This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0118861, filed on Oct. 25, 2012, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
1. Field
This document relates to a display device to minimize non-uniformity of a brightness of a display panel.
2. Related Art
Requirements for a display device to display an image are increased in various forms according to the development of multimedia. Recently, several displays have been utilized, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting device (OLED) and the like.
Since a size of the gate drive IC 11, 12 and 13 is different from that of the display panel DIS, lengths of the gate link lines GLL formed from a center portion to an edge of the gate drive IC 11, 12 and 13 are different from each other. In other words, a central gate link line connecting the gate line with a center portion of the gate drive IC 11, 12 and 13 has a minimum length, and an edge gate link line connecting the gate line with an edge of the gate drive IC 11, 12 and 13 has a maximum length. As a result, the central gate link line has a minimum line resistance, and the edge gate link line has a maximum line resistance.
In addition, in order to highlight a design of the display device, a bezel area B of the display device is minimized. Accordingly, spacing between the gate drive IC 11, 12 and 13 and the display panel DIS is formed to be short greatly. The bezel area B means a non-display area that does not display an image on the display device. The difference in the line resistance of the gate link lines GLL can be reduced by adjusting a line width of the gate link lines GLL. However, since this can increase the bezel area B, it is difficult to address a task of the present invention is solved address.
The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a display device to minimize non-uniformity of a brightness of the display panel, without increasing a bezel area.
A display device in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, includes a display panel including data lines and gate lines; a gate drive IC to supply gate pulses to the gate lines; and a data drive IC supplying data voltages to the data lines, wherein the gate drive IC is connected to the gate lines through gate link lines, and resistance values of the gate link lines connected from one side edge to another side edge of the gate drive IC are distributed to a curve defined by a fourth order function.
The features and advantages described in this summary and the following detailed description are not intended to be limiting. Many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification and claims.
The invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the inventions are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. In the following description, if it is decided that the detailed description of known function or configuration related to the invention makes the subject matter of the invention unclear, the detailed description is omitted.
The display panel 100 of the display device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a flat panel display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like. The display panel 100 implemented as a liquid crystal display will be mainly described in
The gate drive circuit 110 includes multiple gate drive ICs (integrated circuits) 111, 112 and 113. Each of the gate drive ICs 111, 112 and 113) supplies at least one or more gate pulse (or scan pulse) to control at least one or more switching TFT of each of pixels to a gate line (or scan line) of the display panel 100. The gate drive ICs 111, 112 and 113 are connected to the gate lines through a gate link line GLL. The gate drive ICs 111, 112 and 113 may be mounted on a gate tape carrier package (TCP), and the gate TCP may be bonded to the display panel 100 by a tape automated bonding (TAB) process. Otherwise, the gate drive ICs 111, 112 and 113 may be directly formed along with pixels of the display panel 100 by a gate in panel (GIP) process at the same time. A detailed description for the gate link lines GLL and the gate drive ICs 111, 112 and 113 will be described with reference to
The data drive circuit 120 includes multiple source drive ICs 121, 122 and 123. The source drive ICs 121, 122 and 123 receive digital image data (RGB) from the timing controller 130. The source drive ICs 121, 122 and 123 converts the digital image data (RGB) into a data voltage using gamma compensation voltages according to source timing control signals from the timing controller 130, and to synchronize the data voltage with the gate pulse to supply the voltage to data lines of the display panel 100. The source drive ICs 121, 122 and 123 is connected to the data lines through a data link line (DLL). The source drive ICs 121, 122 and 123 may be mounted on the source TCP, and the source TCP may be bonded to the display panel 100 and a source printed circuit board (PCB) by the TAB process. Otherwise, the source drive ICs 121, 122 and 123 may be directly bonded to the display panel 100 by a chip on glass (COG) process.
