Patent ID: 8547313

Claim:
A driving apparatus for a photo-addressing type display element, the photo-addressing type display element comprising: a pair of electrode layers, the electrode layer on a display side being transparent; a photoconductive layer disposed between the pair of electrode layers, the photoconductive layer absorbing light in a certain wavelength region, an electric characteristic of the photoconductive layer changing in accordance with an amount of light absorbed; and a light modulation layer disposed between the pair of electrode layers, the light modulation layer forming a display image which allows light to pass therethrough or reflects the light, and the driving apparatus comprising: a voltage applying unit that forms a voltage applying circuit together with the pair of electrode layers, the voltage applying unit applying a DC voltage between the pair of electrode layers; a light irradiation unit that irradiates the photo-addressing type display element with addressing light from the display side or a rear side of the photo-addressing type display element; and a resistance control unit that controls a resistance, wherein: the resistance includes a resistance to a current, which flows in a direction to reduce a potential difference between the pair of electrode layers, of a current flowing between the photo-addressing type display element and the voltage applying unit in the voltage applying circuit, the resistance control unit controls the resistance so that the resistance when the voltage applying unit stops applying the voltage is larger than the resistance during a period in which the voltage applying unit applies the voltage between the pair of electrode layers, and the resistance control unit comprises a rectifier disposed in the voltage applying circuit to have an orientation such that an electric resistance to a direction in which a current generated by the applied voltage flows is lower than that in an opposite direction thereto.