Liquid crystal apparatus

A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

• a matrix display device including a first electrode plate having thereon a group of display scanning electrodes and a frame scanning electrode outside the display scanning electrodes, a second electrode plate having thereon a group of display data electrodes and a frame data electrode disposed on both outsides of the display data electrodes, and a liquid crystal having a memory characteristic disposed between the first and second electrode plates so as to form a display region defined by an overlapping of the display scanning electrodes and the display data electrodes and a frame region outside the display region defined by the frame scanning electrode and the frame data electrodes, wherein the liquid crystal is allowed to assume either one of two stable states at each pixel formed at each intersection of any data electrode and any scanning electrode, and
• a drive means for applying drive signals to the respective electrodes to effect a desired display in the display region and a constant display in the frame region,
• wherein said drive means applies different drive signals to the frame data electrodes on both outsides of the display electrodes, and
• wherein said frame scanning electrode is disposed to extend in a direction with an angular range of -45 degrees to +45 degrees with respect to a direction in which the liquid crystal has been injected into the matrix device.

A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

• a matrix display device including a first electrode plate having thereon a group of display scanning electrodes and a frame scanning electrode outside the display scanning electrodes, a second electrode plate having thereon a group of display data electrodes and a frame data electrode outside the display data electrodes, and a liquid crystal having a memory characteristic disposed between the first and second electrode plates so as to form a display region defined by an overlapping of the display scanning electrodes and the display data electrodes and a frame region outside the display region defined by the frame scanning electrode and the frame data electrode, wherein the liquid crystal is allowed to assume either one of two stable states at each pixel formed at each intersection of any data electrode and any scanning electrode, and
• a drive means for applying a display signal waveform corresponding to given display data to the liquid crystal in the display region, and applying a frame signal waveform providing one of the two stable states of liquid crystal to the liquid crystal in the frame region, respectively via the electrode plates,
• wherein the two stable states of the liquid crystal provide a bright state and a dark state, respectively, and the frame signal waveform applied to the liquid crystal in the frame region keeps the liquid crystal in the frame region in the bright state and has a wider signal range for ensuring said bright state than the display signal waveform, and wherein:
• (a) the display signal waveform includes:
• a scanning signal applied to each selected display scanning electrode including a reset pulse for resetting the liquid crystal into the dark state, a scanning selection pulse for setting a desired display state of the liquid crystal and a scanning auxiliary pulse, and
• a data signal applied to each display data electrode including a data selection pulse synchronized with the scanning selection pulse for forming a desired stable state at a pixel at an intersection of the selected display scanning electrode and Said each display data electrode, and a display auxiliary pulse placed before and after the data selection pulse for providing an average voltage of zero together with the data selection pulse;
• and
• (b) the frame signal waveform applied to the frame data electrode includes a frame selection pulse synchronized with the scanning selection pulse for setting the bright state at a frame pixel formed at an intersection of the selected display scanning electrode and the frame data electrode and a frame auxiliary pulse placed before and after the frame selection pulse for providing an average voltage of zero together with the frame selection pulse,
• wherein the data auxiliary pulses placed before and after the data selection pulse have mutually identical pulse width and pulse amplitude, and
• the frame auxiliary pulse placed after the frame selection pulse has a substantially identical pulse width and a smaller pulse amplitude than the frame auxiliary pulse placed before the frame selection pulse which in turn has a substantially identical pulse width with the data auxiliary pulse;
• said average voltage and pulse amplitude being respectively defined with respect to the voltage level of a non-selected display scanning electrode.