Driving method for electrophoretic display panel, driving circuit, electrophoretic display panel, and computer program product

Abstract

The present application discloses a driving method for an electrophoretic display panel, a driving circuit, an electrophoretic display panel, and a computer program product. The driving method comprises: in a process of displaying a first image, for each main pixel, causing the main pixel to display a corresponding target grayscale value by means of controlling a first sub-pixel in the main pixel to display a first preset grayscale value, and controlling a second sub-pixel in the main pixel to display an intermediate grayscale value; in a process of displaying any image after the first image, for each main pixel, causing the main pixel to display a corresponding target grayscale value, by means of controlling a sub-pixel in the main pixel that displayed a first preset grayscale value the previous time to display an intermediate grayscale value, and controlling a sub-pixel in the main pixel that displayed the intermediate grayscale value the previous time to display the first preset grayscale value. The driving method for an electrophoretic display panel provided by the present application, by means of controlling the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel in the main pixel to alternately display the first preset grayscale value and the intermediate grayscale value, refreshing a display picture, causes the change of the grayscale value displayed by each sub-pixel in each main pixel to be reduced each time the picture is refreshed, shortening the corresponding moving distance of electrophoretic particles, and realizing rapid refresh of an electrophoretic display, which can ensure a display effect and prevent particle agglomeration and adsorption.

Description

A driving method, driving circuit, electrophoretic display panel, and computer program product for an electrophoretic display panel.

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410930884.4, filed on July 12, 2024, entitled "A Driving Method for an Electrophoretic Display", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application belongs to the field of display technology, and in particular relates to a driving method, driving circuit, electrophoretic display panel, and computer program product for an electrophoretic display panel. Background Technology

[0003] Electrophoretic displays have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their low power consumption. However, compared to traditional LCD displays, electrophoretic displays have some disadvantages in terms of display effect. For example, electrophoretic displays have a very slow response time and very poor dynamic display effect.

[0004] Currently, most solutions to the aforementioned problems focus on improving the driving mechanism, but the effectiveness is limited or even leads to significant side effects. For example, existing solutions for improving response time employ a specific fast refresh mode, which removes the pre-erasing and pre-reset steps of the normal electrophoretic display refresh mode, directly displaying G2G (Gray to Gray). This also removes all grayscale levels except for black and white, causing electrophoretic displays to consume more power in fast refresh mode and making them more prone to display problems such as particle aggregation and electrode adhesion. Therefore, current fast refresh modes often cannot operate normally for extended periods and result in poor display quality. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a driving method, driving circuit, electrophoretic display panel, and computer program product for an electrophoretic display panel, which enables rapid refresh of the electrophoretic display, ensures display quality, and avoids particle aggregation and adsorption.

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides a driving method for an electrophoretic display panel, the electrophoretic display panel including a plurality of main pixels, the main pixels including a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel;

[0007] The driving method includes:

[0008] During the display of the first frame image, for each main pixel, by controlling the first sub-pixel in the main pixel to display a first preset grayscale value and controlling the second sub-pixel in the main pixel to display an intermediate grayscale value, the main pixel displays the corresponding target grayscale value;

[0009] During the display of any frame of image after the first frame, for each main pixel, by controlling the sub-pixels of the main pixel that previously displayed the first preset grayscale value to display the intermediate grayscale value, and by controlling the sub-pixels of the main pixel that previously displayed the intermediate grayscale value to display the first preset grayscale value, the main pixel displays the corresponding target grayscale value.

[0010] In one implementation of the first aspect, before displaying each frame of the image, the method further includes:

[0011] Determine the target grayscale value corresponding to each main pixel based on the image data to be displayed;

[0012] Set the first preset grayscale value to the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel.

[0013] In one implementation of the first aspect, before displaying the first frame image, the method further includes:

[0014] Obtain the grayscale supported by the electrophoretic display panel;

[0015] The intermediate grayscale value is set to half the grayscale value supported by the display panel.

[0016] In one implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0017] The first grayscale voltage is determined based on the first preset grayscale value;

[0018] By applying a first grayscale voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel to be displayed a first preset grayscale value, the sub-pixel displays the first preset grayscale value.

[0019] By applying an intermediate grayscale voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel whose intermediate grayscale value is to be displayed, the sub-pixel displays the intermediate grayscale value, and the intermediate grayscale voltage is calculated from the intermediate grayscale value.

