TWI849770B - Dynamic voltage switching method, display driver chip, display device and information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention mainly discloses a dynamic voltage switching method, which is executed by a display driver chip and includes the following steps: determining a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage according to at least one display parameter; and generating a voltage setting signal according to the voltage setting value and transmitting it to a power management chip, so that the power management chip adjusts a first analog power voltage to a second analog power voltage according to the voltage setting signal. Thus, when the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention is applied, the display driver chip can not only adjust the Gamma voltage according to different display parameters (such as refresh rate, DBV), but also generate a voltage setting signal of the analog power voltage accordingly, so that the power management chip can adjust the analog power voltage provided by it accordingly, so that the analog power voltage can reach the minimum voltage, thereby reducing the power consumption of the chip and/or the display.

Description

Dynamic voltage switching method, display driver chip, display device and information processing device

The present invention relates to the field of flat panel display devices, and more particularly to a dynamic voltage switching method used in a display driver chip.

It is known that flat panel displays include non-self-luminous flat panel displays and self-luminous flat panel displays, wherein liquid crystal displays are a type of non-self-luminous flat panel displays that have been used for a long time, while organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and light-emitting diode (LED) displays are self-luminous flat panel displays that are currently in mainstream applications.

FIG1 is a block diagram of a known flat display device. As shown in FIG1 , the known flat display device 1a mainly includes: a display panel 11a and at least one display driver chip 12a, wherein the display panel 11a includes M×N pixel circuits 111a, M×N light-emitting elements 112a, M gate lines 11Ga, and N source lines 11Sa. To be more specific, one pixel circuit 111a and one light-emitting element 112a form a pixel unit, so that the display panel 11a includes M×N pixel units. During normal operation, the display driver chip 12a receives display data transmitted from a host computer 2a (such as an application processor of a smart phone), and controls each pixel circuit 111a to operate according to the display data so that each light-emitting element 112a emits light or does not emit light, thereby driving the display panel 11a to display images.

Electronic engineers familiar with the design and manufacture of flat panel displays know that the types of power supply voltages of the display driver chip 12a include: AVDD, VDDI, VCI and DVDD, wherein AVDD is an analog power supply voltage provided by a power management chip (PMIC) 13a. In more detail, the display driver chip 12a has a gamma voltage generating unit 121a, and the source of the gamma voltage generated by the gamma voltage generating unit 121a is the analog power supply voltage. Generally speaking, the flat display device 1a has a plurality of display modes, each of which has a corresponding display brightness value (DBV), so that the gamma voltage generating unit 121a adjusts the gamma voltage output according to the corresponding display brightness value. However, in terms of the existing display driving technology, it does not control the power management chip (PMIC) 13a to change the voltage value of the analog power voltage accordingly with the switching of the display mode. In this case, even if the flat display device 1a operates in a low display brightness mode, the voltage value of the analog power voltage still does not change accordingly, so that the flat display device 1a still has a certain power consumption (that is, the power consumption cannot be reduced to the minimum value).

From the above description, it can be seen that a dynamic voltage switching method is urgently needed in the art.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a dynamic voltage switching method, which is executed by a display driver chip to generate a voltage setting signal and transmit it to a power management chip. In this way, when the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention is applied, the display driver chip can not only adjust the Gamma voltage according to different display parameters (such as refresh rate, DBV), but also generate a voltage setting signal of the analog power voltage accordingly, so that the power management chip can adjust the analog power voltage provided by it accordingly, so that the analog power voltage can reach the minimum voltage, thereby reducing the power consumption of the chip and/or the display.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes an embodiment of the dynamic voltage switching method, which includes the following steps: Determining a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage according to at least one display parameter; and Generating a voltage setting signal according to the voltage setting value and transmitting it to a power management chip, so that the power management chip adjusts a first analog power voltage to a second analog power voltage according to the voltage setting signal.

In one embodiment, the display parameters include: update frequency and display brightness value (DBV).

In one embodiment, the display driver chip has a plurality of display driving modes respectively corresponding to a plurality of the display parameters, and the plurality of the display parameters respectively correspond to a plurality of the voltage setting values.

In one embodiment, the display driver chip determines the voltage setting value according to the display parameter by executing the following steps: Adjusting a first gamma voltage to a second gamma voltage according to the at least one display parameter; and Calculating the voltage setting value according to a predetermined voltage difference and the second gamma voltage.

Furthermore, the present invention also proposes an embodiment of a display driver chip, which is characterized in that it includes a dynamic voltage switching unit for executing a dynamic voltage switching method, thereby generating a voltage setting signal to be transmitted to a power management chip; the dynamic voltage switching method includes the following steps: Determining a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage according to at least one display parameter; and Generating a voltage setting signal according to the voltage setting value and transmitting it to a power management chip, so that the power management chip adjusts a first analog power voltage to a second analog power voltage according to the voltage setting signal.

In one embodiment, the display parameters include: update frequency and display brightness value (DBV).

