Electronic device and synchronization method

Abstract

An electronic device includes a display controller, a clock generator, a multiplexer, and a processor. The display controller includes an interface through which the display controller provides a synchronization signal. The clock generator generates a clock signal. The multiplexer outputs a synchronization signal or a clock signal as an output signal. When the processor needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the processor controls the multiplexer to output a clock signal as an output signal.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to an electronic device and a synchronization method thereof, and more particularly, to a synchronization method for synchronizing an electronic device with a display driver chip under low power consumption. [Background Technology]

[0002] As self-luminous display devices, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices do not require an additional light source. Therefore, OLED devices can be driven at low voltages and are easily manufactured into lightweight and thin designs. Furthermore, OLED devices offer the advantages of wide viewing angles, high contrast, and fast response times. Consequently, OLED devices are widely used in various fields, such as display devices for mobile phones, televisions, and computers, as well as foldable displays.

[0003] Currently, most OLED devices use low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) thin-film transistor (TFT) panels. After years of improvements, LTPS display panels have become the most mature and mainstream TFT panel solution on the market due to their high resolution, fast response time, and high brightness. While LTPS display panels are popular in the market, they also suffer from high production costs and high power consumption.

[0004] Therefore, LTPO (Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) display panels have been developed, which combine LTPS display technology and oxide display (indium gallium zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide, abbreviated as IGZO) technology. LTPO allows for more effective power efficiency by dynamically adjusting the refresh rate of the screen according to the displayed content. More specifically, LTPO can run at a low refresh rate when displaying static content (such as images or text), but can run at a higher refresh rate when displaying dynamic content (such as videos or games).

[0005] MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) is a set of standardized specifications for data communication interfaces in mobile devices such as mobile phones, cameras, electronic displays, embedded systems, radio equipment, IoT devices, and many other components that require high bandwidth, low power consumption, and low electromagnetic interference. MIPI DSI (Display Serial Interface) is a specific subset of the MIPI standard that focuses on the interface between the display module and the processor in a mobile device. MIPI DSI operates in two main modes: Command Mode and Video Mode. Command mode is designed for low-power operation and does not require frequent screen updates. In contrast, video mode continuously transmits pixel data to ensure smooth video playback and dynamic content display, and uses horizontal sync pulses (HSYNC) to maintain signal synchronization.

[0006] However, when a display panel operates in low-power applications, its power consumption should be reduced as much as possible to extend battery life. [Summary of the invention]

[0007] This document provides an electronic device and synchronization method. Because the display controller can be fully powered off when power consumption needs to be reduced, power consumption by the display controller can be nearly eliminated. Furthermore, even when the display controller is fully deactivated, synchronization between the electronic device and the display driver chip is maintained through an additional clock signal, thereby properly maintaining synchronization between the electronic device and the display driver chip.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising: a display controller having an interface, a clock generator, a multiplexer, and a processor. The display controller is configured to provide a synchronization signal via the interface. The clock generator is configured to generate a clock signal. The multiplexer is configured to output the synchronization signal or the clock signal as an output signal. When the processor needs to reduce power consumption of the display controller, the processor controls the multiplexer to output the clock signal as an output signal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the output signal is provided to a display driver chip configured to drive a display panel.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the processor does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the processor is used to control the multiplexer to output the synchronization signal as the output signal; wherein the synchronization signal generated by the display controller is synchronized with the display driver chip.

[0011] In some embodiments, when the processor does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the display controller is in an active mode and generates the synchronization signal.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the processor needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the display controller is in an inactive mode to reduce the power consumption; wherein, when the display controller is in the inactive mode, the display controller stops generating the synchronization signal.

[0013] In some embodiments, the display controller, the clock generator, the multiplexer, and the processor are integrated into one package.

[0014] In some embodiments, the display controller and the processor are integrated into a package, and the clock generator and the package are integrated on a PCB.

[0015] In some embodiments, the synchronization signal is a horizontal synchronization signal.

[0016] In some embodiments, the interface is a mobile industry processor interface.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the processor needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the processor operates in a screen-off display mode or a standby desktop mode.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a synchronization method for synchronizing an electronic device with a display driver chip, wherein the electronic device includes a display controller, and the method includes: determining whether it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the display controller; when it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller needs to be reduced, not activating the display controller (i.e., the display controller is disabled); generating a clock signal; and providing the clock signal to the display driver chip.

