Time-shifted waveforms for multi-particle electrophoretic displays providing low-flash image updates

An electrophoretic display comprising:

• a light-transmissive electrode;
• an active matrix backplane comprising a plurality of rows of pixel electrodes, each pixel electrode being coupled to a thin-film transistor comprising a gate line and a source line;
• an electrophoretic medium disposed between the light-transmissive electrode and the active matrix backplane, wherein the electrophoretic medium includes at least three different types of charged pigment particles;
• a controller coupled to a plurality of gate lines, each gate line being coupled to the thin-film transistors of one of the plurality of rows of pixel electrodes, and the controller being coupled to a plurality of source lines, the controller further being configured to address the pixel electrodes in a row-by-row fashion by providing both a gate voltage and a source voltage to each thin-film transistor;
• and
• non-transitory memory coupled to the controller and comprising a look-up table, wherein for a transition between a first color and a second color and between a first color and a third color, the look-up table includes:
• a first waveform for causing the electrophoretic medium to transition between the first color and the second color,
• a second waveform for causing the electrophoretic medium to transition between the first color and the second color,
• a third waveform for causing the electrophoretic medium to transition between the first color and the second color, and
• a fourth waveform for causing the electrophoretic medium to transition between the first color and a third color,
• wherein the first, second, and third waveforms are identical with respect to a number of voltage pulses and a polarity and magnitude of each of the voltage pulses, while the fourth waveform is not identical with respect to the number of voltage pulses and the polarity and magnitude of each of the voltage pulses of the first, second, and third waveforms, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth waveforms are time-shifted by at least 1 ms from each other;
• the controller performing the following steps when updating the display between the first image and the second image:
• receiving the first waveform from the look up table;
• providing the first waveform to a first row of pixel electrodes;
• receiving the second waveform from the look up table;
• providing the second waveform to a second row of pixel electrodes adjacent the first row of pixel electrodes;
• receiving the third waveform from the look up table;
• providing the third waveform to a third row of pixel electrodes adjacent to the second row of electrodes, wherein the second row of electrodes is between the first row of electrodes and the third row of electrodes.