Source: http://www.google.fr/patents/US20080002527?hl=fr
Timestamp: 2013-05-20 06:01:28
Document Index: 471167168

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n6', 'arts 94', 'arts 591', 'arts 94', 'arts 94', 'arts 541', 'arts 94', 'arts 94', 'arts 591', 'arts 541', 'arts 591', 'arts 541', 'arts 781', 'arts 782', 'arts 781']

Brevet US20080002527 - Timepiece - Google�BrevetsRecherche Images Maps Play YouTube Actualit�s Gmail Drive Plus » Recherche avanc�e dans les brevets | Historique Web | Connexion Recherche avanc�e dans les brevets BrevetsA timepiece has a display panel having electrophoretic particles between two opposing substrates, and a drive circuit unit having a display drive unit for applying an electric field between the substrates and a timekeeping unit for keeping time information. A plurality of first electrodes are rendered...http://www.google.fr/patents/US20080002527?utm_source=gb-gplus-shareBrevet US20080002527 - Timepiece Num�ro de publicationUS20080002527 A1Type de publicationDemande Num�ro de demande11/808,419 Date de publication3 janv. 2008 Date de d�p�t8 juin 2007 Date de priorit�30 juin 2006Autre r�f�rence de publicationCN100524104CCN101097437AEP1873595A1US7639571 Num�ro de publicationUS 2008/0002527 A1US2008/0002527A1 InventeursManabu AkahaneJunichiro Ishii Cessionnaire d'origineSeiko Epson Corporation Classification aux �tats-Unis368/239 Classification internationaleG04C17/00 Classification coop�rativeG04G9/02G04G9/0035G04G9/0047G02F1/167 Classification europ�enneG04G9/00D1BG04G9/00D1CG04G9/02R�f�rences R�f�renc� par (1)Liens externesUSPTO Cession USPTO EspacenetTimepieceUS 20080002527 A1 R�sum� A timepiece has a display panel having electrophoretic particles between two opposing substrates, and a drive circuit unit having a display drive unit for applying an electric field between the substrates and a timekeeping unit for keeping time information. A plurality of first electrodes are rendered in the shapes of a plurality of symbols used to display time information content on one of the substrates, and a second electrode is disposed on the other substrate for applying a voltage between the first electrodes and the second electrode.
a display panel having electrophoretic particles between two opposing substrates; and a drive circuit unit having a display drive unit for applying an electric field between the substrates and a timekeeping unit for keeping time information; wherein a plurality of first electrodes are rendered in the shapes of a plurality of symbols used to display time information content on one of the substrates; and a second electrode is disposed on the other substrate for applying a voltage between the first electrodes and the second electrode.
2. The timepiece described in claim 1, wherein:
a plurality of the first electrodes are rendered for each type of symbol; and each of the first electrodes for the same type of symbol is rendered at a different position on the surface of the one substrate.
3. The timepiece described in claim 2, wherein each of the first electrodes for the same type of symbol are electrically connected to each other.
4. The timepiece described in claim 1, wherein:
the drive circuit unit executes
a time information display process to display a symbol selected based on the time information at a specific contrast to a background display part outside the symbol on the display panel, and
an intermediate gradation display process to display a symbol other than the selected symbol at a lower contrast than the specific contrast to the background display unit.
5. The timepiece described in claim 1, wherein:
at least one of the first electrodes is shaped so that the corresponding symbol partially overlaps one or more of the other symbols, and the overlapping first electrodes are rendered by an overlapping electrode part forming the overlapping area where the symbols overlap, and a non-overlapping electrode part outside the overlapping electrode part.
6. The timepiece described in claim 5, wherein:
non-overlapping electrode parts are separated by the overlapping electrode part, and the separated non-overlapping electrode parts are electrically connected together.
7. The timepiece described in claim 5, wherein:
a plurality of overlapping electrode parts are formed by one symbol and another symbol overlapping at a plurality of locations; and the same combinations of overlapping symbols are electrically connected to each other in the overlapping electrode parts.
8. The timepiece described in claim 1, wherein:
the substrates are made from a flexible material; and the display panel curves substantially in a ring shape.
SUMMARY The timepiece according to the present invention greatly reduces the number of pins that are required for the electrophoretic display panel and improves the freedom of design displaying time information.
