Data updating method and display module

Abstract

The application discloses a data updating method and a display module. The data updating method comprises the following steps: transmitting part of to-be-kept data located in a preset minimum operation unit of a first memory to the outside of the first memory to form first to-be-merged data; wherein the preset minimum operation unit stores at least part of to-be-updated data and at least part of to-be-kept data; updating the to-be-updated data in the first memory to form updated data; transmitting part of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit to the outside of the first memory to form second to-be-merged data; and writing data obtained by merging the second to-be-merged data and the first to-be-merged data into the preset minimum operation unit. The application can avoid loss of data which does not need to be updated during data updating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a data update method and a display module. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of display technology, the application of display modules is becoming more and more widespread, and the requirements for display modules are correspondingly becoming higher and higher.

[0003] However, in related technologies, data loss occurs when the display module updates data, resulting in poor subsequent display performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a data update method and a display module to avoid data loss that does not need to be updated during data updates.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a data update method is provided, comprising:

[0006] A portion of the data to be retained, located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory, is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form first data to be merged; wherein, the preset minimum operating unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained;

[0007] Update the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data;

[0008] The portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form the second data to be merged;

[0009] Write the data after merging the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged into the preset minimum operation unit.

[0010] Optionally, transferring a portion of the data to be retained, located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory, to outside the first memory to form the first data to be merged includes:

[0011] A portion of the data to be retained, located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory, is transferred to the driver chip to form the first data to be merged.

[0012] Optionally, before updating the data to be updated in the first memory, the method further includes:

[0013] The data to be retained, stored in at least one minimum operating unit outside the preset minimum operating unit in the first memory, is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form the third data to be merged;

[0014] After updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data, the process also includes:

[0015] Write the third data to be merged into at least one minimum operation unit in the first memory, excluding the preset minimum operation unit and / or the minimum operation unit storing the updated data;

[0016] Optionally, the first memory is external to a driver chip.

[0017] Optionally, transferring the portion of the updated data located in a preset minimum operating unit to an external memory to form a second set of data to be merged includes:

[0018] The portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit is transmitted to the driver chip to form the second data to be merged.

[0019] Optionally, the data to be updated includes firmware data; the data to be retained includes at least one of gamma data and display unevenness compensation data.

[0020] And / or, the minimum operating unit size is preset to one sector;

[0021] Optionally, the first memory is a flash memory;

[0022] Optionally, the data to be updated is stored in a first memory in a preset minimum operating unit and at least one minimum operating unit other than the preset minimum operating unit, and the updated data is stored in the first memory in a preset minimum operating unit and at least one minimum operating unit other than the preset minimum operating unit.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, a data update method is provided, comprising:

[0024] The portion of the data to be retained in the first memory located in the preset minimum operation unit is read to the driver chip to form the first data to be merged; wherein, the first memory includes multiple minimum operation units, and the preset minimum operation unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained;

[0025] The portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit in the first memory is read into the driver chip to form the second data to be merged.

[0026] The data resulting from merging the first and second data to be merged is written into the preset minimum operation unit.

[0027] Optionally, writing the merged data (the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged) into a preset minimum operation unit includes:

[0028] The first and second data to be merged are merged to form merged data;

[0029] Write the merged data into the preset minimum operation unit;

[0030] And / or, the minimum operating unit size is preset to one sector;

[0031] Optionally, the first memory is flash memory.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, a data update method is provided, comprising:

[0033] Read the data to be retained from the preset minimum operation unit in the first memory and store it to form the first data to be merged; wherein, the first memory includes a plurality of minimum operation units, and the preset minimum operation unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained;

[0034] Update the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data;

[0035] Read the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit and store it to form the second data to be merged;

[0036] Write the data after merging the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged into the preset minimum operation unit.

[0037] Optionally, updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data includes:

[0038] The updated data is burned into the first memory using a burning device;

[0039] And / or, the minimum operating unit size is preset to one sector;

[0040] Optionally, the first memory is flash memory.

[0041] According to another aspect of the present invention, a display module is provided for performing the data update method described above.