[0020] A second aspect of this application provides a driving circuit configured to perform the driving method for an electrophoretic display panel as described in the first aspect.

[0021] A third aspect of this application provides an electrophoresis display panel, comprising:

[0022] A pixel electrode layer and multiple main pixels, wherein the pixel electrode layer includes multiple pixel electrodes, each main pixel includes a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, each main pixel corresponds to multiple pixel electrodes, and the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel correspond to different pixel electrodes; and

[0023] The driving circuit described above is electrically connected to the pixel electrode in the pixel electrode layer.

[0024] In one implementation of the third aspect, the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel have the same area, and the main pixel includes a plurality of first sub-pixels and a plurality of second sub-pixels, wherein each first sub-pixel has the same area and each second sub-pixel has the same area.

[0025] In one implementation of the third aspect, each main pixel includes two first sub-pixels and two second sub-pixels; in each main pixel, the first sub-pixels are arranged in a first direction, and the second sub-pixels are arranged in a second direction.

[0026] In one implementation of the third aspect, the plurality of main pixels includes a first main pixel and a second main pixel;

[0027] In the first main pixel, the first sub-pixel is arranged in a first direction, and the second sub-pixel is arranged in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular, or both are vertical, or both are horizontal;

[0028] In the second main pixel, the first sub-pixel is arranged in a first direction, and the second sub-pixel is arranged in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular, or both are vertical, or both are horizontal;

[0029] The arrangement of the first and second sub-pixels in the first main pixel is different from that in the second main pixel.

[0030] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer program product including a computer program that, when run, causes the driving method described in the first aspect to be executed.

[0031] The beneficial effect of the first aspect of the embodiments of this application is that the driving method of the electrophoretic display panel provided by this application refreshes the display screen by controlling the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel in the main pixel to alternately display the first preset gray value and the intermediate gray value. This reduces the change in gray value displayed by each sub-pixel in each main pixel each time the screen is refreshed, and shortens the movement distance of the corresponding electrophoretic particles. This achieves fast refresh of the electrophoretic display, ensures the display effect, and avoids particle aggregation and adsorption.

[0032] It is understood that the beneficial effects of the second to fourth aspects mentioned above can be found in the relevant descriptions in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0033] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this application. Other features of this application will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the implementation flow of the driving method for the electrophoretic display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a conventional electrophoretic display panel structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a main pixel of an electrophoretic display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another main pixel of the electrophoretic display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal device provided in the embodiment of this application. Embodiments of the present invention

[0040] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0041] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.

[0042] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0043] As used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if detected [the described condition or event]" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "once determined," "in response to determination," "once detected [the described condition or event]," or "in response to detection [the described condition or event]."

[0044] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0045] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0046] This application provides a driving method for an electrophoretic display panel to achieve rapid refresh of the electrophoretic display. The driving method provided in this application, during the display of a first frame image, controls the first sub-pixel of the main pixel to display a first preset grayscale value and controls the second sub-pixel of the main pixel to display an intermediate grayscale value, thereby enabling the main pixel to display the corresponding target grayscale value. Furthermore, during the display of any subsequent frame image, for each main pixel, it controls the sub-pixel that previously displayed the first preset grayscale value to display an intermediate grayscale value and controls the sub-pixel that previously displayed an intermediate grayscale value to display the first preset grayscale value, thereby enabling the main pixel to display the corresponding target grayscale value. This shortens the distance that electrophoretic particles need to move when refreshing the screen, achieving rapid refresh of the electrophoretic display while ensuring display quality and preventing particle aggregation and adsorption.

[0047] As shown in Figure 1, this application embodiment provides a driving method for an electrophoretic display panel, the electrophoretic display panel including a plurality of main pixels, the main pixels including a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel;

[0048] The driving method includes:

[0049] Step S10: During the display of the first frame image, for each main pixel, by controlling the first sub-pixel in the main pixel to display a first preset grayscale value and controlling the second sub-pixel in the main pixel to display an intermediate grayscale value, the main pixel displays the corresponding target grayscale value.

[0050] In the application, the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel is the grayscale value that the main pixel in the frame to be displayed is. Each main pixel corresponds to a target grayscale value independently. The target grayscale values ​​corresponding to different main pixels may be the same or different.

