IEC 62679-1-1:2014

Electronic paper displays - Part 1-1: Terminology

IEC 62679-1-1:2014 gives the preferred terms, their definitions, as well as the symbols for electronic paper displays (EPDs).

Afficheurs de papier électronique - Partie 1-1: Terminologie

L'IEC 62679-1-1:2014 donne les termes préférentiels et leurs définitions, ainsi que les symboles pour les afficheurs de papier électronique.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 12-May-2014
• ICS: 31.120 - Electronic display devices
• ICS: 31.260 - Optoelectronics. Laser equipment
• Technical Committee: TC 110 - Electronic displays
• Drafting Committee: WG 7 - TC 110/WG 7
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 13-May-2014
• Completion Date: 31-May-2014

Overview

IEC 62679-1-1:2014 is an international standard developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that defines the terminology for electronic paper displays (EPDs). This standard provides the preferred terms, precise definitions, and symbols used across the electronic paper display industry. As a fundamental part of the IEC 62679 series, it ensures consistency and clarity in the communication and documentation of EPD technology, facilitating global collaboration and innovation.

Electronic paper displays are low-power reflective displays widely used in devices such as e-readers, digital signage, and price tags. IEC 62679-1-1:2014 covers a broad range of physical concepts, general terms, and technical characteristics essential for a comprehensive understanding of EPDs.

Key Topics

Terminology for Electronic Paper Displays

• Electronic paper display (EPD): An electronic display that shows information through diffuse reflection and maintains the image with minimal power consumption.
• Electrophoretic display: A type of EPD that forms images by rearranging charged pigment particles using an electric field.
• Cholesteric liquid crystal display: A liquid crystal display phase with planar nematic ordering forming a helical structure.
• Powder migration display: An electrophoretic display where charged pigment particles move through gas controlled by an electric field.
• Bi-stable nematic LCD: An LCD using light polarization modulation by bi-stable nematic liquid crystals influenced by an electric field.
• Electrochromic display: A reflective electronic display that changes color through reversible chemical oxidation or reduction on electrodes.
• Electrodeposition display: Displays information by migrating ionized molecules controlled by electrode carriers.
• Twisting ball display: Modulates reflected light by rotating dielectric or magnetic balls with colored hemispheres under an electric field.
• Electrowetting and electrofluidic displays: Use electrical effects on liquids or pigments within microfluidic cavities to modulate reflected light.
• Interferometric modulator display: Modulates light through microscopic interferometric cavities acting as wavelength-selective mirrors.

Technical Concepts and Characteristics

• Ambient contrast ratio: The contrast ratio including both diffuse and directional illumination to simulate realistic lighting.
• Daylight display color and color gamut volume: Measures that describe display color performance under daylight-like illumination.
• Image retention: The property of maintaining visual information after power removal.
• Response times (fall time, module response time): Defined intervals describing how quickly the display changes its optical signals in response to driving voltages.
• Driving voltage and electrical waveform: Standardized terms for the voltage signals controlling EPD behavior.
• Symbols and units: Standardized symbols and units for quantities such as energy used in rewriting displays.

Applications

IEC 62679-1-1:2014 is valuable for:

• Manufacturers: Ensures consistent terminology in product design, documentation, and marketing of EPD technologies.
• Researchers and developers: Provides a foundation for accurate communication about new display technologies and innovations.
• Quality assurance teams: Facilitates clear specifications and testing procedures for electronic paper display modules and components.
• Standards bodies and industry consortia: Aids in harmonizing terms across regional and international regulations.
• End users and integrators: Helps in understanding product datasheets and operational characteristics of electronic paper displays.

The terminology defined in this standard supports device consistency and interoperability, helping industries like e-readers, smart labels, digital signage, and wearable electronics to adopt and apply EPD technologies effectively.

Related Standards

This standard references and is complemented by other IEC and ISO standards including:

• IEC 60050: International Electrotechnical Vocabulary, providing broad electrotechnical terms.
• IEC 60027: Letter symbols to be used in electrical technology.
• IEC 60617: Graphical symbols for diagrams.
• IEC 60747-1: Semiconductor devices – Part 1: General.
• ISO 80000-1: Quantities and units – Part 1: General.

IEC 62679-1-1:2014 is part of the IEC 62679 series, which addresses electronic paper display technology in greater detail, including performance evaluation and measurement. Continuous updates and amendments ensure alignment with technological evolution.

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Keywords: IEC 62679-1-1, electronic paper displays, EPD terminology, electrophoretic display, electrochromic display, EPD terms, display response time, ambient contrast ratio, color gamut volume, electronic display standards, IEC electronic paper display standard, display driving voltage, international standard for EPDs.

