Display device and method of driving a display panel

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a display device and a method for driving a display panel, wherein the display device includes: a display panel, a gate driver, a data driver, and a drive controller. The display panel, which includes gate lines and data lines, displays an image based on input image data. The gate driver outputs a gate signal to the gate line. The data driver outputs a data voltage to the data line. The drive controller includes: a region divider that divides the input image data into first region data and second region data; a first variable frequency driver that determines a first driving frequency of the first region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value, and the first variable frequency driver generates a first data signal of the first driving frequency; and a second variable frequency driver that determines a second driving frequency of the second region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value, and the second variable frequency driver generates a second data signal of the second driving frequency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a display device and a method for driving a display panel. More particularly, exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a display device and a method for driving a display panel that reduce power consumption and improve display quality. Background Art

[0002] Methods of minimizing power consumption of information technology ("IT") products such as tablet personal computers ("PCs") and notebook PCs have been studied.

[0003] In order to minimize the power consumption of IT products including display panels, the power consumption of the display panels can be minimized. When the display panels display a still image, the display panels can be driven at a relatively low frequency, so that the power consumption of the display panels can be reduced. Summary of the Invention

[0004] When a portion of the display panel displays a video image and another portion of the display panel displays a still image, the display panel may be driven at a relatively high frequency, so that power consumption of the display panel may not be effectively reduced.

[0005] Furthermore, when the display panel is driven at a relatively low frequency, flickering may be generated so that display quality may be degraded.

[0006] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a display device capable of reducing power consumption and improving display quality.

[0007] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide a method of driving a display panel using the display device.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention, the display device includes a display panel, a gate driver, a data driver, and a drive controller. The display panel includes gate lines and data lines. The display panel displays an image based on input image data. The gate driver outputs a gate signal to the gate lines. The data driver outputs a data voltage to the data lines. The drive controller includes: a region divider that divides the input image data into first region data and second region data; a first variable frequency driver that, when the first region data represents a still image, determines a first driving frequency for the first region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first region data, and generates a first data signal of the first driving frequency; and a second variable frequency driver that, when the second region data represents a still image, determines a second driving frequency for the second region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second region data, and generates a second data signal of the second driving frequency.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the first variable frequency driver may include: a first still image determiner that determines whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image, and the first still image determiner generates a first flag indicating whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image; a first flicker value memory that stores the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the first area data; a first driving frequency determiner that determines the driving mode of the first area data to be one of a normal driving mode and a low-frequency driving mode based on the first flag, and the first driving frequency determiner determines the first driving frequency of the first area data using the first flicker value memory; and a first compensation frame inserter that inserts a first compensation frame between a frame of the first frequency and a frame of the second frequency when the first driving frequency is changed from a first frequency to a second frequency by the first driving frequency determiner.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the display panel is divided into a first area and a second area, the first area data corresponds to the first area, the second area data corresponds to the second area, and the first area may include a plurality of segments. The first variable frequency driver may determine the first driving frequency of the first area based on the optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of segments in the first area.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, the second variable frequency driver may include: a second still image determiner that determines whether the second area data represents a still image or a video image, and the second still image determiner generates a second flag indicating whether the second area data represents the still image or the video image; a second flicker value memory that stores the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the second area data; a second driving frequency determiner that determines the driving mode of the second area data to be one of the normal driving mode and the low-frequency driving mode based on the second flag, and the second driving frequency determiner determines the second driving frequency of the second area data using the second flicker value memory; and a second compensation frame inserter that inserts a second compensation frame between a frame of the third frequency and a frame of the fourth frequency when the second driving frequency is changed from a third frequency to a fourth frequency by the second driving frequency determiner.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the display panel is divided into a first area and a second area, the first area data corresponds to the first area, the second area data corresponds to the second area, and the second area may include a plurality of segments. The second variable frequency driver may determine the second driving frequency of the second area based on the optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of segments in the second area.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the first flicker value memory may be identical to the second flicker value memory.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, the region divider may divide an input data enable signal corresponding to the input image data into a first data enable signal corresponding to the first region data and a second data enable signal corresponding to the second region data, and the region divider may generate the first data enable signal and the second data enable signal. The first variable frequency driver may use the first data enable signal to generate the first data signal having the first driving frequency. The second variable frequency driver may use the second data enable signal to generate the second data signal having the second driving frequency. The drive controller may generate an integrated data signal by performing an OR operation on the first data signal and the second data signal.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the gate driver may output a first gate signal group corresponding to the first region data and a second gate signal group corresponding to the second region data, and the gate driver may deactivate output of at least one of the first gate signal group and the second gate signal group based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, the region divider may divide the input image data into the first region data, the second region data, and the third region data. The drive controller may further include a third variable frequency driver that determines a third driving frequency of the third region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the third region data.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention, the display device includes a display panel, a gate driver, a data driver, and a drive controller. The display panel includes gate lines and data lines. The display panel displays an image based on input image data. The gate driver outputs gate signals to the gate lines. The data driver outputs data voltages to the data lines. The drive controller includes: a region divider that divides the input image data into first region data and second region data; a first variable frequency driver that, when the first region data represents a still image, determines a first driving frequency for the first region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first region data; a second variable frequency driver that, when the second region data represents a still image, determines a second driving frequency for the second region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second region data; and a compensation frame inserter that inserts a compensation frame into the first region data and the second region data when at least one of the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency changes.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, the first variable frequency driver may include: a first still image determiner that determines whether the first area data represents a still image or a video image, and the first still image determiner generates a first flag indicating whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image; a first flicker value memory that stores the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the first area data; and a first driving frequency determiner that determines a driving mode of the first area data as one of a normal driving mode and a low-frequency driving mode based on the first flag, and the first driving frequency determiner determines the first driving frequency of the first area data using the first flicker value memory.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment, the second variable frequency driver may include: a second still image determiner that determines whether the second area data represents a still image or a video image, and the second still image determiner generates a second flag indicating whether the second area data represents the still image or the video image; a second flicker value memory that stores the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the second area data; and a second driving frequency determiner that determines the driving mode of the second area data to be one of the normal driving mode and the low-frequency driving mode based on the second flag, and the second driving frequency determiner determines the second driving frequency of the second area data using the second flicker value memory.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, the first flicker value memory may be identical to the second flicker value memory.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, when the first driving frequency is changed from a first frequency to a second frequency by the first variable frequency driver and the second driving frequency is changed from a third frequency to a fourth frequency by the second variable frequency driver, the compensation frame inserter may determine the frequency of the compensation frame and the number of the compensation frames based on a maximum value of a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency, a difference between the first frequency and the fourth frequency, a difference between the third frequency and the second frequency, and a difference between the third frequency and the fourth frequency.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment of a method for driving a display panel, the method includes: dividing input image data into first area data and second area data; when the first area data represents a still image, determining a first driving frequency of the first area data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first area data, and generating a first data signal of the first driving frequency; when the second area data represents a still image, determining a second driving frequency of the second area data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second area data, and generating a second data signal of the second driving frequency; outputting a gate signal to a gate line of the display panel based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency; and outputting a data voltage to a data line of the display panel based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency.

