Electrophoretic display and method of driving the same

A method of driving an electrophoretic display having a first pixel and a second pixel adjacent to each other, the method comprising:

• setting a common voltage to be a first voltage during a first frame time;
• writing a first data signal into the first pixel during the first frame time;
• applying a first driving voltage to the second pixel for writing a second data signal into the second pixel during the first frame time;
• determining whether the second data signal is different from the first data signal;
• setting the common voltage to be a second voltage different from the first voltage during a second frame time following the first frame time;
• writing the second data signal into the first pixel during the second frame time;
• and
• applying a second driving voltage to the second pixel for retaining the second data signal of the second pixel during the second frame time;
• wherein if the second data signal is different from the first data signal, the second driving voltage is substantially identical to the first driving voltage.

An electrophoretic display, comprising:

• a data driving unit, for sequentially receiving plural first data signals corresponding to a first frame and plural second data signals corresponding to a second frame following the first frame, and for sequentially providing plural first driving voltages to display the first frame and plural second driving voltages to display the second frame based on the first and second data signals, the data driving unit comprising:
• a grey-level edge analysis unit, for analyzing the first data signals to determine whether a first pixel and a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel have different data signals in the first frame, and for analyzing the second data signals to determine whether the first pixel and the second pixel have one and the same data signal in the second frame;
• and
• a voltage providing unit, electrically connected to the grey-level edge analysis unit, for providing the first driving voltages corresponding to the first data signals, and for providing the second driving voltages according to the second data signals together with an analysis result of the grey-level edge analysis unit;
• and
• a pixel array unit, electrically connected to the data driving unit, for displaying the first frame based on the first driving voltages and a common voltage being set as a first voltage, and for displaying the second frame based on the second driving voltages and the common voltage being set as a second voltage different from the first voltage, the pixel array unit comprising the first pixel and the second pixel;
• wherein regarding a grey-level maintaining operation over either the first pixel or the second pixel, if the grey-level edge analysis unit determines that the first and second pixels have different data signals in the first frame and the first and second pixels have one and the same data signal in the second frame, a driving voltage which is provided by the voltage providing unit for performing the grey-level maintaining operation is fixed during two successive frame times for sequentially displaying the first and second frames.