CN108803187B

CN108803187B - Electronic paper and driving method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN108803187B
Application number: CN201810666982.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王林志; 席克瑞; 林柏全; 李小和
Original assignee: Shanghai AVIC Optoelectronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai AVIC Optoelectronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-26
Filing date: 2018-06-26
Publication date: 2021-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 2038-06-26
Also published as: CN108803187A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses electronic paper and a driving method of the electronic paper, wherein the electronic paper comprises the following components: the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged; positive liquid crystal molecules (particles attached with the first color) and negative liquid crystal molecules (particles attached with the second color) filled therein; providing a plurality of first electrodes and second electrodes on a first substrate, and a plurality of third electrodes and fourth electrodes on a second substrate; the adjacent first, second, third and fourth electrodes form a driving electrode group; wherein the first and fourth electrodes of the same driving electrode group are energized at a first time, the second and third electrodes are energized at a second time, and the first time and the second time do not overlap; the included angle between the direction of the electric field between the first electrode and the fourth electrode and the first substrate is A, and A is less than or equal to 30 degrees; the included angle between the direction of the electric field between the second electrode and the third electrode and the first substrate is B, and B is more than or equal to 75 degrees. By the arrangement, normal display of the electronic paper can be realized, and meanwhile, the response speed of the electronic paper is improved.

Description

Electronic paper and driving method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to display technologies, and in particular, to an electronic paper and a method for driving the electronic paper.

Background

Electronic paper, also known as digital paper, is an ultra-thin and ultra-light display screen, which can be understood as a "thin, erasable display device" like paper. The display effect is close to the natural paper effect, so that the user can be prevented from reading fatigue. Meanwhile, after the electronic paper is displayed, the display picture can still be kept for a long time (1-6 months) after power is removed, and therefore the power consumption of the electronic paper is low. In addition, compared with the traditional liquid crystal display device or diode light-emitting display device, the electronic paper has the advantages of small volume, light weight, convenience in carrying, good impact resistance, strong shock resistance, capability of being prepared by a roll-to-roll process and lower cost.

In general, the basic structure of electronic paper is: and a layer of electrophoretic film is arranged between the two oppositely arranged electrodes, and the electrophoretic film comprises electrophoretic particles. The display principle is electrophoresis technology, and specifically comprises the following steps: the position of the electrophoretic particles in the electrophoretic film is controlled by the electric field, and the reflection of light is controlled by the position of the electrophoretic particles, thereby realizing the required brightness or color. However, since the electrophoretic technology relies on the movement of electrophoretic particles, the switching time for display is very long, up to several hundred milliseconds, and the switching time cannot meet the requirement of applying electronic paper to video display.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides electronic paper and a driving method of the electronic paper, which are used for realizing normal display of the electronic paper and improving the response speed of the electronic paper.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides electronic paper, where the electronic paper includes:

the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged;

positive liquid crystal molecules and negative liquid crystal molecules filled between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes disposed on a side of the first substrate adjacent to the second substrate, and a plurality of third electrodes and a plurality of fourth electrodes disposed on a side of the second substrate adjacent to the first substrate; the adjacent first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode and the fourth electrode form a driving electrode group;

wherein, the two ends of the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules are attached with particles of a first color, the two ends of the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules are attached with particles of a second color, and the first color is different from the second color; the first electrode and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group are respectively used as positive and negative electrodes to be simultaneously electrified at a first time, the second electrode and the third electrode are respectively used as positive and negative electrodes to be simultaneously electrified at a second time, and the first time and the second time are not overlapped;

an included angle between the direction of an electric field formed between the first electrode and the fourth electrode and the first substrate is A, wherein A is less than or equal to 30 degrees; an included angle between the direction of an electric field formed between the second electrode and the third electrode and the first substrate is B, wherein B is more than or equal to 75 degrees.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a driving method for electronic paper, which is applied to the electronic paper provided in the first aspect, and the driving method includes:

in a first time, the first electrode and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group are respectively electrified as positive and negative electrodes, and the second electrode and the third electrode are not electrified;

in a second time, the first electrode and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group are not electrified, and the second electrode and the third electrode are respectively electrified as a positive electrode and a negative electrode;

wherein the first time and the second time do not overlap.