[0023] In an exemplary embodiment, generating the first data signal may include: determining whether the first area data represents a still image or a video image, and generating a first mark indicating whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image; determining a driving mode of the first area data as one of a normal driving mode and a low-frequency driving mode based on the first mark, and determining the first driving frequency of the first area data using a first flicker value memory storing a flicker value according to the grayscale value of the first area data; and inserting a first compensation frame between a frame of the first frequency and a frame of the second frequency when the first driving frequency changes from a first frequency to a second frequency.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment, generating the second data signal may include: determining whether the second area data represents a still image or a video image, and generating a second mark indicating whether the second area data represents the still image or the video image; determining a driving mode of the second area data to be one of the normal driving mode and the low-frequency driving mode based on the second mark, and determining the second driving frequency of the second area data using a second flicker value memory storing the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the second area data; and when the second driving frequency changes from a third frequency to a fourth frequency, inserting a second compensation frame between a frame of the third frequency and a frame of the fourth frequency.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment, the first flicker value memory may be identical to the second flicker value memory.

[0026] In an exemplary embodiment, dividing the input image data may include dividing an input data enable signal corresponding to the input image data into a first data enable signal corresponding to the first region data and a second data enable signal corresponding to the second region data to generate the first data enable signal and the second data enable signal. The first data enable signal may be used to generate the first data signal having the first driving frequency. The second data enable signal may be used to generate the second data signal having the second driving frequency. The method may further include generating an integrated data signal by performing an OR operation on the first data signal and the second data signal.

[0027] In an exemplary embodiment, the outputting the gate signal may include deactivating output of at least one of a first gate signal group corresponding to the first region data and a second gate signal group corresponding to the second region data based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency.

[0028] According to the display device and the method for driving the display panel using the display device, the input image data can be divided into the first region data and the second region data. The first driving frequency of the first region data can be determined based on a flicker value of the grayscale value of the first region data. The second driving frequency of the second region data can be determined based on a flicker value of the grayscale value of the second region data. Therefore, the portion of the display panel displaying a video image can be driven at a high driving frequency, while the portion of the display panel displaying a still image can be driven at a low driving frequency. Therefore, the power consumption of the display device can be reduced.

[0029] In addition, the driving frequency is determined using the flicker value of an image displayed on the display panel, so that the flicker of the image can be prevented and the display quality of the display panel can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A conceptual diagram of a display panel divided into a first area and a second area;

[0033] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 The block diagram of the drive controller;

[0034] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 A block diagram of a first variable frequency drive;

[0035] Figure 5 It shows Figure 3 a block diagram of a second variable frequency drive;

[0036] Figure 6 It shows Figure 4 The first flash value memory or Figure 5 a table of exemplary embodiments of a second flash value memory;

[0037] Figure 7 It shows Figure 1 A conceptual diagram of a display panel divided into a first area driven at a frequency of approximately 60 Hertz (Hz) and a second area driven at a frequency of approximately 1 Hz;

[0038] Figure 8 It shows that Figure 7 A timing diagram of a gate signal output from a gate driver during a first frame in the case of ;

[0039] Figure 9 It shows that Figure 7 A timing diagram of a gate signal output from the gate driver during a second frame in the case of ;

[0040] Figure 10 It shows Figure 1 The timing diagram of the input signal, generated signal and output signal of the drive controller;

[0041] Figure 11is a conceptual diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of a display panel of a display device according to the present invention;

[0042] Figure 12 It shows Figure 11 A block diagram of a first variable frequency driver of a display device;

[0043] Figure 13 It shows Figure 11 A block diagram of a second variable frequency drive of a display device;

[0044] Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a driving controller of a display device according to the present invention;

[0045] Figure 15 It shows Figure 14 A block diagram of a first variable frequency driver of a display device;

[0046] Figure 16 It shows Figure 14 A block diagram of a second variable frequency drive of a display device;

[0047] Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a display panel of a display device divided into a first area, a second area, and a third area according to the present invention; and

[0048] Figure 18 It shows Figure 17 Block diagram of a drive controller for a display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present between the element and the other element. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0051] It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or part from another element, component, region, layer, or part. Therefore, without departing from the teachings herein, the "first element," "component," "region," "layer," or "part" discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or part.

[0052] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "a kind of" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms, including "at least one (kind)". "Or" means "and / or". As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any combination and all combinations of one or more related listed items. It will also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include" and / or "comprise" or "contain" and / or "have" illustrate the presence of stated features, regions, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their groups.

[0053] In addition, relative terms such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top" may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element to another element as shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in addition to the orientations depicted in the accompanying drawings. In an exemplary embodiment, when the device is turned over in a drawing, the element described as being on the "lower" side of the other elements will subsequently be oriented on the "upper" side of the other elements. Therefore, depending on the specific orientation of the drawing, the exemplary term "lower" can cover both "lower" and "upper" orientations. Similarly, when the device is turned over in a drawing, the element described as being "below" or "under" the other elements will subsequently be oriented "above" the other elements. Therefore, the exemplary terms "below" or "under" can cover both "upper" and "lower" orientations.

[0054] As used herein, "about" or "approximately" is inclusive of the stated value and means within an acceptable range of deviation from the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account the measurements in question and errors associated with the measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., limitations of the measurement system). For example, "about" can mean within one or more standard deviations, or within ±30%, ±20%, ±10%, ±5% of the stated value.

