E-paper display apparatus and e-paper display panel

An e-paper display apparatus including an e-paper display panel is provided. The e-paper display panel includes multiple pixel circuits arranged in an array. Each of the pixel circuits includes a transistor device. The transistor device is an oxide thin-film transistor. A set of signal waveforms for driving the pixel circuits to display image pages includes multiple frames. In a low panel frequency mode, the number of the frames is less than ten.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 110144978, filed on Dec. 2, 2021. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to a display apparatus and a display panel thereof, and in particular, to an e-paper display apparatus and an e-paper display panel thereof.

Description of Related Art

An e-paper display apparatus (e.g. an electrophoretic display) may be adopted as an electric tag. In the application of the electric tag, the power consumption has to be extremely low, and the electric tag has to be wirelessly charged to be driven by a charging device. For example, the charging device may charge the electric tag through near-field communication (NFC).

In the conventional technology, to reduce the power consumption, a driving voltage of the electric tag may be lowered by adjusting a front panel laminate (FPL) material. However, reducing the power consumption in this way may compromise the display quality of the electric tag. The power consumption of the electric tag may also be reduced by lowering an update frequency of the electric device. However, in this way, a page update time of the electric tag may be increased, so it is not allowed to be adopted.

Therefore, it is necessary to design an e-paper display apparatus exhibiting low power consumption and providing favorable display quality.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is directed to an e-paper display apparatus and an e-paper display panel thereof. The e-paper display apparatus exhibits low power consumption and provides favorable display quality.

The e-paper display apparatus provided in the disclosure includes an e-paper display panel. The e-paper display panel includes multiple pixel circuits arranged in an array. Each of the pixel circuits includes a transistor device. The transistor device is an oxide thin-film transistor. A set of signal waveforms for driving the pixel circuits to display image pages includes multiple frames. In a low panel frequency mode, a number of the frames is less than ten.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the pixel circuits further includes a storage capacitor coupled to the transistor device. A capacitance density of the storage capacitor is greater than 50 μF/m2.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, in the low panel frequency mode, a page update frequency of the e-paper display panel is less than 30 Hz.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a material of a channel layer of the oxide thin-film transistor is indium gallium zinc oxide or indium zinc tin oxide.

An e-paper display panel of the disclosure includes multiple pixel circuits arranged in an array. Each of the pixel circuits includes a transistor device, a storage capacitor, and a pixel capacitor. A data voltage drives the storage capacitor and the pixel capacitor through the transistor device to cause the e-paper display panel to display image pages. The transistor device is an oxide thin-film transistor. A capacitance density of the storage capacitor is greater than 50 μF/m2.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a set of signal waveforms for driving the pixel circuits to display the image pages includes multiple frames. In a low panel frequency mode, a number of the frames is less than ten.

In order to make the aforementioned features and advantages of the disclosure comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG.1is a schematic diagram of an e-paper display apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG.2is a schematic diagram of a pixel circuit of the e-paper display apparatus of an embodiment ofFIG.1. Referring toFIG.1, an e-paper display apparatus100includes an e-paper display panel110. The e-paper display panel110includes layer structures such as a circuit layer112, an electrophoresis layer114, and a protection layer116. The e-paper display panel110includes multiple pixel circuits200arranged in an array. The pixel circuit200includes a transistor device210, a storage capacitor220, and a pixel capacitor230. A pixel voltage of the pixel capacitor230is denoted by Vp. The storage capacitor220is coupled to the transistor device210.

Specifically, the circuit layer112is, for example, a thin-film transistor substrate and includes the multiple transistor devices210arranged in an array. The technology of electrophoretic ink is generally known as electronic ink. The electronic ink is formed on a plastic thin film to form the electrophoresis layer114. The electrophoresis layer114is attached to the circuit layer112to be driven by a driving chip to display an image page. The protection layer116as a protection film is configured to protect the layer structures of the e-paper display panel110.

FIG.3is a schematic diagram of a structure of a transistor device of an embodiment ofFIG.2. Referring toFIG.2andFIG.3, the transistor device210ofFIG.2is implemented, for example, as an oxide thin-film transistor, and the structure therefore is as shown inFIG.3. The transistor device210includes a first source/drain310, a second source/drain320, a gate electrode330, and a channel layer340. A material of the channel layer340is an oxide, such as indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) or indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO). The oxide thin-film transistor exhibits a property of very low off current. Hence, the oxide thin-film transistor may maintain a pixel voltage in a low panel frequency mode. The oxide thin-film transistor structure and the material of the channel layer ofFIG.3are only illustrative, and they are not intended to limit the disclosure.

FIG.4AandFIG.4Bare schematic diagrams respectively illustrating microcapsules in an electrophoresis layer of the embodiment ofFIG.2in different states. Referring toFIG.2,FIG.4A, andFIG.4B, the electrophoresis layer114includes millions of microcapsules430. A diameter of the microcapsules430is approximately equal to a diameter of human hair. Each of the microcapsules430includes electrophoretic particles. The electrophoretic particles are negatively charged white particles434and positively charged black particles432suspended in a transparent liquid. The size of the microcapsules430and the color of the electrophoretic particles are not intended to limit the disclosure. That is, the e-paper display apparatus100may display a dual-color (white and black), three-color (white, red, and black), four-color (white, red, yellow, black), or multi-color image page.

