Display Driver IC and Display Driving Method for Supporting Various Driving Modes

Abstract

A display driving integrated circuit (IC) and a display driving method for supporting various driving mode include an input unit, a digital-analog converter and a row data output unit. The row data output unit outputs at least one of the row data to a row line corresponding thereto for each row scan clock pulse. The row data output unit activates output paths for outputting the row data to the row lines in an activation order of a driving mode selected from a plurality of driving modes having different orders of activating the output paths in response to a mode select signal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 a illustrates a sequential driving mode in a conventional display driver IC;

FIG. 1 b is a table representing an order of output pads of the conventional display driver IC, which are activated according to the sequential driving mode of FIG. 1a,

FIG. 2 a illustrates a zigzag driving mode in a conventional display driver IC;

FIG. 2 b is a table representing an order of output pads of the conventional display driver IC, which are activated according to the zigzag driving mode of FIG. 2a;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a display driver IC according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a row data output unit of the display driver IC of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another row data output unit of the display driver IC of FIG. 3 according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a table representing an order of output pads activated according to driving modes in the display driver IC of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a display driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display driver integrated circuit (IC) comprising: an input unit receiving digital video data to be displayed on a panel;a digital-analog converter converting the digital video data into analog row data and analog column data respectively scanned to row lines and column lines of the panel; anda row data output unit outputting at least one of the row data to a row line corresponding thereto for each row scan clock pulse,wherein the row data output unit activates output paths for outputting the row data to the row lines in an activation order of a driving mode selected from a plurality of driving modes having different orders of activating the output paths in response to a mode select signal.

2. The display driver IC of claim 1, wherein, assuming that groups of three row data respectively correspond to three adjacent row lines of 3n (n is a multiple of 2) row lines represent first through nth row data groups, and output paths for outputting the first through nth row data groups to the row lines represent first through nth output path groups the row data output unit activates at least one of the first through nth output path groups for each row scan clock pulse.

3. The display driver IC of claim 2, wherein the row data output unit comprises: a plurality of counters respectively corresponding to the plurality of driving modes, each driving mode corresponding to a respective activation order; anda decoder activating output path groups corresponding to numbers representing the activation order, which are output from a counter selected from the plurality of counters,wherein one of the plurality of counters is selected in response to the mode select signal.

4. The display driver IC of claim 3, wherein the plurality of driving modes include first and second modes, the first mode sequentially activating the first through nth output path groups, the second mode alternately activating first and second output parts, the first output part including the first through (n/2)th output path groups, the second output part including the {(n/2)+1}th through nth output path groups.

5. The display driver IC of claim 4, wherein the counters include a first counter outputting the activation order of the first mode and a second counter outputting the activation order of the second mode.

6. The display driver IC of claim 5, wherein one of the first and second counters is selected in response to a logic level of the mode select signal.

7. The display driver IC of claim 2, wherein the row data output unit includes a plurality of decoders activating the output path groups in the activation orders of the driving modes respectively corresponding thereto among the plurality of driving modes, and wherein one of the plurality of decoders is selected in response to the mode select signal.

8. The display driver IC of claim 7, wherein the plurality of driving modes include first and second modes, the first mode sequentially activating the first through nth output path groups, the second mode alternately activating first and second output parts, the first output part including the first through (n/2)th output path groups, the second output pad including the {(n/2)+1}th through nth output path groups.

9. The display driver IC of claim 8, wherein the decoders include a first decoder activating the output path groups in the activation order of the first mode and a second decoder activating the output path groups in the activation order of the second mode.

10. The display driver IC of claim 9, wherein one of the first and second decoders is selected in response to a logic level of the mode select signal.

11. The display driver IC of claim 2, wherein the display driver IC drives a super twisted nematic (STN) panel including 132 row lines.

12. The display driver IC of claim 1, further comprising a mode select signal generator transmitting the mode select signal to the row data output unit in response to a control signal.

13. The display driver IC of claim 12, wherein the input unit comprises a plurality of pads receiving the video data and the control signal.

14. The display driver IC of claim 13, wherein the control signal is applied to the display driver IC as different voltages.

15. The display driver IC of claim 12, wherein the control signal is provided by an external control unit.

16. The display driver IC of claim 1, wherein the row data output unit sequentially scans the row data to corresponding row lines in the order of a scan mode.

17. The display driver IC of claim 1, further comprising a column data output unit simultaneously outputting the column data to the column lines.

18. A display driving method using a display driver integrated circuit (IC) comprising receiving digital video data to be displayed on a panel;converting the digital video data into analog row data and analog column data respectively scanned to row lines and column lines of the panel;selecting one of a plurality of driving modes having different orders of activating output paths;activating the output paths in the order of the selected driving mode; andoutputting at least one of the row data to a row line corresponding thereto through the activated output paths.

19. The display driving method of claim 18, wherein the activating of the output paths in the order of the selected driving mode activates at least one of first through nth output path groups for each row scan clock pulse, wherein groups of three row data respectively corresponding to three adjacent row lines of 3n (n is a multiple of 2) row lines represent first through nth row data groups, and wherein the output paths outputting the first through nth row data groups to the row lines represent the first through nth output path groups.

20. The display driving method of claim 19, further comprising outputting by a plurality of counters of the display driver IC the activation orders of driving modes corresponding thereto among the plurality of driving modes.

21. The display driving method of claim 20, wherein the activating of the output paths in the order of the selected driving mode activates the output paths in an activation order output from a counter corresponding to the selected driving mode among the plurality of counters.

22. The display driving method of claim 21 wherein the plurality of driving modes include first and second modes, the first mode sequentially activating the first through nth output path groups the second mode alternately activating first and second output parts, the first output part including the first through (n/2)th output path groups, the second output part including the {(n/2)+1}th through nth output path groups.

23. The display driving method of claim 22, wherein the plurality of counters include a first counter outputting the activation order of the first mode and a second counter outputting the activation order of the second mode.

24. The display driving method of claim 19, further comprising activating by a plurality of decoders of the display driver IC the output path groups in the orders of driving modes respectively corresponding thereto among the plurality of driving modes.

25. The display driving method of claim 24, wherein the activating of the output paths in the order of the selected driving mode activates the output paths by a decoder corresponding to the selected driving mode among the plurality of decoders.

26. The display driving method of claim 25, wherein the plurality of driving modes include first and second modes, the first mode sequentially activating the first through nth output path groups the second mode alternately activating first and second output parts the first output part including the first through (n/2)th output path groups, the second output part including the {(n/2)+1}th through nth output path groups.

27. The display driving method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of decoders include a first decoder activating the output path groups in the activation order of the first mode and a second decoder activating the output path groups in the activation order of the second mode.

28. The display driving method of claim 18, wherein the selecting of the one of the plurality of driving modes selects one of the driving modes in response to a mode select signal that is provided by an external control unit to the display driver IC or applied to the display driving IC by making voltages of input pads of the display driver IC different.

29. The display driving method of claim 18, further comprising simultaneously scanning the column data to the column lines.