The electronic paper provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, positive liquid crystal molecules and negative liquid crystal molecules, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged, and the positive liquid crystal molecules and the negative liquid crystal molecules are filled between the first substrate and the second substrate; wherein, the particles of the first color are attached to two ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules, the particles of the second color are attached to two ends of the long axis of the negative liquid crystal molecules, and the first color is different from the second color; when an electric field exists between the first substrate and the second substrate, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the direction of the electric field, and the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules is perpendicular to the direction of the electric field. An included angle between the direction of an electric field formed between the first electrode and the fourth electrode and the first substrate is set to be A, wherein A is less than or equal to 30 degrees, the first electrode and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group are respectively used as a positive electrode and a negative electrode to be simultaneously electrified at a first time, so that the included angle between the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules and the first substrate is less than or equal to 30 degrees within the first time, namely the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules is almost parallel to the first substrate; meanwhile, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules is almost vertical to the first substrate; as such, the particles of the second color tend to be close to the first and second substrates, while the particles of the first color tend to be far from the first and second substrates; therefore, the corresponding position of the driving electrode group in the electronic paper displays the second color at the first time. An included angle between the direction of an electric field formed between the second electrode and the third electrode and the first substrate is set to be B, wherein B is larger than or equal to 75 degrees, the second electrode and the third electrode of the same driving electrode group are respectively used as a positive electrode and a negative electrode to be simultaneously electrified at a second time, so that the included angle between the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules and the first substrate is larger than or equal to 75 degrees in the second time, namely the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules is almost vertical to the first substrate; meanwhile, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules is almost parallel to the first substrate; as such, the particles of the first color tend to be close to the first and second substrates, and the particles of the second color tend to be far from the first and second substrates; therefore, the corresponding position of the driving electrode group in the electronic paper displays the first color at the second time. On the basis, the first time and the second time are not overlapped, so that the time for displaying the second color at the position corresponding to the driving electrode group in the electronic paper is not overlapped with the time for displaying the first color, that is, the first color or the second color can be stably displayed, and the normal display of the electronic paper is realized through the cooperative work of the plurality of driving electrode groups. In addition, the electronic paper drives the liquid crystal molecules to rotate through the electric field, and the display of pictures with corresponding colors is realized by attaching particles with different colors to two ends of the long axes of the positive liquid crystal molecules and the negative liquid crystal molecules, so that the response speed of the electronic paper is consistent with that of the liquid crystal molecules, and the response speed of the electronic paper is improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic view of an operating principle of an electronic paper at a first time according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation principle of an electronic paper at a second time according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional structure view of another electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structure view of another electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic plan view illustrating a first substrate of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic plan view illustrating a first substrate of another electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic plan view of another electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a driving method of electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not limiting of the invention. It should be further noted that, for the convenience of description, only some of the structures related to the present invention are shown in the drawings, not all of the structures.

At present, a new type of plasma display material has been developed, which is composed of liquid crystal molecules and two different color particles, wherein the liquid crystal molecules include positive liquid crystal molecules and negative liquid crystal molecules, and the liquid crystal molecules are used as a driver of electronic paper, so that the response speed of the electronic paper is consistent with the response speed of the liquid crystal molecules. Meanwhile, the two different color particles are used as the display of the electronic paper to obtain the above advantages of the electronic paper display. However, in the current liquid crystal molecule driving technology, the positive liquid crystal molecules and the negative liquid crystal molecules cannot be respectively turned because the direction of an electric field is fixed, so that the novel plasma display material cannot be driven to realize normal display.

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 1, the electronic paper 001 includes: a first substrate 01 and a second substrate 02 disposed opposite to each other; positive liquid crystal molecules 11 and negative liquid crystal molecules 12 filled between the first substrate 01 and the second substrate 02; a plurality of first electrodes P and a plurality of second electrodes Q provided on the first substrate 01 side closer to the second substrate 02, and a plurality of third electrodes U and a plurality of fourth electrodes V provided on the second substrate 02 side closer to the first substrate 01; the adjacent first electrode P, second electrode Q, third electrode U and fourth electrode V form a driving electrode group 03; wherein, the particles 110 of the first color are attached to both ends of the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11, the particles 120 of the second color are attached to both ends of the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12, and the first color is different from the second color; the first electrode P and the fourth electrode V of the same driving electrode group 03 are respectively used as positive and negative electrodes to be simultaneously electrified at a first time, the second electrode Q and the third electrode U are respectively used as positive and negative electrodes to be simultaneously electrified at a second time, and the first time and the second time are not overlapped; an included angle A is formed between the direction of an electric field formed between the first electrode P and the fourth electrode V and the first substrate 01, wherein A is less than or equal to 30 degrees; the included angle between the direction of the electric field formed between the second electrode Q and the third electrode U and the first substrate 01 is B, wherein B is more than or equal to 75 degrees.

The first substrate 01 may include a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate. Flexibility, also known as flexibility, is a property of an object in terms of relative rigidity. Flexibility refers to a physical property that an object cannot restore to an original shape after being deformed by a force and losing the force. And after the rigid object is stressed, the shape of the rigid object can be regarded as unchanged in a macroscopic view. Alternatively, a flexible substrate can also be understood as a bendable substrate.

Illustratively, the material of the flexible substrate may be ultra-thin glass, metal foil, or a polymer plastic material. The ultra-thin glass may include ultra-thin alkali-free glass, the metal foil may include stainless steel foil, aluminum foil, copper foil, etc., and the polymer plastic material may include Polyimide (PI), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), etc. The material of the rigid substrate may be a proportional or silicon wafer. The glass may comprise corning glass, soda lime glass (white glass), green glass, or the like. It should be noted that the above-mentioned flexible substrate materials and rigid substrate materials are merely exemplary and not restrictive.