An upper electrode410and a lower electrode420of the electrophoresis layer114form the pixel capacitor230. During a driving period, a scan signal causes the transistor device210to be turned on through a scan line111. Next, a data voltage Vd is written into the pixel circuit200through a data line113to drive the pixel circuit200to display the image page. When the data voltage Vd is applied to the upper electrode410and the lower electrode420, the electrophoretic particles are driven to move. InFIG.4A, a negative voltage is applied to the upper electrode410and a positive voltage is applied to the lower electrode420to drive the positively charged black particles432to move toward the upper electrode410and drive the negatively charged white particles434to move toward the lower electrode420. As a result, the pixel is presented as black. InFIG.4B, the positive voltage is applied to the upper electrode410and the negative voltage is applied to the lower electrode420to drive the positively charged black particles432to move toward the lower electrode420and drive the negatively charged white particles434to move toward the upper electrode410. As a result, the pixel is presented as white.

In the embodiment, since the transistor device210ofFIG.2is implemented as the oxide thin-film transistor, an initial voltage may be maintained to drive the electrophoretic particles. Furthermore, the e-paper display panel110is operated in a low frame number mode, effectively reducing the power consumption of the e-paper display apparatus100. Hence, the energy consumption may be reduced, and the display quality of the e-paper display panel110is maintained.

FIG.5is a schematic diagram illustrating waveforms of a pixel voltage according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG.1,FIG.2, andFIG.5,FIG.5is a schematic diagram illustrating waveforms of the e-paper display panel110operated in a general mode. In the general mode, a set of signal waveforms for driving the pixel circuits200to display the image pages as shown inFIG.5includes ten frames. During the driving period, when the transistor device210is turned on, a data voltage similar to the waveforms ofFIG.5is written into the pixel circuit200through the data line113to drive the pixel circuit200to display the image page. Since the transistor device210is implemented as the oxide thin-film transistor and exhibits the property of very low off current, when the transistor device210is not turned on, a pixel voltage Vp of the pixel capacitor230may maintain the voltage waveforms as shown inFIG.5, such as maintaining the voltage waveforms at a voltage value V1.

FIG.6is a schematic diagram illustrating waveforms of a pixel voltage according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG.1,FIG.2, andFIG.6,FIG.6is a schematic diagram illustrating waveforms of the e-paper display panel110operated in the low panel frequency mode, such as a page update frequency of the e-paper display panel110being less than 30 Hz and a number of frames being less than 10. In the low panel frequency mode, a set of signal waveforms for driving the pixel circuits200to display the image pages as shown inFIG.6includes two frames. During the driving period, when the transistor device210is turned on, a data voltage similar to the waveforms ofFIG.6is written into the pixel circuit200through the data line113to drive the pixel circuit200to display the image page. Since the transistor device210is implemented as the oxide thin-film transistor and exhibits the property of very low off current, when the transistor device210is not turned on, the pixel voltage Vp of the pixel capacitor230may maintain the voltage waveforms as shown inFIG.6, such as maintaining the voltage waveforms at a voltage value V2. The voltage value V2and the voltage value V1may be equal or not equal. In the embodiment, for example, two frames are included, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The disclosure may be applied to the low panel frequency mode and in a case where the number of frames is less than 10. The energy consumption may be reduced, and the display quality may be maintained.

In the embodiment, a capacitance density of the storage capacitor220may be designed to be greater than 50 μF/m2to maintain the pixel voltage Vp at the voltage value V2to enhance the display quality.

In a case where the oxide thin-film transistor is not adopted to implement the transistor device210, the pixel voltage of the pixel capacitor230may be as shown in a dotted line600. Serious current leakage may occur, and the voltage is not able to be maintained at the voltage value V2.

FIG.7andFIG.8are schematic diagrams illustrating a page update time and power of an e-paper display panel.FIG.9is a schematic diagram illustrating a page update time and power of an e-paper display panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG.7toFIG.9, inFIG.7andFIG.8, by lowering the page update frequency of the e-paper display panel110, the power consumption of the e-paper display panel110may be reduced from a power P1ofFIG.7to a power P2ofFIG.8. However, reducing the power consumption only by lowering the page update frequency of the e-paper display panel110may cause the page update time to be increased from a time length t1ofFIG.7to a time length t2ofFIG.8. InFIG.8andFIG.9, with a design in which the capacitance density of the storage capacitor220is increased, such as being designed to be greater than 50 μF/m2, the page update time may be reduced from the time length t2ofFIG.8to a time length t3ofFIG.9. As a result, by lowering the page update frequency of the e-paper display panel110and increasing the capacitance density of the storage capacitor220, the power consumption may be effectively reduced and the display quality may be maintained.

In summary of the above, in the embodiments of the disclosure, since the transistor device is the oxide thin-film transistor and the storage capacitor has a high capacitance density, when the e-paper display panel is operated in the low page update frequency mode, the power consumption may be reduced and favorable display quality may be maintained at the same time.

Although the disclosure has been described with reference to the above embodiments, they are not intended to limit the disclosure. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that modifications to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure will be defined by the attached claims and their equivalents and not by the above detailed descriptions.