The first electrodes are rendered with the same shapes as the symbols used to display time information content. To display the hour, for example, the first electrodes are disposed as individual design elements rendering the numbers 1 to 12. When the hour of the time kept by the timekeeping unit is 3, for example, the first electrode rendered in the shape of the symbol (number) for �3� is selected, and the drive circuit unit applies a voltage between this first electrode and the second electrode. This produces an electric field between the substrates causing electrophoretic particles to migrate toward the substrate on the front side of the display panel, and the symbol for �3� is displayed in the display area of the first electrode in the color of the electrophoretic particles.
In addition to reducing the pin count as described above, the shape of the first electrodes can be made to match the freely designed shapes of the symbols. The limits on the display design imposed by the segment display method of the related art can therefore be eliminated, and the time can be displayed in creative, innovative ways. For example, the first electrode for displaying the numeric symbol for �1� can be designed to any shape that can be recognized as a �1.� As a result, the first electrodes used to display the same symbol (such as �1� in this case) can be shaped in different ways. The shape of the first electrodes can thus be designed with a greater degree of design freedom, the shapes of the first electrodes can be freely and attractively designed, the design used to display the time on the display panel can be freely arranged, and the invention helps to greatly improve the design of the time display unit of a timepiece.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external oblique view of an electronic timepiece according to a first embodiment of the invention.
Embodiment 1 1. General Arrangement
In this aspect of the invention the symbol electrodes 50 are rendered in the shape of twelve graphic elements rendering the numbers 1 to 12 to denote the hour, and at least three symbol electrodes 50 are provided for each type of numeric symbol. The three symbol electrodes 591 to 593 are provided to render the symbol �9�, for example, in three different locations. The symbol electrodes 50 for the at least three symbols of the same type (representing the same number) are disposed at separate locations around the circumference when the display panel 30 forms a ring.
When the symbol electrode 50 potential is LOW and the common electrode 320 potential is HIGH, an electric field flowing from the common electrode 320 to the symbol electrode 50 causes the positively charged black particles 331A to migrate to the symbol electrode 50 side while the negatively charged white particles 331B migrate to the common electrode 320 side. This causes the numeric symbol rendered by the symbol electrode 50 to be displayed white on the display panel 30 as indicated by the symbol �12� shown in FIG. 1.
A gray scale display presenting various gradations between black and white can be achieved by adjusting the level of the applied voltage and how long the voltage is applied to control the migration of the black particles 331A and the white particles 331B so that, for example, the symbols other than the white symbol �12�, that is, the symbols for 1 to 11, are displayed at an intermediate gray level in FIG. 1.
The overlapping symbol electrodes 50 for every symbol that overlaps another symbol in at least one area on the display panel 30, including these symbol electrodes 591 and 541, are rendered by an overlapping electrode part having the same shape as the overlapping area and a non-overlapping electrode part. More specifically, the symbol electrode 591 for the symbol �9� includes three overlapping electrode parts 94A to 94C, and three non-overlapping electrode parts 591A to 591C rendering the parts of the display area of the symbol �9� that are separated from each other by the overlapping electrode parts 94A to 94C.
The symbol electrode 541 for the symbol �4� is rendered by these overlapping electrode parts 94A to 94C, and the three non-overlapping electrode parts 541A to 541C rendering the parts of the display area of the symbol �4� that are separated from each other by the overlapping electrode parts 94A to 94C.
When the symbol �4� or �9� is displayed, the overlapping electrode parts 94A to 94C and either non-overlapping electrode parts 591A to 591C or non-overlapping electrode parts 541A to 541C are synchronously driven to display the symbol �9� or �4,� respectively.
The non-overlapping electrode parts 591A to 591C for the symbol �9� and the non-overlapping electrode parts 541A to 541C for the symbol �4� similarly communicate with the back side of the display substrate 31 through corresponding vias 314, and to the same pin of the display drive circuit unit 425 by the wiring 312 crossing these vias 314.
Displaying content on the display panel 30 is described next. FIG. 10 shows the display panel 30 in the normal display mode, and shows the area displayed by the symbol electrode 541 for the numeric symbol �4� displayed white to indicate a particular part of the time retrieved from the time information (the hour in this aspect of the invention). The time information display unit DSP1 that is driven white in this example indicates that the hour of the current time is 4. The same number is rendered by plural symbol electrodes in different areas of the display panel 30, and the symbol electrodes for the same numeric symbol are sequentially driven to display white in this aspect of the invention. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the time is in the hour of 4, that is, equal to or later than 4:00 and before 5:00, and the four symbol electrodes 541 to 544 are sequentially driven to sequentially display the number �4� in the corresponding display areas. The display sequence can be controlled as desired so that the symbols for the same number are displayed one after the other or a number of the same symbols are displayed simultaneously.
