Electronic device and control method thereof

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes: a memory storing an input image; a backlight unit; a driver configured to output a driving current to the backlight unit; and a processor configured to: identify a time interval for applying a current among a plurality of time intervals based on values ​​of a plurality of first bits among a plurality of bits representing a grayscale value of the input image, and control the driver to change the magnitude of the current in one of the plurality of time intervals based on at least one second bit that is a remaining bit among the plurality of bits except the plurality of first bits, wherein the number of the plurality of time intervals is determined based on the number of the plurality of first bits.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an electronic device for driving a backlight unit and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Recently, according to the development of electronic technology, the image quality of the display device has been improved. According to the method for improving the image quality, the number of light emitting elements included in the backlight unit is increased. As the number of light emitting elements increases, the number of pixels covered by one light emitting element decreases, and therefore, the color to be represented by each pixel can be more accurately represented.

[0003] One of the methods of controlling the backlight unit includes driving each light emitting device individually. However, there is a problem that resources for individual driving increase as the number of light emitting devices increases.

[0004] Another method of controlling the backlight unit includes using an active matrix (AM) scheme or a passive matrix (PM) scheme. Both schemes are the same in that a plurality of light emitting elements are sequentially controlled by a gate control signal, but the AM scheme differs from the PM scheme in that a holding element is also included, and when a gate control signal is applied to keep the light emitting, a capacitor of the holding element is charged.

[0005] However, for the AM scheme and the PM scheme, when the number of light-emitting devices increases, there is a problem that the time for driving one light-emitting element is shortened. That is, it may not be possible to ensure sufficient time for pulse width modulation (PWM) control. As the number of bits representing the grayscale value of the input image increases, there is a problem that it is difficult to control PWM.

[0006] Alternatively, the backlight unit may be controlled by pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) control, but recently, the light emitting device is implemented as a light emitting diode (LED), and the wavelength of the LED varies according to the current. Figure 1a As shown, if the amplitude of the current changes, the wavelength changes, and the color coordinates are deformed as shown in Figure 1b In this case, there may be problems with generating color spots at each location or damaging the basic integrity of the display.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method of driving a backlight unit while minimizing wavelength variation. Summary of the invention

[0008] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device and a control method thereof for effectively driving a backlight unit while ensuring color uniformity are provided.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a memory storing an image; a backlight unit; a driver configured to output a driving current to the backlight unit; and a processor configured to: identify a first time interval for applying a first current among multiple time intervals based on values ​​of multiple first bits among multiple bits corresponding to grayscale values ​​of the image; and control the driver to change an amplitude of a second current of a second time interval among multiple time intervals based on at least one second bit among the multiple bits that is different from the multiple first bits, wherein the number of the multiple time intervals is based on the number of the multiple first bits.

[0010] The processor may be further configured to identify the plurality of first bits based on a bit order of each bit of the plurality of bits.

[0011] The processor may be further configured to control the driver to apply a first current of a first amplitude during a first time interval, and to apply a second current having a second amplitude equal to or lower than the first amplitude during a second time interval.

[0012] The second magnitude of the second current may be determined by raising the number of the at least one second bit to a power of 2.

[0013] The processor can also be configured to: based on the grayscale value of the image being less than a threshold, control the driver to avoid applying current in the remaining time intervals of the multiple time intervals except the second time interval, and apply a second current with a second amplitude less than the first amplitude in the second time interval.

[0014] The processor may include a timing controller configured to output digital data corresponding to a grayscale value of an image, wherein the driver may include a driver integrated circuit (IC) configured to output a driving current in an analog format based on the digital data.

[0015] The driver may further include a pixel IC configured to amplify a driving current output from the driver IC and output the amplified driving current to the backlight unit.

[0016] The pixel IC can output the amplified driving current in the hold state.

[0017] The driver IC may include an interface capable of driving a predetermined number of times or more per frame.

