Display module, modular display apparatus including a plurality of display modules, and method

Abstract

There is provided a display module comprising: a communication interface; and a plurality of driver integrated circuits (ICs), in which a first driver IC of the plurality of driver ICs is configured to: based on acquiring a driving signal from an external device through the communication interface, provide the driving signal to a second driver IC adjacent to the first driver IC such that the driving signal is sequentially provided to the remaining driver ICs of the plurality of driver ICs; and providing a driving signal to a second display module of the plurality of display modules based on module connection information, the module connection information including whether the second display module is connected to any one display module of the plurality of display modules according to a daisy chain method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display module, a modular display device including a plurality of display modules and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a display module including a plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Recently, various forms of display systems have been developed and distributed.

[0003] As display systems become larger and their resolutions become higher, the number of display modules and display devices that make up the display systems also increases proportionally.

[0004] In the case of a modular display device, the size and shape of the modular display device may be variously changed according to the number of display modules constituting the modular display device, the size of the display modules, and the like.

[0005] Meanwhile, when the display module located at the end outputs a signal, there is no display module for receiving the output signal, and thus a problem may occur in which noise due to the output signal (eg, a radiation signal) exceeds a threshold.

[0006] As the number of the plurality of display modules increases, noise may significantly exceed a threshold, and thus a method capable of effectively controlling the signal output of the display modules located at the end is required. Summary of the invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a display module among multiple display modules included in a modular display device includes: a communication interface; and multiple driver integrated circuits (ICs), wherein a first driver IC among the multiple driver ICs is configured to: provide a drive signal to a second driver IC adjacent to the first driver IC based on obtaining a drive signal from an external device through the communication interface, so that the drive signal is sequentially provided to the remaining driver ICs among the multiple driver ICs; and provide a drive signal to a second display module among the multiple display modules based on module connection information, the module connection information including whether the second display module is connected to any one of the multiple display modules in a daisy chain method.

[0008] The first driver IC may also be configured not to output a driving signal to the outside based on the arbitrary one display module being located at an end among the plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method.

[0009] The first driver IC may also be configured to acquire a connection signal from the second display module based on the second display module being connected to the any one display module according to a daisy chain method, and acquire module connection information by identifying whether the second display module is connected based on the acquired connection signal.

[0010] The first driver IC may be further configured to output a driving signal to the outside and provide the driving signal to the second display module based on the second display module being connected, and not output a driving signal to the outside based on the second display module not being connected.

[0011] The external device may be a third display module connected to sequentially provide a driving signal to the any one display module according to a timing controller of the modular display apparatus or in a daisy chain method.

[0012] The first driver IC can also be configured to: identify whether to output a driving signal based on a driving signal obtained from an external device, and wherein the driving signal obtained from the timing controller of the modular display device may include a driving protocol, which is set so that any one of the display modules located at the end of the multiple display modules connected in a daisy chain method can be configured not to output a driving signal.

[0013] The one or more processors of the modular display may be configured to control so that the timing controller sets the driving protocol based on the layout information of the modular display device.

[0014] The layout information may include connection order information of the multiple display modules and identification information of each of the multiple display modules, wherein the driving protocol may include identification information of any one of the display modules located at the end, and wherein the first driver IC may be configured to: based on the identification information included in the driving protocol, not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0015] The plurality of driver ICs are connected in a daisy chain method.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling any one display module includes: providing a driving signal by a first driver IC among a plurality of driver integrated circuits (ICs sequentially) included in the any one display module to a second driver IC adjacent to the first driver IC, so that the driving signal can be provided to the remaining driver ICs; based on module connection information, providing a driving signal to a second display module among the plurality of display modules, the module connection information including whether the second display module can be connected to the any one display module in a daisy chain method.

[0017] The providing may further include: based on the arbitrary one display module being located at an end among the plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method, not providing a driving signal to the outside.

[0018] Providing may also include: acquiring a connection signal from the second display module based on the second display module being connected to the any one display module according to the daisy chain method, and acquiring module connection information by identifying whether the second display module is connected based on the acquired connection signal.

[0019] The providing may further include: outputting a driving signal to the outside and providing the driving signal to the second display module based on the second display module being connected, and not outputting the driving signal to the outside based on the second display module not being connected.

[0020] The external device may be a third display module connected to sequentially provide a driving signal to the any one display module according to a timing controller of the modular display apparatus or in a daisy chain method.

