Image display apparatus and image display module

Abstract

An image display apparatus configured by a display panel having an image memory element in a pixel, which achieves low power consumption. A nonvolatile image memory element 1, which can change the resistance value by phase change, is connected to a pixel electrode 25 of a liquid crystal element 5. The output of a thin-film transistor 17 driven by scanning and signal electrode lines 7, 9 is connected to the pixel electrode 25. When the scanning electrode line 7 is selected to have a high level voltage, the thin-film transistor 17 is turned on and a current signal flowing through the signal electrode 9 is sent through the image memory element 1 to a reference electrode line 15. Depending on the current value or pulse width passing through the image memory element 1, the resistance of the image memory element 1 is changed and is stored as a resistance value. A liquid crystal drive voltage to be applied to the liquid crystal element 5 is varied depending on the resistance of the image memory element 1 and an image is displayed on the liquid crystal element 5.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An image display apparatus comprising: 
 an image display panel having a display element comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix at crossing points where a plurality of scanning electrode lines cross a plurality of signal electrode lines;    a scanning electrode line selection circuit for selecting the scanning electrode lines of the image display panel;    a signal electrode line drive circuit for driving the signal electrode line; and    means for storing display data for each pixel,    wherein the storage means comprises a resistor connected to each pixel, wherein the display data is stored in the pixel by way of the resistance value of the resistor.    
     
     
         2 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the storage means is capable of rewriting the stored display data and is nonvolatile such that the stored display data does not change in the absence of power supply.  
     
     
         3 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising means for reading the display data stored in the storage means.  
     
     
         4 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the storage means stores display data using resistance changes caused by phase change of the resistor.  
     
     
         5 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the resistor constituting the storage means is a phase change medium whose resistance value changes depending on the phase change between a crystal state and an amorphous state.  
     
     
         6 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the phase change medium is a resistor comprising a GeSbTe material.  
     
     
         7 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a signal current is supplied from the signal line drive circuit to the signal electrode line and the stored contents retained by way of a resistance value of the resistor constituting the storage means is controlled by the signal current.  
     
     
         8 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising means for rewriting the display data stored in the storage means by the control using the scanning electrode line and the signal electrode line, wherein the pixels connected to the storage means are electrically isolated from the scanning and the signal electrode lines.  
     
     
         9 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising means for rewriting the stored data of the storage means by the control using the scanning electrode line and the signal electrode line, wherein the rewriting means is always electrically connected to the scanning and signal electrode lines at the crossing points of the scanning and signal electrode lines and is directly driven by the scanning and the signal electrode lines.  
     
     
         10 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the rewriting means is a heating means for controlling the temperature of the storage means.  
     
     
         11 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 10 , comprising an operating means for comparing the display data read from the storage means by the reading means with display data to be subsequently displayed, wherein the read display data is compared with the display data to be subsequently displayed and the storage means is rewritten with the display data to be subsequently displayed only when the display data are different.  
     
     
         12 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein each pixel has a plurality of the storage means, the apparatus further comprising means for selecting the storage means.  
     
     
         13 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the storage means is connected in series to the display element provided for the pixel, and a voltage to be applied to the display element is controlled in accordance with the ratio between the resistance value of the storage means and that of the display element.  
     
     
         14 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a switching element for controlling the display state of the display element provided for the pixel, wherein the display state of the display element is controlled by controlling the switching element by the use of a voltage that changes in accordance with the resistance value of the storage means.  
     
     
         15 . The image display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the storage means is connected in series to the resistance element, and wherein a voltage to be applied to the display element is controlled by the ratio between the resistance value of the storage means and that of the resistance element.  
     
     
         16 . An image display module comprising: 
 an image display panel having a display element comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix at crossing points where a plurality of scanning electrode lines cross a plurality of signal electrode lines;    a recording apparatus for recording display data in the image display panel; and    a display drive apparatus for displaying the display data recorded in the image display panel by the recording apparatus,    wherein the image display panel can be connected to one or both of the recording apparatus and the display drive apparatus.    
     
     
         17 . The image display module according to  claim 16 , wherein: 
 the image display panel comprises: a nonvolatile storage means for storing the display data for each pixel; a scanning line connection portion for inputting a scanning signal into the scanning line, a signal line connection portion for inputting a display data signal into the signal line, a drive line connection portion for inputting a drive signal for driving the pixel, and a power line connection portion, and wherein    the recording apparatus comprises: a scanning line selection circuit for driving the scanning lines, a signal line drive circuit for driving signal lines of the image display panel, a signal control circuit, and a recording apparatus connection portion for connection to the signal line connection portion and the drive line connection portion,    wherein the recording apparatus is connected to the image display panel via the recording apparatus connection portion and the data stored in the storage means is rewritten by inputting a rewriting signal into the scanning line connection portion and the signal line connection portion.    
     
     
         18 . The image display module according to  claim 17 , wherein each pixel of the image display panel has a plurality of the storage means and a selection signal line for selecting the multiple storage means, and wherein the stored data in the storage means selected by the selection signal line is rewritten.  
     
     
         19 . The image display module according to  claim 17 , wherein: 
 the display drive apparatus comprises an opposite electrode drive circuit, a power circuit, and a display drive apparatus connection portion for connection to the drive line connection portion and the power line connection portion of the image display panel, and wherein    the display drive apparatus is connected to the image display panel via the display drive apparatus connection portion to display the display data stored in the image display panel.    
     
     
         20 . The image display module according to  claim 19 , wherein: 
 each pixel of the image display panel has a plurality of the storage means and a selection signal line for selecting the multiple storage means, and wherein    the display drive apparatus has a switching circuit for switching the connection to the selection signal line, wherein    the multiple storage means of the image display panel are selected by the switching circuit, and a plurality of images are displayed based on the display data stored in the selected storage means.