[0018] The number of the plurality of time intervals may be calculated by raising the number of the plurality of first bits to the power of 2.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a control method for an electronic device is provided, the method comprising: identifying a first time interval for applying a first current among multiple time intervals based on values ​​of multiple first bits among multiple bits corresponding to grayscale values ​​of an image; changing an amplitude of a second current of a second time interval among the multiple time intervals based on at least one second bit among the multiple bits that is different from the multiple first bits; and outputting a driving current to a backlight unit based on the first current and the second current, wherein the number of the multiple time intervals is determined based on the number of the multiple first bits.

[0020] The method may further include identifying a plurality of first bits based on a bit order of each of the plurality of bits.

[0021] Outputting may include applying a first current having a first amplitude during a first time interval, and applying a current having a second amplitude lower than or equal to the first amplitude during a second time interval.

[0022] The second magnitude of the second current may be determined by raising the number of the at least one second bit to a power of 2.

[0023] The output may include: based on the grayscale value of the image being less than a threshold, avoiding applying the current in the remaining time intervals except the second time interval among the plurality of time intervals, and applying a second current having a second amplitude less than the first amplitude in the second time interval.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a memory configured to store one or more instructions; and a processor configured to execute the one or more instructions to perform the following operations: performing pulse width modulation (PWM) based on multiple first bits among multiple bits corresponding to the grayscale values ​​of an image to control a driver to output a driving current to a backlight unit; and performing pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) based on one or more second bits among the multiple bits, the one or more second bits being different from the multiple first bits.

[0025] The processor may be further configured to perform PWM by identifying one or more first time intervals among the plurality of time intervals based on the first values ​​of the plurality of first bits.

[0026] The processor may be further configured to perform PAM by identifying a magnitude of a current to be applied to the backlight unit based on the second value of the one or more second bits.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: performing pulse width modulation (PWM) based on multiple first bits among multiple bits corresponding to grayscale values ​​of an image to control a driver to output a driving current to a backlight unit; and performing pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) based on one or more second bits among the multiple bits, the one or more second bits being different from the multiple first bits.

[0028] Performing PWM may include identifying one or more first time intervals among the plurality of time intervals based on first values ​​of the plurality of first bits, and performing PAM may include identifying a magnitude of current to be applied to the backlight unit based on second values ​​of the one or more second bits.

[0029] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, the electronic device controls the backlight unit to be PWM controlled using only a portion of the bits representing the grayscale value of the input image, so that color uniformity can be ensured even if the number of bits of the grayscale value is increased or the light emitting elements to be controlled are increased.

[0030] The electronic device may increase the representation of the gray value by controlling the backlight unit through the PAM by using the remaining bits among the bits representing the gray value of the input image. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of some embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] Figure 1a and Figure 1b is a graph showing a change in LED wavelength based on current according to a related art method;

[0033] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figures 3a to 3e is a diagram showing a driving current according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 4a and Figure 4b is a diagram showing color coordinates according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 5a and Figure 5b is a diagram showing a driver IC and a pixel IC according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a driver IC according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0038] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an electronic device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified in various ways. Therefore, specific exemplary embodiments are shown in the drawings and are described in detail in the specific embodiments. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to specific exemplary embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents and substitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, since known functions or configurations may obscure the present disclosure with unnecessary details, they are not described in detail.

[0040] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] The terms used in the specification and claims are general terms identified in consideration of the functions of the various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. However, these terms may vary according to the intentions of technicians in the relevant fields, technical interpretations, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Some terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and their meanings will be described in the specific embodiments. Unless there is a specific definition of a term, the term may be interpreted based on the overall content and the technical understanding of technicians in the relevant fields.

[0042] In this specification, the expressions “have”, “may have”, “include” or “may include” etc. indicate the existence of corresponding features (for example, components such as quantity, function, operation or parts), and do not exclude the existence of additional features.

[0043] The expression “at least one of A or / and B” should be understood to mean any one of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0044] As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like may refer to various components regardless of order and / or importance, and may be used to distinguish one component from another without limiting the component.