[0051] In applications, the electrophoretic display panel also includes a pixel electrode layer, which comprises multiple pixel electrodes. Each main pixel corresponds to multiple pixel electrodes, and the first and second sub-pixels within each main pixel correspond to different pixel electrodes. Since different main pixels correspond to different pixel electrodes, the display of the corresponding target grayscale value can be controlled by different pixel electrodes. Specifically, for each main pixel, the grayscale values ​​displayed by the first and second sub-pixels can be controlled separately by different pixel electrodes. For example, the first sub-pixel can be controlled to display a first preset grayscale value, and the second sub-pixel can be controlled to display an intermediate grayscale value, so that the main pixel displays the corresponding target grayscale value.

[0052] Step S20: During the display of any frame of image after the first frame, for each main pixel, by controlling the sub-pixels of the main pixel that previously displayed the first preset grayscale value to display the intermediate grayscale value, and by controlling the sub-pixels of the main pixel that previously displayed the intermediate grayscale value to display the first preset grayscale value, the main pixel displays the corresponding target grayscale value.

[0053] In application, the process of moving electrophoretic particles to different positions to display different grayscale values ​​for any frame after the first frame is called refreshing the electrophoretic display. This is achieved by controlling the sub-pixels of each main pixel that displayed a first preset grayscale value in the previous frame to display an intermediate grayscale value, and by controlling the sub-pixels of each main pixel that displayed a second preset grayscale value in the previous frame to display a lower preset grayscale value. This allows the main pixels to display the corresponding target grayscale value, thus refreshing the grayscale values ​​displayed by the main pixels and achieving the refresh of the display. It can be understood that with each refresh, the change in grayscale value displayed by the sub-pixels decreases, the movement distance of the corresponding electrophoretic particles shortens, and the refresh speed is faster.

[0054] To make the above display process clearer, the following is an exemplary description of the display process: When displaying the first frame, the first sub-pixel of each main pixel displays the first preset grayscale value, and the second sub-pixel displays the intermediate grayscale value; when displaying the second frame, the first sub-pixel of each main pixel displays the intermediate grayscale value, and the second sub-pixel displays the first preset grayscale value; when displaying the third frame, the first sub-pixel of each main pixel displays the first preset grayscale value, and the second sub-pixel displays the intermediate grayscale value, and so on until the display ends, thereby achieving rapid refresh of the electrophoretic display screen.

[0055] In applications, the response time of electrophoresis displays The formula is:

[0056]

[0057] in, This indicates the distance traveled by the electrophoretic particles. Indicates the viscosity of the electrostatic medium. Let ξ represent voltage, and ξ represent the electric potential of a charged particle. This represents the dielectric constant of the charge control agent. From this formula, it can be seen that: first, the distance d is a squared term in the formula, which has the greatest impact on the response time; second, most parameters are determined after the display panel is finalized. The method provided in this application, by controlling the sub-pixels in the main pixel to alternately display a first preset grayscale value and an intermediate grayscale value, can reduce the movement distance of electrophoretic particles, thereby achieving rapid refresh of the electrophoretic display image.

[0058] In one embodiment, before displaying each frame of image, the method further includes:

[0059] Step S30: Determine the target grayscale value corresponding to each main pixel based on the image data to be displayed;

[0060] Step S31: Set the first preset grayscale value to the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel.

[0061] In the application, the image data to be displayed is obtained by converting the original text data or the original image data, including the target grayscale value corresponding to each main pixel. The first preset grayscale value is set as the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel, and the first sub-pixel or the second sub-pixel displays the first preset grayscale value, so that the first sub-pixel or the second sub-pixel in each main pixel can display the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel, thus ensuring the display effect of the main pixel on the target grayscale value.

[0062] In applications, there are differences between the color levels supported by the electrophoretic display panel and the color level information contained in the original image data. Especially when the data source is the original image data, the grayscale information in the original image data is richer than the grayscale supported by the actual device. To ensure the display effect of the original image data on the electrophoretic display panel, the grayscale values ​​in the original image data can be scaled or remapped according to the grayscale supported by the electrophoretic display panel to obtain the target grayscale value corresponding to each main pixel in the image data to be displayed. For example, suppose there is an 8-bit grayscale image containing 256 grayscale values ​​from 0 to 255. If this image is to be displayed on a display that only supports 16 grayscale levels, the 256 grayscale values ​​need to be mapped to 16 grayscale levels, which can be achieved through simple scaling or more complex algorithms.

[0063] In one embodiment, before displaying the first frame image, the method further includes:

[0064] Step S40: Obtain the grayscale supported by the electrophoretic display panel;

[0065] Step S41: Set the intermediate grayscale value to half of the grayscale value supported by the display panel.