In one embodiment, the display driver chip has a plurality of display driving modes respectively corresponding to a plurality of the display parameters, and the plurality of the display parameters respectively correspond to a plurality of the voltage setting values.

In one embodiment, the display driver chip determines the voltage setting value according to the display parameter by executing the following steps: Adjusting a first gamma voltage to a second gamma voltage according to the at least one display parameter; and Calculating the voltage setting value according to a predetermined voltage difference and the second gamma voltage.

Furthermore, the present invention also proposes an embodiment of a display device, which includes a display panel and at least one display driver chip, wherein the display driver chip executes the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention as described above to generate a voltage setting signal to be transmitted to a power management chip.

In addition, the present invention also provides an information processing device, which includes a display device, and is characterized in that the display device includes a display panel and at least one display driver chip of the present invention as described above. In one embodiment, the information processing device is an electronic device selected from the group consisting of a head-mounted display device, a smart TV, a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet computer, an all-in-one computer, a notebook computer, a car entertainment device, an automatic teller machine, a digital camera, and a video door machine.

In order to enable the Review Committee to further understand the structure, features, purpose, and advantages of the present invention, the following are attached with drawings and detailed descriptions of preferred specific embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a flat display device applying a dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the flat display device 1 mainly includes: a display panel 11 and at least one display driver chip 12, where the display panel 11 can be but is not limited to an LCD panel, an OLED panel, an LED panel, a Micro-LED panel, Or QLED panel. During normal operation, the display driver chip 12 receives a display data transmitted from a host computer 2 (such as an application processor of a smartphone), and performs display driving on the display panel 11 based on the display data, thereby causing the display panel 11 to display. The display panel 11 displays images. Electronic engineers familiar with the design and manufacture of flat panel displays know that the types of supply voltages of the display driver chip 12 include: AVDD, VDDI, VCI and DVDD, wherein AVDD is a voltage provided by a power management chip (PMIC) 13. Therefore, the display driver chip 12 has a gamma voltage generating unit 121, and the source of the gamma voltage generated by the gamma voltage generating unit 121 is the analog power voltage.

As shown in FIG2 , the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention is integrated into the display driver chip 12 in the form of a voltage switching unit 122. Thus, when the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention is applied, the display driver chip 12 can not only adjust the gamma voltage according to different display parameters (such as refresh rate, DBV), but also correspondingly generate a voltage setting signal of the analog power voltage (AVDD) to transmit to the power management chip 13, so that the power management chip 13 can correspondingly adjust the voltage value of the analog power voltage provided by it, so that the analog power voltage can reach the minimum voltage, thereby reducing the power consumption of the chip and/or the display.

FIG3 is a flow chart of a dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention. As shown in FIG2 and FIG3, by activating the voltage switching unit 122, the display driver chip 12 executes the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention, thereby generating a voltage setting signal to be transmitted to the power management chip 13. First, the method flow is to execute step S1 to determine a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage according to at least one display parameter. In one embodiment, the display parameter includes an update frequency and a display brightness value (DBV). In other words, the voltage switching unit 122 determines a voltage setting value of AVDD according to the current update frequency and/or the current display brightness value.

Generally speaking, the flat display device 1 has a plurality of display modes, each display mode having a corresponding display parameter, so that the gamma voltage generating unit 121 adjusts the gamma voltage output according to the corresponding display parameter. Therefore, in one embodiment, a first lookup table can be set in the display driver chip 12, so that the gamma voltage generating unit 121 finds the corresponding gamma voltage in the first lookup table according to the current display parameter, thereby adjusting a first gamma voltage (i.e., an unadjusted gamma voltage) to a second gamma voltage (i.e., an adjusted gamma voltage). Furthermore, a second lookup table may be provided in the display driver chip 12, so that the voltage switching unit 122 finds the corresponding voltage setting value in the second lookup table according to the second gamma voltage (i.e., the adjusted gamma voltage). Finally, in step S2, the voltage switching unit 122 generates a voltage setting signal according to the voltage setting value and transmits it to the power management chip 13, so that the power management chip 13 adjusts a first analog power voltage to a second analog power voltage according to the voltage setting signal, thereby completing the dynamic switching of AVDD.

It is worth noting that, in a feasible embodiment, the first lookup table and the second lookup table can be integrated into a three-dimensional lookup table.

In another feasible embodiment, a plurality of voltage differences corresponding to a plurality of display modes may be pre-calculated, wherein the voltage difference is obtained by performing a difference operation on the gamma voltage and the analog power voltage. In this configuration, after the gamma voltage generating unit 121 adjusts a first gamma voltage (i.e., an unadjusted gamma voltage) to a second gamma voltage (i.e., an adjusted gamma voltage) according to the at least one display parameter (update frequency and/or DBV), the voltage switching unit 122 can calculate the voltage setting value according to a predetermined voltage difference corresponding to the display mode and the second gamma voltage, and finally generate a voltage setting signal according to the voltage setting value and transmit it to the power management chip 13.