[0021] The provision may also include: identifying whether a driving signal can be output based on a driving signal obtained from an external device, and wherein the driving signal obtained from the timing controller of the modular display device may include a driving protocol, which is set so that any one of the display modules located at the end of the multiple display modules connected in a daisy chain method can be configured not to output a driving signal.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a display module includes: multiple driver integrated circuits (ICs), wherein a first driver IC among the multiple driver ICs is configured to: provide a driving signal to a second driver IC adjacent to the first driver IC based on obtaining a driving signal from an external device, so that the driving signal is sequentially provided to the remaining driver ICs among the multiple driver ICs, and provide a driving signal to a second display module among the multiple display modules based on module connection information, the module connection information including whether the second display module is connected to any one of the multiple display modules.

[0023] The first driver IC may also be configured not to output a driving signal to the outside based on the arbitrary one display module being located at an end among the plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method.

[0024] The first driver IC may also be configured to acquire a connection signal from the second display module based on the second display module being connected to the any one display module according to a daisy chain method, and acquire module connection information by identifying whether the second display module is connected based on the acquired connection signal.

[0025] The first driver IC may be further configured to output a driving signal to the outside and provide the driving signal to the second display module based on the second display module being connected, and not output a driving signal to the outside based on the second display module not being connected.

[0026] The external device may be a third display module connected to sequentially provide a driving signal to the any one display module according to a timing controller of the modular display apparatus or in a daisy chain method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a modular display device for displaying an image according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a modular display device combining a plurality of display modules according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a display module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a display module determining whether to send a driving signal according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a drive protocol according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 is a diagram showing EMI radiation noise when a display module outputs a driving signal according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the display module being located at an end among a plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method;

[0035] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating EMI radiation noise of a modular display device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0037] Fig.10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a display module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Terms used in the present disclosure will be briefly described, and then one or more embodiments will be described in detail.

[0039] The terms used in the present disclosure and claims are general terms determined in consideration of the functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, these terms may vary according to the intentions of technicians in the relevant fields, legal or technical interpretations, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in some cases, the applicant may select a term, in which case the term will be described in detail in the description of the corresponding disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in the present disclosure should be defined based on the meaning of the term (rather than the simple name of the term) and the entire disclosure.

[0040] Since the present disclosure may be variously modified and has several embodiments, specific non-limiting example embodiments of the present disclosure will be shown in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to specific non-limiting example embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents and alternatives without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. When it is determined that the detailed description of known technologies related to the present disclosure may obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0041] Terms such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish components from each other.

[0042] 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 features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof, without excluding the possibility of the existence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof.

[0043] The terms "module", "unit", "component", etc. in the present disclosure may be used to refer to an element that performs at least one function or operation, and the element may be implemented as hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, except for the case where each of a plurality of "modules", "units", "components", etc. needs to be implemented in separate hardware, these components may be integrated in at least one module and may be implemented in at least one processor.

[0044] These components may be integrated in at least one module and may be implemented in at least one processor.

[0045] The following will describe in detail non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, parts that are not related to the description will be omitted, and similar parts will be represented by similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0046] Figure 1 A diagram showing a modular display device displaying an image according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] The modular display device 10 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include a plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . .

[0048] For example, refer to Figure 1 According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the modular display device 10 may include a plurality of display modules 100, 200, ..., and each of the plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... may be connected in a daisy chain method and configured as one display device (ie, the modular display device 10).

[0049] Figure 2 A diagram showing a modular display device combining a plurality of display modules according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] Reference Figure 2 , the modular display device 10 may include a plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . , and the modular display device 10 may display an image (or video) using the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . .

[0051] For example, the modular display device 10 may include a plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... arranged in a matrix form (e.g., a 4x3 format). Meanwhile, the 4x3 format is merely an embodiment for convenience of description, and the arrangement format, quantity, etc. of the plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... constituting the modular display device 10 may be variously changed according to the specifications (e.g., resolution, size, etc.) of the modular display device 10, the manufacturing purpose of the manufacturer, etc.

[0052] According to an embodiment, the modular display device 10 can be implemented as a TV, but the embodiment is not limited thereto, and any device with a display function (such as a video wall, a large screen display (LFD), a digital signage (digital signage), a digital information display (DID), a projector display, etc.) can be applicable.

[0053] In addition, the modular display device 10 can be implemented using various types of displays (e.g., liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED), liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), digital light processing (DLP), quantum dot (QD) display panel, quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED), etc.).

[0054] Each of the plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include a plurality of self-luminous elements. The self-luminous element may be at least one of a light emitting diode (LED) or a micro-LED. A micro-LED is an ultra-small LED having a size of about 5-100 microns and can emit light by itself without a color filter.

[0055] According to one or more embodiments, at least one display module (e.g., the first display module 100) among the multiple display modules 100, 200, ... constituting the modular display device 10 can be connected to an external device (e.g., a timing controller (TCON), another display module, etc.) and can receive a control signal, a drive signal, etc. from the external device.

