This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Serial No. 95133352, filed Sep. 8, 2006, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and driving method thereof, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display having two driving voltages for each pixel and driving method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional liquid crystal display, each pixel uses only a driving voltage, which easily results in a color-deviation issue as a viewing angle varies. Referring to
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a liquid crystal display and driving method thereof. Each pixel includes two sub-pixels and each sub-pixel has a driving voltage. The two sub-pixels have different liquid-crystal tilt angles, and thus optical effect in the two regions can compensate to each other. Besides, variations of the two pixel voltages are relevant. Therefore, the above color-deviation issue can be eliminated and image quality of the liquid crystal display can be improved.
The invention achieves the above-identified object by providing a liquid crystal display including a gate driver, a data driver and a pixel matrix. The gate driver is for outputting a plurality of gate signals successively. The data driver is for providing a plurality of data signals. The pixel matrix includes a number of pixels coupled to the gate driver and the data driver. Each of the pixels includes a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel and a voltage coupling device. The first sub-pixel includes a first switch device, a first pixel electrode, a first electrode, a first common electrode, and a first storage capacitor.
The first switch device is for outputting the corresponding data signal according to the corresponding gate signal. The first pixel electrode is coupled to the first switch device for receiving the data signal. The first electrode is for providing a first voltage. The first storage capacitor is formed between the first pixel electrode and the first common electrode. The second sub-pixel includes a second switch device, a second pixel electrode, a second electrode, a second common electrode and a second storage capacitor. The second switch device is for outputting the corresponding data signal according to the corresponding gate signal. The second pixel electrode is coupled to the second switch device for receiving the data signal. The second electrode is for providing a second voltage. The second storage capacitor is formed between the second pixel electrode and the second common electrode. The voltage coupling device is coupled between the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel such that the first common electrode is electrically related to the second common electrode.
The invention achieves the above-identified object by providing a method for driving a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal display includes a gate driver, a data driver and several rows of pixels. The gate driver outputs a number of gate signals, and the data driver outputs a number of data signals. Each of the pixels includes a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel. The first sub-pixel has a first switch device, a first pixel electrode, a first common electrode and a first electrode. The first pixel electrode and the first common electrode form a first storage capacitor. The second sub-pixel has a second switch device, a second pixel electrode, a second common electrode and a second electrode. The second pixel electrode and the second common electrode form a second storage capacitor.
The method includes (a) enabling a row of pixels according to the corresponding gate signal to turn on the first switch device and the second switch device of each pixel in the row of pixels, inputting the corresponding data signal to the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode and respectively providing a first voltage and a second voltage to the first electrodes and the second electrodes in the row of pixels; and (b) after the gate signal is stopped outputting for a period of time, changing at least one of the first voltage and the second voltage of each pixel in the row of pixels to adjust voltages of the corresponding first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode such that the voltage of the first pixel electrode is not equal to the voltage of the second pixel electrode, wherein voltage variation ΔVp1 of the first pixel electrode, voltage variation ΔVp2 of the second pixel electrode, variation ΔV1 of the first voltage and variation ΔV2 of the second voltage have the following relationship: ΔVp1=c1*ΔV1+c2*ΔV2; ΔVp2=c3*ΔV1+c4* ΔV2, and constants c1 and c2 are not both zero, constants c3 and c4 are not both zero.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
Referring to
The first pixel electrode PE1 is coupled to the drain of the first switch device (transistor T1) for receiving the data signal Dj. A liquid crystal layer (not shown in the figure) is disposed between the first pixel electrode PE1 and a common electrode COM on an upper substrate to form the first liquid crystal capacitor CLC1. An insulation layer (not shown in the figure) is disposed between the first pixel electrode PE1 and the first common electrode com1 to form the first storage capacitor CST1. The first electrode E1 is coupled to the first common electrode com1 and the first electrode E1 is for providing a voltage Ve1. For example, the voltage Ve1 has a swing-type waveform and a voltage Vcom1 of the first common electrode com1 has also a swing-type waveform with the same amplitude as the voltage Ve1 of the first electrode E1. Of course, in practical application, the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 can also be provided directly by the first common electrode com1.
