System-on-chip (SoC) devices, display drivers and SoC systems including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10008182-B2
Application number	US-201514850270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2015
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A system-on-chip (SoC) device includes: a display controller configured to receive a trigger signal, and to output image data based on the trigger signal; and a transceiver configured to receive a first interrupt. In a first mode, the display controller is configured to output the image data in synchronization with a pulse of the trigger signal. In a second mode, which is different from the first mode, the display controller is configured to output the image data in synchronization with a pulse included in the trigger signal only after receiving the first interrupt.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system-on-chip (SoC) device comprising:
a display controller configured to receive a trigger signal, and to output image data based on the trigger signal; and
a transceiver configured to receive a first interrupt signal, wherein
in a first mode, the display controller is configured to output the image data in synchronization with a pulse of the trigger signal,
in a second mode, which is different from the first mode, the display controller is configured to output the image data in synchronization with the pulse of the trigger signal only after receiving the first interrupt signal,
the trigger signal has a same frequency in the first mode and the second mode,
the trigger signal is a separate signal from the first interrupt signal, and
a frequency of the first interrupt signal is less than a frequency of the trigger signal.

2. The SoC device of claim 1 , wherein
the image data includes moving image data in the first mode; and
the image data includes still image data in the second mode.

3. The SoC device of claim 1 , wherein
in the first mode, the display controller is configured to output the image data n times per second, where n is a natural number; and
in the second mode, the display controller is configured to output the image data m times per second, where m is a natural number less than n.

4. The SoC device of claim 1 , wherein
the transceiver is further configured to receive the trigger signal from a display driver; and
the display driver is configured to generate an image signal based on the image data output from the display controller, and to supply the image signal to a display panel.

5. The SoC device of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the first interrupt signal in synchronization with a first pulse of the trigger signal.

6. The SoC device of claim 5 , wherein
the display controller is further configured to output the image data in synchronization with a second pulse of the trigger signal, the second pulse being different from the first pulse.

7. The SoC device of claim 1 , wherein
the image data is stored in an external memory; and
the display controller is further configured to control the external memory to output the image data in synchronization with the pulse of the trigger signal.

8. The SoC device of claim 1 , wherein
the display controller is configured to switch from the first mode to the second mode in response to consecutive output of a same image data p times in the first mode; and
p is a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

9. The SoC device of claim 1 , wherein
the display controller is further configured to operate in the second mode based on the first interrupt signal received at the transceiver; and
the display controller is further configured to switch from the second mode to the first mode in response to transmission of a second interrupt signal by the transceiver, the second interrupt signal being different from the first interrupt signal.

10. A display driver comprising:
a driver configured to generate an image signal based on received image data, and to output the image signal;
an image analyzer circuit configured to
determine a frame rate for the image signal based on the received image data, and
generate and output an interrupt signal at the frame rate, the interrupt signal being indicative of a timing for receiving the received image data at the driver;

wherein the display driver is configured to output a trigger signal having a plurality of pulses; and
wherein a frequency of the interrupt signal is less than a frequency of the plurality of pulses of the trigger signal.

11. The display driver of claim 10 , wherein
the driver is further configured to output the image signal to a display panel; and
the display panel includes a gallium-indium-zinc-oxide (GIZO) panel.

12. The display driver of claim 10 , further comprising:
a counter circuit to determine an output timing for the interrupt signal.

13. The display driver of claim 10 , wherein
when the received image data is in synchronization with a first of the plurality of pulses, rather than with a second of the plurality of pulses adjacent to the first of the plurality of pulses, the image analyzer circuit is configured to analyze the received image data in synchronization with the first of the plurality of pulses to determine the frame rate for the image signal to be output to a display panel.

14. The display driver of claim 10 , further comprising:
a frame buffer configured to store the received image data, wherein
when the received image data stored in the frame buffer is not updated at a first timing, the image analyzer circuit is configured to analyze the received image data stored in the frame buffer to determine the frame rate for the image signal to be output to a display panel.

15. The display driver of claim 10 , wherein the received image data includes still image data.

16. A system-on-chip (SoC) device comprising:
a display controller configured to,
in a first mode, output image data in synchronization with a plurality of pulses of a received trigger signal,
in a second mode, output image data in synchronization with a pulse of the received trigger signal only after receiving a first interrupt signal, and
switch from the first mode to the second mode in response to outputting a same image data in synchronization with a threshold number of consecutive pulses of the received trigger signal, wherein
the received trigger signal has a same frequency in the first mode and the second mode,
the received trigger signal is a separate signal from the first interrupt signal, and
a frequency of the first interrupt signal is less than a frequency of the plurality of pulses of the received trigger signal.

17. The SoC device of claim 16 , further comprising:
an interrupt controller configured to output a second interrupt signal to the display controller in response to an event; and wherein
the display controller is further configured to switch from the second mode to the first mode in response to the second interrupt signal.

18. The SoC device of claim 16 , wherein
the image data output in the first mode is moving image data; and
the image data output in the second mode is still image data.

19. The SoC device of claim 16 , wherein, in the first mode, the display controller is configured to output the image data in synchronization with each of the plurality of pulses of the received trigger signal.

20. The SoC device of claim 16 , wherein in the second mode, the display controller is configured to
receive the first interrupt signal during a first time period; and
output the image data in synchronization with only a pulse of the received trigger signal received during a second time period, the second time period being adjacent to the first time period.

Assignees

• Lee Jong Hyup
• Kim Kyoung Man
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jong-Hyup
• Kim Kyoung-Man

Classifications

• G09G5/363 Primary

  Graphics controllers · CPC title

• G09G5/12 Primary

  Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players · CPC title

• G09G2330/022

  in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time · CPC title

• G09G5/18

  Timing circuits for raster scan displays (specially adapted for television H04N {; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12}) · CPC title

• G09G2360/18

  Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel · CPC title