[0055] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. It will be further understood that, unless expressly defined as such herein, terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present invention, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0056] In this document, exemplary embodiments are described with reference to cross-sectional views that are schematic diagrams of idealized embodiments. As such, variations in the shapes of the diagrams due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances are anticipated. Therefore, the embodiments described herein should not be construed as being limited to the specific shapes of the regions shown herein, but rather include deviations in shape due to, for example, manufacturing. In exemplary embodiments, regions shown or described as flat may typically have rough and / or nonlinear features. In addition, sharp corners shown may be rounded. Therefore, the regions shown in the accompanying drawings are schematic in nature, and the shapes of the regions are not intended to illustrate the precise shapes of the regions and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0057] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention.

[0058] Reference Figure 1 The display device includes a display panel 100 and a display panel driver. The display panel driver includes a driving controller 200, a gate driver 300, a gamma reference voltage generator 400, and a data driver 500.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the driving controller 200 and the data driver 500 may be integrated. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the driving controller 200, the gamma reference voltage generator 400, and the data driver 500 may be integrated. A driving module including at least the driving controller 200 and the data driver 500 may be referred to as a timing controller embedded data driver ("TED"), in which the driving controller 200 and the data driver 500 are integrated.

[0060] The display panel driver may further include an emission driver that outputs an emission signal to the display panel 100. The display panel driver may further include a power supply voltage generator that provides a power supply voltage to at least one of the display panel 100, the driving controller 200, the gate driver 300, the gamma reference voltage generator 400, and the data driver 500.

[0061] The display panel 100 has a display area on which an image is displayed and a peripheral area adjacent to the display area.

[0062] The display panel 100 includes a plurality of gate lines GL, a plurality of data lines DL, and a plurality of pixels connected to the gate lines GL and the data lines DL. The gate lines GL extend in a first direction D1, and the data lines DL extend in a second direction D2 crossing the first direction D1.

[0063] The drive controller 200 receives input image data IMG and an input control signal CONT from an external device (not shown). In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the input image data IMG may include red image data, green image data, and blue image data. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the input image data IMG may include white image data. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the input image data IMG may include magenta image data, yellow image data, and cyan image data. The input control signal CONT may include a master clock signal and a data enable signal. The input control signal CONT may also include a vertical synchronization signal and a horizontal synchronization signal.

[0064] The driving controller 200 generates a first control signal CONT1 , a second control signal CONT2 , a third control signal CONT3 , and a data signal DATA based on input image data IMG and an input control signal CONT.

[0065] The driving controller 200 generates a first control signal CONT1 for controlling the operation of the gate driver 300 based on the input control signal CONT and outputs the first control signal CONT1 to the gate driver 300. The first control signal CONT1 may further include a vertical start signal and a gate clock signal.

[0066] The driving controller 200 generates a second control signal CONT2 for controlling the operation of the data driver 500 based on the input control signal CONT, and outputs the second control signal CONT2 to the data driver 500. The second control signal CONT2 may include a horizontal start signal and a load signal.

[0067] The driving controller 200 generates a data signal DATA based on the input image data IMG and outputs the data signal DATA to the data driver 500 .

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the driving controller 200 may adjust the driving frequency of the display panel 100 based on the input image data IMG.

[0069] The driving controller 200 generates a third control signal CONT3 for controlling the operation of the gamma reference voltage generator 400 based on the input control signal CONT, and outputs the third control signal CONT3 to the gamma reference voltage generator 400 .

[0070] Reference Figures 3 to 7 as well as Figure 10 , the structure and operation of the drive controller 200 are described in detail.

[0071] The gate driver 300 generates a gate signal for driving the gate line GL in response to the first control signal CONT1 received from the drive controller 200. The gate driver 300 outputs the gate signal to the gate line GL. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the gate driver 300 may sequentially output the gate signal to the gate line GL. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the gate driver 300 may be disposed (e.g., mounted) on a peripheral area of the display panel 100. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the gate driver 300 may be integrated on a peripheral area of the display panel 100.

[0072] The gamma reference voltage generator 400 generates a gamma reference voltage VGREF in response to a third control signal CONT3 received from the driving controller 200. The gamma reference voltage generator 400 provides the gamma reference voltage VGREF to the data driver 500. The gamma reference voltage VGREF has a value corresponding to a level of the data signal DATA.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment, the gamma reference voltage generator 400 may be provided in the driving controller 200 , or may be provided in the data driver 500 .

[0074] The data driver 500 receives the second control signal CONT2 and the data signal DATA from the drive controller 200, and receives the gamma reference voltage VGREF from the gamma reference voltage generator 400. The data driver 500 converts the data signal DATA into an analog data voltage using the gamma reference voltage VGREF. The data driver 500 outputs the data voltage to the data line DL. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the data driver 500 may be disposed (e.g., mounted) on the peripheral area of the display panel 100. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the data driver 500 may be integrated on the peripheral area of the display panel 100.

[0075] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A conceptual diagram of a display panel 100 divided into a first zone Z1 and a second zone Z2. Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of the driving controller 200.

[0076] Reference Figures 1 to 3 , the display panel 100 may be divided into a plurality of regions. The divided regions may be adjacent to each other in the second direction D2. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the display panel 100 may be divided into two regions.

[0077] The driving controller 200 includes a region divider 220 , a first variable frequency driver 240 , and a second variable frequency driver 260 .

[0078] The region divider 220 may divide the input image data IMG into first region data IMG1 corresponding to the first region Z1 of the display panel 100 and second region data IMG2 corresponding to the second region Z2 of the display panel 100. In addition, the region divider 220 may divide the input control signal CONT into a first input control signal corresponding to the first region Z1 and a second input control signal corresponding to the second region Z2.

[0079] The first driving frequency of the first zone Z1 may be determined by the first variable frequency driver 240 , and the second driving frequency of the second zone Z2 may be determined by the second variable frequency driver 260 .

[0080] When the first area data IMG1 represents a still image, the first variable frequency driver 240 may determine a first driving frequency of the first area data IMG1 based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first area data IMG1. The first variable frequency driver 240 may generate a first data signal DATA1 of a first driving frequency based on the first area data IMG1.

[0081] When the second area data IMG2 represents a still image, the second variable frequency driver 260 may determine a second driving frequency of the second area data IMG2 based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second area data IMG2. The second variable frequency driver 260 may generate a second data signal DATA2 of a second driving frequency based on the second area data IMG2.

[0082] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 1 is a block diagram of the first variable frequency drive 240. Figure 5 It shows Figure 3 1 is a block diagram of the second variable frequency drive 260. Figure 6 It shows Figure 4 The first flash value memory 246 or Figure 5 A table of an exemplary embodiment of the second flash value memory 266.