[0056] According to one or more embodiments, a plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... may be connected in a daisy chain method. For example, a first display module 100 may be connected to a second display module 200, and a second display module 200 may be connected to a third display module 300. That is, a plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... may be connected in a coherent manner. A first display module 100 connected to an external device (e.g., TCON) may send a control signal, a drive signal, etc. received from the external device to a second display module 200 connected to the first display module 100, and the signal may be sent in a coherent manner to the remaining display modules 200, 300, ... connected in a daisy chain method.

[0057] In addition, the plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... may be divided into a plurality of groups, and the display modules included in each of the plurality of groups may be connected in a daisy chain method. Figure 2 As shown, when the plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... are arranged in a 4×3 format, the plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... may be divided into first to fourth groups by columns. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... may be divided into first to third groups by rows.

[0058] At least one display module (e.g., the lowermost display module or the leftmost display module) among the display modules included in each group can be connected to an external device (e.g., a source device, a timing controller (TCON), etc.) and can receive a control signal, a driving signal, etc. from the external device.

[0059] For example, the first to third display modules 100 to 300 may be a group, the first display module 100 may be connected to the second display module 200, and the second display module 200 may be connected to the third display module 300. The first display module 100 connected to the external device may sequentially transmit a control signal, a driving signal, etc. received from the external device to the second and third display modules 200 and 300 included in the same group as the first display module 100.

[0060] In addition, the fourth to sixth display modules 400 to 600 may be a group, the fourth display module 400 may be connected to the fifth display module 500, and the fifth display module 500 may be connected to the sixth display module 600. The fourth display module 400 connected to the external device may sequentially transmit a control signal, a driving signal, etc. received from the external device to the fifth and sixth display modules 500 and 600 included in the same group as the fourth display module 400.

[0061] For another example, each display module among the multiple display modules 100, 200, ... included in the modular display device 10 can be connected in series to each other, and at least one display module that receives a control signal or a drive signal from an external device can send the received control signal, drive signal, etc. to another display module connected in series, and correspondingly, the control signal, drive signal, etc. can be sequentially sent to all display modules among the multiple display modules 100, 200, ...

[0062] For example, as the resolution, size, etc. of the modular display device 10 increases, the number of multiple display modules 100, 200,... arranged in the modular display device 10 also increases proportionally, and in addition to the conventional communication connection relationship in the prior art, the connection relationship (for example, the connection relationship of each display device in the multiple display modules 100, 200,... for receiving control signals, drive signals, etc. from external devices) can also be modified in various ways.

[0063] In the present disclosure, for convenience of description, it is assumed that the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . included in the modular display apparatus 10 are divided into a plurality of groups, and the display modules included in each of the plurality of groups are connected in a daisy chain method.

[0064] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a display module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] Hereinafter, for convenience of description, it is assumed that one display module among the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . is the first display module 100 , however various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in each of the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , .

[0066] The display module 100 according to an example includes a plurality of driver integrated circuits (ICs) 110 and a communication interface 120 .

[0067] The communication interface 120 according to the embodiment receives various signals and data. For example, the communication interface 120 can communicate with external devices through various wired / wireless communication methods such as Wi-Fi (wireless local area network) based on AP, Bluetooth, Zigbee, wired / wireless local area network (LAN), WAN (wide area network), Ethernet, IEEE1394, high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), universal serial bus (USB), mobile high-definition link (MHL), audio engineering society / European broadcasting union (AES / EBU), optical fiber, coaxial, radio frequency (RF) such as near field communication (NFC), infrared (IR), etc., and can communicate with another display module (for example, the second display device 200 connected to the first display module 100). For example, the communication interface 120 can be implemented as a wired communication interface, such as V-by-One, high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable, low voltage differential signal (LVDS) cable, digital video interface (DVI) cable, D-subminiature (D-SUB) cable, video graphics array (VGA) cable, optical cable, etc.

[0068] According to an example, the communication interface 120 may receive a signal sent by an external device. Specifically, the external device may include a timing controller (TCON) provided in the modular display apparatus 10, an electronic device (e.g., a source device, etc.), another display module connected to the first display module 100 according to a daisy chain method, etc.

[0069] For example, the TCON set in the control box of the modular display device 10 can generate driving signals corresponding to the first to third display modules 100, 200, 300 connected in a daisy chain method according to the control of the controller, and can send the generated driving signal to the first display module 100 connected to the TCON.

[0070] The first driver IC 110-1 connected to the communication interface 120 among the plurality of driver ICs 110 provided in the first display module 100 may receive the driving signal and may control the pixel corresponding to the first driver IC 110-1 among the plurality of pixels included in the first display module 100 based on the driving signal. Figure 4 .