[0045] Unless otherwise specified, singular expressions include plural expressions. It should be understood that terms such as "including" or "consisting of..." are used herein to indicate the existence of characteristics, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof, without excluding the possibility of the existence or addition of one or more other characteristics, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof.

[0046] In the present disclosure, the term “user” may refer to a person using an electronic device or a device using an electronic device (eg, an artificial intelligence (AI) electronic device).

[0047] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] The electronic device 100 is a device for controlling a backlight unit, and may be a device including a display panel, such as a TV, a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a video wall, a large display (LFD), a digital signage, a digital information display (DID), a projector display, a digital video disk (DVD) player, a smart phone, a tablet PC, a monitor, smart glasses, a smart watch, etc. In addition, the device may directly display the obtained graphic image on the display panel.

[0050] The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and therefore, according to another exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 may be a device detachably attached to a display panel, and any device that can control a backlight unit may be used.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the electronic device 100 includes a memory 110 , a backlight unit 120 , a driver 130 , and a processor 140 .

[0052] The memory 110 can store information (e.g., data) as hardware in an electrical or magnetic form that can be accessed by the processor 140, etc., and the memory 110 can be implemented as at least one of a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), etc.

[0053] The memory 110 may store at least one instruction, program or data for the operation of the electronic device 100 or the processor 140. The instruction is a code unit that instructs the operation of the electronic device 100 or the processor 140, and may be written in a machine language that can be understood by a computer. A module may be an instruction set of a series of instructions that perform a specific task of a task unit.

[0054] The memory 110 may store data in bit units or byte units as information, and the information may represent characters, numbers, images, etc. For example, the memory 110 may store information on an input image.

[0055] The memory 110 may be accessed by the processor 140 , and the processor 140 may perform read / write / modify / update, etc. for instructions, modules, or data.

[0056] The backlight unit 120 generates light and provides the light to the display panel. The backlight unit 120 may include one or more light emitting devices and may be disposed on a rear surface of the display panel so that the display panel displays an image and emits light to the display panel.

[0057] The light emitting device may emit light as a light source. The light emitting device may be implemented as a light emitting diode (LED), and may emit light by receiving a current output by the driver 130.

[0058] The driver 130 may output driving current to the backlight unit 120 under the control of the processor 140. The driving current is in the form of a combination of a pulse width modulation (PWM) type and a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) type. The operation of the processor 140 will be described in detail below.

[0059] The processor 140 may control the operation of the electronic device 100. Specifically, the processor 140 may be connected to each configuration of the electronic device 100 to generally control the operation of the electronic device 100. For example, the processor 140 may be connected to configurations such as the memory 110, the backlight unit 120, and the driver 130 to control the operation of the electronic device 100.

[0060] According to an example embodiment, the processor 140 according to the embodiment may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a timing controller (TCON). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and therefore, according to another example embodiment, the processor may include, for example, but not limited to, one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a microprocessing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), an ARM processor, etc., or may be defined by corresponding terms. In addition, the processor 140 may be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) or a large-scale integration (LSI) embedded with a processing algorithm, and may be implemented in the form of a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0061] The processor 140 may identify a time interval to apply the current among the plurality of time intervals based on the values ​​of the plurality of first bits among the plurality of bits representing the grayscale value of the input image, and may control the driver 130 to change the magnitude of the current in one of the plurality of time intervals based on at least one second bit that is the remaining bits among the plurality of bits except the plurality of first bits. The number of the plurality of time intervals may be determined based on the number of the plurality of first bits.

[0062] For example, when the gray value of the input image is represented by 5 bits, the processor 140 can use 3 bits of the 5 bits as multiple first bits. The processor 140 can identify the time interval to which the current is to be applied in multiple time intervals based on the value of the first bit. In addition, the processor 140 can identify the remaining 2 bits of the 5 bits as the second bit, and control the driver 130 to change the amplitude of the current in one of the multiple time intervals based on the remaining 2 bits. The number of multiple time intervals can be 2 to the power of multiple first bits. That is, the number of multiple time intervals can be calculated by taking 2 as the base and the number of multiple first bits as the power. For example, the number of multiple time intervals can be 8, because 2 to the power of 3 is equal to 8. The processor 140 can identify the time interval in which the current flows based on the value of 3 bits during eight time intervals. However, example embodiments are not limited thereto, and the number of bits of the gray value of the input image, the number of first bits, and the number of second bits can be different from each other.