The second substrate 02 may also include the flexible substrate material or the rigid substrate material, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

The first substrate 01 and the second substrate 02 may further include an electrically functional layer or an optically functional layer formed on one side of any of the above substrates.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second substrate is taken as an array substrate. One side of the second substrate 02 close to the first substrate 01 may include a thin film transistor layer, and specifically, the thin film transistor layer includes a gate electrode layer, a gate insulating layer, an active layer, and a source drain electrode layer, which are sequentially stacked along a direction away from the second substrate 02. Illustratively, the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V are electrically connected to the source-drain electrode layers, respectively. Illustratively, the thin film transistor is a dual-gate diode, so that leakage current can be reduced, thereby improving image display effect and picture stability of the electronic paper. Illustratively, a passivation layer (or referred to as a buffer layer) may be further included between the thin film transistor layer and the second substrate 02, and the passivation layer may be used to reduce the influence of excessive roughness of the substrate surface or impurities or defects in the substrate on the performance of the thin film transistor, so as to ensure that the performance of the thin film transistor is good, and thus, the electronic paper 001 has good image display performance.

The material of the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V may be Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) material, Transparent conductive polymer material, or other Transparent conductive materials. Illustratively, the transparent conductive oxide material includes indium tin oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, or doped (with boron, aluminum, or gallium as a doping element) zinc oxide, or the like.

For example, when the second substrate 02 is used as an array substrate, the light-emitting side is the side where the first substrate 01 is located, and since the electronic paper 001 uses the principle of light reflection to realize image display, the higher the light transmittance of the first substrate 01 is, the better the image display effect of the electronic paper 001 is. By forming the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V using a transparent conductive material, the light transmittance of the first substrate 01 may be improved, so that the image display effect of the electronic paper 001 is better.

The particles 110 of the first color are attached to two ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 by adhesion or chemical adsorption, and the particles 120 of the second color are attached to two ends of the long axis of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 by adhesion or chemical adsorption. This is merely an illustration and not a limitation. In other embodiments, the particles 110 of the first color may be attached to both ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11, and the particles 120 of the second color may be attached to both ends of the negative liquid crystal molecules by other feasible methods, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Among them, the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 and the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 are mainly different in the deflection direction in response to an electric field. Specifically, when an electric field is present between the first substrate 01 and the second substrate 02, the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 are deflected such that the long axis direction thereof tends to be parallel to the direction of the electric field, and the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 are deflected such that the long axis direction thereof tends to be perpendicular to the direction of the electric field. By arranging that the particles 110 of the first color are attached to both ends of the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11, and the particles 120 of the second color are attached to both ends of the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12, the first color is different from the second color, it can be realized that when any one end of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 to which the first color is attached is close to the first substrate 01, the electronic paper 001 displays the first color; when any one end of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 to which the second color is attached is close to the first substrate 01, the electronic paper 001 displays the second color. Based on this, with reference to fig. 2 and fig. 3, the operation principle of the electronic paper provided by the embodiment of the present invention is exemplarily described by taking the power on/off condition of four electrodes in the same driving electrode group as an example.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation principle of an electronic paper at a first time according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 2, in a first time, the first electrode P and the fourth electrode V of the same driving electrode group are simultaneously powered as positive and negative electrodes, respectively, exemplarily, the first electrode P is used as a positive electrode, the fourth electrode V is used as a negative electrode, and the direction of the electric field is directed from the first electrode P to the fourth electrode V. At this time, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 is parallel to the direction of the electric field, and an included angle between the direction of the electric field formed between the first electrode P and the fourth electrode V and the first substrate 01 is a, where a is not more than 30 °, so the included angle between the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 and the first substrate is less than or equal to 30 °, that is, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 is almost parallel to the first substrate 01. Meanwhile, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 is perpendicular to the direction of the electric field, i.e., the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 is almost perpendicular to the first substrate 01. Thus, the particles 110 of the first color attached to both ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 tend to be distant from the first substrate 01 (and the second substrate 02), and the particles 120 of the second color attached to both ends of the long axis of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 tend to be close to the first substrate 01 (and the second substrate 02). Therefore, the corresponding position of the driving electrode group in the electronic paper 001 displays the second color at the first time.

It should be noted that fig. 2 only shows the first electrode P as a positive electrode and the fourth electrode V as a negative electrode by way of example, that is, the direction of the electric field is directed from the first electrode P to the fourth electrode V, which is only an illustration and not a limitation. In other embodiments, the first electrode P may be set as a negative electrode and the fourth electrode V may be set as a positive electrode according to actual requirements of the electronic paper, which is not limited by the comparison in the examples of the present invention.

