Display device and method of operating the same

Abstract

Disclosed are a display apparatus and a method of operating the same. The display apparatus includes a display panel including a plurality of panel blocks, a block load calculator calculating block loads of the panel blocks based on input image data and determining a maximum block load among the block loads, a block load comparison section generating first output image data based on the input image data when the maximum block load is less than a critical block load, and a first load controller generating a first power control curve when the maximum block load is greater than or equal to the critical block load, and generating second output image data based on the input image data and the first power control curve.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to a display apparatus and a method of operating the same. More particularly, embodiments of the disclosure relate to a display apparatus that prevents damage to a display panel. BACKGROUND

[0002] A display apparatus includes a display panel including a plurality of pixels. Each pixel can emit light, and the light can have a luminance corresponding to a driving current. As the luminance of the light emitted by the pixels increases, the driving current increases. Accordingly, power consumption by the display panel increases. Power consumption of the display panel at a certain time during an operation time can be referred to as a panel load. As the panel load of the display panel increases as the driving current increases, heat generation of the display panel can increase.

[0003] Depending on an image displayed on the display panel, a distribution of the panel load within the display panel can not be constant. For example, when the display panel is divided into a plurality of panel blocks, the panel load can be concentrated to one panel block. In this case, even when a total panel load is less than a critical panel load, the load concentrated to one panel block can cause damage to the display panel. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the disclosure provide a display apparatus capable of reducing power consumption.

[0005] A display apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure can include a display panel including a plurality of panel blocks, a block load calculator calculating block loads of the panel blocks based on input image data and determining a maximum block load among the block loads, a block load comparison section determining whether the maximum block load is less than a critical block load and generating first output image data based on the input image data when the maximum block load is less than the critical block load, and a first load controller generating a first power control curve when the maximum block load is greater than or equal to the critical block load and generating second output image data based on the input image data and the first power control curve.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first load controller can include a block load difference calculator calculating a first block load difference between a first block load of a first panel block and the maximum block load and calculating a second block load difference between a second block load of a second panel block and the maximum block load, a power control curve generator generating the first power control curve based on the maximum block load, the first block load difference, and the second block load difference, and a load controller generating the second output image data based on the input image data and the first power control curve.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first panel block and the second panel block can be adjacent to a panel block having the maximum block load.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the display apparatus can further include a panel load calculator that calculates a panel load of the display panel based on the input image data, and a panel load comparator that compares the panel load with a critical panel load.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the panel load can be equal to a sum of the block loads.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the panel load is less than the critical panel load, the block load calculator can calculate the block loads and can determine the maximum block load.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the panel load is greater than or equal to the critical panel load, the block load calculator can not calculate the block loads.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the display apparatus can further include a second load controller that generates third output image data based on the input image data and a second power control curve when the panel load is greater than or equal to the critical panel load.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the display apparatus can further include a data driver that generates a data voltage based on the first output image data or the second output image data.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the area of each panel block is the same.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the display panel can include four panel blocks.

[0016] The method of operating a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure can include the steps of calculating block loads of panel blocks based on input image data, determining a maximum block load among the block loads, generating first output image data based on the input image data when the maximum block load is less than a critical block load, and generating a first power control curve when the maximum block load is greater than or equal to the critical block load, and generating second output image data based on the input image data and the first power control curve.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the step of generating the second output image data can include calculating a first block load difference between a first block load of a first panel block and the maximum block load, and calculating a second block load difference between a second block load of a second panel block and the maximum block load, and generating the first power control curve based on the maximum block load, the first block load difference, and the second block load difference.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method can further include, before calculating the block loads of the panel blocks based on the input image data, calculating a panel load of the display panel based on the input image data, and comparing the panel load with a critical panel load.

[0019] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the panel load can be equal to the sum of the block loads.

[0020] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the panel load is less than the critical panel load, the step of calculating the block load of the panel block based on the input image data can be performed.

[0021] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the panel load is greater than or equal to the critical panel load, the step of calculating the block load of the panel block based on the input image data may not be performed.

[0022] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method may further include: generating third output image data based on input image data and a second power control curve when the panel load is greater than or equal to the critical panel load.

[0023] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method may further include generating a data voltage based on a first output image data or a second output image data. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the inventive concept.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 2 It shows that the driver includes Figure 1 A circuit diagram of the pixel circuit in a display device.

[0027] Figure 3 It is shown that it includes Figure 1 A block diagram of the first panel load controller in a display device.