[0063] The processor 140 may identify the first bits based on the bit order of each of the bits. In the above example, if the grayscale value of the input image is 11100, the processor 140 may identify 111 as the first bits and may identify 00 having a low bit order as the second bits.

[0064] The processor 140 may control the driver 130 to apply a current of a first amplitude during one or more first time intervals in a set of first time intervals identifiable based on the first bit, and to apply a current less than or equal to the first amplitude during a second time interval different from the set of first time intervals. The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and therefore, according to another example embodiment, the second time interval may be a set of second time intervals. In the above example, the processor 140 may control the driver 130 to apply a current of a first amplitude during seven time intervals based on 111, and to apply a current of a second amplitude during an eighth time interval. According to an example embodiment, as Figures 3a to 3e As shown, a set of first time intervals may correspond to seven time intervals T0 to T6, and a set of second time intervals may correspond to an eighth time interval T7.

[0065] The processor 140 may control the driver 130 to apply a current less than or equal to the first amplitude during the second time interval (i.e., the eighth time interval T7) based on at least one second bit of 2. In the above example, assuming that the current of the first amplitude is 4 mA, the processor 140 may control the driver 130 to apply one of 1 mA, 2 mA, 3 mA, and 4 mA based on 4 (because 2 to the power of 2 is equal to 4, where the second bit is 00). The processor 140 may select one of the four currents based on the second bit. In the above example, since the second bit is 00, the processor 140 may control the driver 130 to apply a current of 1 mA during the second time interval.

[0066] According to an example embodiment, when the gray value of the input image is less than the threshold value, the processor 140 may control the driver 130 to apply a current having a second amplitude less than the first amplitude during one of the plurality of time intervals, and not to apply the current during the remaining time intervals except the time interval in which the current is applied among the plurality of time intervals. According to an example embodiment, if the gray value of the input image is less than 00100, the processor 140 may not apply the current during the remaining time intervals except one of the plurality of time intervals in which the current is applied. For example, if the gray value of the input image is 00010, the processor 140 may control the driver 130 to apply a current of 2 mA in one time interval, and not to apply the current during the remaining time intervals except one of the plurality of time intervals.

[0067] The processor 140 may include a timing controller (TCON) for outputting digital data corresponding to a grayscale value of an input image, and the driver 130 may include a driver IC for outputting an analog driving current based on the digital data.

[0068] The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the timing controller may be included in the driver 130. The timing controller may be implemented as one hardware with a timing controller of a display panel.

[0069] The driver IC may include an interface that can be driven more than a predetermined number of times per frame. For example, the driver IC may include an interface that can be driven more than 32 times per frame.

[0070] The driver 130 may further include a pixel IC that amplifies the driving current output from the driver IC and outputs the amplified driving current to the backlight unit 120. The pixel IC may output the amplified driving current in a holding state.

[0071] The present embodiment is not limited thereto, and the driver 130 may be implemented with only a driver IC, in which case a driving current output from the driver IC may be provided to the backlight unit 120. Alternatively, the driver IC and the pixel IC may be implemented as one hardware.

[0072] As described above, although the grayscale value of the input image is 5 bits, the processor 140 can effectively control the backlight unit 120 even if the light emitting devices increase because the 5-bit data value can be represented by 8 time intervals instead of 32 time intervals.

[0073] In addition, 7 of the 8 time intervals may or may not output a current of the first amplitude, and only one time interval may output a current less than or equal to the first amplitude. Therefore, only one time interval may cause a change in wavelength, but the change in wavelength can be significantly reduced compared to the case of using PAM control.

