 Adhesive layer 16, 1111 board 17 Common electrode layer 111 Drive circuit board 112 Electronic paper film 121 Memory Unit 122 Timing control circuit 123a, 123b Scanning drive circuit 124 Data driving circuit 125 Data Storage Units 126 Power Conversion Unit 127 output / input ports 1112 Pixel Unit 1121 Containment Structure 1122 Microcup A1 Display installation area A2 Surrounding area C Charged particle DL data line Inx Index K Black L Dielectric Solution LPD Low Power Detection Circuit LUT Lookup Table OSC Oscillator circuit R Red R1, R2, R3, R4 processing steps SL Scan Line t1~t8 time TS Temperature Sensor W white

Claims

1. A display module including a driving substrate and an electronic paper film, the electronic paper film being mounted on the driving substrate; a driving chip that is installed on the driving substrate and electrically connected to the driving substrate, and drives the electronic paper film via the driving substrate to display an image; The driving chip includes a memory unit, the memory unit stores a plurality of look-up tables corresponding to a plurality of temperature ranges, each of the look-up tables includes an index corresponding to one of the temperature ranges and a plurality of processing steps for a plurality of display colors in the electronic paper film, and the index indicates a driving mode of the processing steps.

2. The electronic label device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic paper film includes an electrophoretic material.

3. 2. The electronic label device of claim 1, wherein each of the look-up tables includes a process for processing common voltages corresponding to the plurality of display colors.

4. 2. The electronic label device according to claim 1, wherein the driving mode includes a synchronous driving mode or an asynchronous driving mode.

5. 2. The electronic label device according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit is a one-time programmable memory or a multi-time programmable memory.

6. 2. The electronic label device of claim 1, wherein the driving chip further includes a scanning driving circuit, the driving substrate includes a plurality of pixel units, and the scanning driving circuit is electrically connected to the plurality of pixel units through a plurality of scanning lines.

7. 7. The electronic label device of claim 6, wherein the driving chip further includes a data driving circuit, the data driving circuit being electrically connected to the plurality of pixel units through a plurality of data lines.

8. 2. The electronic label device according to claim 1, further comprising a system board electrically connected to the driving board and the driving chip.

9. 9. The electronic label device according to claim 8, further comprising a connection board connected to the system board and the driving board, the system board being electrically connected to the driving board and the driving chip via the connection board.

Images