[0042] The technical solution of this invention employs a data update method comprising: transferring a portion of the data to be retained located in a preset minimum operating unit of a first memory to an external location to form first data to be merged; wherein the preset minimum operating unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained; updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form updated data; transferring a portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit to an external location to form second data to be merged; and writing the merged data of the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged into the preset minimum operating unit. In this embodiment, the preset minimum operating unit stores both at least a portion of the data to be retained and at least a portion of the data to be updated, thus avoiding space waste in the first memory. Furthermore, during data update, the data to be retained in the preset minimum operating unit is first read externally. After the data update is completed, the updated data in the preset minimum operating unit and the data to be retained stored externally are merged, and then written back into the preset minimum operating unit. This avoids the problem of data loss after data update, thereby saving gamma debugging time and / or display unevenness compensation debugging time.

[0043] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the invention. Other features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0044] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0045] Figure 1 A flowchart of a data update method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the data transmission process of a data update method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display module provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the data transmission process for another data update method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating yet another data update method provided in this embodiment of the invention;

[0050] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating yet another data update method provided in this embodiment of the invention;

[0051] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display module and a programming device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0053] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0054] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0055] In related technologies, data updates suffer from the problem of data loss that doesn't need to be updated. The inventors, through extensive research, discovered that this problem arises because in these technologies, all data in the display module is stored in dedicated memory, with sectors as the smallest unit of operation. If different types of data are stored in different sectors within the display module, updating one type of data will not affect the other. However, this method results in significant waste of storage space in the display module. While storing different types of data in the same sector in related technologies avoids this waste, updating one type of data will still affect the other, leading to the loss of unnecessary data.

[0056] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention proposes the following solutions:

[0057] Figure 1A flowchart of a data update method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the data transmission process of a data update method provided in an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 Data update methods include:

[0058] Step S110: A portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operating unit of the first memory is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form the first data to be merged; wherein, the preset minimum operating unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained.

[0059] For example, in response to a data retention instruction, the first memory 11 may transfer a portion of the data to be retained located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory to an external location (e.g., a processor, driver chip, etc. outside the first memory) to form a first data to be merged; wherein, the preset minimum operating unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained;

[0060] For example, the data update method in this embodiment is executed by the first memory 11 of the display module, wherein the first memory includes a plurality of minimum operation units. The preset minimum operation unit can be one of the plurality of minimum operation units in the first memory. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a display module provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The display module includes a first memory 11 and a driver chip 12. The first memory 11 is, for example, a flash memory located on the motherboard. The first memory 11 stores various types of data, such as various codes required to power on the display module; the data to be updated and the data to be retained are used to achieve different functions. The first memory 11 includes multiple minimum operating units, each of which is, for example, a sector. When writing data to the first memory, the minimum operating unit is used as the smallest unit of operation. That is, it is impossible to erase part of the data in the minimum operating unit; when erasing, all the data in the minimum operating unit will be erased. For example, Figure 2Taking the first memory 11, which includes a first sector 111, a second sector 112, and a third sector 113, as an example, the storage capacity of each sector is, for example, 4KB. The first memory 11 stores at least a portion of the data to be updated A1 and at least a portion of the data to be retained B in a preset minimum operating unit (which in this embodiment may be the second sector 112). The data to be updated A1 may be entirely located in the second sector 112, or partially located in the second sector 112 and partially located in the first sector 111. Optionally, the data to be updated is stored in the preset minimum operating unit and at least one minimum operating unit other than the preset minimum operating unit in the first memory. The data to be retained B may be entirely located in the second sector 112, or partially located in the second sector 112 and partially located in the third sector 113. The second sector 112 stores at least a portion of the data to be retained B and at least a portion of the data to be updated A1. The data to be updated A1 is the data that needs to be updated in the data update step, while the data to be retained B is the data that does not need to be updated. In this embodiment, the portion of the data B to be retained located in the second sector 112 (i.e., the preset minimum operating unit) is defined as the first sub-data to be retained B1, and the portion of the data B to be retained located in the third sector 113 is defined as the second sub-data to be retained B2. The portion of the data A1 to be updated located in the first sector 111 is defined as the first sub-data to be updated A11, and the portion of the data A1 to be updated located in the second sector 112 (i.e., the preset minimum operating unit) is defined as the second sub-data to be updated A12.