[0074] Assuming that the grayscale value of the input image is 5 bits, the value can be implemented with other bit numbers. It has been described that 3 bits of the 5-bit grayscale value of the input image are the first bit and 2 bits are the second bit, but this can be changed differently according to the specifications required when implementing the electronic device 100.

[0075] Hereinafter, the operation of the electronic device 100 will be described in more detail with reference to various drawings. Each exemplary embodiment in the following drawings may be implemented individually or may be implemented in combination.

[0076] Figures 3a to 3e is a diagram showing a driving current according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 3a to 3e In FIG. 1 , it is assumed that the grayscale value of the input image is 5 bits, and the upper 3 bits are the first bits and the lower 2 bits are the second bits. It is assumed that the current of the first amplitude is 4 mA.

[0077] Figure 3a It is shown that the grayscale value of the input image is 00000, and the processor 140 can control the driver 130 to output a current of 1 mA during the time interval 7 based on the lower bit 00, and not apply a current in the time intervals 0 to 6 based on the upper bit 000.

[0078] refer to Figure 3b , when the grayscale value of the input image is 00011, the processor 140 can control the driver 130 to output a current of 4 mA during time interval 7 based on the lower bit 11, and not apply current during time intervals 0 to 6 based on the upper bit 000.

[0079] refer to Figure 3c , when the grayscale value of the input image is 00100, the processor 140 can control the driver 130 to output a current of 4 mA during time interval 6 based on the upper bit 001 without applying current in time intervals 0 to 5, and to output a current of 1 mA in time interval 7 based on the lower bit 00.

[0080] refer to Figure 3d , when the grayscale value of the input image is 11110, the processor 140 can control the driver 130 to output a current of 4 mA during time intervals 0-6 based on the upper bit 111, and can output a current of 3 mA during time interval 7 based on the lower bit 10.

[0081] refer to Figure 3e , when the grayscale value of the input image is 11111, the processor 140 can control the driver 130 to output a current of 4 mA in time intervals 0 to 6 based on the upper bit 111, and to output a current of 4 mA in time interval 7 based on the lower bit 11.

[0082] refer to Figures 3a to 3e Although time interval 7 is described as being controlled by PAM, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a time interval controlled by PAM is sufficient as any one of time intervals 0 to 7.

[0083] Figure 4a and Figure 4b is a diagram showing color coordinates according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] exist Figures 3a to 3e In the example, when outputting current during time intervals 0 to 6, only 4 mA of current may be output, so the same wavelength may be maintained. During time interval 7, a current having a different amplitude instead of 4 mA may be output, so that the wavelength may be deformed, but this is only one of a total of 8 time intervals, so the problem of wavelength deformation can be minimized.

[0085] As the number of bits representing the grayscale value of the input image increases, the problem of wavelength distortion is further reduced. For example, when the grayscale value of the input image is represented by 7 bits and 5 bits are used as the first bit, the number of total time intervals is 32, but even in this case, the time interval controlled by PAM is one, so the problem of wavelength distortion is further reduced.

[0086] like Figure 4a As shown, the color coordinates are not substantially deformed. Figure 4a The low grayscale part of the image is obtained Figure 4b In the image, the color coordinates may be slightly different, but since the low-grayscale part is not sensitive to color, no color spots will occur.

[0087] Figure 5a and Figure 5b is a diagram illustrating a driver IC and a pixel IC according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0088] like Figure 5aAs shown, the timing controller may be implemented as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and may output digital data corresponding to a grayscale value of an input image to each of a plurality of driver ICs.

[0089] Each of the plurality of driver ICs may provide a gate control signal and a drive current to a plurality of pixel ICs, such as Figure 5b Each of the plurality of driver ICs may output an analog driving current corresponding to each of the plurality of pixel ICs based on the digital data.

[0090] Each of the plurality of pixel ICs may amplify a driving current output from a corresponding driver IC and output the amplified driving current to the backlight unit. Each of the plurality of pixel ICs may output the amplified driving current in a holding state.

