Electronic device, display driver, and control method of electronic device

Abstract

This application provides an electronic device, a display driver, and a control method for the electronic device, relating to the field of display device technology, to improve the problems of high cost and large circuit area overhead when the application processor communicates with multiple display drivers in existing electronic devices. The electronic device includes an application processor, a first display driver, and a second display driver. The application processor first sends a first instruction packet, followed by data to be processed. The data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information. After receiving the first indication information, the first display driver processes the subsequently received data. After receiving the first indication information, the second display driver does not process the received data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display device technology, specifically to an electronic device, a display driver, and a control method for the electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices include one or more displays. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the application processor chip of the phone communicates with the display driver chip of the display screen through the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI), thereby controlling the display driver chip to drive the display screen. The display driver, as the receiving end, communicates with the application processor, as the sending end, based on the MIPI protocol.

[0003] Some electronic devices, such as foldable screen devices, include multiple displays and correspondingly multiple display drivers. For example, an electronic device may include a first display driver and a second display driver. If an application processor is to drive the first and second display drivers through a single transmit port, the transmit port of the application processor can be connected to the receive port of the first and second display drivers via a switch. Time-sharing communication with the first and second display drivers can be achieved through the switch. However, setting up a switch will result in additional area overhead and cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an electronic device, a display driver, and a control method for the electronic device, which can improve the problems of large circuit area and high cost of existing electronic devices.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of this application are as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising an application processor and a plurality of display drivers, the application processor and the plurality of display drivers communicating using the MIPI protocol. The application processor includes a transmit port, the display drivers include receive ports, and the plurality of display drivers includes a first display driver and a second display driver. The transmit port is connected to the receive ports of the first display driver and the second display driver. When only the first display driver needs to process data transmitted by the application processor, the application processor is configured to first transmit a first instruction packet via the transmit port, and then transmit the data to be processed. The data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information. The first display driver and the second display driver are configured to receive the first indication information and the data. After receiving the first indication information, the first display driver processes the data subsequently transmitted by the application processor. After receiving the first indication information, the second display driver does not process the data subsequently transmitted by the application processor.

[0007] In the solution provided in this application embodiment, the application processor first sends a first instruction packet to inform the target display driver to process subsequent data, while non-target display drivers do not process subsequent data. After sending the first instruction packet, the application processor sends the data to be processed. After receiving the subsequent data, the first display driver responds to the first instruction packet and processes the data, while the second display driver responds to the first instruction packet and does not process the subsequent data. In this way, communication between the application processor and one or more of the connected display drivers can be achieved without using a switching switch. Eliminating the switching switch can save circuit area and cost of electronic devices. Furthermore, in this application embodiment, the first instruction packet is sent to inform each display driver whether to process subsequent data before sending the data to be processed. It is not necessary to use the virtual channel (VC) field in the packet header to distinguish the content processed by different display drivers. Therefore, the application processor can simplify the control circuit required to configure the VC field of the data packet, which can save the area and cost of the application processor, thereby reducing the cost of electronic devices.

[0008] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information. The first indication information can be used to instruct the first display driver and the second display driver to process subsequent data sent by the application processor differently. Since the first indication information is located in the data field of the first instruction packet, rather than using the VC field in the packet header to distinguish the content processed by different display drivers, this saves application processor area and reduces costs, thereby lowering the cost of the electronic device.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, where only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the application processor is further configured to first send a second instruction packet via a transmit port, the second instruction packet including second indication information; the first display driver and the second display driver are configured to receive the second indication information, wherein, after the first display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port is turned on; after the second display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port is turned off; the application processor is further configured to send the data to be processed via the transmit port in a low-speed mode; the first display driver is further configured to receive data via the low-power transceiver circuit.