[0028] Figure 4 It is shown that it includes Figure 1 A block diagram of the second panel load controller in the display device.

[0029] Figure 5 It is shown that it includes Figure 4 A block diagram of the second load controller in the second panel load controller.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 7 It is shown that it includes Figure 1 An example diagram of a display panel in a display device.

[0032] Figure 8 is a graph illustrating an example of a block load and a panel block included in a display panel of Figure 7 .

[0033] Figure 9 is a graph illustrating a first power control curve and a second power control curve for driving a display panel of Figure 7 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements in the several figures of the drawings. It will be understood that the elements shown in the figures (e.g., elements shown in blocks in Figure 1 and Figures 3 to 5 may each be implemented as separate circuits or as part of a circuit.

[0035] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a pixel circuit for driving a pixel included in a display apparatus of Figure 1 .

[0036] Referring to Figure 1 , a display apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can include a display panel 110, a data driver 120, a gate driver 130, and a controller 140. The controller 140 can include a first panel load controller 200 and a second panel load controller 300.

[0037] The display panel 110 can include a plurality of panel blocks. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display panel 110 can include four panel blocks. For example, the display panel 110 can include a first panel block PB1, a second panel block PB2, a third panel block PB3, and a fourth panel block PB4. The first panel block PB1, the second panel block PB2, the third panel block PB3, and the fourth panel block PB4 can display first to fourth images, and in some cases, a user can view an image that is a combination of the first to fourth images.

[0038] Each of the first panel block PB1, the second panel block PB2, the third panel block PB3, and the fourth panel block PB4 can include a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, and a plurality of pixels PX. The data lines can extend in a first direction D1, and the gate lines can extend in a second direction D2. The pixels PX can be formed at points where the data lines and the gate lines cross. The pixels PX can be electrically connected to the data lines and the gate lines.

[0039] In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the first, second, third, and fourth panel blocks PB1, PB2, PB3, and PB4 can have a rectangular shape. For example, the first, second, third, and fourth panel blocks PB1, PB2, PB3, and PB4 can extend in the first direction D1 and can be adjacent to each other in the second direction D2.

[0040] In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the first, second, third, and fourth panel blocks PB1, PB2, PB3, and PB4 can have the same area. For example, each of the first, second, third, and fourth panel blocks PB1, PB2, PB3, and PB4 can include the same number of pixels PX.

[0041] However, the number, shape, and area of the panel blocks are not limited to the above-described number, shape, and area. For example, the number of the panel blocks can be greater than four or less than four. The panel blocks can extend in the second direction D2 and can be adjacent to each other in the first direction D1, or can form a matrix pattern and extend in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, and can be adjacent to each other along both directions. Additionally or optionally, the area of each panel block can be different from each other. For example, each panel block can include a different number of pixels PX.

[0042] Referring to Figure 2 The pixel circuit PC for driving the pixel PX can include at least one transistor, at least one storage capacitor, and a light emitting diode. For example, the pixel circuit PC can include a first transistor TR1, a second transistor TR2, a storage capacitor CST, and an organic light emitting diode OLED.

[0043] The first transistor TR1 can include a first terminal (e.g., a source terminal) that receives a high power voltage ELVDD, a second terminal (e.g., a drain terminal) connected to the organic light emitting diode OLED, and a gate terminal connected to the second transistor TR2. The first transistor TR1 can generate a driving current ID based on the high power voltage ELVDD and a data voltage DATA.

[0044] The second transistor TR2 can include a first terminal (e.g., a source terminal) that receives the data voltage DATA, a second terminal (e.g., a drain terminal) connected to the first transistor TR1, and a gate terminal that receives a gate signal GS. The second transistor TR2 can provide the data voltage DATA to the first transistor TR1 based on the gate signal GS.

[0045] The storage capacitor CST can include a first terminal connected to the first terminal of the first transistor TR1 and a second terminal connected to the gate terminal of the first transistor TR1. The storage capacitor CST can store a voltage difference between the gate voltage of the first transistor TR1 and the source voltage of the first transistor TR1.

[0046] The organic light emitting diode OLED can include a first terminal (e.g., an anode terminal) connected to the first terminal of the first transistor TR1 and a second terminal (e.g., a cathode terminal) connected to the low power voltage ELVSS. The organic light emitting diode OLED can emit light, which can have a brightness corresponding to the driving current ID. For example, as the driving current ID increases, the brightness of the light can increase.