The second sub-pixel 232b includes a second switch device 320, a second pixel electrode PE2, a second common electrode com2, a second electrode E2, a second liquid crystal capacitor CLC2, a second storage capacitor CST2-1 and a third storage capacitor CST2-2. The second switch device 320, such as a TFT T2, is for outputting the corresponding data signal Dj according to control of the corresponding i-th gate signal Si. In the embodiment, the second switch device 320 is exemplified to be a NMOS transistor. The transistor T2 has a gate for receiving the gate signal Si, a source for receiving the data signal Dj and a drain for outputting the data signal Dj.
The second pixel electrode PE2 is coupled to a drain of the second switch device (transistor T2) 320 for receiving the data signal Sj. A liquid crystal layer (not shown in the figure) is disposed between the second pixel electrode PE2 and the common electrode COM on the upper substrate to form the second liquid crystal capacitor CLC2. An insulation layer (not shown in the figure) is disposed between the second pixel electrode PE2 and the second common electrode com2 to form the second storage capacitor CST2-1. The second common electrode com2, such as a lower substrate, has a second common voltage Vcom2. Another insulation layer (not shown in the figure) is disposed between the second electrode E2 and the second common electrode com2 to form the third storage capacitor CST2-2. The second electrode E2 is for providing a voltage Ve2, such as a constant voltage. The voltage Ve2 can be provided by a gate line near the (i, j)-th pixel 232 to reduce a number of electrodes in transverse and thus increase an opening ratio.
Besides, the voltage coupling device 232c, such as a capacitor Cc, is coupled to the first common voltage com1 and the second common electrode com2 such that variations of the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 and the second common-electrode voltage Vcom2 are relevant to each other. As mentioned above, the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 behaves in a swing type and thus the voltage Vcom2 also behaves in a swing type but with smaller amplitude. Due to an effect of the first storage capacitor CST1 and the second storage capacitor CST2-1, the pixel voltage Vp1 of the first pixel electrode E1 and the pixel voltage Vp2 of the second pixel electrode PE2 have relevant variation.
Referring to
Afterwards, in step 410, after the gate signal Si is stopped outputting for a period of time t2, in a timing duration t3, change at least one of the first voltage Ve1 and the second voltage Ve2 of each pixel 232 in the i-th row of pixels 232 to adjust the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 and the second common-electrode voltage Vcom2 and adjust a pixel voltage Vp1 of the corresponding first pixel electrode PE1 and a pixel voltage Vp2 of the corresponding second pixel electrode PE2 such that the pixel voltage Vp1 is not equal to the pixel voltage Vp2, and variation ΔVp1 of the pixel voltage Vp1, variation ΔVp2 of the pixel voltage Vp2, variation ΔV1 of the first voltage Ve1 and variation ΔV2 of the second voltage Ve2 have the following relationship: ΔVp1=c1*ΔV1+c2*ΔV2; ΔVp2=c3*ΔV1+c4*ΔV2, and constants c1 and c2 are not both zero, constants c3 and c4 are not both zero.
In the embodiment, the first voltage Ve1 or the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 is altered in a swing type and the second common-electrode voltage Vcom2 is adjusted by an effect of the voltage coupling device 232c (the capacitor Cc) such that variations of the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 are both relevant to variations of the first voltage Ve1 and the second voltage Ve2 and thus variations of the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 are relevant to each other. In the following description, a signal timing diagram is used to illustrate how the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 are changing in accordance with variation of the first voltage Ve1 and the second voltage Ve2.