[0083] Reference Figures 1 to 6 , the first variable frequency driver 240 may include a first still image determiner 242 , a first driving frequency determiner 244 , a first flicker value memory 246 , and a first compensation frame inserter 248 .

[0084] The first still image determiner 242 may determine whether the first region data IMG1 represents a still image or a video image. The first still image determiner 242 may output a first flag SF1 indicating whether the first region data IMG1 represents a still image or a video image to the first driving frequency determiner 244. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first region data IMG1 represents a still image, the first still image determiner 242 may output the first flag SF1 of 1 to the first driving frequency determiner 244. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first region data IMG1 represents a video image, the first still image determiner 242 may output the first flag SF1 of 0 to the first driving frequency determiner 244. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the display panel 100 operates in the always-on mode, the first still image determiner 242 may output the first flag SF1 of 1 to the first driving frequency determiner 244.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first flag SF1 is 1, the first driving frequency determiner 244 may drive the switching elements of the pixels located in the first area Z1 at a low driving frequency. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first flag SF1 is 0, the first driving frequency determiner 244 may drive the switching elements of the pixels located in the first area Z1 at a normal driving frequency.

[0086] The first driving frequency determiner 244 may determine the low driving frequency with reference to the first flicker value memory 246. The first flicker value memory 246 may include a flicker value representing a degree of flicker according to a grayscale value of the first region data IMG1.

[0087] The first flicker value memory 246 can store the grayscale value of the first region data IMG1 and the flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the first region data IMG1. The flicker value can be used to determine the driving frequency of the first region data IMG1. The first flicker value memory 246 can be a first flicker lookup table ("LUT").

[0088] exist Figure 6 For example, the input grayscale value of the first region data IMG1 may be 8 bits, the minimum grayscale value of the first region data IMG1 may be 0, and the maximum grayscale value of the first region data IMG1 may be 255. For example, the number of flicker setting levels of the first flicker value memory 246 may be 64. For example, when the number of flicker setting levels increases, flicker can be effectively removed, but the logic size of the driving controller 200 may increase. Therefore, the number of flicker setting levels may be limited.

[0089] exist Figure 6In the example, the number of grayscale values of the first region data IMG1 is 256, and the number of flicker setting levels is 64, so that a single flicker value in the first flicker value memory 246 can correspond to four grayscale values. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the first flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 0 for grayscale values 0 to 3. Here, the flicker value of 0 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 1 Hertz (Hz). In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the second flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 0 for grayscale values 4 to 7. Here, the flicker value of 0 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 1 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the third flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 40 for grayscale values 8 to 11. Here, the flicker value of 40 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 2 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the fourth flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 80 for grayscale values 12 to 15. Here, the flicker value of 80 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 5 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the fifth flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 120 for grayscale values 16 to 19. Here, a flicker value of 120 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 10 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the sixth flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 160 for grayscale values 20 to 23. Here, the flicker value 160 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 30 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the seventh flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 200 for grayscale values 24 to 27. Here, the flicker value 200 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 60 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, the sixty-second flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 0 for grayscale values 244 to 247. Here, for example, the flicker value 0 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 1 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, the sixty-third flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 0 for grayscale values 248 to 251. Here, for example, the flicker value 0 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 1 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the sixty-fourth flicker setting level stores a flicker value of 0 for grayscale values 252 to 255. Here, the flicker value 0 may represent a driving frequency of approximately 1 Hz.

[0090] When the first driving frequency is changed from the first frequency to the second frequency by the first driving frequency determiner 244 , the first compensation frame inserter 248 may insert the first compensation frame between the frame of the first frequency and the frame of the second frequency.

[0091] The first compensation frame inserter 248 may determine the frequency of the first compensation frame and the number of first compensation frames. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first driving frequency changes from a first frequency to a second frequency, the frequency of the first compensation frame may be determined to be a value between the first frequency and the second frequency. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first driving frequency changes from approximately 60 Hz to approximately 10 Hz, the frequency of the first compensation frame may be determined to be one of approximately 30 Hz, approximately 20 Hz, and approximately 15 Hz. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first driving frequency changes from approximately 60 Hz to approximately 1 Hz, the frequency of the first compensation frame may be determined to be one of approximately 30 Hz, approximately 20 Hz, approximately 15 Hz, approximately 10 Hz, approximately 5 Hz, and approximately 2 Hz. The first compensation frame inserter 248 may determine multiple frequencies of the first compensation frame.

[0092] The first compensation frame inserter 248 may determine the number of first compensation frames based on the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is small, the number of first compensation frames may be small. In contrast, in an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is large, the number of first compensation frames may be large.

[0093] The second variable frequency driver 260 may include a second still image determiner 262 , a second driving frequency determiner 264 , a second flicker value memory 266 , and a second compensation frame inserter 268 .

[0094] The second still image determiner 262 may determine whether the second region data IMG2 represents a still image or a video image. The second still image determiner 262 may output a second flag SF2 indicating whether the second region data IMG2 represents a still image or a video image to the second driving frequency determiner 264. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the second region data IMG2 represents a still image, the second still image determiner 262 may output a second flag SF2 of 1 to the second driving frequency determiner 264. For example, when the second region data IMG2 represents a video image, the second still image determiner 262 may output a second flag SF2 of 0 to the second driving frequency determiner 264. When the display panel 100 operates in the always-on mode, the second still image determiner 262 may output a second flag SF2 of 1 to the second driving frequency determiner 264.

[0095] When the second flag SF2 is 1, the second driving frequency determiner 264 may drive the switching elements of the pixels located in the second zone Z2 at a low driving frequency. When the second flag SF2 is 0, the second driving frequency determiner 264 may drive the switching elements of the pixels located in the second zone Z2 at a normal driving frequency.

[0096] The second driving frequency determiner 264 may determine the low driving frequency with reference to the second flicker value memory 266. The second flicker value memory 266 may include flicker values representing the degree of flicker according to the grayscale value of the second region data IMG2. The second flicker value memory 266 may be a second flicker LUT.

[0097] The second flicker value memory 266 may store the grayscale value of the second region data IMG2 and a flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the second region data IMG2. The flicker value may be used to determine the driving frequency of the second region data IMG2.