The timing controller 130 receives the digital image data (RGB) and a timing signal from the host system 140. The timing signal may include a vertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronization signal, a data enable signal, a dot clock, and the like. The timing controller 130 generates timing control signal to control an operation timing of the gate drive circuit 110 and the data drive circuit 120 based on the timing signal. The timing control signals include a gate timing control signal (GCS) to control an operation timing of the gate drive circuit 110 and a data timing control signal (DCS) to control an operation timing of the data drive circuit 120. The timing controller 130 outputs the gate timing control signal (GCS) to the gate drive circuit 110 and outputs the digital image data RGB and the data timing control signal DCS to the data drive circuit 120.
The host system 140 may include a system on chip having a built-in scaler to convert the digital image data (RGB) input from an external video source device to a data format of a resolution suitable to be displayed on the display panel 100. The host system 140 supplies the digital image data (RGB) and the timing signals to the timing controller 130 through an interface such as a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) interface, a transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) interface or the like.
When the display panel 100 is implemented as a liquid crystal display, the display device requires a backlight unit for irradiating light on the display panel 100. The backlight unit includes multiple light sources for irradiating light on the display panel 100. The backlight unit may be implemented as any one of a direct type and an edge type. The direct type backlight unit has a structure in which multiple optical sheets and diffusion plates are stacked on a bottom of the display panel 100, and multiple light sources are disposed on a bottom of the diffusion plate. The edge type backlight unit has a structure in which multiple optical sheets and light guide plates are stacked on a bottom of the display panel 100, and multiple light sources are disposed on a side surface of the diffusion plate.
In addition, as the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC is closer to another side edge ES, the length of the gate link line GLL is longer. That is, among gate link lines GLL, the central gate link line GLLC to connect the gate line GL to the center portion (C) of the gate drive IC GIC has the minimum length, and an other side edge gate link line GLLES to connect the gate line GL to the other side edge ES of the gate drive GIC has the maximum length. Thus, the central gate link line GLLC has a minimum line resistance, and the other side edge gate link line GLLES has a maximum line resistance.
As a result, since the length of the gate link line GLL is longer, as the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC is closer to the one side edge EF or the other side edge ES, the line resistance of the gate link line GLL is higher, as the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC is closer to the one side edge EF or the other side edge ES. As shown in
In particular, the line resistance values LINK_R of the gate link lines GLL connected to the gate drive IC GIC have a U-shaped distribution from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES. Specifically, the resistance values LINK_R of the gate link lines GLL connected from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES of the gate drive IC GIC may be implemented to be distributed as a curve defined by a fourth order function. The curve defined by the fourth order function as shown in
y=−ax
4
+bx
3
−cx
2
+dx+e [Equation 1]
In Equation 1, x represents a location variable showing a location of the gate link line GLL at the other side edge ES from the one side edge EF of the gate drive IC GIC, and y represents a resistance value at the corresponding location. Constants a, b, c, d, and e may be varied, depending on how resistance values from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES are designed.
Meanwhile, the data drive IC 21, 22, 23 is connected to the data lines through data link lines, and resistance values of the data link lines connected from one side edge to another side edge of the data drive IC 21, 22, 23 may be distributed to a curve defined by a fourth order function as shown in Equation 1. In this case, the data link line connected to either the one side edge or the other side edge of the data drive IC 21, 22, 23 may have a maximum resistance value, and the data link line connected to a center portion of the data drive IC 21, 22, 23 may have a minimum resistance value.
Specifically, each of the pixels can be implemented as 3 TIC structure that includes three TFTs and one capacitor as shown in
In addition, the first gate link lines represent as thick solid lines in
Meanwhile, since a size of the gate drive IC GIC is different from that of the display panel 100, lengths of the first and second gate link lines formed from a center portion C to one side edge EF of the gate drive IC GIC are different from each other. First, the lengths of the first and second gate link line is longer, as the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC is closer to the one side edge EF. Among the first gate link lines connected from the center portion C to the one side edge EF of the gate drive IC GIC, the first central gate link line GLLC1 to connect the first scan line SL1 to the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC has a minimum length, and the first one side edge gate link line GLLEF1 to connect the first scan line SL1 to one side edge EF of the gate drive GIC has a maximum length. Thus, the first central gate link line GLLC1 has a minimum line resistance, and the first one side edge gate link line GLLEF1 has a maximum line resistance. In addition, among the second gate link lines connected from the center portion C to the one side edge EF of the gate drive IC GIC, the second central gate link line GLLC2 to connect the second scan line SL2 to the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC has a minimum length, and the first one side edge gate link line GLLEF1 to connect the second scan line SL2 to the one side edge EF of the gate drive GIC has a maximum length. Thus, the second central gate link line GLLC2 has a minimum line resistance, and the second one side edge gate link line GLLEF2 has a maximum line resistance.
