Subject matter disclosed herein relates to driving schemes that provide for improved data writing to pixels of electrowetting display devices. Subframes are defined within an input frame for providing data to pixels of an electrowetting display. Blocks of rows of pixels are also defined. The blocks are defined based upon driving schemes for the electrowetting display. In an embodiment, the driving schemes include a block driving scheme and an interlaced driving scheme. With a block driving scheme, the rows of pixels are grouped sequentially into blocks, i.e. block 1 includes rows 1-4, block 2 includes rows 5-8, etc. With an interlaced driving scheme, every Nth row is included in a block such that block 1 includes rows 1, 5, . . . , block 2 includes rows 2, 6, . . . , etc. Individual blocks are written to during the subframes thereby allowing for all rows to be handled during the input frame.

Provided is a display device characterized in that the electric power consumption when optical modulation elements (for example, MEMS shutters) are driven is reduced: A display device (1000) includes a backlight unit (1), a display panel unit (2), a source driver (3), and a controller (4). The backlight unit (1) includes a light source. The display panel unit (2) includes segmented pixel regions AR11 to ARnm each of which includes: a plurality of pixels each of which includes an optical modulation element that performs modulation control with respect to light projected from the backlight unit (1); and a segmented gate driver that controls the optical modulation elements of the pixels. The source driver (3) is a driver that controls the optical modulation elements of the pixels. The controller (4) controls the light source of the backlight unit (1), the segmented gate drivers GD11 to GDnm, and the source driver (3).

A luminance control device and a luminance control method for controlling luminance of a light emitting member are provided in order to reduce the amount of information to be stored while preventing the user from feeling uncomfortable. The CPU divides by the interpolation division number a value obtained subtracting the reference duty ratio from the reference duty ratio so as to calculate an interpolation variation width, and integrates the interpolation variation width to the reference duty ratio every time the interpolation period elapses, and the variation width in the luminance of the LED is therefore reduced, preventing users to feel uncomfortable, which allows for suppressing the amount of information to be stored.

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for controlling the states of a light modulator used in displays. A display apparatus includes pixel circuits coupled to the light modulators. Each pixel circuit can include an output node, a data capacitor, a charge transistor for charging the output node and a discharge transistor for selectively conducting a current between the output node and an update interconnect providing an update voltage. The display apparatus can include a controller for testing the pixel circuits to determine two or more update voltage levels, each update voltage level causing the discharge transistor to conduct current. The controller also can be configured to determine a logical high voltage level to be stored in the data capacitor based on the plurality of update voltage levels.

In order to achieve a display device that can display a plurality of images and also prevents a lowering of resolution of the images displayed by emitting light in a plurality of different direction from one pixel, a display device, which is a display device that can display at least two images by emitting light in at least two directions from each of a plurality of pixels, includes: a backlight unit, a backlight side substrate, a display side substrate, a MEMS shutter, and a display control unit. The display device can display an image for a first viewpoint and an image for a second viewpoint by the display control unit controlling the MEMS shutter for each of the pixels.

A coded image display and animation system with an illuminated shutter element device that permits the user, by placing individual coded image members and combinations of coded image members upon it, to create collages, puzzles and fantasy worlds that instantly appear to come to life and move realistically. Coded image members can be chosen and selectively repositioned, overlapped, and combined for varying displays and display effects. Larger, window-sized displays with or without coded image portions can be exploited, potentially to provide moving backgrounds, such as falling snow or moving clouds, upon which the coded image members can be positioned thereby permitting the user to create multi-member displays and animations, including animated stories and animated fantasy worlds. Coded image members and non-coded image members can have open portions for permitting the application of images or image portions by users, such as by erasable marking implements.

A shutter system includes a substrate having a front surface with a length and a width, and a conductive layer on a portion of the front surface of the substrate; a dielectric layer disposed on the conductive layer; and an electrostatic shutter having a proximal end attached to the dielectric layer such that a portion of the shutter is in direct physical contact with the dielectric layer at a point at or adjacent the attached proximal end. The shutter is configured to transition between extended and retracted configurations. In the same or an alternative embodiment, the system includes a reinforcement configured such that when the shutter is in the extended configuration, an edge at a distal end of the shutter opposite the proximal end remains substantially parallel to the proximal end of the shutter as the shutter transitions from the extended configuration to the retracted configuration.

An electrowetting optical device is provided. The electrowetting optical device includes a conductive liquid and a non-conductive liquid. The non-conductive fluid includes a naphthalene based compound having Formula (I), Formula (II), and/or Formula (III): ##STR00001##
where R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are individually alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, or aryloxy groups; X includes carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, lead, and combinations thereof; and Z includes oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, polonium, and combinations thereof. The conductive liquid may additionally include a transmission recovery agent having Formula (IV) and/or Formula (V): ##STR00002##
where R.sub.4 is an alkyl, fluoroalkyl, aryl, alkoxy, or aryloxy group. The electrowetting optical device additionally includes a dielectric surface in contact with both the conductive and non-conductive liquids where the conductive and non-conductive liquids are non-miscible.

There are provided display controllers and driving methods related to those described in US Published Patent Application No. 2013/0194250. These include (a) a display controller having an update buffer, means for removing from the update buffer pixels not requiring updating, and means to ensure that pixels having certain special states are not removed from the update buffer; (b) a method of driving a bistable display wherein, in a pixel undergoing a white-to-white transition and lying adjacent another pixel undergoing a visible transition, there is applied to the pixel one or more balanced pulse pairs and at least one top-off pulse; (c) a method of driving a bistable display by overlaying a non-rectangular item over a pre-existing image content and then removing the item, where only pixels in the region of the item perform transitions (including self-transitions); and (d) a method of driving a bistable display in which a proportion of background pixels not undergoing an optical change are subjected to a refresh pulse to correct optical state drift.

A stacked display device and a control method thereof are provided. The stacked display device includes a stacked display including a first panel and a second panel comprising a different transmittance from the first panel and a processor to obtain a first layer image to display an image on the first panel and a second layer image to display an image on the second panel, adjust brightness of the second layer image based on a ratio between a first transmittance for the first panel and a second transmittance for the second panel, and a pixel value of the second layer image, and control the stacked display to display the second layer image of which brightness is adjusted on the second panel while displaying the first layer image on the first panel.