Exemplarily, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an operation principle of the electronic paper at the second time according to the embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 3, during the second time, the second electrode Q and the third electrode U of the same driving electrode group are simultaneously energized as positive and negative electrodes, respectively, exemplarily, the second electrode Q is used as a positive electrode, the third electrode U is used as a negative electrode, and the direction of the electric field is directed from the second electrode Q to the third electrode U. At this time, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 is parallel to the direction of the electric field, and the included angle between the direction of the electric field formed between the second electrode Q and the third electrode U and the first substrate 01 is B, where B is equal to or greater than 75 °, so the included angle between the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 and the first substrate is greater than or equal to 75 °, that is, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 is almost perpendicular to the first substrate 01. Meanwhile, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 is perpendicular to the direction of the electric field, i.e., the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 is almost parallel to the first substrate 01. Thus, the particles 110 of the first color attached to both ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 tend to be close to the first substrate 01 (and the second substrate 02), and the particles 120 of the second color attached to both ends of the long axis of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 tend to be far from the first substrate 01 (and the second substrate 02). Therefore, the corresponding position of the driving electrode group in the electronic paper 001 displays the first color at the second time.

It should be noted that fig. 3 only shows the second electrode Q as a positive electrode and the third electrode U as a negative electrode by way of example, that is, the direction of the electric field is directed from the second electrode Q to the third electrode U, which is only an illustration and not a limitation. In other embodiments, the second electrode Q may be set as a negative electrode and the third electrode U may be set as a positive electrode according to actual requirements of the electronic paper, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

On the basis of fig. 2 and fig. 3, by setting the first time not to overlap the second time, the time for displaying the second color at the position corresponding to the driving electrode group in the electronic paper 001 and the time for displaying the first color do not overlap, that is, the first color or the second color can be stably displayed, and the plurality of driving electrode groups cooperate with each other, so that the normal display of the electronic paper 001 is realized.

In addition, the electronic paper 001 drives the liquid crystal molecules (including the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 and the negative liquid crystal molecules 12) to rotate through the electric field, so that two ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 are close to the first substrate 01, and two ends of the long axis of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 are far away from the first substrate 01; or, both ends of the long axis of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12 are made to be close to the first substrate 01, and both ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 are made to be far from the first substrate 01; the display of the picture with the corresponding color is realized by attaching different color particles to two ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11 and the negative liquid crystal molecules 12, so that the response speed of the electronic paper 001 is consistent with that of the liquid crystal molecules, and the response speed of the electronic paper 001 is improved.

It should be noted that the first time and the second time are for a certain set of driving electrode sets. The electronic paper 001 provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises a plurality of driving electrode groups, wherein each driving electrode group is arranged at a first time or a second time, can be set according to the actual display requirements of the electronic paper 001, and can be arranged at the first time; or, all at the second time; or, a part is at the first time and a part is at the second time, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

It should be noted that, the first substrate 01 and the second substrate 02 are disposed opposite to each other, and their opposite surfaces are approximately parallel (similar to the mathematical principle of "two straight lines are parallel and the internal offset angle is equal"), therefore, the angle between the direction of the electric field formed between the electrodes (between the first electrode P and the fourth electrode V, or between the second electrode Q and the third electrode U) and the first substrate 01 is equal to the angle between the direction of the electric field and the second substrate 02, and fig. 1 shows the angle between the direction of the electric field and the first substrate 01 by the angle between the direction of the electric field and the second substrate 02 as an example.

Optionally, the particles of the first color are white balls, and the particles of the second color are black balls.

The white balls are used for displaying white pictures at positions corresponding to the driving electrode groups, and the black balls are used for displaying black pictures at positions corresponding to the driving electrode groups.

Illustratively, when the electronic paper needs to display a full white picture, all the driving electrode groups in the electronic paper are at the second time. Illustratively, the second electrode and the third electrode are used as a positive electrode and a negative electrode respectively, and power is not supplied to the first electrode and the fourth electrode, at this time, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules is almost parallel to the first substrate, and the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules is almost perpendicular to the first substrate, so that white balls attached to two ends of the long axis of the positive liquid crystal molecules tend to be close to the first substrate, and the electronic paper displays white.

Illustratively, when the electronic paper needs to display a completely black picture, all the driving electrode groups in the electronic paper are in the first time. Illustratively, the first electrode and the fourth electrode are used as a positive electrode and a negative electrode respectively, and power is supplied to the second electrode and the third electrode simultaneously, at this time, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules is almost parallel to the first substrate, and the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules is almost perpendicular to the first substrate, so that the black balls attached to the two ends of the long axis of the negative liquid crystal molecules tend to be close to the first substrate, and the electronic paper displays black.

The above-mentioned all white or all black screen is only an exemplary illustration of the display state of the electronic paper, and is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the driving electrode set at the corresponding position may be set to be at the first time or at the second time according to an actual requirement of the electronic paper display, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Optionally, with continued reference to fig. 1, an angle between the direction of the electric field formed between the first electrode P and the fourth electrode V and the direction of the electric field formed between the second electrode Q and the third electrode U is C, wherein C is 75 ° or more and 90 ° or less.

