Patent ID: 7019889

Claim:
A method for driving an electrophoretic display, the display comprising: a plurality of data lines; a plurality of scanning lines, each of which intersects said data lines; a common electrode; a plurality of pixel electrodes, with one of said plurality of pixel electrodes being provided at one of each of intersections of said data lines and said scanning lines, each of said pixel electrodes being provided in opposing spaced relation to said common electrode; a plurality of dispersal systems including a pigment particles and a fluid, with each of said dispersal systems being provided between said common electrode and one of said pixel electrodes; and a plurality of switching elements, with one of each of said switching elements being provided at a corresponding one of each of said intersections of said data lines and said scanning lines, with an on/off control terminal being connected to one of said scanning lines passing through one of said intersections; and with one of said data lines passing through one of said intersections, being connected to one of said pixel electrodes provided at one of each of said intersections; and the method comprising: applying a predetermined common voltage to said common electrode; selecting said scanning lines sequentially; applying a voltage to said selected scanning line, to turn on all switching elements connected to the said selected scanning line; applying a constant voltage to a plurality of said data lines in order to cause said pigment particles in said pixels, said pixels being provided at said corresponding intersections of the said data lines and the said selected scanning line, to migrate to a position for desired gradations of an image displayed in the said pixels, during a time period corresponding to said desired gradations; after application of said constant voltage to said data lines, applying a brake voltage for braking said pigment particles to the said data lines during a time period, said time period determined based on fluid resistance of said fluid and said desired gradations; and after application of said brake voltage to said data lines, applying said common voltage to the said data lines.