[0061] The first memory 11 can, according to a data retention instruction, transfer the portion of the data B to be retained located in a preset minimum operating unit (e.g., the first sub-data to be retained B1) to an external location, such as to the first storage space 201 of the second memory, and store it there. In other words, the first sub-data to be retained B1 is transferred to the second memory 201, and the first data to be merged is also the first sub-data to be retained B1 stored in the second memory 201. The second memory can be a random access memory (RAM), etc. The second sub-data to be retained B2 may not be transferred to an external location (e.g., a driver chip) for storage.

[0062] Step S120: Update the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data.

[0063] For example, in response to a data update instruction, the first memory 11 updates the data to be updated in the first memory to form updated data. Specifically, under the control of the data update instruction, the data to be updated A1 in the first memory 11 is updated to the updated data A2. The updated data A2 is located in the same position as the data to be updated A1 in the first memory 11, and the size is also the same. That is, if the data to be updated A1 is entirely stored in the second sector 112, then the updated data A2 is also entirely stored in the second sector 112; if the data to be updated A1 is partially stored in the first sector 111 and partially stored in the second sector 112, then the updated data A2 is also partially stored in the first sector 111 and partially stored in the second sector 112. Optionally, the updated data is stored in a preset minimum operating unit and at least one minimum operating unit other than the preset minimum operating unit in the first memory. In this embodiment, the portion of the updated data located in the first sector 111 is defined as the first sub-updated data A21, and the portion of the updated data A2 located in the second sector 112 (i.e., the preset minimum operation unit) is defined as the second sub-updated data A22.

[0064] Step S130: The portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form the second data to be merged.

[0065] For example, in response to a read instruction, the first memory 11 transfers a portion of the updated data located in a preset minimum operating unit to the outside of the first memory to form a second data to be merged.

[0066] Specifically, after the data to be updated A1 is updated to the updated data A2, there will be a portion of the second sector 112 without stored data, as well as a portion of the updated data A2. If data to be retained is subsequently written into the second sector 112, the data originally stored in the second sector 112 will be erased, that is, the updated data A2 in the second sector 112 will be erased. Therefore, in this embodiment, the updated data A2 (i.e., the second sub-updated data A22) in the second sector 112 is first copied to the outside of the first memory, for example, it can also be copied to the second memory, that is, the second data to be merged is the second sub-updated data A22 in the second memory.

[0067] Step S140: Write the data after merging the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged into a preset minimum operation unit.

[0068] For example, in response to a write instruction, the first memory 11 writes the data after merging the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged into a preset minimum operation unit.

[0069] Specifically, if the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged are written separately to the preset minimum operating unit, namely the second sector 112, since the data in the second sector 112 is erased before each write, the second data written will be retained in the second sector 112 after two separate writes. That is, if the first data to be merged is written first and then the second data to be merged is written, only the second data to be merged will exist in the second sector 112. If the second data to be merged is written first and then the first data to be merged is written, only the first data to be merged will exist in the second sector 112. In this embodiment, the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged have already been merged before the write instruction, and the merged data is referred to as merged data. When the first memory 11 writes the merged data, it will only perform one write, so that at least part of the updated data A2 and the data to be retained B can be written to the second sector 112 at once.

[0070] As can be seen from the above analysis, this embodiment can store different types of data (data to be kept and data to be updated) in a single minimum operating unit, and can avoid the loss of one type of data when updating another type of data, thereby saving gamma debugging time and / or display non-uniformity compensation (Demura) debugging time.

[0071] The technical solution of this embodiment employs a data update method comprising: transferring a portion of the data to be retained located in a preset minimum operating unit of a first memory to an external location to form first data to be merged; wherein the preset minimum operating unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained; updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form updated data; transferring a portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit to an external location to form second data to be merged; and writing the merged data of the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged into the preset minimum operating unit. In this embodiment, the preset minimum operating unit stores both at least a portion of the data to be retained and at least a portion of the data to be updated, thus avoiding space waste in the first memory. Furthermore, during data update, the data to be retained in the preset minimum operating unit is first read externally; after the data update is completed, the updated data in the preset minimum operating unit and the data to be retained stored externally are merged, and then written back into the preset minimum operating unit. This avoids the problem of data loss after data update, thereby saving gamma debugging time and / or display unevenness compensation debugging time.