With the arrangement, the direction of the electric field formed between the first electrode P and the fourth electrode V is approximately vertical or perpendicular to the direction of the electric field formed between the second electrode Q and the third electrode U, so that white pictures or black pictures can be better displayed at the corresponding position of the driving electrode group of the electronic paper, and mutual influence among pictures with different colors is avoided.

Optionally, fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 4, the first electrode P, the second electrode Q, the third electrode U, and the fourth electrode V of the same driving electrode group 03 all extend along a first direction X, which is parallel to a plane on which the first substrate 01 or the second substrate 02 is located.

With the arrangement, on one hand, the design difficulty of each driving electrode group 03 in the electronic paper 001 can be reduced; on the other hand, the distribution of the electric field in the driving electrode group 03 can be simplified, so that the deflection process of positive liquid crystal molecules and negative liquid crystal molecules in the driving electrode group is simplified, and the response speed of the electronic paper 001 during picture switching is improved.

It should be noted that fig. 4 only exemplarily shows that the surfaces of the first substrate 01 and the second substrate 02 of the electronic paper 001 are rectangles, and the first direction X is parallel to one side of the rectangle, which is merely an exemplary illustration and is not a limitation. In other embodiments, the shape of the electronic paper and the orientation of the first direction X in a plane parallel to the first substrate 01 or the second substrate 02 may be set according to actual requirements of the electronic paper, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

Optionally, fig. 5 is a schematic plan structure diagram of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 5, the electronic paper 001 further includes a plurality of data lines 011 and a plurality of scan lines 012 on the second substrate 02; the first direction X is parallel to the extending direction of the scanning lines 012.

The scan lines 012 are used to provide an on voltage or an off voltage of the thin film transistors connected to the electrodes, so as to implement line-by-line scanning. The data lines 011 are used for providing voltage signals required by the content required to be displayed, and the voltage signals provided by the data lines 011 are used for driving positive liquid crystal molecules and negative liquid crystal molecules to deflect, so that the display of the picture of the first color or the second color is realized.

In other embodiments, the first direction X may be parallel to the extending direction of the data line 011, or may be in any direction within a plane parallel to the first substrate 01 or the second substrate 02, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

It should be noted that fig. 5 only shows 2 scan lines 012, six data lines 011, and 6 driving electrode groups 03 by way of example, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the number of the scanning lines 012, the number of the data lines 011, and the number of the driving electrode groups 03 may be set according to actual requirements of the electronic paper 001, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

It should be noted that fig. 4 and 5 also exemplarily show that the first electrode P, the second electrode Q, the third electrode U, and the fourth electrode V in each driving electrode group 03 in the whole electronic paper 001 extend along the first direction X, so that the design difficulty of each driving electrode group 03 in the whole electronic paper 001 can be reduced; on the other hand, the electric field distribution in the whole electronic paper 001 is simplified, so that the deflection process of positive liquid crystal molecules and negative liquid crystal molecules in the electronic paper 001 is simplified, and the response speed of the electronic paper 001 during picture switching is improved. This is merely an illustration and not a limitation. In other embodiments, different driving electrode groups 03 may be disposed, and the extending directions of the electrodes (including the first electrode P, the second electrode Q, the third electrode U, and the fourth electrode V) are different, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Alternatively, with continued reference to fig. 1, the first electrode P, the second electrode Q, the third electrode U, and the fourth electrode V have the same cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the first direction.

By such arrangement, the first electrode P, the second electrode Q, the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V can be formed by the same or similar process, so that the design difficulty of a mask plate used in the process is reduced, and the process is simplified.

Optionally, fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of another electronic paper provided in an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of another electronic paper provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 1, 6 and 7, the cross section has a semicircular, semi-elliptical or polygonal shape.

With such an arrangement, the shape of the electrodes (including the first electrode P, the second electrode Q, the third electrode U, and the fourth electrode V) can be flexibly designed according to the actual requirements of the electronic paper and the actual requirements of the process.

It should be noted that fig. 1-3, 6, and 7 only exemplarily show 1 positive liquid crystal molecule 11 and 1 negative liquid crystal molecule 12, where 3 particles 110 of the first color are respectively attached to two ends of the long axis of each positive liquid crystal molecule 11, and 3 particles 120 of the second color are respectively attached to two ends of the long axis of each negative liquid crystal molecule 12, which is merely an exemplary illustration and is not a limitation. In other embodiments, the number of the positive liquid crystal molecules 11, the number of the negative liquid crystal molecules 12, the number of the particles 110 of the first color attached to both ends of the long axis of each positive liquid crystal molecule 11, and the number of the particles 120 of the second color attached to both ends of the long axis of each negative liquid crystal molecule 12 may also be set according to the actual requirements of the electronic paper, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present invention.

Optionally, with continued reference to fig. 5, the drive electrode sets 03 are arranged in a periodic array.

Each driving electrode group 03 can display a picture of the second color at the first time, and display a picture of the first color at the second time, and the driving electrode groups 03 are arranged in a periodic array, so that the driving electrode groups 03 at different positions can display the picture of the first color, or the picture of the second color, and the electronic paper 001 can display a specific picture.