[0047] Referring again to FIG. 1, Figure 1 The data driver 120 can generate a data voltage DATA based on the output image data ODAT. In addition, the data driver 120 can provide the data voltage DATA to the display panel 110 based on a data control signal DCTRL. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the output image data ODAT can be any one of a first output image data (e.g., a first output image data ODAT1 of FIG. 2), a second output image data (e.g., a second output image data ODAT2 of FIG. 3), and a third output image data (e.g., a third output image data ODAT3 of FIG. 4). Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 4 The data control signal DCTRL can include an output data enable signal, a horizontal start signal, and a load signal.

[0048] The gate driver 130 can generate a gate signal GS based on a gate control signal GCTRL. In addition, the gate driver 130 can provide the gate signal GS to the display panel 110. For example, the gate signal GS can be sequentially provided to the display panel 110. For example, the gate signal GS can include a vertical start signal, a clock signal, and the like.

[0049] The controller 140 can generate the output image data ODAT based on input image data IDAT. In addition, the controller 140 can generate the data control signal DCTRL and the gate control signal GCTRL based on a control signal CTRL. For example, the input image data IDAT can include a gray value of a pixel PX. Additionally or optionally, the input image data IDAT can include red gray data, green gray data, and blue gray data. For example, the control signal CTRL can include a vertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronization signal, an input data enable signal, a main clock signal, and the like.

[0050] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the controller 140 can include a first panel load controller 200 and a second panel load controller 300.​​

[0051] The first panel load controller 200 can calculate a panel load PLD of the display panel 110 based on the input image data IDAT. When the panel load PLD is greater than or equal to a preset critical panel load CPLD, the first panel load controller 200 can generate first output image data. In this case, the second panel load controller 300 can not be activated.

[0052] When the panel load PLD is less than the critical panel load CPLD, the second panel load controller 300 can be activated. The second panel load controller 300 can calculate block loads of the panel blocks PB1 to PB4 based on the input image data IDAT. For example, the second panel load controller 300 can calculate a first block load BLD1 of the first panel block PB1, a second block load BLD2 of the second panel block PB2, a third block load BLD3 of the third panel block PB3, and a fourth block load BLD4 of the fourth panel block PB4 based on the input image data IDAT. In addition, the second panel load controller 300 can determine a maximum block load among the first block load BLD1, the second block load BLD2, the third block load BLD3, and the fourth block load BLD4. For example, the second panel load controller 300 can determine the second block load BLD2 as the maximum block load. In addition, when the maximum block load BLD2 is greater than or equal to a critical block load CBLD, the second panel load controller 300 can generate second output image data. Alternatively, when the maximum block load BLD2 is less than the critical block load CBLD, the second panel load controller 300 can generate third output image data. Hereinafter, the first panel load controller 200 and the second panel load controller 300 will be described.

[0053] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a first panel load controller included in a display apparatus of Figure 1 . Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a second panel load controller included in a display apparatus of Figure 1 . Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a second load controller included in a second panel load controller of Figure 4 .

[0054] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the first panel load controller 200 can include a panel load calculator 210, a panel load comparison part 220, and a first load controller 230.

[0055] The panel load calculator 210 can calculate the panel load PLD based on the input image data IDAT. For example, the pixels PX can output light having luminance corresponding to the gray value included in the input image data IDAT. As the luminance of the light increases, the driving current ID can increase. As the sum of the driving currents ID increases, the power consumed by the display panel 110 can increase. Accordingly, the panel load calculator 210 can calculate the panel load PLD based on the input image data IDAT.

[0056] The panel load comparison section 220 can compare the panel load PLD and the critical panel load CPLD. The critical panel load CPLD can be stored in the panel load comparison section 220 and can be set during a manufacturing process of the display apparatus 1000. When the panel load PLD is greater than or equal to the critical panel load CPLD, the panel load comparison section 220 can transmit the first power control enable signal NPC ENB to the first load controller 230. When the panel load PLD is less than the critical panel load CPLD, the panel load comparison section 220 can transmit the input image data IDAT to the second panel load controller 300.

[0057] The first load controller 230 can be activated based on the first power control enable signal NPC ENB. For example, when the panel load PLD is greater than or equal to the critical panel load CPLD, the first load controller 230 can be activated. Alternatively, when the panel load PLD is less than the critical panel load CPLD, the first load controller 230 can be deactivated.