[0066] In applications, grayscale refers to the range of brightness levels represented in an image. Different display panels support different grayscale levels. Grayscale is usually measured in bits per pixel (bpp), which defines the number of bits used to store the brightness information of each pixel. The number of grayscale levels is a power of 2. For example, a grayscale bit depth of 3 corresponds to 8 grayscale levels, and a grayscale bit depth of 8 corresponds to 256 grayscale levels. Intermediate grayscale values ​​can be set to half the grayscale level supported by the display panel. For example, if the display panel supports 8 grayscale levels, the intermediate grayscale value is the grayscale value corresponding to grayscale level 4. Intermediate grayscale values ​​can also be set to the grayscale values ​​within the range of half ± one-tenth of the grayscale levels supported by the display panel. For example, if the display panel supports 256 grayscale levels, the intermediate grayscale value can be the grayscale value corresponding to grayscale level 128 ± 12.

[0067] In application, by setting the intermediate grayscale value to half of the maximum grayscale value supported by the display, the grayscale value of the first or second sub-pixel changes during each refresh of the next frame: switching from the intermediate grayscale value to the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel in the next frame, or switching from the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel in the current frame to the intermediate grayscale value. The grayscale value change range of the first and second sub-pixels is smaller, and the movement distance of the electrophoretic particles is reduced accordingly. Based on the formula for the response time of electrophoretic display, it can be seen that the response time of electrophoretic display is significantly shortened, realizing fast refresh of electrophoretic display.

[0068] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0069] Step S50: Determine the first grayscale voltage based on the first preset grayscale value.

[0070] In applications, different grayscale values ​​require different grayscale voltages. Since the first grayscale voltage is the target grayscale voltage corresponding to the main pixel, the target grayscale voltage corresponding to the main pixel in the same frame image is different, and the target grayscale voltage corresponding to the same main pixel in different frames is different. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently determine the first grayscale voltage based on the first preset grayscale value. In the method provided in this application embodiment, the above step S50 is implemented based on a predefined mapping table (LUT, Look-Up Table) that maps grayscale values ​​to required voltage values, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the first grayscale voltage based on the preset grayscale value.

[0071] Step S51: By applying a first grayscale voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel to be displayed with the first preset grayscale value, the sub-pixel displays the first preset grayscale value.

[0072] In the application, by applying a first gray level voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel to be displayed with the first preset gray level value, the corresponding electrophoretic particles are moved to the corresponding positions, so that the sub-pixel displays the first preset gray level.

[0073] Step S52: By applying an intermediate gray level voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel to be displayed with an intermediate gray level value, the sub-pixel displays an intermediate gray level value. The intermediate gray level voltage is calculated from the intermediate gray level value.

[0074] In the application, by applying an intermediate gray level voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel whose intermediate gray level value is to be displayed, the corresponding electrophoretic particles are moved to the corresponding positions, so that the sub-pixel displays the first preset gray level.

[0075] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0076] This application embodiment also provides a driving circuit, which is configured to perform the above-described driving method for the electrophoretic display panel.

[0077] In applications, the driving circuit includes a pixel electrode driving circuit and a common electrode driving circuit. The pixel electrode driving circuit controls the voltage on each pixel electrode, while the common electrode driving circuit applies a uniform potential across the entire display panel. Together with the pixel electrodes, they form a local electric field, which influences the movement of electrophoretic particles.

[0078] This application embodiment also provides an electrophoresis display panel, including:

[0079] A pixel electrode layer and multiple main pixels, wherein the pixel electrode layer includes multiple pixel electrodes, each main pixel includes a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, each main pixel corresponds to multiple pixel electrodes, and the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel correspond to different pixel electrodes; and

[0080] The driving circuit described above is electrically connected to the pixel electrode in the pixel electrode layer.

[0081] In applications, electrophoretic display technology utilizes colored charged spheres (or electrophoretic particles) that move in an electrophoretic liquid under the influence of an external electric field, thereby presenting different display effects. These charged spheres are composed of tiny pigment particles or dye molecules. Taking grayscale electrophoretic display as an example, the electrophoretic particles include black electrophoretic particles and white electrophoretic particles, which can move to different positions in the electrophoretic liquid under the influence of an electric field to achieve different grayscale display effects.