[0091] Figure 5a and Figure 5b The timing controller, the plurality of driver ICs, and the plurality of pixel ICs shown are exemplary and may be implemented in other forms.

[0092] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a driver IC according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0093] exist Figure 6 In the interval 610 of , the maximum (Max) current is determined in conjunction with analog DVGMA 8 (10 bits), and the linearity characteristic of each grayscale can be adjusted by DVGMA 1-7 (digital gamma). All channels in the driver IC can share the interval 610.

[0094] In interval 620, the 10 bits to be output may be determined and a linear compensation algorithm for the LED may be applied.

[0095] Figure 6 The circuit configuration shown is merely an example embodiment, and the driver IC may be implemented in various forms.

[0096] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an electronic device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0097] According to an example embodiment, in operation S710, a time interval in which a current is applied among a plurality of time intervals is identified based on the value of a plurality of first bits among a plurality of bits representing a grayscale value of an input image. In operation S720, a driving current is output to a backlight unit by changing the magnitude of the current of a time interval among the plurality of time intervals based on at least one second bit, wherein the second bit is the remaining bits among the plurality of bits except the plurality of first bits. The number of the plurality of time intervals may be determined based on the number of the plurality of first bits.

[0098] The method may also include identifying a plurality of first bits based on a bit order of each of the plurality of bits.

[0099] According to example embodiments, in operation S720, the output drive current may include applying a current of a first amplitude during one or more first time intervals in a set of first time intervals identifiable based on a first bit, and applying a current less than or equal to the first amplitude during a second time interval different from the set of first time intervals.

[0100] The output of operation S720 may include applying a current of the first magnitude or less based on at least one second bit raised to a power of 2. That is, the number of the plurality of time intervals may be calculated by raising the number of the plurality of first bits to a power of 2.

[0101] The output of operation S720 may include: based on the grayscale value of the input image being less than the threshold, not applying current in the remaining time intervals among the multiple time intervals except the time interval in which the current is to be applied, and applying a current of a second amplitude less than the first amplitude in the time interval in which the current is to be applied.

[0102] In operation S710 , digital data corresponding to a grayscale value of an input image may be output by the timing controller TCON, and in operation S720 of outputting a driving current, an analog type driving current may be output by the driver IC based on the digital data.

[0103] In operation S720 of outputting the driving current, the driving current output from the driver IC may be amplified by the pixel IC and the amplified driving current may be output to the backlight unit.

[0104] In operation S720 of outputting the driving current, the amplified driving current may be output in a holding state.

[0105] The number of the plurality of time intervals may be a power of the plurality of first bits raised to a power of 2. That is, the number of the plurality of time intervals may be calculated by raising the number of the plurality of first bits to a power of 2.

[0106] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, the electronic device controls the backlight unit to be PWM controlled using only a portion of the bits representing the grayscale value of the input image, so that color uniformity can be ensured even if the number of bits of the grayscale value is increased or the light emitting elements to be controlled are increased.

[0107] The electronic device may increase the representation of the gray value by controlling the backlight unit through the PAM by using the remaining bits among the bits representing the gray value of the input image.

[0108] The various example embodiments described above may be implemented as software including instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium that is readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). As a device that calls stored instructions from a storage medium and can operate according to the called instructions, the device may include an electronic device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. When an instruction is executed by a processor, the processor may directly perform a function corresponding to the instruction using other components, or may perform the function under the control of the processor. The instruction may include code generated or executed by a compiler or interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. "Non-transitory" means that the storage medium does not contain signals and is tangible, but does not distinguish whether the data is stored in the storage medium semi-permanently or temporarily.

[0109] According to example embodiments, a method according to one or more embodiments may be provided, including a computer program product. The computer program product may be exchanged between sellers and buyers as a commodity. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or through an application store (e.g., PLAYSTORE TM ) Online distribution. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable application) may be at least temporarily stored in a storage medium such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server, or may be temporarily generated.