[0071] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating a plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0072] Reference Figure 4, a plurality of driver ICs 110 included in the first display module 100 may be connected in a daisy chain method, and the first driver IC 110 - 1 may successively transmit a driving signal to the remaining driver ICs 110 - 2 , . . . , 110 - n connected in the daisy chain method.

[0073] Since multiple display modules 100, 200, ... are connected in a daisy chain method, the driving signal generated by the TCON 11 set in the modular display device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be sent to the remaining display modules (i.e., the display modules connected to the first display module 100 in a daisy chain method) through the first display module 100.

[0074] For example, the multiple display modules 100, 200, ... included in the modular display device 10 can be divided into a plurality of groups, and when the display modules included in each of the plurality of groups are connected in a daisy chain method, the TCON 11 set in the control box of the modular display device 10 can send a driving signal corresponding to the first group to the first display module 100 included in the first group (including the first to third display modules 100, 200, 300).

[0075] Then, the first display module 100 may control a plurality of pixels included in the first display module 100 by transmitting a driving signal received from the TCON 11 to each of a plurality of driver ICs 110 included in the first display module 100 (eg, sequentially transmitting the driving signal to the plurality of driver ICs 110 according to a daisy chain method).

[0076] According to an example, the first display module 100 may transmit a driving signal to the second display module 200, and the second display module 200 may transmit the driving signal received from the first display module 100 to each of a plurality of driver ICs 210 included in the second display module 200 (e.g., sequentially transmit the driving signal to the plurality of driver ICs 210 according to a daisy chain method), thereby controlling a plurality of pixels included in the second display module 200. In addition, the second display module 200 may transmit a driving signal to the third display module 300.

[0077] Meanwhile, the first driver IC 110-1 among the plurality of driver ICs 110 included in the first display module 100 may identify whether another display module (eg, the second display module 200) is connected to the first display module 100 according to the daisy chain method, and may transmit a driving signal to the other display module based on the identification result.

[0078] Reference Figure 4, when the connection of the second display module 200 based on the daisy chain method is recognized, the first driver IC 110 - 1 of the first display module 100 may transmit a driving signal to the second display module 200 .

[0079] As another example, when the connection of the second display module 200 is not recognized, the first driver IC 110-1 of the first display module 100 may not output a driving signal to the outside. Figure 5 .

[0080] Figure 5 A diagram illustrating a display module determining whether to send a driving signal according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0081] Reference Figure 5 , the first display module 100 among the first to third display modules 100, 200, 300 connected in a daisy chain method may receive a connection signal from the second display module 200 connected in a daisy chain method. For example, the first display module 100 may identify whether the second display module 200 is connected based on the received connection signal.

[0082] For example, when a connection signal is received from the first driver IC 210-1 connected to the communication interface 220 and provided in the second display module 200 (for example, if the specific PIN information of the first driver IC 110-1 provided in the first display module 100 corresponds to low information), the first driver IC 110-1 provided in the first display module 100 may recognize that the second display module 200 is connected. In addition, when the second display module 200 connected to the first display module 100 is recognized, the first display module 100 may output a driving signal to the outside. Therefore, the first display module 100 may transmit a driving signal to the second display module 200.

[0083] The first driver IC 210-1 of the second display module 200 may sequentially transmit a driving signal to the remaining driver ICs 210-2, ... connected in a daisy chain method. For another example, when a connection signal is not received from the first driver IC 210-1 provided in the second display module 200 (for example, specific PIN information of the first driver IC 110-1 provided in the first display module 100 corresponds to high information), the first driver IC 110-1 provided in the first display module 100 may recognize that the second display module 200 is not connected. Subsequently, if the second display module 200 connected to the first display module 100 is not recognized, the first display module 100 may not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0084] For convenience of description, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be limited to an embodiment of the third display module 300 located at the end among the first to third display modules 100 , 200 , 300 connected in a daisy chain method.

[0085] According to an example, the second display module 200 may receive a connection signal from the third display module 300 connected in a daisy chain method and may identify whether the third display module 300 is connected based on the received connection signal. The second display module 200 may transmit a driving signal to the third display module 300.

[0086] Meanwhile, the third display module 300 is a display module located at the end among the first to third display modules 100, 200, 300 connected in a daisy chain method, and thus may not receive a connection signal. For example, when the specific PIN information corresponds to high information, the first driver IC 310-1 provided in the third display module 300 and connected to the communication interface 320 may recognize that another display module (e.g., the fourth display module 400) is not connected.