Alternatively, with continued reference to fig. 5, a third electrode U and a fourth electrode V are provided on the second substrate 02, and fig. 5 shows a vertical projection of the first electrode P on the second substrate 02 and a vertical projection of the second electrode Q on the second substrate 02. The first electrode P, the second electrode Q, the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V in the same driving electrode group 03 satisfy: the vertical projection of the first electrode P on the second substrate 02 overlaps with the vertical projection of the third electrode U on the second substrate 02; the perpendicular projection of the second electrode Q on the second substrate 02 is located between the perpendicular projection of the third electrode U on the second substrate 02 and the perpendicular projection of the fourth electrode V on the second substrate 02.

By the arrangement, the angle range of the included angle between the direction of the electric field formed by the electrodes and the first substrate can be met, so that normal display of the electronic paper is realized by time-sharing electrification.

Illustratively, each driving electrode group 03 corresponds to a pixel, and a region surrounded by a vertical projection of the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V on the second substrate 02 and a straight line connecting the two electrodes forms a pixel region 015. Each pixel region 015 may include a plurality of positive liquid crystal molecules and a plurality of negative liquid crystal molecules, and the number of liquid crystal molecules is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Optionally, fig. 8 is a schematic plan structure view of a first substrate of the electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 8, a plurality of first electrodes P are connected to the same first common electrode line 111; the plurality of second electrodes Q are connected to the same second common electrode line 112.

In this arrangement, the electrode and wiring design on the first substrate 01 is simplified in the case where the electronic paper 001 displays only a full white screen or a full black screen. For example, when it is required to display a full black picture, power may be supplied to a plurality of first electrodes P through the same first common electrode line 111 at the same time; when a full white picture needs to be displayed, the same second common electrode line 112 can be used for supplying power to the plurality of second electrodes Q at the same time, so that the power supply wiring design of the plurality of first electrodes P and the plurality of second electrodes Q in the electronic paper 001 is simplified, and the power supply driving circuit is further simplified.

Optionally, fig. 9 is a schematic plan structure view of a first substrate of another electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 9, the plurality of first electrodes P are electrically connected to the third common electrode line 113 through a first switch 121; the second electrodes Q are electrically connected to the third common electrode line 113 through a second switch 122.

So configured, it is a further optimization of the planar structure of the first substrate provided in fig. 8, i.e. further simplifying the wiring design on the first substrate. For example, when it is required to display a full black screen, the first switch 121 may be closed, and the second switch 122 may be opened, and at this time, power may be simultaneously supplied to the plurality of first electrodes P through the third common electrode line 113 and the first switch 121; when a full white frame needs to be displayed, the second switch 122 may be closed, and the first switch 121 may be opened, and at this time, the plurality of second electrodes Q may be simultaneously supplied with power through the third common electrode line 113 and the second switch 122. Thus, the power supply wiring design of the plurality of first electrodes P and the plurality of second electrodes Q in the electronic paper 001 is further simplified, and the power supply driving circuit thereof is further simplified.

It should be noted that fig. 8 only shows 2 first switches 121 and 2 second switches 122 by way of example, wherein one first switch 121 is connected to 2 first electrodes P, another first switch 121 is connected to 4 first electrodes P, one second switch 122 is connected to 2 second electrodes Q, and another second switch 122 is connected to 4 second electrodes Q, which is only an exemplary illustration and is not a limitation. In other embodiments, the number of the first switches 121, the number of the second switches 122, the number of the first electrodes P connected to each first switch 121, and the number of the second electrodes Q connected to each second switch 122 may be set according to actual requirements of the electronic paper, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Optionally, with continued reference to fig. 5, the electronic paper 001 further includes a plurality of data lines 011 and a plurality of scan lines 012 on the first substrate 01 or the second substrate 02; in the same driving electrode group 03, the third electrode U is connected to the same scanning line 012 through the first switch 014 and the fourth electrode V through the second switch 013, and the third electrode U is connected to different data lines 011 through the first switch 014 and the fourth electrode V through the second switch 013.

The third electrode U and the fourth electrode V are connected to different data lines 011, so that different voltage signals can be provided through the corresponding data lines 011, and the whole circuit is equivalent to supplying power to only one of the electrodes (the third electrode U or the fourth electrode V), thereby controlling the display state of the pixel region 015.

Illustratively, when a black screen needs to be displayed, a voltage signal with a voltage value larger than the driving voltage value of the liquid crystal molecules is applied to the fourth electrode V through the data line 011 connected with the fourth electrode V, and a voltage signal with a voltage value smaller than the driving voltage value of the liquid crystal molecules is applied to the third electrode U through the data line 011 connected with the third electrode U, so that for the liquid crystal molecules, the fourth electrode V is powered, and the third electrode U is not powered, that is, the fourth electrode V is powered only. Illustratively, when a white screen needs to be displayed, a voltage signal with a voltage value larger than the driving voltage value of the liquid crystal molecules can be applied to the third electrode U through the data line 011 connected with the third electrode U, and a voltage signal with a voltage value smaller than the driving voltage value of the liquid crystal molecules can be applied to the fourth electrode V through the data line 011 connected with the fourth electrode V, so that for the liquid crystal molecules, the power supply to the third electrode U is equivalent to the power supply to the fourth electrode V, and the power supply to only the third electrode U is realized.