[0010] In the solution provided in this application embodiment, the application processor first sends a second instruction packet to enable the low-power transceiver circuit of the target display driver and disable the low-power transceiver circuit of the non-target display drivers. After sending the second instruction packet, the application processor sends the data to be processed in low-speed mode. At this time, only the first display driver with its low-power transceiver circuit enabled will receive and process the data sent by the application processor in low-speed mode, while the low-power transceiver circuit of the second display driver is disabled and will not receive the data to be processed sent by the application processor in low-speed mode. In this way, communication between the application processor and one or more of the connected display drivers can be achieved without using a switch. Eliminating the switch can save circuit area and cost of electronic devices. The second indication information is set in the data field of the second instruction packet, instead of using the VC field in the packet header to distinguish the content processed by different display drivers. The application processor also does not need to set up the corresponding control circuit for the VC field, which can reduce the cost of the application processor and electronic devices.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the data field of the second instruction packet includes second indication information. The second indication information can be used to instruct the first display driver to enable the low-power transceiver circuitry of its receive port and the second display driver to disable the low-power transceiver circuitry of its receive port. This allows the first and second display drivers to receive and process data subsequently sent by the application processor differently. Furthermore, since the second indication information is located in the data field of the first instruction packet, rather than using the VC field in the packet header to distinguish the content processed by different display drivers, this saves application processor area and reduces costs, thereby lowering the cost of the electronic device.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, where both the first display driver and the second display driver need to process data sent by the application processor, the application processor is used to send the data to be processed through the transmit port; the first display driver and the second display driver are used to receive and process the data. For data that needs to be processed by multiple display drivers connected to the transmit port of the application processor, the application processor can broadcast the data through the wiring, so that multiple display drivers will receive and process the data.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the application processor is further configured to first send a third instruction packet via a transmit port, and then send the data to be processed; the data field of the third instruction packet includes third instruction information; a first display driver and a second display driver are configured to receive the third instruction information and the data, wherein the first display driver processes the data sent by the application processor after receiving the third instruction information; and the second display driver processes the data sent by the application processor after receiving the third instruction information. That is, before broadcasting the data that each display driver needs to process, the application processor can first send a third instruction packet to notify each display driver to process the subsequent data sent by the application processor, ensuring that multiple display drivers connected to the application processor will process the subsequent data.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the application processor is further configured to first send a fourth instruction packet via a transmit port, the data field of which includes fourth indication information; a first display driver and a second display driver are configured to receive the fourth indication information; after receiving the fourth indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of the first display driver's receive port is turned on; after receiving the fourth indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of the second display driver's receive port is also turned on; the application processor is further configured to send the data to be processed in a low-speed mode; the first display driver is further configured to receive the data through the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port; the second display driver is further configured to receive the data through the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port. That is, before broadcasting the data that each display driver needs to process, the application processor can first send a fourth instruction packet to notify each display driver to turn on its low-power transceiver circuit, so that each driver can receive and process the data sent by the application processor in low-speed mode.

[0015] The application processor can send the first instruction packet, the second instruction packet, the third instruction packet, the fourth instruction packet, and the data to be processed, etc., in either high-speed or low-speed mode. For example, when the low-power transceiver circuit of the receiving port of each display driver is turned on, the application processor can send the instruction packets in either high-speed or low-speed mode; when the low-power transceiver circuit of the receiving port of each display driver is turned off, the application processor sends the instruction packets in high-speed mode to ensure that each display driver receives the instruction packets.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the electronic device further includes a first display screen and a second display screen, a first display driver connected to the first display screen, and a second display driver connected to the second display screen; the application processor is further configured to transmit image data to be processed through a transmission port; the first display driver and the second display driver are further configured to receive image data, the image data including a first part and a second part, the first display driver being configured to control the first display screen to display the first part of the image data, and the second display driver being configured to control the second display screen to display the second part of the image data.

[0017] In a second aspect, a display driver is provided, which is applied to an electronic device. The electronic device includes an application processor and multiple display drivers, which communicate using the MIPI protocol. The display driver includes a receiving port, and the application processor includes a transmitting port. The receiving port is connected to the transmitting port. The display driver is used to receive data to be processed sent by the application processor. The display driver is also used to process the data.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the display driver is configured to receive a first instruction packet sent by the application processor; the display driver is also configured to receive data to be processed sent by the application processor after the first instruction packet, wherein the display driver processes the data when the data field of the first instruction packet includes a first instruction, and the display driver does not process the data when the data field of the first instruction packet includes a second instruction.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the display driver is also configured to receive a second instruction packet sent by the application processor; the display driver is also configured to disable the low-power transceiver circuitry of its receive port when the data field of the second instruction packet includes a third instruction.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the display driver is further configured to enable the low-power transceiver circuitry of its receive port when the data field of the second instruction packet includes a fourth instruction; the display driver is further configured to receive, via its low-power transceiver circuitry, the data to be processed sent by the application processor in low-speed mode after the second instruction packet.