[0087] Therefore, a display module (eg, the third display module 300 ) located at an end among the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . connected in a daisy chain method may not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0088] Meanwhile, the third display module 300 may sequentially transmit the driving signal received from the second display module 200 to the plurality of driver ICs 310 connected in a daisy chain method.

[0089] The first driver IC 310 - 1 of the third display module 300 may sequentially transmit a driving signal to the remaining driver ICs 310 - 2 , . . . connected in a daisy chain method.

[0090] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a driving protocol according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0091] The controller 12 set in the modular display device 10 according to one or more embodiments can identify the arrangement format of the multiple display modules 100, 200,... and the connection relationship between the multiple display modules 100, 200,... based on the layout information of the modular display device 10, and can obtain the identification information of each display module among the multiple display modules 100, 200,...

[0092] The layout information may be set during a manufacturing process of the modular display apparatus 10 or an installation process of the modular display apparatus 10 , or may be set according to a user input.

[0093] The controller 12 may include one or more processors, and the one or more processors may control the overall operation of the modular display device 10 .

[0094] According to one or more embodiments, one or more processors may be implemented with at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, and a timing controller (TCON). The processor is not limited thereto, and may include at least 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 advanced reduced instruction set computing (RISC) machine (ARM) processor, and an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, or may be defined as a corresponding term. The one or more processors may be implemented in a system on chip (SoC) type or a large scale integration (LSI) type in which a processing algorithm is built-in, or in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) type. The one or more processors may perform various functions by executing computer executable instructions stored in a memory.

[0095] The one or more processors may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), an integrated many-core (MIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a neural processing unit (NPU), a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator. The one or more processors may control one or more other components of the electronic device or any combination thereof, and may perform communication-related operations or data processing. The one or more processors may execute one or more programs or instructions stored in a memory. For example, the one or more processors may execute a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure by executing one or more instructions stored in a memory.

[0096] When the method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes multiple operations, the multiple operations may be performed by one processor, or may be performed by multiple processors. For example, when the method according to one or more embodiments performs a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by a first processor, the first operation and the second operation may be performed by a first processor (e.g., a general-purpose processor), and the third operation may be performed by a second processor (e.g., an artificial intelligence-specific processor).

[0097] The one or more processors may be implemented as a single-core processor including one core, or may be implemented as one or more multi-core processors including multiple cores (e.g., homogeneous multi-cores or heterogeneous multi-cores). When the one or more processors are implemented as a multi-core processor, each of the multiple cores included in the multi-core processor may include a processor internal memory (such as a cache and an on-chip memory), and a common cache shared by the multiple cores may be included in the multi-core processor. In addition, each of the multiple cores included in the multi-core processor (or a portion of the multiple cores) may independently read and execute program commands for implementing the method of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, and may be combined with all the cores (or a portion of the cores) of the multiple cores to read and execute program commands for implementing the method of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0098] When the method of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes multiple operations, the multiple operations may be performed by one of the multiple cores included in the multi-core processor, or may be performed by the multiple cores. For example, when the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation are performed by the method according to one or more embodiments, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by the first core included in the multi-core processor, and the first operation and the second operation may be performed by the first core included in the multi-core processor, and the third operation may be performed by the second core included in the multi-core processor.

[0099] According to one or more embodiments, the processor may represent a system on chip (SoC), a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, or a core included in a single-core processor or a multi-core processor that integrates one or more processors and other electronic components, wherein the core may be implemented as a CPU, a GPU, an APU, a MIC, a DSP, an NPU, a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0100] The TCON 11 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may generate driving signals corresponding to the first to third display modules 100 , 200 , 300 connected in a daisy chain method according to the control of the controller 12 , and may transmit the generated driving signals to the first display module 100 connected to the TCON 11 .

[0101] The first driver IC 110 - 1 of the first display module 100 may sequentially transmit a driving signal to the remaining driver ICs 110 - 2 , . . . connected in a daisy chain method.

[0102] In addition, the first driver IC 110 - 1 may identify whether to output the driving signal to the outside based on the driving signal.

[0103] The driving signal received from the TCON 11 may include a driving protocol set so that any one display module (eg, the third display module 300 ) located at the end among the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . connected in a daisy chain method does not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0104] The driving protocol may be generated by the TCON 11 according to the control of the controller 12 .

[0105] According to the example, the controller 12 can identify the arrangement format of the multiple display modules 100, 200, ... based on the layout information of the modular display device 10 and the connection relationship between the multiple display modules 100, 200, ... (for example, connection order information), and can obtain the identification information of each display module among the multiple display modules 100, 200, ...

[0106] Then, the controller 12 may acquire identification information corresponding to any one display module located at the end among the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . connected in the daisy chain method.

[0107] For example, the controller 12 may divide the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . into a plurality of groups based on the layout information, and may acquire identification information corresponding to a display module located at an end among the display modules connected in a daisy chain and included in each group.