[0098] In an exemplary embodiment, the first flicker value memory 246 may be provided independently of the second flicker value memory 266. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the first flicker value memory 246 may be the same element as the second flicker value memory 266. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the first flicker value memory 246 may include data substantially identical to the data of the second flicker value memory 266, such that the first flicker value memory 246 may be provided as the same element as the second flicker value memory 266 to reduce the complexity and manufacturing cost of the display device.

[0099] When the second driving frequency is changed from the third frequency to the fourth frequency by the second driving frequency determiner 264 , the second compensation frame inserter 268 may insert the second compensation frame between the frame of the third frequency and the frame of the fourth frequency.

[0100] Figure 7 It shows Figure 1 A conceptual diagram of a display panel 100 divided into a first zone Z1 driven at a frequency of approximately 60 Hz and a second zone Z2 driven at a frequency of approximately 1 Hz. Figure 8 It shows that Figure 7 1 is a timing diagram of the gate signal output from the gate driver 300 during the first frame in the case of . Figure 9 It shows that Figure 7 1 is a timing diagram of the gate signal output from the gate driver 300 during the second frame in the case of FIG. Figure 10 It shows Figure 1 A timing diagram of the input signal, generated signal and output signal of the driving controller 200.

[0101] Reference Figures 1 to 10 For example, the first driving frequency determiner 244 may determine the first driving frequency of the first zone Z1 of the display panel 100 to be approximately 60 Hz, and the second driving frequency determiner 264 may determine the second driving frequency of the second zone Z2 of the display panel 100 to be approximately 1 Hz.

[0102] The gate driver 300 may output first gate signal groups G11 to G1N corresponding to first region data IMG1 and second gate signal groups G21 to G2N corresponding to second region data IMG2 , where N is a natural number greater than 1.

[0103] The gate driver 300 may deactivate output of at least one of the first gate signal group G11 to G1N and the second gate signal group G21 to G2N based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency.

[0104] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first frequency of the first zone Z1 is approximately 60 Hz and the second frequency of the second zone Z2 is approximately 1 Hz, the first zone Z1 can have sixty write frames in one second, and the second zone Z2 can have one write frame and fifty-nine hold frames in one second.

[0105] When the first region Z1 has a write frame, the first gate signal group G11 to G1N corresponding to the first region Z1 may be activated. When the first region Z1 has a hold frame, the first gate signal group G11 to G1N corresponding to the first region Z1 may be deactivated. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the first gate signal group G11 to G1N may be deactivated by a masking method.

[0106] When the second region Z2 has a write frame, the second gate signal group G21 to G2N corresponding to the second region Z2 may be activated. When the second region Z2 has a hold frame, the second gate signal group G21 to G2N corresponding to the second region Z2 may be deactivated. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the second gate signal group G21 to G2N may be deactivated by a masking method.

[0107] In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 8 Indicates the first frame. For example, in the first frame, both the first zone Z1 and the second zone Z2 may have a write frame. Therefore, in the first frame, the first gate signal group G11 to G1N and the second gate signal group G21 to G2N are activated.

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, Figure 9 Indicates the second frame. In the second frame, the first zone Z1 may have a write frame and the second zone Z2 may have a hold frame. Therefore, in the second frame, the first gate signal group G11 to G1N is activated, and the second gate signal group G21 to G2N is deactivated.

[0109] exist Figure 10 In the example, the region divider 220 (refer to Figure 3) can input an input vertical start signal IVS and an input data enable signal IDE. The input vertical start signal IVS can have a period of a frame. The input data enable signal IDE can have a period of a horizontal line period.

[0110] The region divider 220 may divide the input data enable signal IDE into a first data enable signal DE1 corresponding to the first region data IMG1 and a second data enable signal DE2 corresponding to the second region data IMG2 to generate the first and second data enable signals DE1 and DE2.

[0111] The first variable frequency drive 240 (refer to Figure 3 ) can use the first data enable signal DE1 to generate a first data signal DATA1 having a first driving frequency. The second variable frequency driver 260 (refer to Figure 3 ) can use the second data enable signal DE2 to generate a second data signal DATA2 having a second driving frequency.

[0112] Drive controller 200 (see Figure 1 and Figure 3 ) may generate an integrated data signal DATA based on the first data signal DATA1 and the second data signal DATA2. The driving controller 200 may output the integrated data signal DATA to the data driver 500.

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the driving controller 200 may generate the integrated data signal DATA through an OR operation of the first data signal DATA1 and the second data signal DATA2 .

[0114] In the exemplary embodiment shown, input image data IMG can be divided into first region data IMG1 and second region data IMG2. A first driving frequency of the first region data IMG1 can be determined based on a flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the first region data IMG1. A second driving frequency of the second region data IMG2 can be determined based on a flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the second region data IMG2. Therefore, the portion of the display panel 100 displaying video images can be driven at a high driving frequency, while the portion of the display panel 100 displaying still images can be driven at a low driving frequency. Consequently, power consumption of the display device can be reduced.

[0115] In addition, the driving frequency is determined using the flicker value of the image displayed on the display panel 100 , so that the flicker of the image can be prevented and the display quality of the display panel 100 can be improved.

[0116] Figure 11is a conceptual diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a display panel 100 of a display device according to the present invention. Figure 12 It shows Figure 11 1 is a block diagram of a first variable frequency driver 240A of a display device. Figure 13 It shows Figure 11 1 is a block diagram of a second variable frequency driver 260A of a display device.

[0117] The display device and the method of driving the display panel in the illustrated exemplary embodiment are similar to those in the referenced example except that the display panel is divided into a plurality of segments. Figures 1 to 10 The display device and the method of driving the display panel of the previously described exemplary embodiments are substantially the same. Therefore, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same Figures 1 to 10 The same or similar parts as those described in the previous exemplary embodiments are used herein, and any repeated explanation regarding the above elements will be omitted.

[0118] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figures 6 to 13 The display device includes a display panel 100 and a display panel driver. The display panel driver includes a driving controller 200, a gate driver 300, a gamma reference voltage generator 400, and a data driver 500.

[0119] The display panel 100 may include a plurality of segments SEG11 to SEG85. Although the display panel 100 includes segments in a matrix of eight by five in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0120] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the first zone Z1 may include segments SEG11 to SEG45 in the first to fourth rows, and the second zone Z2 may include segments SEG51 to SEG85 in the fifth to eighth rows.