[0082] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a traditional electrophoretic display panel, which includes a common electrode layer 21, an electrophoretic display layer 22, and a pixel electrode layer 23 arranged in sequence. The common electrode layer is used to provide a unified electric field. The pixel electrode layer includes multiple independent pixel electrodes. The electrophoretic display layer includes multiple electrophoretic particles. By applying different voltages to the pixel electrodes, different electric fields are formed between different pixel electrode layers and the common electrode layer, thereby controlling the movement of electrophoretic particles in the electrophoretic display layer and thus realizing the display of the image.

[0083] In one embodiment of this application, the electrophoretic display panel includes a common electrode layer, an electrophoretic display layer, and a pixel electrode layer arranged sequentially. The common electrode layer provides a uniform electric field, the pixel electrode layer includes multiple independent pixel electrodes, and the electrophoretic display layer includes multiple microcapsules containing electrophoretic particles. Two pixel electrodes correspond to one main pixel. The main pixel includes a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel. The first and second sub-pixels are controlled by different pixel electrodes. By applying different grayscale voltages to the two electrodes corresponding to a main pixel, the first and second sub-pixels display different grayscale levels, thus achieving the display of the main pixel. By controlling the first and second sub-pixels to alternately display the grayscale value and intermediate grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel with each screen refresh, a fast refresh display effect can be achieved.

[0084] In the application, each main pixel may include a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, and each main pixel may also include multiple first sub-pixels and multiple second sub-pixels.

[0085] In applications, the main pixel can be a rectangle, square, circle, ellipse, regular hexagon, or other shapes.

[0086] In one embodiment, the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel have the same area, and the main pixel includes a plurality of first sub-pixels and a plurality of second sub-pixels, wherein each first sub-pixel has the same area and each second sub-pixel has the same area.

[0087] In the application, when each main pixel includes one first sub-pixel and one second sub-pixel, the first and second sub-pixels have the same area and shape. When each main pixel includes the same number of first sub-pixels and multiple second sub-pixels, the total area of ​​all first sub-pixels and the total area of ​​all second sub-pixels are the same, and the area and shape of each first sub-pixel and each second sub-pixel are the same.

[0088] In one embodiment, each main pixel includes two first sub-pixels and two second sub-pixels; in each main pixel, the first sub-pixels are arranged in a first direction and the second sub-pixels are arranged in a second direction.

[0089] In application, as shown in Figure 3, the main pixel P1 of an electrophoretic display device provided in an embodiment of this application is square. The main pixel P1 includes two first sub-pixels P11 and two second sub-pixels P12. The first sub-pixels and the second sub-pixels are also square. The first direction and the second direction are parallel. Figure 3 only shows the case where they are parallel horizontally, but they can also be parallel vertically.

[0090] In application, as shown in Figure 4, the main pixel P2 of an electrophoretic display device provided in an embodiment of this application is square. The main pixel P2 includes two first sub-pixels P21 and two second sub-pixels P22. The first sub-pixels and the second sub-pixels are also square, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular.

[0091] In one embodiment, the plurality of main pixels includes a first main pixel and a second main pixel;

[0092] In the first main pixel, the first sub-pixel is arranged in a first direction, and the second sub-pixel is arranged in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular, or both are vertical, or both are horizontal;

[0093] In the second main pixel, the first sub-pixel is arranged in a first direction, and the second sub-pixel is arranged in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular, or both are vertical, or both are horizontal;

[0094] The arrangement of the first and second sub-pixels in the first main pixel is different from that in the second main pixel.

[0095] In applications, electrophoretic display panels include two types of main pixels: a first main pixel and a second main pixel. The arrangement of the first and second sub-pixels in the first main pixel differs from that in the second main pixel. For example, the first main pixel is shown in Figure 3, and the second main pixel is shown in Figure 4.

[0096] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the terminal device 5 of this embodiment includes: at least one processor 50 (only one is shown in Figure 5), a memory 51, a computer program 52 stored in the memory 51 and executable on the at least one processor 50, and the aforementioned electrophoretic display panel 53. When the processor 50 executes the computer program 52, it implements the steps in the driving method embodiments of any of the aforementioned electrophoretic display panels.

[0097] The terminal device 5 can be a computing device such as a mobile phone, laptop, or handheld reader. This terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a processor 50, a memory 51, and an electrophoretic display panel 53. Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 5 is merely an example of the terminal device 5 and does not constitute a limitation on the terminal device 5. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components, such as input / output devices, network access devices, etc.