[0108] Reference Figure 6 , the controller 12 can identify the first to third display modules 100, 200, 300 included in the first group based on the layout information, and can obtain identification information (for example, ID 3) corresponding to the third display module 300 located at the end among the first to third display modules 100, 200, 300 connected in a daisy chain method.

[0109] TCON 11 can send a driving signal including a driving protocol to a display module located at the front among the display modules included in the group according to the control of the controller 12, and the driving protocol is set so that the display module located at the end (the very end) among the display modules included in the group does not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0110] Reference Figure 6 , the TCON 11 may send a driving signal including a driving protocol to the first display module 100 , the driving protocol being set so that each of the first display module 100 and the second display module 200 outputs a driving signal to the outside, and the third display module 300 does not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0111] The first display module 100 can output a driving signal to the outside based on the driving protocol, that is, can send the driving signal to the second display module 200. Then, the second display module 200 can output a driving signal to the outside based on the driving protocol, that is, send the driving signal to the third display module 300.

[0112] Meanwhile, the third display module 300 may not output a driving signal to the outside based on the driving protocol. Specifically, the driving protocol may include identification information (e.g., ID 3) corresponding to the third display module 300 located at the end among the first to third display modules 100, 200, 300 connected in a daisy chain method, and the first driver IC 310-1 of the third display module 300 may not output a driving signal to the outside based on the identification information corresponding to the third display module 300.

[0113] According to an example, the driving protocol may include connection depth information according to a daisy chain method (information related to the number of multiple display modules connected in the daisy chain method), and a display module located at an end among the multiple display modules connected in the daisy chain method may identify an output state of a driving signal based on the connection depth information.

[0114] For example, when the order of receiving the driving signal corresponds to the connection depth information, the display module located at the end among the plurality of display modules connected in the daisy chain method may not output the driving signal to the outside.

[0115] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating EMI radiation noise when a display module located at an end among a plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method outputs a driving signal according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0116] Reference Figure 7 , the plurality of display modules 100 , 200 , . . . may be divided into a plurality of groups, and the display modules included in each group may be connected in a daisy chain method.

[0117] The driving signal output by the display module located at the end in each of the plurality of groups is a radiation signal, and the number of the radiation signals increases proportionally as the number of the plurality of groups increases.

[0118] For example, Figure 2The plurality of display modules 100, 200, ... shown can be divided into first to fourth groups by column. When each of the third display module 300 located at the end of the first group, the sixth display module 600 located at the end of the second group, the ninth display module 900 located at the end of the third group, and the twelfth display module 1200 located at the end of the fourth group outputs a driving signal to the outside, a total of four radiation signals may be generated, and there is a problem that EMI radiation noise exceeds a threshold value (or a tolerable value) due to the radiation signal.

[0119] In particular, as the size of the modular display device 10 has become larger in recent years, the number of groups constituting the modular display device 10 has also increased, and the number of radiation signals has also increased proportionally, and therefore, there is a problem that the EMI radiation noise of the modular display device 10 obviously exceeds the threshold (or tolerable value).

[0120] Figure 8 is a graph illustrating EMI radiation noise of a modular display device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0121] Reference Figure 8 , the display modules located at the ends in each of the plurality of groups included in the modular display device 10 according to the various embodiments described above may not output a driving signal, and thus may not generate a radiation signal.

[0122] For example, Figure 2 The multiple display modules 100, 200, ... shown can be divided into the first group to the fourth group by column. Each of the third display module 300 located at the end of the first group, the sixth display module 600 located at the end of the second group, the ninth display module 900 located at the end of the third group, and the twelfth display module 1200 located at the end of the fourth group only receives the driving signal from the second display module 200 of the first group, the fifth display module 500 of the second group, the eighth display module 800 of the third group, and the eleventh display module 1100 of the fourth group, but does not output the driving signal to the outside, and does not generate a radiation signal. Therefore, the problem of the EMI radiation noise of the modular display device 10 exceeding the threshold value (or tolerable value) due to the radiation signal does not occur.

[0123] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0124] In the above example, it is assumed that a display module (e.g., the second display module 200) receives a driving signal from an adjacent first another display module (e.g., the first display module 100), and identifies whether a connection signal is received from an adjacent second another display device (e.g., the third display device 300) or whether a driving signal is sent to the second another display device based on a driving protocol included in the driving signal, but this is merely an example and is not limited to this.

[0125] For example, the display module (eg, the first display device 100 ) may receive a driving signal from the TCON 11 , and may transmit the driving signal to another display device (eg, the third display device 300 ) that is not adjacent but connected in series.