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 62679-1-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2014-05
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Electronic paper displays –
Part 1-1: Terminology
Afficheurs de papier électronique –
Partie 1-1: Terminologie
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IEC 62679-1-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2014-05
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Electronic paper displays –
Part 1-1: Terminology
Afficheurs de papier électronique –

Partie 1-1: Terminologie
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
CODE PRIX L
ICS 31.120; 31.260 ISBN 978-2-8322-1570-8

– 2 – IEC 62679-1-1:2014 © IEC 2014
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
3.1 Physical concepts . 5
3.2 General terms . 6
3.3 Terms related to ratings and characteristics . 7
4 Abbreviations . 8
5 Technical aspects . 8
5.1 Order of precedence . 8
5.2 Symbols and units. 9
Bibliography . 11

Figure 1 – Block diagram for explanation of supply voltages . 10
Figure 2 –Timing chart for explanation of response times . 10

Table 1 – Letter symbols and unit of energy for rewriting . 9

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
ELECTRONIC PAPER DISPLAYS –
Part 1-1: Terminology
FOREWORD
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patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 62679-1-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 110:
Electronic display devices.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
110/554/FDIS 110/573/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts in the IEC 62679 series, published under the general title Electronic paper
displays can be found on the IEC website.

– 4 – IEC 62679-1-1:2014 © IEC 2014
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
ELECTRONIC PAPER DISPLAYS –
Part 1-1: Terminology
1 Scope
This part of IEC 62679 gives the preferred terms, their definitions, as well as the symbols for
electronic paper displays (EPDs).
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60050 (all parts), International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (available at
www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60027 (all parts); Letter symbols to be used in electrical technology
lEC 60617, Graphical symbols for diagrams
IEC 60747-1, Semiconductor devices – Part 1: General
ISO 80000-1, Quantities and units – Part 1: General
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60050, as well as
the following apply.
3.1 Physical concepts
3.1.1
electronic paper display
EPD
electronic display that shows information by diffuse reflection and holds the image with low
power consumption
3.1.2
electrophoretic display
electronic paper display which forms an image by rearranging charged pigment particles using
an applied electric field
3.1.3
cholesteric liquid crystal display
liquid crystal phase that exhibits planar nematic ordering in which the directors form a helix
that has its axis perpendicular to the plane
[SOURCE: IEC 61747-1:1998, 3.1.3]

– 6 – IEC 62679-1-1:2014 © IEC 2014
3.1.4
powder migration display
electrophoretic display that shows information by the motion of static charged pigment
particles in a gas using an applied electric field
3.1.5
bi-stable nematic LCD
electronic display making use of light polarization modulation by bi-stable nematic liquid
crystal under the influence of an electric field
3.1.6
electrochromic display
electronic reflective type display that shows information by reversibly changing the colour of
suitable materials by chemical oxidation or reduction of the materials at the electrode level
3.1.7
electrodeposition display
electronic reflective type display that shows information by migration of ionized molecules by
the exchange of carrier on the electrode
3.1.8
twisting ball display
electronic paper display that modulates the reflected light by rotating dielectric or magnetic
balls with coloured hemispheres under the influence of an electric field
3.1.9
electro wetting display
electronic display that modulates the reflected light by electrical hydorophobic effect of oil in
water under the influence of an electric field
3.1.10
electrofluidic display
electronic display that modulates the reflected light by moving small volumes of aqueous
pigment dispersion in and out of microfluidic cavities under the influence of a spatially
modulated voltage
3.1.11
interferometric modulator display
electronic display that modulates the reflected light by microscopic interferometric cavities,
each acting as a wavelength-selective mirror that can be switched on or off individually
3.2 General terms
3.2.1
ambient contrast ratio
contrast ratio of a display with both hemispherical diffuse and directional illumination incident
onto its surface used to simulate real lighting environments
3.2.2
daylight display colour
colour of a display with both hemispherical diffuse and directional illumination incident onto its
surface at a defined geometry, spectra, and illumination levels that simulate a realistic
daylight lighting environment
3.2.3
colour gamut volume
single number corresponding to the largest possible range of display colours (including all
possible mixtures of the primaries, white W and black K), described as a volume in a three-
dimensional colour space such as CIELAB

3.2.4
daylight colour gamut volume
colour gamut volume of a display with both hemispherical diffuse and directional illumination
incident onto its surface at a defined geometry, spectra, and illumination level that simulate
the environment
3.2.5
image retention
property of a picture element in which the visual information is retained after the power has
been removed
3.2.6
electronic paper display module
device that consists of an electronic paper display panel and a driver (optionally a controller)
3.2.7
electronic paper display panel
electronic paper display device without a driver
3.2.8
electronic paper display controller
controller that supplies control signals to an electronic paper display module
3.3 Terms related to ratings and characteristics
3.3.1
electro-optical characteristics
characteristics derived from the variation of an optical property (reflected optical signal) as a
function of an electrical driving signal (voltage or current vs. time, commonly referred to as
waveform)
3.3.2
fall time
time interval needed to change the reflected optical signal of the device from 90 % to 10 % of
the total variation range after switching the module or panel driving signal from the state
corresponding to the maximum reflected signal level (100 %) to the minimum reflected signal
level (0 %)
SEE: Figure 2.
Note 1 to entry: 0 % is the minimum reference of the reflected optical signal and 100 % is the maximum reference
of the reflected optical signal.
3.3.3
electronic paper display driving voltage
voltage that drives an electronic paper display panel
SEE: Figure 1.
3.3.4
module response time
time from the start of the module driving signal until the panel reaches 90% or 10% of the
reflected optical signal
SEE: Figure 2.
Note 1 to entry: 0 % is the minimum reference of the reflected optical signal and 100 % is the maximum reference
of the reflected optical signal.