The first switch 014 and the second switch 013 may be of the same type, that is, they are turned on or turned off simultaneously when the voltage signal provided by the scan line 012 is a certain voltage value. Therefore, the first switch 014 and the second switch 013 can be formed in the same process, thereby simplifying the process of the whole electronic paper.

Alternatively, with continued reference to fig. 5, the vertical projection of the portion of the scan line 012 extending in the first direction X on the second substrate 02 is located between the vertical projections of the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V on the second substrate 02.

In the direction perpendicular to the first direction X, since there is an overlapping portion between the scanning lines 012 and the data lines 011 in the vertical projection on the second substrate 02, the size of the area of the overlapping portion determines the size of the additional capacitance generated by the overlapping portion, and the size of the additional capacitance affects the size of the voltage signal applied to the third electrode U or the fourth electrode V. In the embodiment of the present invention, by disposing the vertical projection of the portion of the scanning line 012 extending in the first direction X on the second substrate 02 between the vertical projections of the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V on the second substrate 02, the magnitude of the additional capacitance C1 associated with the third electrode U can be made equal to the magnitude of the additional capacitance C2 associated with the fourth electrode V, and thus, the influence of the additional capacitance on the third electrode U is equal to the influence thereof on the fourth electrode V. Therefore, the influence of the additional capacitance on the screen display effect of the electronic paper is eliminated.

Optionally, fig. 10 is a schematic plan structure diagram of another electronic paper provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 10, the electronic paper 001 further includes a plurality of data lines 011 and a plurality of scan lines 012 on the second substrate 02, and a third electrode U and a fourth electrode V on the second substrate 02, and fig. 10 shows a vertical projection of a first electrode P on the first substrate on the second substrate 02 and a vertical projection of a second electrode Q on the second substrate 02 for clarity of explanation of the present embodiment. In the same driving electrode group 03, the third electrode U is connected to the same scanning line 012 through the first switch 014 and the fourth electrode V through the second switch 013; the third electrode U is connected to the same data line 011 through the first switch 014 and the fourth electrode V through the second switch 013; the first switch 014 is conductive differently from the second switch 013. For example, the first switch 014 is an N-channel type thin film transistor, and the second switch 013 is a P-channel type thin film transistor.

Here, the first switch 014 and the second switch 013 have different conductive types, so that when the voltage signal provided by the scan line 012 is a certain voltage value, one of them is turned on and the other is turned off. For example, when the voltage signal provided by the scan line 012 is a low-level voltage signal, the first switch 014 is turned on, and the second switch 013 is turned off; when the voltage signal supplied from the scan line 012 is a high-level voltage signal, the first switch 014 is turned off, and the second switch 013 is turned on. Accordingly, when the same voltage signal is supplied to the scan line 012, the first switch 014 and the second switch 013 can be turned on in a time-sharing manner, and the voltage signal on the data line 011 can be applied to the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V in a time-sharing manner.

The third electrode U and the fourth electrode V share the same data line 011, so that the number of the data lines 011 is halved, power consumption of the source electrode driving circuit and the source electrode driving line is reduced, and power consumption of the electronic paper is reduced.

It should be noted that fig. 5 and 10 only show two wiring manners of the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V and the scan line 012 and the data line 011 connected thereto, which are only exemplary and not limiting. In other embodiments, a wiring manner that satisfies the time-sharing power supply of the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V may be further provided according to the actual requirements of the electronic paper.

It should be noted that fig. 8-9 only exemplarily show two wiring manners between the first electrode P and the second electrode Q and the common electrode lines (the first electrode line 111, the second electrode line 112, and the third electrode line 113) connected thereto, and the wiring manners are also merely exemplary and are not limited. In another embodiment, a wiring scheme that satisfies the time-sharing power supply of the first electrode P and the second electrode Q may be provided according to the actual requirements of the electronic paper. Meanwhile, in order to realize the cooperative operation of the four electrodes in the same driving electrode group, the wiring patterns of the first electrode P and the second electrode Q may also be set with reference to the wiring patterns of the third electrode U and the fourth electrode V, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present invention.

Based on the same concept, the embodiment of the invention also provides a driving method of the electronic paper, which can be applied to the electronic paper provided by the embodiment. Exemplarily, fig. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a driving method of electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 11, the method of driving the electronic paper includes:

s41, in the first time, the first electrode and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group are respectively electrified as positive and negative electrodes, and the second electrode and the third electrode are not electrified;

s42, in the second time, the first electrode and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group are not electrified, and the second electrode and the third electrode are respectively electrified as positive and negative electrodes;

wherein the first time and the second time do not overlap.

