Electrophoretic display device driving method, electrophoretic display device, and electronic apparatus

An electrophoretic display device comprising:

• a display unit in which an electrophoretic element containing electrophoretic particles is interposed between first and second substrates and in which a plurality of pixels are arranged;
• and
• a control unit which controls the display unit,
• wherein the control unit:
• detects a non-operation period during which an electric potential is not input to pixel electrodes of the plurality of pixels after the display unit displays an image;
• determines that the non-operation period exceeds a predetermined reference value;
• executes a contrast changing operation of lowering a contrast of the display unit by applying voltages to the pixel electrodes after determining that the non-operation period exceeds the predetermined reference value,
• wherein a voltage applied to the electrophoretic element in the lowering of the contrast is reverse polarity to a voltage applied to the electrophoretic element in displaying an image on the display unit.

A method of driving an electrophoretic display device including a display unit in which an electrophoretic element containing electrophoretic particles is interposed between first and second substrates and in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, the method comprising:

• detecting a non-operation period during which an electric potential is not input to pixel electrodes of the plurality of pixels after the display unit displays an image;
• determining that the non-operation period exceeds a predetermined reference value;
• and
• lowering a contrast of the display unit by applying a first voltage to the pixel electrodes in a first area and a second voltage to the pixel electrodes in a second area after determining that the non-operation period exceeds the predetermined reference value,
• wherein the first voltage value is different than the second voltage value.

An electrophoretic display device comprising:

• a display unit in which an electrophoretic element containing electrophoretic particles is interposed between first and second substrates and in which a plurality of pixels are arranged;
• and
• a control unit which controls the display unit,
• wherein the control unit:
• detects a non-operation period during which an electric potential is not input to pixel electrodes of the plurality of pixels after the display unit displays an image,
• determines that the non-operation period exceeds a predetermined reference value, and
• executes a contrast changing operation of lowering a contrast of the display unit by applying a first voltage to the pixel electrodes in a first area and a second voltage to the pixel electrodes in a second area after determining that the non-operation period exceeds the predetermined reference value, the first voltage value being different than the second voltage value.