[0126] The other display device may not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0127] For example, when a connection signal is not received, the third display module 300 may not output a driving signal to the outside, and if a driving protocol included in the driving signal received from the first display module 100 includes identification information of the third display module 300 (i.e., the third display module 300 is located at the end according to the daisy chain method), the third display module 300 may not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0128] In addition, the second display module 200 may receive a driving signal from the TCON 11, and may transmit the driving signal to the fourth display device 400 which is not adjacent but connected in series. The fourth display module 400 may not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0129] Meanwhile, the modular display device 10 according to one or more embodiments may further include a memory.

[0130] According to one or more embodiments, the memory may store data necessary for various embodiments of the present disclosure. According to the purpose of data storage, the memory may be implemented as a memory embedded in the modular display device 10 or a memory detachable from the modular display device 10.

[0131] For example, data for driving the modular display device 10 may be stored in a memory embedded in the modular display device 10, and data for upgrading the modular display device 10 may be stored in a memory detachable from the modular display device 10. Meanwhile, the memory embedded in the modular display device 10 may be implemented as at least one of a volatile memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and a nonvolatile memory such as a one-time programmable ROM (OTPROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a flash memory (such as a NAND flash memory or a NOR flash memory), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). As for the memory detachably mounted to the modular display device 10, the memory may be implemented as a memory card such as a compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro secure digital (micro-SD), mini secure digital (mini-SD), extreme digital (xD), or multimedia card (MMC) as well as an external memory such as a USB memory connectable to a universal serial bus (USB) port.

[0132] According to one or more embodiments, the memory may store at least one instruction for controlling the modular display device 10 or a computer program including the instruction.

[0133] Specifically, the memory may store layout information of the modular display apparatus 10 , and the layout information may include connection sequence information of the plurality of display apparatuses 100 , 200 , . . . and identification information of each display module in the plurality of display apparatuses 100 , 200 , .

[0134] Each of the plurality of display devices 100, 200, . . . includes a display, and the display may be implemented as a display including a self-luminous element or a display including a non-self-luminous element and a backlight.

[0135] For example, the display may be implemented as various types of displays, such as, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a light emitting diode (LED), a micro LED, a mini LED, a plasma display panel (PDP), a quantum dot (QD) display, a quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED), etc. In the display 130, a backlight unit, a driving circuit that may be implemented as an a-siTFT, a low temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT, an organic TFT (OTFT), etc. may also be included. The display may be implemented as a touch screen coupled to a touch sensor, a flexible display, a rollable display, a three-dimensional (3D) display, a display in which a plurality of display modules are physically connected, etc.

[0136] Fig.10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a display module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0137] A method for controlling any one of a plurality of display modules included in a modular display device includes: first, in operation S1010, a first driver IC among a plurality of driver integrated circuits (ICs) included in any one of the display modules sends a driving signal to a second driver IC adjacent to the first driver IC, so that the driving signal is sequentially sent to the remaining driver ICs.

[0138] Subsequently, in operation S1020, it is identified whether the first another display module is connected to any one of the display modules in a daisy chain method.

[0139] Subsequently, in operation S1030, a driving signal is transmitted to another display module based on the recognition result.

[0140] The transmitting in operation S1030 may include: based on the any one display module being located at an end among the plurality of display modules connected in a daisy chain method, not outputting the driving signal to the outside.

[0141] The sending in operation S1020 may include: receiving a connection signal from the first another display module based on the first another display module being connected to the any one display module according to the daisy chain method, and acquiring module connection information by identifying whether the first another display module is connected based on the received connection signal.

[0142] The transmitting in operation S1030 may include outputting the driving signal to the outside and transmitting the driving signal to the first another display module based on the first another display module being connected, and not outputting the driving signal to the outside based on the first another display module being not connected.

[0143] The external device may be one of the second other display modules connected to sequentially send a driving signal to the any one display module according to a timing controller of the modular display apparatus or in a daisy chain method.

[0144] The identification in operation S1020 may include: identifying whether to output a driving signal based on a driving signal sent by an external device, and the driving signal sent from the timing controller of the modular display device may include a driving protocol, which is configured so that any one of the display modules located at the end of the multiple display modules connected in a daisy chain method is configured not to output a driving signal.

[0145] The control method according to an example may further include: controlling, by one or more processors of the modular display device through a timing controller, to set a driving protocol based on layout information of the modular display device.

[0146] The layout information may include connection order information of multiple display modules and identification information of each of the multiple display modules, the driving protocol may include identification information of any display module located at the end, and based on the identification information included in the protocol, the sending in operation S1030 may not output a driving signal to the outside.

[0147] According to an example of the present disclosure, the plurality of driver ICs may be connected in a daisy chain method.

