Patent ID: 8749477

Claim:
A method of driving an electrophoretic display device having a display unit including a plurality of pixels in which electrophoretic elements each including electrophoretic particles are disposed between a plurality of pixel electrodes and a common electrode that face each other, the plurality of pixels including a first pixel, a second pixel and a third pixel, the plurality of pixel electrodes including a first pixel electrode corresponding to the first pixel, a second pixel electrode corresponding to the second pixel and a third, pixel electrode corresponding to the third pixel, the method comprising: during an image forming period for forming a gray scale image in the display unit in accordance with image data that has three or more gray scale levels: applying a first voltage between the plurality of pixel electrodes, including the first pixel electrode, and the common electrode to display one of a highest gray scale level and a lowest gray scale level in the three or more gray scale levels at the plurality of pixels including the first pixel, subsequently applying a second voltage between the second pixel electrode and the common electrode to display a gray scale level between the lowest gray scale level and the highest gray scale level at the second pixel, and subsequently applying a third voltage between the third pixel electrode and the common electrode to display the other of the highest gray scale level and the lowest gray scale level at the third pixel; during an interval period after forming the gray scale image, having each of the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, the third pixel electrode and the common electrode in a high-impedance state; after having each of the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, the third pixel electrode and the common electrode in the high-impedance state, applying a first auxiliary pulse voltage that has a same first polarity as one of the first voltage and the third voltage between a corresponding one of the first pixel electrode and the third pixel electrode, respectively, and the common electrode and a period for applying the first auxiliary pulse voltage is shorter than a period for applying the one of the first voltage and the third voltage; and subsequently after having each of the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, third pixel electrode and the common electrode in the high impedance state, applying a second auxiliary pulse voltage that has a same second polarity as the other of the first voltage and the third voltage between the corresponding other of the first pixel electrode and the third pixel electrode, respectively, and the common electrode and a period for applying the second auxiliary pulse voltage is shorter than a period for applying the other of the first voltage and the third voltage, wherein the second electrode is maintained in the high impedance state while the first and second auxiliary pulse voltages are applied to the corresponding first and third pixel electrodes.