[0072] Optionally, the data to be updated, A1, is, for example, firmware data, which is the various configuration codes required to power on the display module. During the manufacturing process of the display module, the firmware data corresponding to a batch of display modules is the same, thus the firmware data has multiple backups. Even if data is lost during an update, it is relatively easy to retrieve the firmware data. The data to be retained, B, includes, for example, at least one of gamma data and demura data. The data to be retained for each display module needs to be debugged individually, so it is generally not updated. If it is lost, the display module needs to be re-debugged, meaning that it is difficult to retrieve the data to be retained after it is lost.

[0073] Optionally, transferring a portion of the data to be retained located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory to the outside of the first memory to form the first data to be merged includes: transferring a portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operating unit to a driver chip to form the first data to be merged.

[0074] For example, in response to a data hold instruction, the first memory 11 transfers a portion of the data to be held in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory to the driver chip of the display module to form the first data to be merged.

[0075] Specifically, such as Figure 3 As shown, the first memory 11 and the driver chip 21 in the display module are communicatively connected, for example, via the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) communication protocol. The driver chip 21 is used to drive the display panel in the display module. The driver chip 21 can output various instructions to the first memory 11, such as data hold instructions, read instructions, and write instructions. In this embodiment, when the driver chip 21 generates a data hold instruction, it can control the first memory 11 to write the portion of the data to be held in the first memory 11 located in the preset minimum operating unit (i.e., the first sub-data to be held B1) into the driver chip 21 for temporary storage. It is understood that the driver chip 21 is equipped with a memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), such as the second memory mentioned above, for temporarily storing the corresponding data to be held. In this embodiment, the data to be held is temporarily stored in the driver chip 21 of the display module. The driver chip 21 can both temporarily store the data to be held and output corresponding instructions, without the need for additional memory and controller, thus avoiding major modifications to the display module and saving costs.

[0076] Alternatively, in some implementations, such as Figure 2As shown, the first memory 11 can respond to a data retention instruction by transferring only the portion of the data to be retained located in a preset minimum operating unit to the outside of the first memory. For example, only the portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operating unit can be transferred to the driver chip 21. That is, the first merged data only contains the portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operating unit. Since the amount of data transferred is small, the transfer, merging, and rewriting of the data to be retained into the first memory can be completed faster, thereby shortening the time required for the entire data update method.

[0077] Alternatively, in other embodiments, refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the data transmission process of another data update method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, before updating the data to be updated in the first memory, the method further includes: transmitting the data to be retained (e.g., the second sub-data to be retained B2) stored in at least one minimum operation unit outside the preset minimum operation unit in the first memory to the outside of the first memory to form a third data to be merged; for example, transmitting all the data to be retained in the first memory except for the data to be retained in the preset minimum operation unit to the outside of the first memory to form the third data to be merged.

[0078] After updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data, the process also includes:

[0079] The third data to be merged is written into at least one minimum operation unit in the first memory, excluding the preset minimum operation unit and / or the minimum operation unit storing the updated data.

[0080] Specifically, in this embodiment, after responding to the data retention command, the first memory 11 transmits all the data to be retained in the first memory to the outside, such as to the driver chip 21. That is to say, in addition to transmitting the portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operating unit (second sector 112) (i.e., the first sub-data to be retained B1) to the driver chip 21, other data to be retained stored in the data to be retained (the second sub-data to be retained B2) is also transmitted to the driver chip 21, for example, stored in the first storage space 201 and the second storage space 202 of the second memory. It should be noted that the third data to be merged is also the second sub-data to be retained B2 in the second storage space 202 of the second memory. The subsequently formed first data to be merged, second data to be merged, and third data to be merged contain all the data to be retained in the first memory. The data integrity of the data to be retained is high. After being written to the first memory, the influence (such as interference) on each data in the data to be retained is consistent, and the display uniformity of the display module is good. It is understood that the first storage space 201 and the second storage space 202 can be different storage locations within the same memory or different memories. Furthermore, when the third data to be merged is written to the first memory, it can be written to the smallest operating unit that does not yet store the updated data. This embodiment does not specifically limit this; for example, it can be stored in the smallest operating unit adjacent to the preset smallest storage unit where the first and second data to be merged are located, or it can be stored in other locations besides the preset smallest operating unit and / or the smallest operating unit storing the updated data A2.