[0110] The various exemplary embodiments described above can be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware to be readable by a computer or a computer-like device. In some cases, the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by a processor itself. According to software implementation, the exemplary embodiments such as the processing and functions described herein can be implemented with separated software modules. Each software module can perform one or more functions and operations described herein.

[0111] According to the various exemplary embodiments described above, computer instructions for executing processing operations of the devices according to the various exemplary embodiments described above may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. When the computer instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium are executed by a processor of a specific device, the specific device may be caused to perform processing operations on the devices according to the various exemplary embodiments described above. A non-transitory computer-readable medium does not refer to a medium (such as a register, a cache, a memory, etc.) that stores data for a short period of time, but refers to a medium that stores data semi-permanently and can be used to be read by a device. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be a CD, a DVD, a hard disk, a Blu-ray disc, a USB, a memory card, a ROM, etc.

[0112] Each element (e.g., module or program) according to various example embodiments may be composed of a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the above-mentioned sub-elements may be omitted, or different sub-elements may be further included in various example embodiments. Alternatively or additionally, some elements (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into one entity to perform the same or similar functions performed by each corresponding element before integration. According to various example embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or another element may be performed sequentially in a parallel, repeated, or heuristic manner, or may be performed in a different order, at least some operations may be omitted, or different operations may be added.

[0113] Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the true spirit and full scope of the present disclosure, including the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: Memory, storing images; Backlight unit; A driver configured to output a driving current to the backlight unit; as well as The processor is configured as: identifying a first time interval for applying the first current among the plurality of time intervals based on values ​​of a plurality of first bits among a plurality of bits corresponding to the grayscale value of the image, and controlling the driver to change the magnitude of the second current of a second time interval of the plurality of time intervals based on at least one second bit of the plurality of bits that is different from the plurality of first bits, The number of the multiple time intervals is based on the number of the multiple first bits.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to identify the plurality of first bits based on a bit order of each bit in the plurality of bits.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to control the driver to apply a first current having a first amplitude during the first time interval, and to apply a second current having a second amplitude equal to or lower than the first amplitude during the second time interval.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein: The second amplitude of the second current is determined by raising the number of the at least one second bit to a power of 2.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein: The processor is also configured to: based on the grayscale value of the image being less than a threshold, control the driver to avoid applying current in the remaining time intervals of the multiple time intervals except the second time interval, and apply a second current with a second amplitude less than the first amplitude in the second time interval.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor comprises: a timing controller configured to output digital data corresponding to the grayscale value of the image, and The driver includes: a driver integrated circuit IC configured to output the driving current in an analog format based on the digital data.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein: The driver further comprises: The pixel IC is configured to amplify the driving current output from the driver IC and output the amplified driving current to the backlight unit.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein: The pixel IC outputs the amplified driving current in a holding state.

9. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein: The driver IC includes an interface capable of driving a predetermined number of times or more per frame.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The number of the plurality of time intervals is determined by raising the number of the plurality of first bits to a power of 2.

11. A method for controlling an electronic device, the method comprising: identifying, based on values ​​of a plurality of first bits among a plurality of bits corresponding to grayscale values ​​of the image, a first time interval in which the first current is applied among the plurality of time intervals; changing a magnitude of a second current for a second time interval in the plurality of time intervals based on at least one second bit in the plurality of bits that is different from the plurality of first bits; as well as outputting a driving current to a backlight unit based on the first current and the second current, The number of the multiple time intervals is determined based on the number of the multiple first bits.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: The plurality of first bits are identified based on a bit order of each bit of the plurality of bits.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The output includes applying a first current having a first amplitude during the first time interval, and applying a current having a second amplitude lower than or equal to the first amplitude during the second time interval.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The second amplitude of the second current is determined by raising the number of the at least one second bit to a power of 2.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The output includes: based on the grayscale value of the image being less than a threshold, avoiding applying current in the remaining time intervals of the plurality of time intervals except the second time interval, and applying a second current with a second amplitude less than the first amplitude in the second time interval.

Images