Shared buffer display panel drive methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8970465-B2
Application number	US-201314018569-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 17, 2003
Publication date	Mar 3, 2015
Grant date	Mar 3, 2015

Abstract

Methods of driving source lines and/or circuits/systems for driving source lines are provided. Source lines of a display device are driven by comparing first data for driving a first buffer associated with a first source line of the display device and second data for driving a second buffer associated with a second source line of the display device and selectively disabling the second buffer and driving the second source line of the display device with the first buffer based on the comparison of the first and second data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of driving source lines for a display device comprising:
determining whether a plurality of digital data, including first digital data for a first pixel and second digital data for a second pixel, have a same value;
disabling a first group of buffer amplifiers that are coupled to a first source line, if the first digital data and the second digital data have the same value;
electrically coupling each output of the first group of buffer amplifiers with respective output of a second group of buffer amplifiers that are coupled to a second source line, if the first digital data and the second digital data have the same value; and
outputting amplified signals from the second group of buffer amplifiers both for first pixel data associated with the first pixel and for second pixel data associated with the second pixel in a display panel, if the first digital data and the second digital data have the same value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrically coupling includes closing a plurality of coupling switches, each of the plurality of coupling switches connecting each output of the first group of buffer amplifiers to each respective output of the second group of buffer amplifiers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display panel, a plasma display panel, or an organic light emitting device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising converting the first digital data into first analog value and the second digital data into second analog value.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of digital data are RGB data.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first digital data includes first red digital data, first green digital data and first blue digital data, and
the second digital data includes second red digital data, second green digital data and second blue digital data.

7. A display device comprising:
a plurality of source line drivers for receiving a plurality of digital data including first digital data and second digital data, the plurality of source line drivers including a first source line driver and a second source line driver, the first source line driver configured to receive the first digital data for a first pixel, the second source line driver configured to receive the second digital data for a second pixel, the first pixel being different from the second pixel;
a data comparator for comparing the plurality of digital data, the data comparator configured to determine that the first digital data and the second digital data have a same value;
a source line switching network for selectively coupling outputs of the plurality of source line drivers; and
a display panel,

wherein, responsive to the first digital data and the second digital data having the same value, the source line switching network couples an output of the first source line driver to an output of the second source line driver, and one of the first source line driver and the second source line driver is disabled.

8. The display device of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of source line drivers includes at least one digital to analog converter for converting digital data into analog values.

9. The display device of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of source line drivers includes at least one buffer amplifier for amplifying the analog values from the at least one digital to analog converter.

10. The display device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one buffer amplifier in the first source line driver is disabled if the first digital data and the second digital data have the same value.

11. The display device of claim 10 , wherein the source line switching network includes at least one coupling switch for connecting an output of the at least one buffer amplifier in the first source line driver to respective output of the at least one buffer amplifier in the second source line driver.

12. The display device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of digital data are RGB data.

13. The display device of claim 12 , wherein the first digital data includes first red digital data, first green digital data and first blue digital data, and
the second digital data includes second red digital data, second green digital data and second blue digital data.

14. The display device of claim 13 , wherein the data comparator determines whether the first red digital data and the second red digital data have a same value, whether the first green digital data and the second green digital data have a same value, and whether the first blue digital data and the second blue digital data have a same value.

15. The display device of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of digital data includes red digital data, green digital data and blue digital data, and
each of the plurality of source line drivers includes a first digital to analog converter for converting the red digital data into a first analog value corresponding to the red digital data, a second digital to analog converter for converting the green digital data into a second analog value corresponding to the green digital data, and a third digital to analog converter for converting the blue digital data into a third analog value corresponding to the blue digital data.

16. The display device of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of source line drivers includes a first buffer amplifier for amplifying the first analog value from the first digital to analog converter, a second amplifier for amplifying the second analog value from the second digital to analog converter, and a third amplifier for amplifying the third analog value from the third digital to analog converter.

17. The display device of claim 16 , wherein the first buffer amplifier in the first source line driver is disabled if the first red digital data of the first digital data and the second red pixel data of the second digital data have the same value,
the second buffer amplifier in the first source line driver is disabled if the first green digital data of the first digital data and the second green digital data of the second digital data have the same value, and
the third buffer amplifier in the first source line driver is disabled if the first blue digital data of the first digital data and the second blue digital data of the second digital data have the same value.

18. The display device of claim 17 , wherein the source line switching network includes a first coupling switch for connecting an output of the first buffer amplifier in the first source line driver to an output of the first buffer amplifier in the second source line driver, a second coupling switch for connecting an output of the second buffer amplifier in the first source line driver to an output of the second buffer amplifier in the second source line driver, and a third coupling switch for connecting an output of the third buffer amplifier in the first source line driver to an output of the third buffer amplifier in the second source line driver.

19. A method of driving source lines for a display device comprising:
determining whether first red digital data of first digital data for a first pixel and second red digital data of second digital data for a second pixel have a same value, whether first green digital data of the first digital data for the first pixel and second green digital data of the second digital data for the second pixel have a same value, or whether first blue digital data of the first digital data for the first pixel and second blue digital data of the second digital data for t

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Woo Jae Hyuck
• Lee Jae Goo

Classifications

• G09G3/3688 Primary

  suitable for active matrices only · CPC title

• G09G5/02

  characterised by the way in which colour is displayed {(details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607)} · CPC title

• G09G3/36 Primary

  using liquid crystals · CPC title