[0081] Optionally, transferring the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit to the outside of the first memory to form the second data to be merged includes: transferring the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit to the driver chip to form the second data to be merged; for example, in response to a read instruction, transferring the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit to the driver chip to form the second data to be merged.

[0082] Specifically, in this embodiment, after the driver chip 21 generates a read instruction, it can control the first memory 11 to write the portion of the updated data B located in the smallest operating unit in the first memory 11 into the driver chip 21 for temporary storage. It is understood that the driver chip 21 is equipped with a memory, such as the second memory described above, for temporarily storing the corresponding updated data. In this embodiment, the updated data is temporarily stored in the driver chip 21 of the display module. The driver chip 21 can both temporarily store the updated data and output corresponding instructions, eliminating the need for additional memory and controllers. This avoids significant modifications to the display module and helps save costs.

[0083] Furthermore, the second data to be merged and the first data to be merged can be stored in the same memory in the driver chip, or they can be stored in different memories. They can be stored contiguously, meaning the address storing the first data to be merged is consecutive to the address storing the second data to be merged, or they can be stored non-contiguously, with the storage address interval set.

[0084] This invention also provides a data update method, such as Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating another data update method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the data update method is executed by the driver chip of the display module, and the data update method includes:

[0085] Step S201: The portion of the data to be retained in the first memory located in the preset minimum operation unit is read to the driver chip to form the first data to be merged; wherein, the first memory includes multiple minimum operation units, and the preset minimum operation unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained.

[0086] For example, the driver chip outputs a data hold instruction to read the portion of the data to be held in the first memory located in a preset minimum operation unit into the driver chip to form the first data to be merged; wherein, the first memory includes multiple minimum operation units, and the preset minimum operation unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be held.

[0087] Specifically, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when it is necessary to update the data A1 to be updated in the first memory 11, the driver chip 21 first outputs a data retention instruction and reads the data A1 to be retained from the preset minimum operation unit (i.e., the second sector 112) into the driver chip 21 for temporary storage.

[0088] Step S202: The portion of the updated data in the first memory located in the preset minimum operation unit is read into the driver chip to form the second data to be merged.

[0089] For example, the driver chip outputs a read instruction to read the portion of the updated data in the first memory that is located in a preset minimum operating unit and then reads it to the driver chip to form the second data to be merged.

[0090] Specifically, when the data to be updated A1 in the first memory 11 is updated to the updated data A2, the driver chip 21 outputs a read instruction, thereby reading the portion of the updated data A2 located in the preset minimum operation unit into the driver chip 21 to form a second temporary storage of data to be merged. That is to say, the second data to be merged includes the portion of the updated data A2 located in the preset minimum operation unit.

[0091] Step S203: Write the merged data of the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged into a preset minimum operation unit.

[0092] For example, the driver chip outputs a write command to write the data after merging the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged into a preset minimum operation unit.

[0093] Specifically, once the first and second data to be merged are merged, the driver chip 21 can output a write command, thereby writing the portion of the updated data A2 located in the preset minimum operation unit and the portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operation unit into the preset minimum operation unit at once. This avoids the problem of data loss caused by writing in two separate steps, thus saving debugging time for the display module.

[0094] The technical solution of this embodiment adopts a data update method that can avoid wasting space in the first memory and will not cause the loss of another type of data when updating the data in the first memory, which can save the debugging time of the display module.

[0095] Optionally, writing the merged data (the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged) into a preset minimum operation unit includes:

[0096] The first and second data to be merged are merged to form merged data;

[0097] The merged data is written to the preset minimum operation unit.

[0098] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged are merged by a driver chip, without the need for an additional merging module, which helps to reduce the cost of the display module.

[0099] Optionally, the minimum operating unit size is preset to one sector.

[0100] Optionally, the first memory is a flash memory.

[0101] Optionally, in some implementations, the driver chip may read only the portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operating unit into the driver chip, or it may read all the data to be retained in the first memory (e.g., the first sub-data to be retained B1 and the second sub-data to be retained B2) into the driver chip.

[0102] Optionally, before or after writing the merged data of the first and second data to be merged into a preset minimum operation unit, the third data to be merged (i.e., the second sub-data to be held B2 in the memory of the driver chip) is stored in other minimum operation units.