Referring to
Afterwards, in the timing duration t3, the first voltage Ve1 or the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 is increased by a value ΔV1 to a high level. The second voltage Ve2 remains unchanged and due to a coupling effect of the voltage coupling device 232c, the second common-electrode voltage Vcom2 is increased by a value ΔV2 (<ΔV1), wherein
Due to the effect of the first storage capacitor CST1 and the second storage capacitor CST2-1, the voltage Vp1 of the first pixel electrode PE1 is increased to
wherein
The voltage Vp2 of the second pixel electrode PE2 is accordingly increased to
wherein
As corresponding to the variation ΔVp1 of the above pixel voltage Vp1 which is equal to c1*ΔV1+c2*ΔV2, the constant
and c2=0. As corresponding to the variation ΔVp2 of the above pixel voltage Vp2 which is equal to c3*ΔV1+c4*ΔV2, the constant c3=0 and
Therefore, in the following timing duration, the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 vary in a swing type in accordance with the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 and the second common-electrode voltage Vcom2. When the swing period of the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 is much smaller than a frame time (such as 16.6 ms) of the liquid crystal display 200, that is, a ratio of the swing period of the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 and the frame time is smaller than 1/10, owing that liquid crystals have a smaller response speed and thus cannot feel a high-low variation of the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1, the voltage felt by the liquid crystals is a root-mean-square value (Vrms) of the common-electrode voltage Vcom1. By adjusting the swing amplitude of the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1, a different root-mean-square value is obtained, that is, the liquid crystals can feel a different voltage drop.
According to design of the liquid crystal display 200 in the embodiment, a liquid crystal layer of each pixel 232 can feel two different voltage drops (Vp1-VCOM) and (Vp2-VCOM), thereby reducing the above color deviation issue. Referring to
When the liquid crystal display 200 of the invention is driven in a dot-inversion way, the panel can be driven in the following ways. As shown in
As shown in
A display result shows that the two adjacent pixels with the same color will have three situations of normal luminance, low luminance and higher luminance. For example, the green pixel G of the (i, j)-th pixel 232 has a region of normal luminance (a cross-dot region) and a region of higher luminance (sparse left-oblique-line region), the green pixel G of the (i, j+1)-th pixel 232 has a region of normal luminance (cross-dot region) and a region of lower luminance (spare lattice-like region). This design (with three kinds of luminance) can reduce the above color-deviation issue.
Of course, the invention is not limited to the above two panel driving methods, as long as the driving method can provide the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 for driving liquid crystals according to the first common-electrode voltage Vcom1 or the second common-electrode voltage Vcom2 such that variations of the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 are relevant to each other to achieve the purpose of eliminating the color-deviation issue, it will not depart from the scope of the invention.
As mentioned above, although the voltage coupling device 232c of the liquid crystal display 200 in the invention is exemplified to be the capacitor Cc and coupled to the first common electrode com1 and the second common electrode com2, each pixel 232 of the invention can also use any other voltage coupling device 232c such as a resistor and the voltage coupling device 232c can also be coupled to the first pixel electrode PE1 and the second common electrode com2, or coupled to the first pixel electrode PE1 and the second pixel electrode PE2. As long as each pixel 232 has the voltage coupling device 232c coupled to the first sub-pixel 232a and the second sub-pixel 232b such that the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 can be provided for driving liquid crystals according to the first voltage Ve1 or the second voltage Ve2 and variations of the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 are relevant to each other to achieve the purpose of eliminating the color deviation issue, all these will not depart from the scope of the invention.
Besides, although the second common-electrode voltage Vcom2 and the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 are exemplified to be adjusted by changing the first voltage Ve1, the liquid crystal display 200 of the invention can also adjust the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 by changing the second voltage Ve2, or the first voltage Ve1 and second voltage Ve2 simultaneously. For example, the first voltage Ve1 and second voltage Ve2 can be adjusted in a swing-type waveform and the first voltage Ve1 has a swing direction opposite to the second voltage Ve2. As long as the pixel 232 can have two different pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 through a voltage-coupling effect and variations of the pixel voltages Vp1 and Vp2 are relevant to each other, all the alternatives are not apart from the scope of the invention.
Moreover, except for the aligning type and manner as shown in
In the liquid crystal display and driving method thereof disclosed by the above embodiment of the invention, two different pixel voltages are provided for each pixel by adjusting the voltage of a common electrode and variations of the two pixel voltages are relevant to each other due to a coupling effect of the voltage coupling device. Therefore, the prior-art color deviation issue can be solved to improve image quality of the liquid crystal display.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.
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