Thus, the above has completely and clearly described the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention; and, from the above, it can be known that the present invention has the following advantages:

(1) The present invention discloses a dynamic voltage switching method, which is executed by a display driver chip to generate a voltage setting signal and transmit it to a power management chip. Thus, when the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention is applied, the display driver chip can not only adjust the Gamma voltage according to different display parameters (such as refresh rate, DBV), but also generate a voltage setting signal of the analog power voltage accordingly, so that the power management chip can adjust the analog power voltage provided by it accordingly, so that the analog power voltage can reach the minimum voltage, thereby reducing the power consumption of the chip and/or the display.

(2) Furthermore, the present invention discloses a display device, which includes a display panel and at least one display driver chip, wherein the display driver chip executes the dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention as described above to generate a voltage setting signal to be transmitted to a power management chip, thereby realizing dynamic switching of AVDD according to current display parameters.

(3) Furthermore, the present invention discloses an information processing device, which includes a display device, and is characterized in that the display device includes a display panel and at least one display driver chip of the present invention as described above. In one embodiment, the information processing device is an electronic device selected from the group consisting of a head-mounted display device, a smart TV, a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet computer, an all-in-one computer, a notebook computer, a car entertainment device, an ATM, a digital camera, and a video door machine.

It must be emphasized that what is disclosed in the above-mentioned case is a preferred embodiment. Any partial changes or modifications that are derived from the technical ideas of this case and are easily inferred by people familiar with the art do not deviate from the scope of the patent rights of this case.

In summary, this case shows that its purpose, means and effects are very different from the known technology, and it is the first invention that is practical and indeed meets the patent requirements for invention. We sincerely request the review committee to examine this carefully and grant a patent as soon as possible to benefit the society. This is our utmost prayer.

1a: Flat panel display device 11a: Display panel 111a: Pixel circuit 112a: Light-emitting element 11Ga: Gate line 11Sa: Source line 12a: Display driver chip 121a: Gamma voltage generating unit 13a: Power management chip 2a: Host computer 1: Flat panel display device 11: Display panel 12: Display driver chip 121: Gamma voltage generating unit 122: Voltage switching unit 13: Power management chip 2: Host computer S1: Determine a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage according to at least one display parameter S2: Generate a voltage setting signal based on the voltage setting value and transmit it to a power management chip, so that the power management chip adjusts a first analog power voltage to a second analog power voltage based on the voltage setting signal

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a known flat display device; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a flat display device to which a dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention is applied; and FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a dynamic voltage switching method of the present invention.

S1: Determine a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage based on at least one display parameter

S2: Generate a voltage setting signal based on the voltage setting value and transmit it to a power management chip, so that the power management chip adjusts a first analog power voltage to a second analog power voltage based on the voltage setting signal

Claims (8)

A dynamic voltage switching method is performed by a display driver chip and includes the following steps: determining a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage according to at least one display parameter; and generating a voltage setting signal according to the voltage setting value and transmitting it to a power management chip, so that the power management chip switches a first analog power voltage according to the voltage setting signal. The voltage is adjusted to a second analog power supply voltage; wherein the display driver chip determines the voltage setting value according to the display parameter by executing the following steps: adjusting a first gamma voltage to a second gamma voltage according to the at least one display parameter; and calculating the voltage setting value according to a predetermined voltage difference and the second gamma voltage. The dynamic voltage switching method as described in claim 1, wherein the display parameters include: refresh frequency and display brightness value (DBV). The dynamic voltage switching method as described in claim 2, wherein the display driver chip has a plurality of display driver modes corresponding to a plurality of display parameters, and the plurality of display parameters correspond to a plurality of voltage setting values. A display driver chip, characterized in that it includes a dynamic voltage switching unit for executing a dynamic voltage switching method, thereby generating a voltage setting signal to be transmitted to a power management chip; the dynamic voltage switching method includes the following steps: Determining a voltage setting value of an analog power voltage according to at least one display parameter; and generating the voltage setting signal according to the voltage setting value and transmitting it to the power management chip, so that The power management chip adjusts a first analog power voltage to a second analog power voltage according to the voltage setting signal; wherein the display driver chip determines the voltage setting value according to the display parameter by executing the following steps: adjusting a first gamma voltage to a second gamma voltage according to the at least one display parameter; and calculating the voltage setting value according to a predetermined voltage difference and the second gamma voltage. A display driver chip as described in claim 4, wherein the display parameters include: refresh frequency and display brightness value (DBV). A display driver chip as described in claim 5, wherein the display driver chip has a plurality of display driver modes corresponding to a plurality of display parameters, and the plurality of display parameters correspond to a plurality of voltage setting values. A display device includes a display panel and at least one display driver chip, wherein the display driver chip executes a dynamic voltage switching method as described in any one of claim 1 to claim 3 to generate a voltage setting signal to be transmitted to a power management chip. An information processing device includes a flat-panel display device, characterized in that the flat-panel display device includes a display panel and at least one display driver chip as described in any one of claim 4 to claim 6.

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