DISPLAY DEVICES AND DISPLAY ADDRESSING METHODS UTILIZING VARIABLE ROW LOADING TIMES
An apparatus includes an array of pixels formed on a substrate, a set of data drivers, and a controller. The set of data drivers is configured to output data signals to the pixels. The data signals are representative of subsequent states of each respective pixel. The controller is configured to allocate a first period of time and a second period of time for the data drivers. The first period of time is used to load data into the first set of the pixels, which are located within a first distance from the data drivers. The second period of time is used to load data into a second set of pixels, which are located at distance from the data drivers that is greater than the first distance. The second period of time is longer than the first period of time.
1 . An apparatus comprising:
an array of pixels formed on a substrate;
a plurality of data drivers configured to output data signals to the pixels, wherein the data signals are representative of subsequent states of each respective pixel; and
a controller configured to:
allocate a first period of time for the data drivers to load data into a first set of the pixels, wherein the first set of the pixels is located within a first distance from the data drivers, and
allocate a second period of time for the data drivers to load data into a second set of the pixels, wherein the pixels in the second set of the pixels are located at a distance from the data drivers that is greater than the first distance, and the second period of time is longer than the first period of time.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data signals output by the data drivers are applied to at least one thin film transistor associated with each of the pixels.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of pixels includes at least one of an array of transmissive light modulators, an array of reflective light modulators, and an array of light emitters.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of pixels includes an array of electromechanical system (EMS) based light modulators.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of pixels includes an array of shutter-based light modulators.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first set of the pixels includes at least a first row of pixels and the second set of the pixels includes at least a second row of pixels.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause the data drivers to output data signals to the first set of the pixels for the first period of time and instruct the data drivers to output data signals to the second set of the pixels for the second period of time.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of scan-line drivers configured to output write-enabling signals to the pixels, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the scan-line drivers to output write-enabling signals to the second set of the pixels for a greater amount of time than the time for which write-enabling signals are output by the scan-line drivers to the first set of the pixels.
9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the first distance is sufficiently short enough such that the data signals output by the data drivers reach the first set of the pixels before the write-enabling signals reach a pixel in the first set of the pixels furthest from the scan-line drivers, and
the second set of pixels are located sufficiently far enough from the data drivers such that the data signals output by the data drivers first reach the second set of the pixels after the write-enabling signals reach a pixel in the second set of the pixels furthest from the scan-line drivers.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to individually allocate periods of time to each row of pixels located at distances from the data drivers that is greater than the first distance.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to allocate periods of time to row of pixels located at distances from the data drivers that is greater than the first distance in groups.
12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller allocates increasing periods of time to each group of rows that is more distant from the data driver than the first distance.
13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause the data drivers to output data signals to the second set of the pixels by allocating a maximum data propagation time to pixels in all rows in which the amount of time it takes for a data signal to propagate to a row being addressed is greater than the amount of time it takes for a write-enabling signal to propagate to the end of that row.
14 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first distance is substantially equal to the distance a data signal output by the data drivers travels in the amount of time it takes for a write enabling signal output by a scan-line driver to reach the end of a row of pixels.
15 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display module incorporating the array of pixels and the controller;
a processor configured to process image data; and
a memory device that is configured to communicate with the processor.
16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the controller comprises at least one of the processor and the memory device.
17 . The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a display driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to the display module; and wherein
the processor is further configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the display driver circuit.
18 . The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor, wherein the image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.
19 . The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.
20 . A method of forming an image on a display, comprising:
allocating a first period of time for a plurality of data drivers to load a first set of data into a first set of pixels, wherein the first set of pixels is located within a first distance from the data drivers and the first set of data is indicative of subsequent states of the first set of pixels;
allocating a second period of time for the data drivers to load a second set of data into a second set of pixels, wherein the pixels in the second set of pixels are located at a distance from the data drivers that is greater than the first distance, the second period of time is longer than the first period of time, and the second set of data is indicative of subsequent states of the second set of pixels; and
causing the plurality of data drivers to output data signals corresponding to the first and second sets of data to the first and second sets of pixels according to the allocated periods of time.
21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the array of pixels includes an array of electromechanical system (EMS) based light modulators.
22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the first set of pixels includes at least a first row of pixels and the second set of pixels includes at least a second row of pixels.
23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the first distance is substantially equal to the distance a data signal output by the data drivers travels in the amount of time it takes for a write enabling signal output by a write enabling driver to reach the end of a row of pixels.
24 . A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
allocate a first period of time for a plurality of data drivers to load a first set of data into a first set of pixels, wherein the first set of pixels is located within a first distance from the data drivers and the first set of data is indicative of subsequent states of the first set of pixels;
allocate a second period of time for the data drivers to load a second set of data into a second set of pixels, wherein the pixels in the second set of pixels are located at a distance from the data drivers that is greater than the first distance, the second period of time is longer than the first period of time, and the second set of data is indicative of subsequent states of the second set of pixels; and
cause the plurality of data drivers to output data signals corresponding to the first and second sets of data to the first and second sets of pixels according to the allocated periods of time.
25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the array of pixels includes an array of electromechanical system (EMS) based light modulators.
26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the first set of pixels includes at least a first row of pixels and the second set of pixels includes at least a second row of pixels.
27 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the first distance is substantially equal to the distance a data signal output by the data drivers travels in the amount of time it takes for a write enabling signal output by a write enabling driver to reach the end of a row of pixels.