[0103] Optionally, the data to be updated includes firmware data, and the data to be retained includes at least one of gamma data and Demura data.

[0104] This embodiment can be combined with some or all of the features in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0105] This invention also provides a data update method, as described in the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 6 , Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating yet another data update method provided in this embodiment of the invention. The data update method includes:

[0106] Step S301: Read the data to be retained from the preset minimum operation unit in the first memory and store it to form the first data to be merged; wherein, the first memory includes multiple minimum operation units, and the preset minimum operation unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained;

[0107] Specifically, when it is necessary to update the data to be updated in the first memory, the driver chip first generates a data retention instruction, thereby reading the data to be retained A1 in the preset minimum operation unit (i.e., the second sector 112) and temporarily storing it in the driver chip 21.

[0108] Step S302: Update the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data.

[0109] Specifically, under the control of the data update instruction, the data A1 to be updated in the first memory 11 is updated to the updated data A2. The updated data A2 is located in the same position as the data A1 to be updated in the first memory 11, and the size is also the same.

[0110] Step S303: Read the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit and store it to form the second data to be merged.

[0111] Specifically, the driver chip 21 can output a read instruction, and the first memory 11 responds to the read instruction, thereby transmitting the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit to the driver chip to form the second data to be merged.

[0112] Step S304: Write the data to be merged, the second data to be merged and the data to be merged after merging the first data to be merged, into the preset minimum operation unit.

[0113] Specifically, the first and second data to be merged can be merged by a driver chip, and then the driver chip outputs a write command. The first memory responds to the write command and writes the merged data to a preset minimum operating unit. Since the second and first data to be merged have already been merged before the write command, the merged data is referred to as the merged data. When the first memory 11 writes the merged data, it only performs one write operation, so that at least part of the updated data A2 and the data to be retained B can be written to the second sector 112 at once.

[0114] The technical solution of this embodiment stores at least a portion of the data to be retained and at least a portion of the data to be updated in the preset minimum operation unit, thus avoiding any space waste in the first memory. Furthermore, when updating data, the data to be retained in the preset minimum operation unit is first read externally. After the data update is complete, the updated data in the preset minimum operation unit and the externally stored data to be retained are merged, and then written back to the preset minimum operation unit. This avoids the problem of data loss after data updates and saves display module debugging time.

[0115] Optionally, updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form updated data includes: burning the updated data into the first memory using a programming device.

[0116] Specifically, Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a display module and a programming device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to... Figure 7 When programming the first memory 11 using the programming device 50, the programming device 50 and the first memory can communicate via the SPI communication protocol. When it is necessary to update the data to be updated, the programming device is connected to the first memory, thereby updating the data in the programming device to the first memory to form the updated data. It can be understood that the programming of the first memory 11 by the programming device 50 can be understood as external programming. The driver chip 21 can program the first memory 11 to program the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged into the first memory 11.

[0117] Optionally, the minimum operating unit size is preset to one sector.

[0118] Optionally, the first memory is a flash memory.

[0119] Optionally, in some embodiments, the driver chip may read only the portion of the data to be retained located in the preset minimum operating unit into the driver chip, or it may read all the data to be retained in the first memory (e.g., the first sub-data to be retained B1 and the second sub-data to be retained B2) into the driver chip.

[0120] Optionally, the data to be merged, the first data to be merged and the data to be merged, are written before or after the data to be merged are written to a preset minimum operation unit, and the third data to be merged is stored in other minimum operation units.

[0121] Optionally, the data to be updated includes firmware data, and the data to be retained includes at least one of gamma data and Demura data.

[0122] This embodiment can be combined with some or all of the features in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0123] This invention also provides a display module, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the display module is used to execute the display data update method provided in any embodiment of the present invention. When updating the data to be updated, the display module does not lose the data to be retained, and the space utilization rate of the first memory in the display module is high.

[0124] This invention also provides a display device, such as... Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The display device includes the display module provided in the embodiment of the present invention. The display device can be a mobile phone, laptop computer, in-vehicle display device, tablet computer, MP3 player, MP4 player, smartwatch, smart helmet, or other wearable device, etc. Since the display device provided in the embodiment of the present invention includes the display module provided in the embodiment of the present invention, it also has the same beneficial effects, which will not be described again here.