In addition, the lengths of the first and second gate link line is longer, as the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC is closer to the other side edge ES. Among the first gate link lines connected from the center portion C to the other side edge ES of the gate drive IC GIC, the first central gate link line GLLC1 to connect the first scan line SL1 to the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC has a minimum length, and the first other side edge gate link line GLLES 1 to connect the first scan line SL1 to other side edge ES of the gate drive GIC has a maximum length. Thus, the first central gate link line GLLC1 has a minimum line resistance, and the first other side edge gate link line GLLES1 has a maximum line resistance. In addition, among the second gate link lines connected from the center portion C to the other side edge ES of the gate drive IC GIC, the second central gate link line GLLC2 to connect the second scan line SL2 to the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC has a minimum length, and the second other side edge gate link line GLLES2 to connect the second scan line SL2 to the other side edge ES of the gate drive GIC has a maximum length. Thus, the second central gate link line GLLC2 has a minimum line resistance, and the second other side edge gate link line GLLES2 has a maximum line resistance.
As a result, since the lengths of the first and second gate link lines are longer, as the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC is closer to the one side edge EF or the other side edge ES, the line resistances of the first and second gate link lines are higher, as the center portion C of the gate drive IC GIC is closer to the one side edge EF or the other side edge ES. As shown in
In particular, the line resistance values GLL1_R of the first gate link lines connected to the gate drive IC GIC have a U-shaped distribution from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES. Specifically, the resistance values GLL1_R of the first gate link lines connected from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES of the gate drive IC GIC may be implemented to be distributed as a curve defined by the fourth order function. The resistance values GLL1_R of the first gate link lines connected from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES of the gate drive IC GIC will be distributed as a curve defined by the fourth order function by adjusting the line length and line width of the first gate link lines. The curve defined by the fourth order function is described in detail with reference to Equation 1.
In addition, the line resistance values GLL2_R of the second gate link lines connected to the gate drive IC GIC have a U-shaped distribution from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES. Specifically, the resistance values GLL2_R of the second gate link lines connected from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES of the gate drive IC GIC may be implemented to be distributed as a curve defined by the fourth order function. The resistance values GLL2_R of the second gate link lines connected from the one side edge EF to the other side edge ES of the gate drive IC GIC will be distributed as a curve defined by the fourth order function by adjusting the line length and line width of the second gate link lines.
Meanwhile, the difference between the maximum resistance value and the minimum resistance value of first gate link lines is different from the difference between the maximum resistance value and the minimum resistance value of the second gate link lines. For example, as shown in
As described above, according to the present invention, the resistance values of the gate link lines from the one side edge to the other side edge of the gate drive IC can be adjusted to be distributed as a curve defined by a fourth order function. Also, the resistance values of the data link lines from the one side edge to the other side edge of the data drive IC can be adjusted to be distributed as a curve defined by a fourth order function. In addition, if two or more scan pulses are supplied to the display panel, the present invention is to minimize the difference between the maximum resistance value and the minimum resistance value of the gate link lines connected to the scan lines that supply the scan pulse further influencing on the non-uniformity of the brightness. Therefore, the present invention is capable of minimizing non-uniformity of a brightness of the display panel, without increasing a bezel area.
Although the embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2012-0118861 | Oct 2012 | KR | national |