[0058] When the first load controller 230 is activated, the first load controller 230 can generate first output image data ODAT1 based on the input image data IDAT and the first power control curve (e.g., the first power control curve NPC in Figure 9 The first output image data ODAT1 can be provided to the data driver 120. Accordingly, if the input image data IDAT would cause the total panel load to exceed the critical panel load CPLD if driven to the display panel 110, the first panel load controller 200 can prevent damage to the display panel 110 by intercepting the input image data IDAT and providing output image data ODAT1 that will prevent the panel from reaching the critical panel load CPLD. The first power control curve will be described with reference to Figure 9

[0059] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 4 The second panel load controller 300 can include a block load calculator 310, a block load comparison section 320, and a second load controller 330.

[0060] ​The block load calculator 310 can calculate a block load BLD based on the input image data IDAT. For example, when the display panel 110 includes a first panel block PB1, a second panel block PB2, a third panel block PB3, and a fourth panel block PB4, the block load calculator 310 can include a first block load calculator 311, a second block load calculator 312, a third block load calculator 313, and a fourth block load calculator 314. The first block load calculator 311 can calculate a first block load BLD1, the second block load calculator 312 can calculate a second block load BLD2, the third block load calculator 313 can calculate a third block load BLD3, and the fourth block load calculator 314 can calculate a fourth block load BLD4. In addition, the block load calculator 310 can determine the second block load BLD2 as a maximum block load among the first block load BLD1, the second block load BLD2, the third block load BLD3, and the fourth block load BLD4.

[0061] The block load comparison part 320 can compare the maximum block load BLD2 and a critical block load CBLD. The critical block load CBLD can be stored in the block load comparison part 320 and can be set during a manufacturing process of the display apparatus 1000. When the maximum block load BLD2 is greater than or equal to the critical block load CBLD, the block load comparison part 320 can transmit a second power control enable signal D_NPC ENB to the second load controller 330. When the maximum block load BLD2 is less than the critical block load CBLD, the block load comparison part 320 can generate a third output image data ODAT3 based on the input image data IDAT. The third output image data ODAT3 can be provided to the data driver 120.

[0062] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the second load controller 330 can include a block load difference calculator 331, a power control curve generator 332, and a load controller 333.

[0063] The second load controller 330 can be activated according to the second power control enable signal D_NPC ENB. For example, when the maximum block load BLD2 is greater than or equal to the critical block load CBLD, the second load controller 330 can be activated. Alternatively, when the maximum block load BLD2 is less than the critical block load CBLD, the second load controller 330 can be deactivated.

[0064] When the second load controller 330 is activated, the block load difference calculator 331 can calculate a block load difference between the maximum block load and the block load of the panel block adjacent to the panel block having the maximum block load. For example, the block load difference calculator 331 can calculate a first block load difference BLDD1 between the first block load BLD1 and the maximum block load BLD2. Additionally or alternatively, the block load difference calculator 331 can calculate a second block load difference BLDD2 between the third block load BLD3 and the maximum block load BLD2. In an exemplary embodiment, the number of block load differences calculated by the block load difference calculator 331 can correspond to the number of panel blocks adjacent to the panel block having the maximum block load, without being limited to two. For example, if the first block load BLD1 is the maximum block load, the block load difference calculator 331 can calculate one block load difference.

[0065] The power control curve generator 332 can generate a second power control curve (e.g., D_NPC) based on the maximum block load BLD2, the first block load difference BLDD1, and the second block load difference BLDD2. Figure 9

[0066] The load controller 333 can generate second output image data ODAT2 based on the input image data IDAT and the second power control curve. The second output image data ODAT2 can be provided to the data driver 120. Accordingly, if the input image data IDAT would cause any block load to exceed the critical block load CBLD if driven to the display panel 100, the second panel load controller 300 can prevent damage to the display panel 100 by intercepting the input image data IDAT and providing the output image data ODAT2 that will prevent any block from reaching the critical block load CBLD. The second power control curve will be described with reference to Figure 9

[0067] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0068] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , in the method of operating the display apparatus 1000, a panel load PLD of the display panel 110 can be calculated based on input image data IDAT (S110). When the panel load PLD is greater than or equal to a critical panel load CPLD (S120: Yes), first output image data ODAT1 can be generated based on the input image data IDAT and a first power control curve (S130).

[0069] ​​When the panel load PLD is less than the critical panel load CPLD (S120:NO), the first block load BLD1 of the first panel block PB1, the second block load BLD2 of the second panel block PB2, the third block load BLD3 of the third panel block PB3, and the fourth block load BLD4 of the fourth panel block PB4 can be calculated based on the input image data IDAT (S140). The maximum block load BLD2 among the first block load BLD1, the second block load BLD2, the third block load BLD3, and the fourth block load BLD4 can be determined (S150). When the maximum block load BLD2 is less than the critical block load CBLD (S160:NO), the third output image data ODAT3 can be generated based on the input image data IDAT (S170).

