Electronic Paper Multicolor Updating With Asynchronous Region Refresh
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic paper screens face challenges in achieving more than four colors without increasing cost due to the limitations of 2-bit driver ICs, and transitioning to 3-bit ICs for more colors is expensive.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that converts multi-color images into multiple pieces of refresh image data and asynchronous refresh instructions, allowing electronic paper screens to display more colors using 2-bit driver ICs by executing refresh operations on different color regions independently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a 3-bit driver IC is used to display more than four colors, then the display color capability is improved, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the multi-color image into multiple single-color images according to different color regions. Each single-color image is then processed and sent to the electronic paper screen separately. This segmentation allows a 2-bit driver IC to achieve multi-color display by sequentially rendering different color segments, thereby avoiding the need for an expensive 3-bit driver IC while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
2Productivity
If the electronic paper screen refreshes the entire screen to update content, then the display content is updated completely, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and identifies unchanged color regions in the new image by comparing with the original image. These unchanged regions are then excluded from the refresh operation. Only the changed color regions are sent to the electronic paper screen for refresh, significantly reducing the refresh area and power consumption while maintaining complete content update effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different refresh strategies to different regions of the screen based on their change status. Changed regions undergo full refresh with complete driving waveforms, while unchanged regions are excluded from refresh. This localized quality approach optimizes power consumption by concentrating refresh operations only where necessary, rather than uniformly refreshing the entire screen.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple color images are sent sequentially to the electronic paper screen, then the multi-color display is achieved, but the updating speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing by segmenting the multi-color image into multiple single-color images in advance, and pre-calculates the optimal sending sequence. By determining the refresh sequence beforehand and preparing the driving waveforms in advance, the system minimizes processing delays during actual display updates. This preliminary action enables faster updating speed compared to sequential processing without compromising multi-color display capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a display content updating method and apparatus, a device, and a medium, relating to the field of screen display technologies. The display content updating method includes: acquiring a color region included in a multi-color image and a color type corresponding to the color region; converting the multi-color image into multiple pieces of refresh image data and refresh instructions corresponding to the multiple pieces of refresh image data according to positions and color types of color regions in the multi-color image, where different refresh instructions are executed asynchronously; and sending the refresh instructions and the multiple pieces of refresh image data to a controller of an electronic paper screen so that the controller refreshes the display content of the electronic paper screen based on the refresh instructions and the corresponding multiple pieces of refresh image data.