It should be noted that, the first time and the second time are both for the same driving electrode group, and the electronic paper provided in the embodiment of the present invention may set the driving electrode group at the corresponding position to be at the first time or at the second time according to the requirement of the screen display. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the execution sequence of the steps S41 and S42.

According to the driving method of the electronic paper, provided by the embodiment of the invention, an included angle between the direction of an electric field formed between the first electrode and the fourth electrode and the first substrate is set to be A, wherein A is not more than 30 degrees, the first electrode and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group are respectively used as a positive electrode and a negative electrode to be simultaneously electrified at the first time, so that the included angle between the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules and the first substrate is not more than 30 degrees in the first time, namely the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules is almost parallel to the first substrate; meanwhile, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules is almost vertical to the first substrate; as such, the particles of the second color tend to be close to the first and second substrates, while the particles of the first color tend to be far from the first and second substrates; therefore, the corresponding position of the driving electrode group in the electronic paper displays the second color at the first time. An included angle between the direction of an electric field formed between the second electrode and the third electrode and the first substrate is set to be B, wherein B is larger than or equal to 75 degrees, the second electrode and the third electrode of the same driving electrode group are respectively used as a positive electrode and a negative electrode to be simultaneously electrified at a second time, so that the included angle between the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules and the first substrate is larger than or equal to 75 degrees in the second time, namely the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules is almost vertical to the first substrate; meanwhile, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules is almost parallel to the first substrate; as such, the particles of the first color tend to be close to the first and second substrates, and the particles of the second color tend to be far from the first and second substrates; therefore, the corresponding position of the driving electrode group in the electronic paper displays the first color at the second time. On the basis, the first time and the second time are not overlapped, so that the time for displaying the second color at the position corresponding to the driving electrode group in the electronic paper is not overlapped with the time for displaying the first color, that is, the first color or the second color can be stably displayed, and the normal display of the electronic paper is realized through the cooperative work of the plurality of driving electrode groups. In addition, the electronic paper drives the liquid crystal molecules to rotate through the electric field, and the display of pictures with corresponding colors is realized by attaching particles with different colors to two ends of the long axes of the positive liquid crystal molecules and the negative liquid crystal molecules, so that the response speed of the electronic paper is consistent with that of the liquid crystal molecules, and the response speed of the electronic paper is improved.

It is to be noted that the foregoing is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles employed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein, but is capable of various obvious modifications, rearrangements, combinations and substitutions as will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in greater detail by the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include other equivalent embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic paper, comprising:

the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged;

2. The electronic paper of claim 1, wherein an angle between a direction of an electric field formed between the first electrode and the fourth electrode and a direction of an electric field formed between the second electrode and the third electrode is C, wherein C is 75 ° C90 °.

3. The electronic paper of claim 1, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode, and the fourth electrode of the same driving electrode group all extend along a first direction, and the first direction is parallel to a plane in which the first substrate or the second substrate is located.

4. The electronic paper according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines on the first substrate or the second substrate; the first direction is parallel to an extending direction of the scan line.

5. The electronic paper of claim 3, wherein cross-sectional shapes of the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode, and the fourth electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first direction are the same.

6. The electronic paper according to claim 5, wherein the cross-section has a shape of a semicircle, a semi-ellipse, or a polygon.

7. The electronic paper of claim 1, wherein the drive electrode sets are arranged in a periodic array.

8. The electronic paper of claim 1, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode, and the fourth electrode in the same driving electrode group satisfy:

the vertical projection of the first electrode on the second substrate is overlapped with the vertical projection of the third electrode on the second substrate; the vertical projection of the second electrode on the second substrate is located between the vertical projection of the third electrode on the second substrate and the vertical projection of the fourth electrode on the second substrate.

9. The electronic paper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrodes are connected to a same first common electrode line; the plurality of second electrodes are connected with the same second common electrode line.

10. The electronic paper according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrodes are electrically connected to a third common electrode line through a first switch; and the plurality of second electrodes are electrically connected and then connected to the third common electrode wire through a second switch.

11. The electronic paper according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines on the first substrate or the second substrate;

in the same driving electrode group, the third electrode is connected with the same scanning line through a first switch and the fourth electrode is connected with different data lines through a second switch.

12. The electronic paper of claim 4, wherein a perpendicular projection of a portion of the scan line extending in the first direction on the second substrate is located between perpendicular projections of the third and fourth electrodes on the second substrate.

13. The electronic paper according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines on the first substrate or the second substrate;

in the same driving electrode group, the third electrode is connected with the same scanning line through a first switch and the fourth electrode is connected with the same scanning line through a second switch; the third electrode is connected with the same data line through a first switch and the fourth electrode through a second switch; the first switch is of a different conductivity type than the second switch.

14. The electronic paper of claim 1, wherein the particles of the first color are white spheres and the particles of the second color are black spheres.

15. A driving method of electronic paper, applied to the electronic paper according to any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising:

wherein the first time and the second time do not overlap.