[0070] When the maximum block load BLD2 is greater than or equal to the critical block load CBLD (S160:YES), the first block load difference BLDD1 and the second block load difference BLDD2 can be calculated (S180). For example, when the second block load BLD2 of the second panel block PB2 is the maximum block load, the first block load difference BLDD1 can be a difference between the second block load BLD2 and the first block load BLD1, and the second block load difference BLDD2 can be a difference between the second block load BLD2 and the third block load BLD3. The second power control curve can be generated based on the maximum block load BLD2, the first block load difference BLDD1, and the second block load difference BLDD2 (S190). The second output image data ODAT2 can be generated based on the input image data IDAT and the second power control curve (S200).

[0071] Figure 7 is a graph illustrating an example of a display panel included in a display apparatus of Figure 1 . Figure 8 is a graph illustrating an example of a block load and a panel block included in a display panel of Figure 7 . Figure 9 is a graph illustrating a first power control curve and a second power control curve for driving a display panel of Figure 7 .

[0072] Referring to Figure 6 , Figure 7 , and Figure 8 , in an example case of the embodiments of the disclosure, based on the input image data IDAT, the panel load PLD of the display panel 110 can be calculated to be about 28% (S110). When the critical panel load CPLD is 30%, the panel load PLD can be less than the critical panel load CPLD (S120:NO). In this case, as Figure 8As shown, the first block load BLD1, the second block load BLD2, the third block load BLD3, and the fourth block load BLD4 can be calculated based on the input image data IDAT (S140). For example, the first block load BLD1 can be approximately 2%, the second block load BLD2 can be approximately 21%, the third block load BLD3 can be approximately 5%, and the fourth block load BLD4 can be 0%. The maximum block load BLD2 among the first block load BLD1, the second block load BLD2, the third block load BLD3, and the fourth block load BLD4 can be determined (S150). When the critical block load CBLD is approximately 20%, the maximum block load BLD2 can be greater than or equal to the critical block load CBLD (S160: Yes). In this case, the first block load difference BLDD1 and the second block load difference BLDD2 can be calculated (S180). For example, the first block load difference BLDD1 can be 19% (=21%-2%), and the second block load difference BLDD2 can be 16% (=21%-5%).

[0073] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 This can generate a second power control curve D_NPC(S190). For example, Figure 9 The x-axis of the graph shown can represent the panel load PLD. The y-axis of the graph can represent the scaling factor SF. For example, the scaling factor SF can correspond to scaling the brightness of the image displayed on the display panel 110, the power consumed by the display panel 110, the drive current flowing through the display panel 110, etc.

[0074] The first power control curve NPC can be set during the manufacturing process of the display device 1000. For example, as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, when the critical panel load CPLD is set to 30% and the panel load PLD is calculated to be approximately 28%, the scaling factor SF can have a value of 1. When the panel load PLD is greater than or equal to the critical panel load CPLD, the scaling factor SF can decrease as the panel load PLD increases. In embodiments of this disclosure, when the panel load PLD is greater than the critical panel load CPLD, the product of the panel load PLD and the scaling factor SF can be constant. For example, when the critical panel load CPLD is set to 30% and the panel load PLD is calculated to be approximately 50%, the scaling factor SF can have a value of 0.6. Additionally, when the panel load PLD is calculated to be approximately 60%, the scaling factor SF can have a value of 0.5. Furthermore, when the panel load PLD is calculated to be approximately 100%, the scaling factor SF can have a value of 0.3. Therefore, in each of these cases, the panel load will be 30% after scaling.

[0075] The second power control curve D_NPC can be generated while driving the display apparatus 1000. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the scaling factor SF can have a value of 1 when the maximum block load BLD2 is less than the critical block load CBLD. The scaling factor SF can decrease as the panel load PLD increases when the maximum block load BLD2 is greater than the critical block load CBLD.