The number �15� is also displayed white in the tens display unit 30M1 and the number �19� is displayed white in the ones display unit 30M2, and the user thus knows that the current time is 4:59 in this example.
FIG. 11 shows the display panel 30 when the hour of the current time is 5. The symbol to be displayed as determined from the current time is �5� in this case, and the display area of the symbol electrode 552 for one of the six �5� symbols is displayed white on the display panel 30. When the hour is 5, the 5 in the display area of the six symbol electrodes 551 to 556 for the same symbol are thus sequentially driven to display white.
In this aspect of the invention the drive control unit 61 manages the current display level (referred to herein as the �current level�) of each symbol electrode 50, sets a target display level (referred to herein as the �target level�) for each symbol electrode 50, compares the current level and the target level, and controls the drawing process so that the current level goes to the target level.
FIG. 15 shows an example of the waveform of the drive signal applied to the display panel 30, and is used to describe how the display level (color) of each electrode of the display panel 30 changes simultaneously and how the color gradation (gray level) is changed. FIG. 15 uses by way of example changing the display area of the symbol electrode 541 connected to the symbol 4 from white to black, and changing the display area of the symbol electrode 551 connected to the symbol 5 from black to white in order to redraw the display panel 30 from displaying the hour of �4� as shown in FIG. 10 to the hour of �5� as shown in FIG. 11.
As shown in FIG. 10 (displaying 4:59) and in FIG. 11 (displaying 5:00), the display changes when different electrodes are driven to update the time. FIG. 16 shows by way of example updating five electrodes, the symbol electrode 551 for the �5� that is black in FIG. 10, the symbol electrode 552 for the �5� that is a gray level in FIG. 10, the symbol electrode 541 for the �4� that is white in FIG. 10, the symbol electrode 592 for the �9� that is black in FIG. 10, and the symbol electrode 521 for the �2� that is black in both FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.
(4) Using a flexible display panel 30 enables rendering the display panel 30 in a ring so that the display area can cover a broad area around the wrist. This affords a large display panel 30. In addition, despite having a large display area, the same symbol (such as the �4� associated with symbol electrodes 541 to 544) is sequentially displayed at different positions on the display panel 30, the symbols can be read from different directions to the display panel 30, and the readability of the time information can thus be improved.
The symbols other than the symbols selected for displaying the time information (the �4� in FIG. 10) can also be made readable by means of the gray scale display DSP2, the position of each symbol will be remembered naturally with use, and usability as a timepiece for knowing the time can be improved.
Embodiment 2 A second embodiment of the invention is described next.
FIG. 18 is an oblique view of a timepiece according to this embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 19 is a plan view of the display panel 80 of this timepiece. The timepiece in these figures shows the hour of the current time as 5 o'clock and all symbol electrodes 50 for the �5� symbols are driven so that all of the �5� symbols display white at the same time. Note that the numeric symbols for the numbers other than 5 are similarly driven to display the hour.
More specifically, the symbol electrodes 50 for the symbols for the same numbers are connected to each other, and the symbol electrodes 551 to 556 for the symbol �5� are thus connected to a common node in this example. This is accomplished by connecting each symbol electrode 50 through the corresponding via 314 (see FIG. 5) to the potential on the back side of the display substrate 31, and rendering the wiring 312 across the vias 314 for the electrodes driven to the same potential. The wiring 312 is then connected by the intervening wiring member 412 to the display drive circuit unit 425 on the circuit board 42.
An example of such electrodes connected together is described with reference to FIG. 6. In FIG. 6 the symbols �7� and �8� overlap at two different parts of the display panel 30 so that symbol electrodes 571 and 581 share three overlapping electrode parts 781A to 781C, and symbol electrodes 572 and 582 share three overlapping electrode parts 782A to 782C. In this example, symbol electrodes 572 and 582 and overlapping electrode parts 781A to 781C and 782A to 782C can all be connected to a common node.
R�f�renc� par Brevet citant Date de d�p�t Date de publication D�posant TitreUS751895914 nov. 200714 avr. 2009Seiko Epson CorporationDisplay device and display methodFaire pivoterImage d'origineAccueil Google - Plan du site - T�l�chargements par lot sur l'USPTO - R�gles de confidentialit� - Conditions d'utilisation - � propos de Google�Brevets - Envoyer des commentairesDonn�es fournies par IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google