LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF DRIVING THE SAME

Abstract

A liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus time-divides a frame into a plurality of fields, in which lights having a color different from each other, are generated. The LCD apparatus includes a backlight unit. The backlight unit includes n of light-generating units sequentially generating the lights in the fields. An initial light-generating time of an nth light-generating unit being delayed by a predetermined time gap relative to the (n-1)th light-generating unit so that each of the fields includes a first period, in which one of the lights is generated, and a second period, in which at least two of the lights are generated. The light-generating units generate a peak light having a peak intensity in the first period. Thus, the intensity of light or the time period for which the light is generated, is controlled so that color mixing is minimized and color purity is improved.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating light-generating units illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view explaining the timing of an LCD apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a timing diagram illustrating a method of driving the light-generating units according to the timing of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a timing diagram illustrating a method of driving the light-generating units according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram explaining the timing of an LCD apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus in which a frame is divided into a plurality of fields in which different color lights are generated, comprising: a backlight unit comprising n of light-generating units sequentially generating the lights in the fields, n being a natural number more than 1, an initial light-generating time of the nth light-generating unit being delayed by a predetermined time interval compared to the initial light-generating time of the (n-1)th light-generating unit so that each of the fields comprises a first period in which one of the lights is generated and a second period in which at least two of the lights are generated, the light-generating units generating a peak light having a peak intensity in the first period.

2. The LCD apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light-generating units generate the lights for a time period substantially the same as each other, the predetermined time interval is T1/n, T1 being the time period of each of the fields.

3. The LCD apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backlight unit further comprises a light-generating controller to control the light-generating units.

4. The LCD apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the fields is divided into n sub fields corresponding to the number of the light-generating units, and the first light-generating unit stops generating the light at the end of the nth sub field.

5. The LCD apparatus of claim 4, wherein the number of the light-generating units is 8, and the first light-generating unit generates the light in a fifth subfield, a sixth sub field, a seventh sub field and an eighth sub field of each of the fields.

6. The LCD apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first light-generating unit generates the peak light in the eighth sub field.

7. The LCD apparatus of claim 6, wherein a second light-generating unit, a third light-generating unit and a fourth light-generating unit generates the peak light in the eighth sub field.

8. The LCD apparatus of claim 6, wherein a fifth light-generating unit, a sixth light-generating unit, a seventh light-generating unit and an eighth light-generating unit generates the peak light in a sub field corresponding to the initial light-generating time.

9. The LCD apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the light-generating units comprises a red light-emitting diode (LED), a green LED and a blue LED.

10. The LCD apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the light-generating units sequentially generates a red light, a green light and a blue light respectively corresponding to each of the fields in the frame.

11. The LCD apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the light-generating units sequentially generates a red light, a green light, a blue light and a white light respectively corresponding to each of the fields in the frame.

12. A liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus to time-divide a frame into a plurality of fields in which different color lights are generated, the apparatus comprising: an LCD panel comprising a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines crossing the gate lines; anda backlight unit comprising n light-generating units sequentially generating the lights in the fields, n being a natural number more than 1, an initial light-generating time of an nth light-generating unit being delayed by a predetermined time interval compared to an initial light-generating time of an (n-1)th light-generating unit wherein each of the light-generating units generates at least one of the lights for a time period shorter than the remaining ones of the lights.

13. The LCD apparatus of claim 12, wherein the light-generating units are arranged in an arranging direction of the gate lines and generate the lights for a time period substantially same as each other, and the time gap is T1/n, T1 being a time period of each of the fields, and the backlight unit further comprises a light-generating controller to control the light-generating units.

14. The LCD apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of the fields is divided into n of sub fields corresponding to the number of the light-generating units, and a first light-generating unit closes generating the light corresponding to an end of an nth sub field.

15. The LCD apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the light-generating units generate at least one of the lights for T1×(⅜) and generates the remained lights for T1×( 4/8).

16. The LCD apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of the light-generating units comprises a red light-emitting diode (LED), a green LED and a blue LED.

17. The LCD apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the light-generating units sequentially generates a red light, a green light and a blue light respectively corresponding to each of the fields in the frame.

18. The LCD apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of the light-generating units sequentially generates a red light, a green light, a blue light and a white light respectively corresponding to each of the fields in the frame.

19. A driving method of a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus to time-divide a frame into a plurality of fields in which lights having different colors from each other are generated, the method comprising: sequentially generating the lights, the lights being generated by n light-generating units arranged in a plurality of gate lines, n being a natural number more than 1, an initial light-generating time of an nth light-generating unit being delayed by T1/n, T1 being the time period of each of the fields compared to the initial light-generating time of an (n-1)th light-generating unit so that each of the fields comprises a first period, in which one of the lights is generated and a second period in which at least two of the lights are generated, the time period for which each of the lights is generated being substantially the same, the peak light intensity being generated in the first period.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the fields is divided into n of sub fields corresponding to the number of the light-generating units, and a first light-generating unit stops generating the light at the end of the nth sub field.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the number of the light-generating units is 8, and the first light-generating unit generates the light in a fifth subfield, a sixth sub field, a seventh sub field and an eighth sub field of each of the fields, and the first light-generating unit, a second light-generating unit, a third light-generating unit and a fourth light-generating unit generates the peak light in the eighth sub field, and a fifth light-generating unit, a sixth light-generating unit, a seventh light-generating unit and an eighth light-generating unit generates the peak light in a sub field corresponding to the initial light-generating time.

22. A driving method of a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus to time-divide a frame into a plurality of fields, in which lights having a color different from each other, are generated, the method comprising: sequentially generating the lights, the lights being generated by n of light-generating units arranged in an arranging direction of a plurality of gate lines, n being a natural number more than 1, an initial light-generating time of an nth light-generating unit being delayed by T1/n, T1 being a time period of each of the fields, in comparison with an initial light-generating time of an (n-1)th light-generating unit wherein at least one of the lights is generated for a time period shorter than remained lights.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each of the fields is divided into n of sub fields corresponding to the number of the light-generating units, and a first light-generating unit closes generating the light corresponding to an end of an nth sub field.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the number of the light-generating units is 8, and at least one of the lights is generated for T1×(⅜), and the remained lights are generated for T1×( 4/8).