Method of controlling display device, display device, and control device for display device

Abstract

There is provided a method of controlling a display device in which a write operation for changing a display state of one pixel is performed by performing a plurality of operations of applying a driving voltage. The method includes determining whether a previous write operation is currently performed for the one pixel in a case where a new write operation is determined to be required and starting the new write operation for the one pixel in a case where the write operation for the one pixel is determined not to be currently performed in the determining of whether a previous write operation is currently performed, and continuing the write operation that is currently performed and starting the new write operation for the one pixel after completion of the previous write operation in a case where the write operation is determined to be currently performed for the one pixel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling a display device that has a display unit including a plurality of scanning lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixels including one pixel in which a write operation for changing a display state of the one pixel from a first display state to a second display state is performed by performing a plurality of operations of applying a driving voltage, the method comprising:
 determining whether or not a new write operation is required for the one pixel;   determining whether or not a previous write operation is currently performed for the one pixel in a case where the new write operation is determined to be required; and   starting the new write operation for the one pixel in a case where the write operation for the one pixel is determined not to be currently performed in the determining of whether or not a previous write operation is currently performed, and continuing the write operation that is currently performed and starting the new write operation for the one pixel after completion of the previous write operation in a case where the write operation is determined to be currently performed for the one pixel in the determining of whether or not a previous write operation is currently performed.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 storing write information that indicates whether or not the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel in a first storage area,   wherein, in the determining of whether a previous write operation is currently performed, whether or not the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel is determined based on the write information stored in the first storage area.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 storing display image data to be displayed on the display unit based on the input display image data in a second storage area; and   storing data of a target image to be displayed on the display unit by the write operation that is currently performed in a third storage area,   wherein, in the storing of data of a target image, pixel data of the one pixel is replaced with pixel data corresponding to data of the display image at a timing when the new write operation is started for the one pixel, and   wherein, in the determining of whether a new write operation is required, the new write operation is determined to be required for the one pixel in a case where the pixel data of the display image that is stored in the second storage area and the pixel data of the target image that is stored in the third storage area are different from each other.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the write information stored in the first storage area is either first data indicating that the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel or second data indicating that the write operation for the one pixel is not currently performed. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the write information stored in the first storage area includes first write information that indicates whether or not the write operation for changing the display state of the one pixel from the first display state to the second display state is currently performed and second write information that indicates whether or not the write operation for changing the display state of the one pixel from the second display state to the first display state is currently performed,   wherein the write information is a value that is changed in accordance with the number of the operations of applying a driving voltage, which have been already performed, in a case where the write operation is currently performed, and   wherein the write information is a value indicating that the write operation is not currently performed for the one pixel after the last operation of applying a driving voltage is performed in the write operation.   
     
     
         6 . A display device that has a display unit including a plurality of scanning lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixels including one pixel in which a write operation for changing a display state of the one pixel from a first display state to a second display state is performed by performing a plurality of operations of applying a driving voltage, the display device comprising:
 a rewriting determining unit that determines whether a new write operation is required for the one pixel;   a writing state determining unit that determines whether or not a previous write operation is currently performed for the one pixel in a case where the new write operation is determined to be required; and   a writing control unit that starts the new write operation for the one pixel in a case where the write operation for the one pixel is determined not to be currently performed by the writing state determining unit, and continues the write operation that is currently performed and starts the new write operation for the one pixel after completion of the previous write operation in a case where the write operation is determined to be currently performed for the one pixel by the write state determining unit.   
     
     
         7 . The display device according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a writing information updating unit that stores write information that indicates whether or not the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel in a first storage area,   wherein the writing state determining unit determines whether or not the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel based on the write information stored in the first storage area.   
     
     
         8 . The display device according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a display image data updating unit that stores display image data to be displayed on the display unit in a second storage area; and   a target image data updating unit that stores data of a target image to be displayed on the display unit by the write operation that is currently performed in a third storage area,   wherein the target image data updating unit replaces pixel data of the one pixel with pixel data corresponding to data of the display image at a timing when the new write operation is started for the one pixel, and   wherein the rewriting determining unit determines that the new write operation is required for the one pixel in a case where the pixel data of the display image that is stored in the second storage area and the pixel data of the target image that is stored in the third storage area are different from each other.   
     
     
         9 . The display device according to  claim 7 , wherein the write information stored in the first storage area is either first data indicating that the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel or second data indicating that the write operation for the one pixel is not currently performed for the one pixel. 
     
     
         10 . The display device according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the write information stored in the first storage area includes first write information that indicates whether or not the write operation for changing the display state of the one pixel from the first display state to the second display state is currently performed and second write information that indicates whether or not the write operation for changing the display state of the one pixel from the second display state to the first display state is currently performed,   wherein the write information is a value that is changed in accordance with the number of the operations of applying a driving voltage, which have been already performed, in a case where the write operation is currently performed, and   wherein the write information is a value indicating that the write operation is not currently performed for the one pixel after the last operation of applying a driving voltage is performed in the write operation.   
     
     
         11 . The display device according to  claim 6 , wherein the display unit includes a display element having memory characteristics. 
     
     
         12 . The display device according to  claim 11 , wherein the display element is an electrophoretic element. 
     
     
         13 . A control device for a display device that has a display unit including a plurality of scanning lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixels including one pixel in which a write operation for changing a display state of the one pixel from a first display state to a second display state is performed by performing a plurality of operations of applying a driving voltage, the control device comprising:
 a writing state determining unit that determines whether or not a previous write operation is currently performed for the one pixel in a case where a new write operation is required for the one pixel; and   a writing control unit that starts the new write operation for the one pixel in a case where the write operation for the one pixel is determined not to be currently performed by the writing state determining unit, and continues the write operation that is currently performed and starts the new write operation for the one pixel after completion of the previous write operation in a case where the write operation is determined to be currently performed for the one pixel by the write state determining unit.   
     
     
         14 . The control device according to  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a writing information updating unit that stores write information that indicates whether or not the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel in a first storage area,   wherein the writing state determining unit determines whether or not the write operation is currently performed for the one pixel based on the write information stored in the first storage area.