[0019] In some embodiments, the clock signal is generated by a clock generator.

[0020] In some embodiments, the clock generator and the display controller are integrated into one package.

[0021] In some embodiments, the clock generator and the display controller are integrated on a PCB.

[0022] In some embodiments, the synchronization method further includes: activating the display controller when it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller does not need to be reduced; generating a synchronization signal using the display controller; and providing the synchronization signal to the display driver chip.

[0023] In some embodiments, the synchronization signal is a horizontal synchronization signal.

[0024] In some embodiments, the synchronization signal is provided to the display driver chip through a mobile industry processor interface.

[0025] In some embodiments, the synchronization method further includes: when it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller needs to be reduced, deactivating the display controller.

[0026] In some embodiments, the synchronization signal is not generated when the display controller is not activated.

[0027] In some embodiments, when it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller needs to be reduced, the electronic device operates in a screen-off display mode or a standby desktop mode.

[0028] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate these and other objects of the present invention after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Detailed description will be given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure may be obtained by reading the following detailed description and referring to the accompanying examples.

[0030] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of a synchronization method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] In the following detailed description, for illustrative purposes, numerous specific details are set forth to enable those skilled in the art to more thoroughly understand the embodiments of the present invention. However, it is apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details, and different embodiments may be combined as needed, and the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. [Specific implementation method]

[0035] The following description is of preferred embodiments of the present invention and is intended only to illustrate the technical features of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that manufacturers may use different names for the same components. Therefore, this specification and claims do not distinguish components by name, but rather by functional differences. The terms "component," "system," and "device" used in this invention may refer to entities related to a computer, which may be hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The terms "including" and "comprising" used in the following description and claims are open-ended and should be interpreted as meaning "including, but not limited to..." Furthermore, the term "coupled" refers to an indirect or direct electrical connection. Therefore, when a device is described as being coupled to another device, this means that the device may be directly electrically connected to the other device or indirectly electrically connected to the other device through other devices or connections.

[0036] Corresponding numerals and symbols in the various figures of the drawings generally refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated. The drawings are drawn to clearly illustrate the relevant parts of the embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0037] As used herein, the terms "substantially," "approximately," or "almost" mean that a person skilled in the art is able to solve the desired technical problem and substantially achieve the desired technical effect within an acceptable range. For example, "approximately equal to" means that a certain deviation from "exactly equal to" is acceptable to a person skilled in the art without affecting the accuracy of the result.

[0038] The present invention provides a low-power display timing synchronization between a system on chip (SOC) and a display driver chip. Figure 1 FIG is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 100 includes a display controller 110 and a processor 120. The display controller 110 includes an interface 111. The display controller 110 provides a synchronization signal SYNC to a display driver chip (also described as a display driver or a display driver integrated circuit) 10 via the interface 111, so that the display controller 110 and the display driver chip (also described as a display driver or a display driver integrated circuit) 10 are synchronized.

[0039] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the interface 111 may be a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI). Figure 1 As shown, the display driver chip 10 is configured to drive the display panel ( Figure 1 According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the synchronization signal SYNC may be a horizontal synchronization (HSYNC) signal.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the display driver chip 10 may be configured to drive a video mode panel. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display driver chip 10 may be configured to drive an LTPS panel. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display driver chip 10 may be configured to drive an LTPO panel. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display driver chip 10 may be configured to drive an OLED panel. According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, the display driver chip 10 may be configured to drive any type of developed or undeveloped panel.

[0041] The processor 120 determines whether it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110. According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor 120 executes a display driver to control the display controller 110 to drive the display driver chip 10, thereby driving the panel. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the display controller 110 provides a synchronization signal SYNC to the display driver chip 10 through the interface 111. According to another embodiment, when the electronic device 100 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the display controller 110 runs / operates in a low power mode to reduce overall power consumption.

[0042] However, when the display controller 110 operates in low-power mode, due to specifications, the display controller 110 must still provide the synchronization signal SYNC to the display driver chip 10 for synchronization. In other words, when the display controller 110 operates in low-power mode, the display controller 110 is not powered off (also described as disconnected) in order to provide the synchronization signal SYNC. Therefore, when the electronic device 100 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the power consumption of the display controller 110 can be further reduced.

[0043] Figure 2is a block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 Compared to the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1 , the electronic device 200 further includes a clock generator 210 and a multiplexer 220. The clock generator 210 is configured to generate a clock signal CLK. The multiplexer 220 is configured to output a synchronization signal SYNC or a clock signal CLK as an output signal SOUT according to a mode signal MD.