[0121] When the flicker value is determined in units of pixels and only one pixel has a high flicker value, the entire display panel may be driven at a high driving frequency to prevent flicker in the one pixel. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when flicker of only one pixel is prevented at a driving frequency of approximately 30 Hz and flicker is not generated in other pixels at a driving frequency of approximately 1 Hz, the display panel 100 may be driven at a driving frequency of approximately 30 Hz, and the power consumption of the display device may be higher than necessary.

[0122] Therefore, when the display panel 100 is divided into segments and the flicker value is determined in units of segments, the power consumption of the display device can be effectively reduced.

[0123] The driving controller 200 includes a region divider 220 , a first variable frequency driver 240A, and a second variable frequency driver 260A.

[0124] The first variable frequency driver 240A may determine optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of zones in the first zone Z1 and may determine a maximum driving frequency among the optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of zones as a low driving frequency of the first zone Z1.

[0125] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the optimal driving frequency of the first segment SEG11 is about 10 Hz and the optimal driving frequencies of the other segments SEG12 to SEG45 except the first segment SEG11 are about 2 Hz, the first variable frequency driver 240A may determine the low driving frequency of the first zone Z1 to be about 10 Hz.

[0126] The second variable frequency driver 260A may determine optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of zones in the second zone Z2 and may determine a maximum driving frequency among the optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of zones as a low driving frequency of the second zone Z2.

[0127] The first variable frequency driver 240A may include a first still image determiner 242, a first driving frequency determiner 244, a first flicker value memory 246A, and a first compensation frame inserter 248. The first driving frequency determiner 244 may determine a low driving frequency of the first zone Z1 with reference to the first flicker value memory 246A and information of the sectors of the first zone Z1.

[0128] The second variable frequency driver 260A may include a second still image determiner 262, a second driving frequency determiner 264, a second flicker value memory 266A, and a second compensation frame inserter 268. The second driving frequency determiner 264 may determine the low driving frequency of the second zone Z2 with reference to the second flicker value memory 266A and information of the sectors of the second zone Z2.

[0129] In the exemplary embodiment shown, input image data IMG can be divided into first region data IMG1 and second region data IMG2. A first driving frequency of the first region data IMG1 can be determined based on a flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the first region data IMG1. A second driving frequency of the second region data IMG2 can be determined based on a flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the second region data IMG2. Therefore, the portion of the display panel 100 displaying video images can be driven at a high driving frequency, while the portion of the display panel 100 displaying still images can be driven at a low driving frequency. Consequently, power consumption of the display device can be reduced.

[0130] In addition, the driving frequency is determined using the flicker value of the image displayed on the display panel 100 , so that the flicker of the image can be prevented and the display quality of the display panel 100 can be improved.

[0131] Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a driving controller 200B of a display device according to the present invention. Figure 15 It shows Figure 14 1 is a block diagram of a first variable frequency driver 240B of a display device. Figure 16 It shows Figure 14 1 is a block diagram of a second variable frequency driver 260B of a display device.

[0132] The display device and the method of driving the display panel in the illustrated exemplary embodiment are similar to those in the reference embodiment except for the structure of the driving controller. Figures 1 to 10 The display device and the method of driving the display panel of the previously described exemplary embodiments are substantially the same. Therefore, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same Figures 1 to 10 The same or similar parts as those described in the previous exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described, and any repeated explanation on the above elements will be omitted.

[0133] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figures 6 to 10 as well as Figures 14 to 16 The display device includes a display panel 100 and a display panel driver. The display panel driver includes a driving controller 200B, a gate driver 300, a gamma reference voltage generator 400, and a data driver 500.

[0134] The driving controller 200B includes a region divider 220 , a first variable frequency driver 240B, a second variable frequency driver 260B, and a compensation frame inserter 280 .

[0135] The region divider 220 may divide the input image data IMG into first region data IMG1 corresponding to the first region Z1 of the display panel 100 and second region data IMG2 corresponding to the second region Z2 of the display panel 100 .

[0136] When the first region data IMG1 represents a still image, the first variable frequency driver 240B may determine the first driving frequency of the first region data IMG1 based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first region data IMG1.

[0137] When the second region data IMG2 represents a still image, the second variable frequency driver 260B may determine the second driving frequency of the second region data IMG2 based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second region data IMG2.

[0138] The compensation frame inserter 280 may insert a compensation frame into the first region data IMG1 and the second region data IMG2 when at least one of the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency changes.

[0139] The first variable frequency driver 240B may include a first still image determiner 242, a first driving frequency determiner 244, and a first flicker value memory 246. The structures and operations of the first still image determiner 242, the first driving frequency determiner 244, and the first flicker value memory 246 of the illustrated exemplary embodiment may be similar to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. Figure 4 The structures and operations of the first still image determiner 242, the first driving frequency determiner 244, and the first flicker value memory 246 described in FIG. 2 are substantially the same.

[0140] The second variable frequency driver 260B may include a second still image determiner 262, a second driving frequency determiner 264, and a second flicker value memory 266. The structures and operations of the second still image determiner 262, the second driving frequency determiner 264, and the second flicker value memory 266 of the illustrated exemplary embodiment may be similar to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. Figure 5 The structures and operations of the second still image determiner 262, the second driving frequency determiner 264, and the second flicker value memory 266 described in FIG. 2 are substantially the same.

[0141] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the drive controller 200B may include a single compensation frame inserter 280 instead of the first and second variable frequency drives 240 and 260 including the first and second compensation frame inserters 248 and 268 , respectively.

[0142] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first driving frequency is changed from the first frequency to the second frequency by the first variable frequency driver 240B and the second driving frequency is changed from the third frequency to the fourth frequency by the second variable frequency driver 260B, the compensation frame inserter 280 may determine the frequency of the compensation frame and the number of compensation frames based on the maximum value of the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency, the difference between the first frequency and the fourth frequency, the difference between the third frequency and the second frequency, and the difference between the third frequency and the fourth frequency.

[0143] The compensation frame inserter 280 may generate a compensation frame based on a worst case having a maximum difference between a frequency before the change and a frequency after the change, so that a display defect such as flickering may be prevented.

[0144] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, when the first driving frequency is changed from the first frequency to the second frequency by the first variable frequency driver 240B and the second driving frequency is changed from the third frequency to the fourth frequency by the second variable frequency driver 260B, the compensation frame inserter 280 may determine the frequency of the compensation frame and the number of compensation frames based on a larger value between the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency and the difference between the third frequency and the fourth frequency.