[0098] The processor 50 can be a central processing unit (CPU), or it can be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0099] In some embodiments, the memory 51 may be an internal storage unit of the terminal device 5, such as a hard disk or memory of the terminal device 5. In other embodiments, the memory 51 may be an external storage device of the terminal device 5, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the terminal device 5. Furthermore, the memory 51 may include both internal and external storage units of the terminal device 5. The memory 51 is used to store the operating system, applications, bootloader, data, and other programs, such as the program code of the computer program. The memory 51 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0100] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of this application. For details on their specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the method embodiments section, and they will not be repeated here.

[0101] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0102] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, can implement the steps in the above-described embodiments of the driving methods for various electrophoretic display panels.

[0103] This application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when run, causes the steps in the above-described driving method embodiments for various electrophoretic display panels to be executed.

[0104] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments of this application can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. The computer-readable medium can include at least: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code to a device / terminal equipment, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal, and a software distribution medium. Examples include USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical disks. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media cannot be electrical carrier signals or telecommunication signals.

[0105] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0106] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0107] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed electrophoretic display panel and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the electrophoretic display panel embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices, or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0108] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0109] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A driving method for an electrophoretic display panel, the electrophoretic display panel comprising a plurality of main pixels, the main pixels comprising a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel; The driving method includes: During the display of the first frame image, for each main pixel, by controlling the first sub-pixel in the main pixel to display a first preset grayscale value and controlling the second sub-pixel in the main pixel to display an intermediate grayscale value, the main pixel displays the corresponding target grayscale value; During the display of any frame of image after the first frame, for each main pixel, by controlling the sub-pixels of the main pixel that previously displayed the first preset grayscale value to display the intermediate grayscale value, and by controlling the sub-pixels of the main pixel that previously displayed the intermediate grayscale value to display the first preset grayscale value, the main pixel displays the corresponding target grayscale value.

2. The driving method for the electrophoretic display panel as described in claim 1, wherein, Before displaying each frame of image, the method further includes: Determine the target grayscale value corresponding to each main pixel based on the image data to be displayed; Set the first preset grayscale value to the target grayscale value corresponding to the main pixel.

3. The driving method for the electrophoretic display panel as described in claim 1, wherein, Before displaying the first frame image, the method further includes: Obtain the grayscale supported by the electrophoretic display panel; The intermediate grayscale value is set to half the grayscale value supported by the display panel.

4. The driving method for the electrophoretic display panel as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The method further includes: The first grayscale voltage is determined based on the first preset grayscale value; By applying a first grayscale voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel to be displayed a first preset grayscale value, the sub-pixel displays the first preset grayscale value. By applying an intermediate grayscale voltage to the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-pixel whose intermediate grayscale value is to be displayed, the sub-pixel displays the intermediate grayscale value, and the intermediate grayscale voltage is calculated from the intermediate grayscale value.

5. A driving circuit configured to perform a driving method for an electrophoretic display panel as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. An electrophoresis display panel, comprising: A pixel electrode layer and multiple main pixels, wherein the pixel electrode layer includes multiple pixel electrodes, each main pixel includes a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, each main pixel corresponds to multiple pixel electrodes, and the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel correspond to different pixel electrodes; as well as The driving circuit as described in claim 5, wherein the driving circuit is electrically connected to the pixel electrode in the pixel electrode layer.

7. The electrophoretic display panel as claimed in claim 6, wherein, The first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel have the same area. The main pixel includes multiple first sub-pixels and multiple second sub-pixels, with each first sub-pixel having the same area and each second sub-pixel having the same area.

8. The electrophoretic display panel as described in claim 7, wherein, Each of the main pixels includes two first sub-pixels and two second sub-pixels; in each main pixel, the first sub-pixels are arranged in a first direction and the second sub-pixels are arranged in a second direction.

9. The electrophoretic display panel as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein, The plurality of main pixels includes a first main pixel and a second main pixel; In the first main pixel, the first sub-pixel is arranged in a first direction, and the second sub-pixel is arranged in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular, or both are vertical, or both are horizontal; In the second main pixel, the first sub-pixel is arranged in a first direction, and the second sub-pixel is arranged in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular, or both are vertical, or both are horizontal; The arrangement of the first and second sub-pixels in the first main pixel is different from that in the second main pixel.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed, causes the driving method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 to be performed.

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