– 8 – IEC 62679-1-1:2014 © IEC 2014
3.3.5
module response time (falling)
time interval needed to change the reflected optical signal of the device from 100 % to 10 %
of the total variation range after switching the module driving signal from the state
corresponding to the maximum reflected signal level (100 %) to the minimum reflected signal
level (0 %)
Note 1 to entry: 0 % is the minimum reference of reflected optical signal and 100 % is the maximum reference of
reflected optical signal. The module fall time is both the sum of the delay and fall times (see Figure 2).
3.3.6
module response time (rising)
time interval needed to change the reflected optical signal of the device from 0 % to 90 % of
the total variation range after switching the module driving signal from the state corresponding
to the minimum reflected signal level (0 %) to the maximum reflected signal level (100 %)
Note 1 to entry: 0 % is the minimum reference of reflected optical signal and 100 % is the maximum reference of
reflected optical signal (see Figure 2).
3.3.7
rewriting electrical energy
energy required to rewrite an image on the electronic paper displays
3.3.8
image retention duration
period during which an electronic paper display keeps the image after the power is removed
4 Abbreviations
CCT Correlated colour temperature
CIE International Commission on Illumination
CIELAB CIE 1976 (L*a*b*) colour space
DUT Device under test
EPD Electronic paper display
ILU Integrated lighting unit (e.g. an edge-lit front guide plate)
ISO International Organization for Standardization
LED Light emitting diode
LMD Light measuring device
RGB Red, green, blue
sRGB Standard RGB colour space as defined in IEC 61966-2-1
5 Technical aspects
5.1 Order of precedence
Where there are conflicting requirements, documents shall rank in the following order of
authority:
a) the detail specification;
b) the blank detail specification;
c) the family specification, if any;
d) the sectional specification;
e) the generic specification;
f) the basic specification;
g) any other international (e.g. IEC) documents to which reference is made;
h) a national document.
The same order of precedence shall apply to equivalent national documents.
5.2 Symbols and units
Units, graphical and letter symbols shall be taken from the following standards:
IEC 60027 (all parts); Letter symbols to be used in electrical technology
lEC 60617; Graphical symbols for diagrams
IEC 60747-1; Semiconductor devices – Part 1: General
ISO 80000-1, Quantities and units – Part 1: General
Any other units, symbols or terminology peculiar to one of the devices covered by this
standard shall be taken from the relevant IEC or ISO standards or derived in accordance with
the principles of the standards listed above.
It is recommended to use letter symbols as listed in Table 1 below.
Table 1 – Letter symbols and unit of energy for rewriting
No Name of quantity Symbol Unit Remarks
T
001 Panel response time (falling) ms Refer to Figure 2
p1
T
002 Panel response time (rising) ms Refer to Figure 2
p2
T
003 Module response time (rising) ms Refer to Figure 2
004 Rise time t
ms Refer to Figure 2
005 Module response time (falling) T ms Refer to Figure 2
006 Fall time t ms Refer to Figure 2
007 Rewriting electric energy of logic circuit W J
Rewriting electric energy of electronic paper display
008 W J
driving circuit
009 Total rewriting electric energy in the display module W J
010 E
Voltage for EPD drive V Refer to Figure 1
E
– 10 – IEC 62679-1-1:2014 © IEC 2014
Electronic paper display panel
Driving circuit
Logic circuit
E E GND
1 2
Driving power supply
IEC  1501/14
Figure 1 – Block diagram for explanation of supply voltages
T T
1 2
Y Y
Tp Tp
1 2
100% 100%
90% 90%
10% 10%
0% 0%
t t
t t
1 2
Driving Driving
signal signal
Driving Driving
for module for module
Driving Driving
for panel for panel
t t
IEC  1502/14
Key
T time from start of the module driving signal until panel reaches 10 % of reflected optical signal
T time from start of the module driving signal until panel reaches 90 % of reflected optical signal
T time from start of the panel driving signal until panel reaches 10 % of reflected optical signal
p1
T time from start of the panel driving signal until panel reaches 90 % of reflected optical signal
p2
t time needed to change the reflected optical signal of panel from 90 % to 10 %
t time needed to change the reflected optical signal of panel from 10 % to 90 %
NOTE The Y axis on the top graphs is normalised.
Figure 2 –Timing chart for explanation of response times
The preferred values of temperature, humidity and pressure for the measurement of
characteristics, for tests and for operating conditions, are given in IEC 62679-3-1.

Bibliography
IEC 60068 (all parts), Environmental testing
IEC 60068-1:1988, Environmental testing – Part 1: General and guidance
IEC 60068-2 (all parts), Environmental testing – Part 2: Tests
IEC 60191 (all parts), Mechanical standardization of semiconductor devices
IEC 60191-1:1966, Mechanical standardization of semiconductor devices – Part 1:
Preparation of drawings of semiconductor
...