IP Library Granted Patent US 8,884,996
Granted Patent B2
US 8,884,996 · App. 13/408,588 · Granted Nov 11, 2014

Display device and electronic unit having a plurality of potential lines maintained at gray-scale potentials

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,884,996
App. No.
13/408,588
Granted
Nov 11, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A display device includes: pixels each including a display element; potential lines maintained at respective gray-scale potentials different from one another, the potential lines including first potential lines each maintained at a first gray-scale potential level allowing a luminance gradient to be relatively steep and second potential lines each maintained at a second gray-scale potential level allowing a luminance gradient to be relatively gentle, the luminance gradient representing a magnitude of a display luminance variation caused by a variation in a voltage or current applied to the display element; and a driving section performing display drive on the pixels based on an image signal, through supplying the display element of each of the pixels with a gray-scale potential level of selected one of the plurality of potential lines. A resistance of the first potential line is lower than a resistance of the second potential line.

Claims (46)

1. A display device, comprising:

a plurality of pixels each including a display element;

a driving section including a scanning line driving circuit and a signal line driving circuit for performing display drive on the pixels based on an at least an image signal input from a signal line that is connected to the signal line driving circuit;

a plurality of potential lines including a first potential line and a second potential line, different gray-scale potentials being applied to the first potential line and the second potential line, respectively

a pixel circuit configured to select one of the plurality of potential lines in response to the input signal from the signal line so that a first resistance of the first potential line that maintains at a first gray-scale potential level allows a first luminance gradient and is lower than a second resistance of the second potential line that is maintained at a second gray-scale potential level allowing a second luminance gradient that is less steep than that of the first luminance gradient, the luminance gradients representing a magnitude of a display luminance variation caused by a variation in a voltage or current applied to the display element,

wherein the driving section performs display drive on the pixels based on the image signal input from the signal line, through supplying the display element of each of the pixels with a gray-scale potential level of selected one of the plurality of potential lines.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first potential lines has a wiring width larger than a wiring width of each of the second potential lines.

3. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein one part or more of wiring of each of the first potential lines has a resistivity lower than a resistivity of the second potential line.

4. The display device according to claim 3 , wherein the first potential line includes:

a higher-resistivity wiring formed in a layer in which the second potential line is formed, and formed of a material same as a material of the second potential line; and

one or more lower-resistivity wirings formed in a layer different from the layer in which the second potential line is formed, to be electrically connected to the higher-resistivity wiring, and formed of a material having a resistivity lower than the material of the second potential line.

5. The display device according to claim 4 , wherein

the first potential lines includes a plurality of lower-resistivity wirings provided to be thinned out for the plurality of pixels.

6. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein

the image signal is configured of a plurality of bits,

each of the pixels includes a plurality of sub-pixels each having a display region with an area corresponding to a significance of corresponding bit of the image signal, and

first potential lines are provided for the bits of the image signal, respectively, and second potential lines are provided for bits of the image signal, respectively, one of the first potential lines that corresponds to a higher-order bit of the image signal having a resistance equal to or lower than a resistance of another of the first potential lines that corresponds to a lower-order bit of the image signal, one of the second potential lines that corresponds to a higher-order bit of the image signal having a resistance equal to or lower than a resistance of another of the second potential lines that corresponds to a lower-order bit of the image signal.

7. The display device according to claim 6 , wherein the one of the first potential lines that corresponds to the higher-order bit of the image signal has a wiring width larger than a wiring width of said another of the first potential lines that corresponds to a lower-order bit of the image signal.

8. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of potential lines include black-potential lines each maintained at a black gray-scale potential level and white-potential lines each maintained at a white gray-scale potential level, and

the driving section performs the display drive through supplying the display element with a gray-scale potential level selected from the black gray-scale potential level and the white gray-scale potential level.

9. The display device according to claim 8 , wherein the first potential lines are the black-potential lines and the second potential lines are the white-potential lines.

10. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pixels further include a pixel circuit selectively determining a gray-scale potential level of the selected one of the plurality of potential lines based on the image signal, and supplying the determined gray-scale potential level to the corresponding display element.

11. The display device according to claim 10 , wherein the pixel circuit includes a storage circuit holding the image signal.

12. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display element is a liquid crystal element.

13. An electronic unit comprising the display device according to claim 1 .

14. A display device, comprising:

a plurality of pixels each including a display element;

a plurality of potential lines maintained at respective gray-scale potentials different from one another, the potential lines including first potential lines each maintained at a first gray-scale potential level allowing a luminance gradient to be relatively steep and second potential lines each maintained at a second gray-scale potential level allowing a luminance gradient to be relatively gentle, the luminance gradient representing a magnitude of a display luminance variation caused by a variation in a voltage or current applied to the display element; and

a driving section performing display drive on the pixels based on an image signal, through supplying the display element of each of the pixels with a gray-scale potential level of selected one of the plurality of potential lines,

wherein a resistance of the first potential line is lower than a resistance of the second potential line,

one part or more of wiring of each of the first potential lines has a resistivity lower than a resistivity of the second potential line, and

the first potential line includes:

a higher-resistivity wiring formed in a layer in which the second potential line is formed, and formed of a material same as a material of the second potential line; and

one or more lower-resistivity wirings formed in a layer different from the layer in which the second potential line is formed, to be electrically connected to the higher-resistivity wiring, and formed of a material having a resistivity lower than the material of the second potential line.

15. The display device according to claim 14 , wherein

the first potential lines includes a plurality of lower-resistivity wirings provided to be thinned out for the plurality of pixels.

16. A display device, comprising:

a plurality of pixels each including a display element;

a plurality of potential lines maintained at respective gray-scale potentials different from one another, the potential lines including first potential lines each maintained at a first gray-scale potential level allowing a luminance gradient to be relatively steep and second potential lines each maintained at a second gray-scale potential level allowing a luminance gradient to be relatively gentle, the luminance gradient representing a magnitude of a display luminance variation caused by a variation in a voltage or current applied to the display element; and

a driving section performing display drive on the pixels based on an image signal, through supplying the display element of each of the pixels with a gray-scale potential level of selected one of the plurality of potential lines,

wherein a resistance of the first potential line is lower than a resistance of the second potential line,

the image signal is configured of a plurality of bits,

each of the pixels includes a plurality of sub-pixels each having a display region with an area corresponding to a significance of corresponding bit of the image signal, and

first potential lines are provided for the bits of the image signal, respectively, and second potential lines are provided for bits of the image signal, respectively, one of the first potential lines that corresponds to a higher-order bit of the image signal having a resistance equal to or lower than a resistance of another of the first potential lines that corresponds to a lower-order bit of the image signal, one of the second potential lines that corresponds to a higher-order bit of the image signal having a resistance equal to or lower than a resistance of another of the second potential lines that corresponds to a lower-order bit of the image signal.

17. The display device according to claim 16 , wherein the one of the first potential lines that corresponds to the higher-order bit of the image signal has a wiring width larger than a wiring width of said another of the first potential lines that corresponds to a lower-order bit of the image signal.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 11, 2025
From: JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
To: MAGNOLIA WHITE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 072398/0001 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 24, 2025
From: JAPAN DISPLAY EAST INC.; JAPAN DISPLAY WEST INC.
To: JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
Reel/Frame 071935/0063 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2013
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: JAPAN DISPLAY WEST INC.
Reel/Frame 030182/0522 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 2, 2012
From: TERANISHI, YASUYUKI; OMORI, HIDEYUKI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027798/0680 →