[0044] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 operates in normal mode, the processor 120 sets the mode signal MD to select the synchronization signal SYNC as the output signal SOUT. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the processor 120 sets the mode signal MD to select the clock signal CLK as the output signal SOUT.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the mode signal MD is in a first state. When the mode signal MD is in the first state, the multiplexer 220 outputs the synchronization signal SYNC as the output signal SOUT. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the mode signal MD is in a second state. When the mode signal MD is in the second state, the multiplexer 220 outputs the clock signal CLK as the output signal SOUT.

[0046] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 120 selects the clock signal CLK as the output signal SOUT when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110. Therefore, the display controller 110 stops generating the synchronization signal SYNC and is able to turn off the power supply to minimize power consumption. In other words, when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the display controller 110 is in a deactivated mode (also described as a disabled mode) to turn off the power supply. When the processor 120 does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the display controller 110 is in an activated mode to perform maximum functions.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the display controller 110 is in the inactive mode, the power consumption of the display controller 110 is almost eliminated (that is, the display controller 110 consumes almost no power).

[0048] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the electronic device 200 can drive the display panel driven by the display driver chip 10 to display dynamic content, such as videos or games. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the electronic device 200 can drive the display panel driven by the display driver chip 10 to display static content, such as images or text.

[0049] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the processor 120 may operate in an always on display (AOD) mode (also commonly referred to as an off-screen display mode or an all-weather full-screen off-screen display mode). AOD mode is a function of a smartphone that enables the smartphone to continue to display limited information when it is in sleep mode. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the processor 120 may operate in a main screen idle mode (also often referred to as a standby desktop mode). According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the electronic device 100 may operate as an e-book (i.e., the user uses the electronic device 100 to execute an e-book or ePub reader for reading).

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, the display controller 110 and the processor 120 are integrated into a first package 230. The first package 230, the clock generator 210, and the multiplexer 220 may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) 240. In other words, the clock generator 210 and the display controller 110 are physically separated.

[0051] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the display controller 110 and the processor 120 may be integrated into a system-on-a-chip (SoC). According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display controller 110 and the processor 120 may be integrated into a system-in-package (SiP). According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display controller 110 and the processor 120 may be integrated into a three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC).

[0052] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2Compared to the electronic device 200 in , the display controller 110 , the processor 120 , the clock generator 210 , and the multiplexer 220 are integrated in the second package 310 .

[0053] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the clock generator 210 integrated with the display controller 110, the processor 120 and the multiplexer 220 may be a clock source of the second package 310, wherein the clock source is configured to generate a clock signal for a general purpose input / output (GPIO).

[0054] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, since the display controller 110, the processor 120, the clock generator 210, and the multiplexer 220 are integrated into the second package 310, the clock signal CLK can be output through the pins of the second package 310. Then, the multiplexer 220 selects the clock signal CLK or the synchronization signal SYNC as the output signal SOUT according to the mode signal MD.

[0055] According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, the display controller 110, the processor 120, the clock generator 210, and the multiplexer 220 can be integrated into the same package, such as a system-on-chip (SoC), a system-in-package (SIP), or a three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC). Therefore, when the processor 120 does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the electronic device 300 provides the synchronization signal SYNC to the display driver chip 10; and when the processor 120 needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the electronic device 300 provides the clock signal CLK to the display driver chip 10 to allow the display controller 110 to be completely powered off.

[0056] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a synchronization method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 The electronic device 200 and Figure 3 The electronic device 300 in the embodiment further describes the synchronization method 400 in detail.

[0057] Determine whether it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110 (step S410). According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the display panel driven by the display driver chip 10 displays static content, such as an image or text. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, when it is not necessary to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110, the display panel driven by the display driver chip 10 displays dynamic content, such as a video or a game.

[0058] Then, a clock signal CLK is generated (step S420). According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2As shown, the clock signal CLK is generated by a clock generator 210, and the clock generator 210 is separated from the first package 230 that integrates the display controller 110 and the processor 120. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 3 As shown, the display controller 110, the processor 120 and the clock generator 210 are integrated into the second package 310. Figure 3 The clock generator 210 in the electronic device 300 is a clock source for generating a clock signal for a general purpose input / output (GPIO) in the electronic device 300 .