[0076] In an example, in the second power control curve D_NPC, the point (a) at which the scaling factor SF becomes less than 1 can be set between a point (b) corresponding to the maximum block load difference and a point (c) corresponding to the minimum block load difference. The maximum block load difference can be calculated according to the number of panel blocks included in the display panel 110. For example, when the display panel 110 includes four panel blocks, the maximum block load that can be applied to one panel block is 25%, and thus the maximum block load difference can be 25%. The minimum block load difference can be a difference between the critical panel load CPBL and the maximum block load difference. For example, when the critical panel load CPBL is 30% and the maximum block load difference is 25%, the minimum block load difference can be 5%. The point (a) at which the scaling factor SF becomes less than 1 can be set to correspond to a larger block load difference between the first block load difference BLDD1 and the second block load difference BLDD2, and can be set to 19% which is larger than 19% and 16%. The point (a) can approach the point (c) as the larger block load difference decreases, and can approach the point (b) as the larger block load difference increases. When the panel load PLD calculated from the input image data IDAT is about 100%, the scaling factor SF of the first power control curve NPC and the scaling factor SF of the second power control curve D_NPC can be the same.

[0077] In the method of operating the display apparatus 1000, when the panel load PLD is greater than the critical panel load CPLD, the power consumed by the display panel 110 can be reduced based on the first power control curve NPC. Accordingly, the panel load PLD can be reduced, and the heat generation of the display panel 110 due to the panel load PLD can be reduced. In addition, when the panel load PLD is less than the critical panel load CPLD and the maximum block load BLD2 is greater than the critical block load CBLD, the power consumed by the display panel 110 can be reduced based on the second power control curve D_NPC. In other words, the power can be controlled even when the panel load PLD is less than the critical panel load CPLD. Accordingly, in the display apparatus 1000, the panel load PLD can be reduced even when the panel load PLD is less than the critical panel load CPLD, and damage to the display panel 110 can be prevented.

[0078] While certain embodiments and implementations of the present disclosure have been described herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparent from this description. Accordingly, the inventive concept is not limited to these embodiments.

Claims

1. A display device, the display device comprising: The display panel includes multiple panel blocks; The block load calculator calculates the block load of the multiple panel blocks based on the input image data and determines the maximum block load among the block loads. A block load comparison unit determines whether the maximum block load is less than a critical block load, and when the maximum block load is less than the critical block load, generates first output image data based on the input image data; and A first load controller generates a first power control curve when the maximum block load is greater than or equal to the critical block load, and generates second output image data based on the input image data and the first power control curve. Specifically, when the maximum block load is greater than or equal to the critical block load, the block load comparison unit transmits a first power control enable signal to the first load controller, and the first load controller is activated according to the first power control enable signal to generate the first power control curve. The first load controller includes: The block load difference calculator calculates the first block load difference between the first block load of the first panel block and the maximum block load, and calculates the second load difference between the second block load of the second panel block and the maximum block load; A power control curve generator generates the first power control curve based on the maximum block load, the first block load difference, and the second block load difference; and The load controller generates the second output image data based on the input image data and the first power control curve. Wherein, the first panel block and the second panel block are adjacent to the panel block having the maximum block load, and The point where the scaling factor of the first power control curve becomes less than 1 is set to correspond to the larger load difference between the first load difference and the second load difference.

2. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: A panel load calculator calculates the panel load of the display panel based on the input image data; as well as The panel load comparison unit compares the panel load with the critical panel load.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein, If the panel load is less than the critical panel load, the block load calculator calculates the block load and determines the maximum block load.

4. The display device according to claim 2, wherein, If the panel load is greater than or equal to the critical panel load, the block load calculator does not calculate the block load.

5. The display device according to claim 2, further comprising: The second load controller generates third output image data based on the input image data and the second power control curve when the panel load is greater than or equal to the critical panel load.

6. A method of operating a display device, the method comprising the following steps: Calculate the block load of the panel block based on the input image data; Determine the maximum block load among the block loads; When the maximum block load is less than the critical block load, first output image data is generated based on the input image data; as well as When the maximum block load is greater than or equal to the critical block load, a first power control enable signal is input to calculate the first block load difference between the first block load of the first panel block and the maximum block load, and the second load difference between the second block load of the second panel block and the maximum block load. A first power control curve is generated based on the maximum block load, the first load difference, and the second load difference. And second output image data is generated based on the input image data and the first power control curve. Wherein, the first panel block and the second panel block are adjacent to the panel block having the maximum block load, and The point where the scaling factor of the first power control curve becomes less than 1 is set to correspond to the larger load difference between the first load difference and the second load difference.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the following step: Before the step of calculating the block load of the panel block based on the input image data, Calculate the panel load of the display panel based on the input image data; and Compare the panel load with the critical panel load.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, When the panel load is less than the critical panel load, the step of calculating the block load of the panel block based on the input image data is performed.

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