[0148] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied not only to electronic devices but also to various types of electronic devices including displays.

[0149] In addition, the above one or more embodiments can be implemented in a computer-readable medium such as a computer or similar device using software, hardware or a combination thereof. In some cases, one or more embodiments described herein can be implemented by a processor itself. According to software implementation, 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.

[0150] According to an embodiment, computer instructions for executing processing operations of a device 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 perform processing operations on the electronic device according to one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0151] The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include a medium (such as a register, a cache, a memory, etc.) that stores data semi-permanently rather than for a very short time, and can be read by a device. For example, the aforementioned various application programs or programs may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk, a Blu-ray disc, a universal serial bus (USB), a memory card, a read-only memory (ROM), etc.), and may be provided.

[0152] Although one or more embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned specific embodiments, and it should be understood that various modifications may be made by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs without departing from the subject matter of the present disclosure as claimed in the appended claims. In addition, it is intended that these modifications should not be interpreted independently of the technical concept or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A display module included in a plurality of display modules in a modular display device, the display module comprising: Communication interface; as well as Multiple driver ICs, Wherein, a first driver IC among the plurality of driver ICs is configured as: based on acquiring a driving signal from an external device through the communication interface, providing the driving signal to a second driver IC adjacent to the first driver IC so that the driving signal is sequentially provided to the remaining driver ICs of the plurality of driver ICs, and The driving signal is provided to a second display module among the plurality of display modules based on module connection information, wherein the module connection information includes whether the second display module is connected to any one of the plurality of display modules in a daisy chain method.

2. The display module according to claim 1, wherein: The first driver IC is further configured not to output the driving signal to the outside based on the arbitrary one display module being located at an end among the plurality of display modules connected in the daisy chain method.

3. The display module according to claim 1, wherein: The first driver IC is further configured as: Based on the second display module being connected to the any one display module according to the daisy chain method, obtaining a connection signal from the second display module, and The module connection information is acquired by identifying whether the second display module is connected based on the acquired connection signal.

4. The display module according to claim 3, wherein: The first driver IC is further configured to: output the driving signal to the outside and provide the driving signal to the second display module based on the second display module being connected, and Based on the fact that the second display module is not connected, the driving signal is not output to the outside.

5. The display module according to claim 1, wherein: The external device is a third display module connected to sequentially provide the driving signal to any one of the display modules according to a timing controller of the modular display apparatus or in the daisy chain method.

6. The display module according to claim 1, wherein: The first driver IC is further configured to: identify whether to output the driving signal based on the driving signal acquired from the external device, and The driving signal obtained from the timing controller of the modular display device includes a driving protocol, and the driving protocol is set so that any one of the display modules located at the end of the plurality of display modules connected in the daisy chain method is configured not to output the driving signal.

7. The display module according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more processors of the modular display device are configured to control so that the timing controller sets the driving protocol based on layout information of the modular display device.

8. The display module according to claim 7, wherein: The layout information includes connection sequence information of the plurality of display modules and identification information of each display module in the plurality of display modules. The driving protocol includes identification information of any one of the display modules located at the end, and The first driver IC is configured to not output the driving signal to the outside based on the identification information included in the driving protocol.

9. The display module according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of driver ICs are connected in the daisy chain method.

10. A method for controlling any one of a plurality of display modules included in a modular display device, the method comprising: providing a driving signal from a first driver IC among a plurality of driver integrated circuits IC included in any one of the display modules to a second driver IC adjacent to the first driver IC, so that the driving signal is sequentially provided to the remaining driver ICs; Based on the module connection information, a driving signal is provided to a second display module among the plurality of display modules, wherein the module connection information includes whether the second display module is connected to the any one display module in a daisy chain method.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The providing further includes: not providing the driving signal to the outside based on the arbitrary one display module being located at an end among the plurality of display modules connected in the daisy chain method.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The provision also includes: Based on the second display module being connected to the any one display module according to the daisy chain method, acquiring a connection signal from the second display module; and The module connection information is acquired by identifying whether the second display module is connected based on the acquired connection signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The providing further includes: outputting the driving signal to the outside and providing the driving signal to the second display module based on the second display module being connected, and Based on the fact that the second display module is not connected, the driving signal is not output to the outside.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The external device is a third display module connected to sequentially provide the driving signal to any one of the display modules according to a timing controller of the modular display apparatus or in the daisy chain method.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The providing further includes: identifying whether to output the driving signal based on a driving signal acquired from an external device, and The driving signal obtained from the timing controller of the modular display device includes a driving protocol, and the driving protocol is set so that any one of the display modules located at the end of the plurality of display modules connected in the daisy chain method is configured not to output the driving signal.

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