[0059] When it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller 110 needs to be reduced, the display controller 110 is deactivated (also interchangeably described as deactivating) (step S430) to substantially eliminate the power consumption of the display controller 110. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the display controller 110 is deactivated, the display controller 110 is completely powered off to (substantially) eliminate the power consumption of the display controller 110. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, when the display controller 110 is deactivated, the display controller 110 operates in a low power mode to reduce the power consumption of the display controller 110.

[0060] After generating the clock signal CLK, the multiplexer 220 provides the clock signal CLK to the display driver chip 10 (step S440). Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the multiplexer 220 selects the clock signal CLK as the output signal SOUT according to the mode signal MD, and provides the output signal SOUT to the display driver chip 10. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mode signal MD is used to indicate whether the electronic device 200 or the electronic device 300 operates in a low power mode or a normal mode.

[0061] Referring to step S410, when it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller 110 does not need to be reduced, the display controller 110 is activated (step S450). According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the power consumption of the display controller 110 does not need to be reduced, the display panel driven by the display driver chip 10 displays dynamic content, such as a video or a game.

[0062] After the display controller 110 is activated, the display controller 110 generates a synchronization signal SYNC (step S460 ). After generating the synchronization signal SYNC, the multiplexer 220 provides the synchronization signal SYNC to the display driver chip 10 (step S470 ) for synchronization.

[0063] This document provides an electronic device and synchronization method. Because the display controller 110 can be fully powered off when it is necessary to reduce power consumption, the power consumption of the display controller can be virtually eliminated. Furthermore, even if the display controller is completely disabled, synchronization between the electronic device and the display driver chip can be maintained through an additional clock signal, allowing the synchronization between the electronic device and the display driver chip to be properly maintained.

[0064] Although the present invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Rather, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar configurations (as will be apparent to those skilled in the art), for example, combinations or substitutions of different features from different embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar configurations.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: a display controller having an interface for providing a synchronization signal through the interface; A clock generator for generating a clock signal; a multiplexer, configured to output the synchronization signal or the clock signal as an output signal; as well as The processor is configured to control the multiplexer to output the clock signal as the output signal when the processor needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The output signal is provided to a display driver chip configured to drive a display panel.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein: When the processor does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the processor is used to control the multiplexer to output the synchronization signal as the output signal; The synchronization signal generated by the display controller is used to synchronize the display controller with the display driver chip.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein: When the processor does not need to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the display controller is in an active mode and generates the synchronization signal.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein When the processor needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the display controller is in an inactive mode to reduce the power consumption; When the display controller is in the inactive mode, the display controller does not generate the synchronization signal.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The display controller, the clock generator, the multiplexer and the processor are integrated into one package.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The display controller and the processor are integrated into a package, and the clock generator and the package are integrated on a PCB.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The synchronization signal is a horizontal synchronization signal.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: This interface is a mobile industry processor interface.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein When the processor needs to reduce the power consumption of the display controller, the processor operates in a screen-off display mode or a standby desktop mode.

11. A synchronization method for synchronizing an electronic device with a display driver chip, wherein: The electronic device includes a display controller, and the method includes: determining whether it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the display controller; When it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller needs to be reduced, the display controller is not activated; generating a clock signal; and The clock signal is provided to the display driver chip.

12. The synchronization method according to claim 11, wherein: The clock signal is generated by a clock generator.

13. The synchronization method according to claim 12, wherein: The clock generator and the display controller are integrated into one package.

14. The synchronization method according to claim 12, wherein: The clock generator and the display controller are integrated on a PCB.

15. The synchronization method according to claim 11, wherein: The synchronization method also includes: When it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller does not need to be reduced, activating the display controller; generating a synchronization signal using the display controller; and The synchronization signal is provided to the display driver chip.

16. The synchronization method according to claim 15, wherein: The synchronization signal is a horizontal synchronization signal.

17. The synchronization method according to claim 15, wherein: The synchronization signal is provided to the display driver chip through a mobile industry processor interface.

18. The synchronization method according to claim 11, wherein: The synchronization method also includes: When it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller needs to be reduced, the display controller is not activated.

19. The synchronization method according to claim 18, wherein: When the display controller is not activated, the synchronization signal is not generated.

20. The synchronization method according to claim 11, wherein: When it is determined that the power consumption of the display controller needs to be reduced, the electronic device operates in a screen-off display mode or a standby desktop mode.

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