Patent ID: 7095397

Claim:
A drive circuit for a display device having a plurality of scanning electrodes to which a selection signal and a non-selection signal are applied and a plurality of signal electrodes to which a data signal is applied, said drive circuit comprising: scanning electrode drive means for (1) grouping the plurality of scanning electrodes into p groups, wherein each of the p groups comprises at least i scanning electrodes, wherein p and i are integers of at least two, (2) sequentially selecting each of the p groups and applying the selection signal substantially simultaneously to the at least i scanning electrodes in the selected one of the p groups during each of N selection periods per frame, wherein N is an integer of at least two; (3) sequentially applying the non-selection signal, immediately after applying the selection signal, substantially simultaneously to the at least i scanning electrodes in the selected one of the p groups during each of N non-selection periods per frame, a non-selection period being interposed between consecutive selection periods within each frame; and scanning data generation means for generating data representing a level of the selection signal; wherein said scanning electrode drive means applies the selection signal, N times, substantially simultaneously to the at least i scanning electrodes in the selected one of the p groups during the N selection periods per frame in accordance with the data generated by said scanning data generation means, at least one pulse wave among N pulse waves of the selection signal applied to each of the at least i scanning electrodes during the N selection periods being different from others of the N pulse waves during the N selection periods, and a pulse wave pattern of the N pulse waves of the selection signal applied to each of the at least i scanning electrodes in the selected one of the p groups during N selection periods is changed per frame; memory means for storing display data; arithmetic means for determining a data signal based on the data generated by said scanning data generation means and the display data stored in said memory means; and signal electrode drive means for applying a level of the data signal to the plurality of signal electrodes in accordance with said arithmetic means.