[0125] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used, with steps reordered, added, or deleted. For example, the steps described in this invention can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution of this invention can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0126] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A data updating method characterized by comprising: include: A portion of the data to be retained, located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory, is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form first data to be merged; wherein, the preset minimum operating unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained; Update the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data; The portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form the second data to be merged; Write the second data to be merged and the data after merging the first data to be merged into the preset minimum operation unit; Before updating the data to be updated in the first memory, the process also includes: The data to be retained, stored in at least one minimum operation unit outside the preset minimum operation unit in the first memory, is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form a third data to be merged; After updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data, the process further includes: The third data to be merged is written into at least one minimum operation unit in the first memory, other than the preset minimum operation unit and / or the minimum operation unit storing the updated data.

2. The data updating method according to claim 1, characterized by, Transferring a portion of the data to be retained, located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory, to the outside of the first memory to form the first data to be merged includes: A portion of the data to be retained, located in a preset minimum operating unit of the first memory, is transferred to the driver chip to form the first data to be merged.

3. The data update method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first memory is external to a driver chip.

4. The data updating method according to claim 1, characterized by, Transferring the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operating unit to the outside of the first memory to form the second data to be merged includes: The portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit is transmitted to the driver chip to form the second data to be merged.

5. The data updating method according to claim 1, characterized by, The data to be updated includes firmware data; the data to be retained includes at least one of gamma data and display unevenness compensation data. And / or, the size of the preset minimum operating unit is one sector.

6. The data updating method according to claim 1, characterized by, The first memory is a flash memory.

7. The data updating method according to claim 1, characterized by, The data to be updated is stored in the first memory in the preset minimum operating unit and at least one minimum operating unit other than the preset minimum operating unit, and the updated data is stored in the first memory in the preset minimum operating unit and at least one minimum operating unit other than the preset minimum operating unit.

8. A data updating method characterized by comprising: include: The portion of the data to be retained in the first memory located in the preset minimum operation unit is read into the driver chip to form the first data to be merged. The data to be retained, stored in at least one minimum operating unit other than the preset minimum operating unit in the first memory, is transferred to the driver chip to form a third data to be merged; wherein, the first memory includes a plurality of minimum operating units, and the preset minimum operating unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained; The portion of the updated data in the first memory located in the preset minimum operation unit is read into the driver chip to form the second data to be merged. The merged data of the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged is written into the preset minimum operation unit; the third data to be merged is written into at least one minimum operation unit in the first memory other than the preset minimum operation unit and / or the minimum operation unit storing the updated data.

9. The data updating method according to claim 8, characterized by, Writing the merged data (the first data to be merged and the second data to be merged) into the preset minimum operation unit includes: The first data to be merged and the second data to be merged are merged to form merged data; Write the merged data into the preset minimum operation unit; And / or, the size of the preset minimum operating unit is one sector.

10. The data updating method according to claim 8, characterized by, The first memory is a flash memory.

11. A data updating method characterized by comprising: include: Read the data to be retained from the preset minimum operation unit in the first memory and store it to form the first data to be merged; wherein, the first memory includes a plurality of minimum operation units, the preset minimum operation unit stores at least a portion of the data to be updated and at least a portion of the data to be retained; the minimum operation unit is a sector; Update the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data; Read the portion of the updated data located in the preset minimum operation unit and store it to form the second data to be merged; Write the second data to be merged and the data after merging the first data to be merged into the preset minimum operation unit; Before updating the data to be updated in the first memory, the process also includes: The data to be retained, stored in at least one minimum operating unit outside the preset minimum operating unit in the first memory, is transferred to the outside of the first memory to form a third data to be merged; After updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form the updated data, the process further includes: The third data to be merged is written into at least one minimum operation unit in the first memory, other than the preset minimum operation unit and / or the minimum operation unit storing the updated data.

12. The data updating method according to claim 11, wherein The step of updating the data to be updated in the first memory to form updated data includes: The updated data is burned into the first memory using a burning device; And / or, the size of the preset minimum operating unit is one sector.

13. The data updating method according to claim 11, wherein The first memory is a flash memory.

14. A display module, characterized by The display module is used to perform the data update method according to any one of claims 1-7; and / or, the display module is used to perform the data update method according to any one of claims 8-10; and / or, the display module is used to perform the data update method according to any one of claims 11-13.

Images