[0145] The compensation frame inserter 280 can generate a compensation frame based on the worst case of the difference between the frequency before and after the change in the first zone Z1 and the difference between the frequency before and after the change in the second zone Z2, so that display defects such as flickering can be prevented.

[0146] In the exemplary embodiment shown, input image data IMG can be divided into first region data IMG1 and second region data IMG2. A first driving frequency of the first region data IMG1 can be determined based on a flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the first region data IMG1. A second driving frequency of the second region data IMG2 can be determined based on a flicker value corresponding to the grayscale value of the second region data IMG2. Therefore, the portion of the display panel 100 displaying a video image can be driven at a high driving frequency, while the portion of the display panel 100 displaying a still image can be driven at a low driving frequency. Consequently, power consumption of the display device can be reduced.

[0147] In addition, the driving frequency is determined using the flicker value of the image displayed on the display panel 100 , so that the flicker of the image can be prevented and the display quality of the display panel 100 can be improved.

[0148] Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a display panel 100 divided into a first zone Z1, a second zone Z2, and a third zone Z3 of a display device according to the present invention. Figure 18 It shows Figure 17 1 is a block diagram of a driving controller 200C for a display device.

[0149] The display device and the method of driving the display panel in the illustrated exemplary embodiment are similar to those in the reference embodiment except that the display panel is divided into three regions. Figures 1 to 10 The display device and the method of driving the display panel of the previously described exemplary embodiments are substantially the same. Therefore, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same Figures 1 to 10 The same or similar parts as those described in the previous exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described, and any repeated explanation on the above elements will be omitted.

[0150] Reference Figure 1 、 Figures 6 to 10 、 Figure 17and Figure 18 The display device includes a display panel 100 and a display panel driver. The display panel driver includes a driving controller 200C, a gate driver 300, a gamma reference voltage generator 400, and a data driver 500.

[0151] The display panel 100 may be divided into a plurality of regions. The divided regions may be adjacent to each other in the second direction D2. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the display panel 100 may be divided into three regions.

[0152] The driving controller 200C includes a region divider 220 , a first variable frequency driver 240 , a second variable frequency driver 260 , and a third variable frequency driver 290 .

[0153] In an exemplary embodiment, the display panel 100 may be divided into four or more regions, and the number of variable frequency drivers may be equal to the number of regions of the display panel 100 .

[0154] The region divider 220 may divide the input image data IMG into first region data IMG1 corresponding to the first region Z1 of the display panel 100 , second region data IMG2 corresponding to the second region Z2 of the display panel 100 , and third region data IMG3 corresponding to the third region Z3 of the display panel 100 .

[0155] The first driving frequency of the first zone Z1 may be determined by the first variable frequency driver 240 , the second driving frequency of the second zone Z2 may be determined by the second variable frequency driver 260 , and the third driving frequency of the third zone Z3 may be determined by the third variable frequency driver 290 .

[0156] When the first area data IMG1 represents a still image, the first variable frequency driver 240 may determine a first driving frequency of the first area data IMG1 based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first area data IMG1. The first variable frequency driver 240 may generate a first data signal DATA1 of a first driving frequency based on the first area data IMG1.

[0157] When the second area data IMG2 represents a still image, the second variable frequency driver 260 may determine a second driving frequency of the second area data IMG2 based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second area data IMG2. The second variable frequency driver 260 may generate a second data signal DATA2 of a second driving frequency based on the second area data IMG2.

[0158] When the third area data IMG3 represents a still image, the third variable frequency driver 290 may determine a third driving frequency of the third area data IMG3 based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the third area data IMG3. The third variable frequency driver 290 may generate a third data signal DATA3 of a third driving frequency based on the third area data IMG3.

[0159] The structures of the first variable frequency driver 240 and the second variable frequency driver 260 can be similar to those of the reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 The first variable frequency driver 240 and the second variable frequency driver 260 have the same structure. The third variable frequency driver 290 may have the same structure as the first variable frequency driver 240 and the second variable frequency driver 260 .

[0160] In the exemplary embodiment shown, input image data IMG can be divided into first region data IMG1, second region data IMG2, and third region data IMG3. A first driving frequency of the first region data IMG1 can be determined based on a flickering value according to the grayscale value of the first region data IMG1. A second driving frequency of the second region data IMG2 can be determined based on a flickering value according to the grayscale value of the second region data IMG2. A third driving frequency of the third region data IMG3 can be determined based on a flickering value according to the grayscale value of the third region data IMG3. Therefore, the portion of the display panel 100 displaying a video image can be driven at a high driving frequency, while the portion of the display panel 100 displaying a still image can be driven at a low driving frequency. Consequently, power consumption of the display device can be reduced.

[0161] In addition, the driving frequency is determined using the flicker value of the image displayed on the display panel 100 , so that the flicker of the image can be prevented and the display quality of the display panel 100 can be improved.

[0162] According to the present invention as described above, the power consumption of a display device can be reduced, and the display quality of a display panel can be improved.

[0163] The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the present invention. Although some exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover structures described herein that perform the functions described, and are intended to cover not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Therefore, it will be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as being limited to the specific exemplary embodiments disclosed, and modifications to the disclosed exemplary embodiments as well as other exemplary embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The present invention is defined by the following claims, the equivalents of which are included herein.

Claims

1. A display device, wherein: The display device comprises: A display panel includes gate lines and data lines, and the display panel displays an image based on input image data; A gate driver, outputting a gate signal to the gate line; a data driver that outputs a data voltage to the data line; and Drive controller, including: a region divider, dividing the input image data into first region data and second region data; a first variable frequency driver that, when the first area data represents a still image, determines a first driving frequency of the first area data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first area data, and generates a first data signal of the first driving frequency; and a second variable frequency driver that, when the second region data represents a still image, determines a second driving frequency of the second region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second region data, and generates a second data signal of the second driving frequency; wherein the region divider divides an input data enable signal corresponding to the input image data into a first data enable signal corresponding to the first region data and a second data enable signal corresponding to the second region data, and generates the first data enable signal and the second data enable signal, The first variable frequency driver generates the first data signal having the first driving frequency using the first data enable signal. wherein the second variable frequency driver generates the second data signal having the second driving frequency using the second data enable signal, and The driving controller generates an integrated data signal through an OR operation of the first data signal and the second data signal.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The first variable frequency drive comprises: a first still image determiner that determines whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image, and generates a first flag indicating whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image; a first flicker value memory for storing the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the first region data; a first driving frequency determiner that determines a driving mode of the first region data as one of a normal driving mode and a low-frequency driving mode based on the first flag, and that determines the first driving frequency of the first region data using the first flicker value memory; and A first compensation frame inserter inserts a first compensation frame between a frame of the first frequency and a frame of the second frequency when the first driving frequency is changed from a first frequency to a second frequency by the first driving frequency determiner.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein The display panel is divided into a first area and a second area, the first area data corresponds to the first area, the second area data corresponds to the second area, and the first area includes a plurality of segments, and The first variable frequency driver determines the first driving frequency of the first area based on the optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of sections of the first area.

