Asymmetric Covering for Electrophoretic Display Non-Driven Area
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In electrophoretic display devices, the non-driven areas are easily visible, degrading the display quality, especially when a light guiding plate is used, as it increases the distance between the chassis and the display portion, making the boundary between driven and non-driven areas more noticeable, particularly under front light illumination.
Innovation Solution
A display device configuration with a covering portion that includes an opening portion, where the driven and non-driven areas are symmetric relative to straight lines passing through their centers, and the covering portion's shape is designed to obscure the non-driven area, improving visibility angles and display quality without altering the size of the display panel or increasing the driven area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a light guiding plate is disposed at a position on the display face to allow light from a light source to enter, then illumination quality is improved, but the distance between the chassis and display portion increases, making the non-driven area more visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by making the covered length of the driven area in the first direction different from the covered length in the second direction. This asymmetric covering configuration, combined with the light guiding plate positioning, ensures that the non-driven area is obscured from typical viewing angles while maintaining proper illumination. The asymmetric design allows the display portion to be shifted relative to the chassis opening, creating an optimal viewing geometry that hides the non-driven area.
2Area of stationary object
If the display portion is positioned to maximize viewing area, then the non-driven area becomes more visible, but reducing the display portion size hides the non-driven area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by introducing a dimensional shift in the positional relationship between the display portion and the chassis opening. Instead of reducing the display area, the invention shifts the display portion asymmetrically relative to the chassis opening in the vertical direction. This dimensional repositioning creates an overlapping configuration where the covering portion obscures the non-driven area from oblique viewing angles while preserving the full display area for front-on viewing.
3Area of stationary object
If the driven area is made larger to improve display quality, then the non-driven area becomes more prominent, but keeping the driven area small reduces its visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different covering characteristics for different regions of the display. The covering portion is configured to provide asymmetric coverage, with different covered lengths in different directions. This allows the driven area to be fully visible and functional where needed, while the non-driven area is selectively obscured from viewing angles where it would be harmful to display quality. The local quality approach ensures that the solution addresses the visibility problem without compromising the overall driven area size.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The configuration effectively reduces the visibility of the non-driven area, enhancing the overall display quality by shifting the figure center of the driven area relative to the covering portion, thus maintaining the display's integrity even when viewed from oblique angles.
Implementation Method 1
a light guiding plate LP disposed at a second substrate side opposite the first substrate, and guides light from the light source LD
Implementation Method 2
allowing a voltage to be applied to the dispersion liquid sealed in each of the spaces and sandwiched between two electrodes so as to cause two groups of particles constituting the particles, the color (displayed color) and the reflectance of particles constituting one of the two groups being different from those of particles constituting the other one of the two groups, to be each separated and moved toward a corresponding one of the two electrodes that is specified by the applied voltage
Implementation Method 3
allows the white color to be displayed through the use of light scattering of the white particles
Implementation Method 4
allows the black color to be displayed through the use of light absorption of the black particles
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes a display panel including a non-driven area and a driven area symmetric relative to a first straight line passing on the figure center of the driven area and a covering portion covering a peripheral portion of the display panel and including an opening portion symmetric relative to a second straight line passing on the figure center of the opening portion. When the first straight line and the second straight line are viewed from a first direction side, the first straight line and the second straight line are disposed in parallel to each other on a plane, and when the plane is viewed in a plan view, one side portion and the other side portion that are included in the driven area and covered by the covering portion and that are located opposite each other with the first straight line located between the one side portion and the other side portion have mutually different lengths in a direction perpendicular to the first straight line.