SOURCE DRIVER CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING SLEW RATE ACCORDING TO FRAME FREQUENCY AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SLEW RATE ACCORDING TO FRAME FREQUENCY IN THE SOURCE DRIVER CIRCUIT

Abstract

A source driver circuit in which a slow rate is adjusted according to a frame frequency and a method for adjusting a slew rate according to a frame frequency in the source driver circuit, wherein the source driver circuit includes a plurality of driver amplifiers, a frequency-current converting unit, and a bias current outputting unit. The driver amplifiers receive input voltages, generate output voltages, and adjust slew rates of the output voltages according to an amount of a bias current. The frequency-current converting unit receives a frame frequency and outputs a control current having an amount of the control current adjusted according to the frame frequency. The bias current outputting unit adjusts an amount of a bias current according to the amount of the control current and outputs the adjusted bias current to the driver amplifiers. Therefore, in the source driver circuit and the method for controlling the slew rate in the source driver circuit, by adjusting a slew rate of an output voltage of a driver amplifier according to a frame frequency, it is possible to reduce power consumption while ensuring a time required for displaying gradation data.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be understood in more detail from the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a known thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD);

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a source driver circuit in which a slew rate is controlled according to a frame frequency, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram in which a driver amplifier of FIG. 2 and a liquid crystal cell of a display panel are modeled;

FIG. 4 shows timing diagrams illustrating voltage waveforms at points A and B of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a slew rate according to a frame frequency in a source driver circuit, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A source driver circuit of a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising: a plurality of driver amplifiers receiving a respective plurality of input voltages, generating a respective plurality of output voltages, and adjusting slew rates of the plurality of output voltages according to an amount of a bias current;a frequency-current converting unit receiving a frame frequency and outputting a control current that is adjusted according to the frame frequency; anda bias current outputting unit adjusting the bias current according to an amount of the control current and outputting the bias current to the plurality of driver amplifiers.

2. The source driver circuit of claim 1, wherein the frequency-current converting unit comprises: a frequency-voltage converter converting the frame frequency into a voltages, outputting the converted voltage as a control voltage, and adjusting and outputting an amplitude of the control voltage according to the frame frequency; anda voltage-current converter converting the control voltage into a current, outputting the current as the control current and adjusting and outputting an amount of the control current according to an amplitude of the control voltage.

3. The source driver circuit of claim 1, further comprising a frame frequency outputting unit outputting the frame frequency.

4. The source driver circuit of claim 3, further comprising an oscillator outputting an oscillator clock signal, wherein the frame frequency outputting unit outputs the frame frequency in response to the oscillator clock signal.

5. The source driver circuit of claim 4, wherein the frame frequency outputting unit comprises a counter receiving a vertical synchronization signal and the oscillator clock signal, counting the number of clocks of the oscillator clock signal included in one clock period of the vertical synchronization signal, and outputting the frame frequency.

6. The source driver circuit of claim 3, wherein the source driver circuit is connected to a CPU interface.

7. The source driver circuit of claim 4, wherein the source driver circuit is connected to a CPU interface.

8. The source driver circuit of claim 5, wherein the source driver circuit is connected to a CPU interface.

9. The source driver circuit of claim 1, wherein the frame frequency is fed to the frequency-current converting unit from the outside.

10. The source driver circuit of claim 9, wherein the source driver circuit is connected to an RGB interface.

11. The source driver circuit of claim 1, further comprising a frequency comparator outputting a frequency difference between the frame frequency and a reference frame frequency, wherein the frequency-current converting unit outputs a control current that changes according to the frequency difference, andthe bias current outputting unit sums a reference bias current with the control current and outputs the sum as the bias current.

12. The source driver circuit of claim 11, wherein the bias current outputting unit, sums the reference bias current with the control current and outputs the sum as the bias current, when the frame frequency is greater than the reference frame frequency, andsubtracts the control current from the reference bias current and outputs the difference as the bias current, when the frame frequency is less than the reference frame frequency.

13. A method for controlling a slew rate in a source driver circuit, comprising: receiving a frame frequency and outputting a control current that is adjusted according to the frame frequency;adjusting an amount of a bias current according to an amount of the control current and outputting the bias current, andadjusting a slew rate of an output voltage of a driver amplifier according to the amount of the bias current.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of outputting the control current comprises: converting the frame frequency into a voltage, outputting the voltage as a control voltage, and adjusting and outputting an amplitude of the control voltage according to the frame frequency; andconverting the control voltage into a current, outputting the current as the control current, and adjusting and outputting the amount of the control current according to the amplitude of the control voltage.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising outputting the frame frequency.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising outputting an oscillator clock signal, wherein, in the step of outputting the frame frequency the frame frequency is output in response to the oscillator clock signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of outputting the frame frequency comprises receiving a vertical synchronization signal and the oscillator clock signal, counting the number of clocks of the oscillator clock signal included in one clock period of the vertical synchronization signal, and outputting the frame frequency.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising connecting the source driver circuit to a CPU interface.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving the frame frequency from the outside of the source driver circuit.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the source driver circuit is connected to an RGB interface.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising outputting a frequency difference between the frame frequency and a reference frame frequency, wherein, in the step of outputting the control current, the control current that is changed according to the frequency difference is output, andin the step of outputting the bias current, a reference bias current is summed with the control current and the sum is output as the bias current.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein in the step of outputting the bias current, when the frame frequency is greater than the reference frame frequency, the reference bias current is summed with the control current and the sum is output as the bias current, andwhen the frame frequency is less than the reference frame frequency, the control current is subtracted from the reference bias current and the difference is output as the bias current.