4. The display device according to claim 2, wherein The second variable frequency drive comprises: a second still image determiner that determines whether the second area data represents a still image or a video image, and the second still image determiner generates a second flag indicating whether the second area data represents the still image or the video image; a second flicker value memory for storing the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the second region data; a second driving frequency determiner that determines a driving mode of the second region data to be one of the normal driving mode and the low-frequency driving mode based on the second flag, and that determines the second driving frequency of the second region data using the second flicker value memory; and a second compensating frame inserter that inserts a second compensating frame between a frame of the third frequency and a frame of the fourth frequency when the second driving frequency is changed from a third frequency to a fourth frequency by the second driving frequency determiner.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein The display panel is divided into a first area and a second area, the first area data corresponds to the first area, the second area data corresponds to the second area, and the second area includes a plurality of segments, and The second variable frequency driver determines the second driving frequency of the second area based on the optimal driving frequencies of the plurality of sections in the second area. The display device according to claim 4 , wherein: The first flicker value memory is identical to the second flicker value memory.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The gate driver outputs a first gate signal group corresponding to the first region data and a second gate signal group corresponding to the second region data, and The gate driver inactivates output of at least one of the first gate signal group and the second gate signal group based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The region divider divides the input image data into the first region data, the second region data and the third region data, The driving controller further includes a third variable frequency driver, which determines a third driving frequency of the third region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the third region data.

9. A display device, wherein: The display device comprises: A display panel includes gate lines and data lines, and the display panel displays an image based on input image data; A gate driver, outputting a gate signal to the gate line; a data driver that outputs a data voltage to the data line; and Drive controller, including: a region divider, dividing the input image data into first region data and second region data; a first variable frequency driver that, when the first region data represents a still image, determines a first driving frequency of the first region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first region data; a second variable frequency driver that determines a second driving frequency of the second region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second region data when the second region data represents a still image; and a compensation frame inserter that inserts a compensation frame into the first region data and the second region data when at least one of the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency changes, Wherein, when the first driving frequency is changed from a first frequency to a second frequency by the first variable frequency driver and the second driving frequency is changed from a third frequency to a fourth frequency by the second variable frequency driver, the compensation frame inserter determines the frequency of the compensation frame and the number of the compensation frames based on the maximum value of the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency, the difference between the first frequency and the fourth frequency, the difference between the third frequency and the second frequency, and the difference between the third frequency and the fourth frequency.

10. The display device according to claim 9, wherein The first variable frequency drive comprises: a first still image determiner that determines whether the first area data represents a still image or a video image, and generates a first flag indicating whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image; a first flicker value memory storing the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the first region data; and A first driving frequency determiner determines a driving mode of the first area data as one of a normal driving mode and a low-frequency driving mode based on the first flag, and determines the first driving frequency of the first area data using the first flicker value memory.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein The second variable frequency drive comprises: a second still image determiner that determines whether the second area data represents a still image or a video image, and the second still image determiner generates a second flag indicating whether the second area data represents the still image or the video image; a second flicker value memory storing the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the second region data; and a second driving frequency determiner that determines the driving mode of the second area data to be one of the normal driving mode and the low-frequency driving mode based on the second flag, and determines the second driving frequency of the second area data using the second flicker value memory.

12. The display device according to claim 11, wherein The first flicker value memory is identical to the second flicker value memory.

13. A method for driving a display panel, wherein: The method comprises: dividing the input image data into first region data and second region data; when the first region data represents a still image, determining a first driving frequency of the first region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the first region data, and generating a first data signal of the first driving frequency; when the second region data represents a still image, determining a second driving frequency of the second region data based on a flicker value according to a grayscale value of the second region data, and generating a second data signal of the second driving frequency; outputting a gate signal to a gate line of the display panel based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency; and outputting a data voltage to a data line of the display panel based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency, The dividing the input image data includes dividing an input data enable signal corresponding to the input image data into a first data enable signal corresponding to the first region data and a second data enable signal corresponding to the second region data to generate the first data enable signal and the second data enable signal. wherein the first data enable signal is used to generate the first data signal having the first driving frequency, and wherein the second data enable signal is used to generate the second data signal having the second driving frequency, The method further includes generating an integrated data signal by performing an OR operation on the first data signal and the second data signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein Generating the first data signal includes: determining whether the first area data represents a still image or a video image, and generating a first flag indicating whether the first area data represents the still image or the video image; determining a driving mode of the first region data to be one of a normal driving mode and a low-frequency driving mode based on the first flag, and determining the first driving frequency of the first region data using a first flicker value memory storing a flicker value according to the grayscale value of the first region data; and When the first driving frequency is changed from a first frequency to a second frequency, a first compensation frame is inserted between a frame of the first frequency and a frame of the second frequency.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein Generating the second data signal includes: determining whether the second area data represents a still image or a video image, and generating a second flag indicating whether the second area data represents the still image or the video image; determining a driving mode of the second region data to be one of the normal driving mode and the low-frequency driving mode based on the second flag, and determining the second driving frequency of the second region data using a second flicker value memory storing the flicker value according to the grayscale value of the second region data; and When the second driving frequency is changed from a third frequency to a fourth frequency, a second compensating frame is inserted between a frame of the third frequency and a frame of the fourth frequency.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The first flicker value memory is identical to the second flicker value memory.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Outputting the gate signal includes deactivating output of at least one of a first gate signal group corresponding to the first region data and a second gate signal group corresponding to the second region data based on the first driving frequency and the second driving frequency.

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