[0021] Thirdly, an application processor is provided for use in an electronic device. The electronic device also includes multiple display drivers. The application processor and the multiple display drivers communicate using the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) protocol. The application processor includes a transmitting port, and the display drivers include receiving ports. The multiple display drivers include a first display driver and a second display driver. The transmitting port is connected to the receiving ports of the first display driver and the second display driver. When only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the application processor is used to first send a first instruction packet through the transmitting port, and then send the data to be processed. The data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information. After receiving the first indication information, the first display driver processes the data sent by the application processor. After receiving the first indication information, the second display driver does not process the data sent by the application processor.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, where only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the application processor is used to first send a second instruction packet through the send port, and then send the data to be processed in a low-speed mode; the data field of the second instruction packet includes second indication information, and after the first display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port is turned on; after the second display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port is turned off.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, where both the first display driver and the second display driver need to process data sent by the application processor, the application processor is used to send the data to be processed through the send port.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the application processor is further configured to first send a third instruction packet via a sending port, and then send the data to be processed; the data field of the third instruction packet includes third indication information; after receiving the third indication information, the first display driver processes the data sent by the application processor; after receiving the third indication information, the second display driver processes the data sent by the application processor.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the application processor is further configured to first send a fourth instruction packet through the sending port, and then send the data to be processed in a low-speed mode; the data field of the fourth instruction packet includes fourth indication information, and after the first display driver receives the fourth indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port is turned on; after the second display driver receives the fourth indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port is turned on.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the application processor is used to send image data to be processed through a transmit port, the image data to be processed including image data to be processed by a first display driver and image data to be processed by a second display driver.

[0027] Fourthly, a control method for an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an application processor and multiple display drivers, which communicate using the MIPI protocol. The application processor includes a transmitting port, and each display driver includes a receiving port. The multiple display drivers include a first display driver and a second display driver. The transmitting port is connected to the receiving ports of the first and second display drivers. When only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the method includes: the application processor first sending a first instruction packet through the transmitting port; the application processor sending data to be processed; the first and second display drivers receiving the first instruction packet and the data to be processed, wherein the data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information; the first display driver processes the data sent by the application processor after receiving the first indication information; and the second display driver does not process the data sent by the application processor after receiving the first indication information.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, where only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the method further includes: the application processor first sending a second instruction packet through a transmit port; the first display driver and the second display driver receiving the second instruction packet, the data field of the second instruction packet including second indication information, wherein, after the first display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port is turned on; after the second display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port is turned off; the application processor sends the data to be processed through the transmit port in low-speed mode; and the first display driver receives the data through the low-power transceiver circuit.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, where both the first display driver and the second display driver need to process data sent by the application processor, the method further includes: the application processor sending the data to be processed through a transmit port; and the first display driver and the second display driver receiving and processing the data. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 3A schematic diagram illustrating the communication process between an application processor and a display driver, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating another communication process between an application processor and a display driver, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first instruction packet provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating several different first instruction packages provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 11 A schematic diagram illustrating another communication process between an application processor and a display driver, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second instruction packet provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 13 A schematic diagram illustrating several different second instruction packages provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0043] Figure 14 A schematic diagram illustrating another communication process between an application processor and a display driver, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 15 A schematic diagram illustrating another communication process between an application processor and a display driver, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a control method for an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating another control method for an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 18A flowchart illustrating another control method for an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0049] Hereinafter, the terms "second," "first," etc., are used for descriptive convenience only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "second," "first," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0050] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" may be defined relative to the orientation in which the components are schematically placed in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms can be relative concepts, used for relative description and clarification, and can change accordingly based on the orientation of the components in the accompanying drawings.

[0051] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, the term "coupled connection" can be a direct electrical connection or an indirect electrical connection through an intermediate medium. The term "contact" can be direct contact or indirect contact through an intermediate medium.

[0052] In this embodiment of the application, "and / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following associated objects have an "or" relationship.

[0053] The technical solution of this application can be applied to electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, e-readers, personal computers (PCs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), desktop monitors, smart wearable products (e.g., smartwatches, smart bracelets), virtual reality (VR) electronic devices, augmented reality (AR) electronic devices, drones, smart screens, in-vehicle equipment, and other electronic devices.

[0054] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application, using a mobile phone as an example. The electronic device may include components such as a radio frequency (RF) circuit 110, a memory 120, an input unit 130, a display unit 140, a sensor 150, an audio circuit 160, a processor 170, and a power supply 180. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 1 The electronic device structure shown is not intended to limit the electronic device and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements. The structure of the electronic device is well known, and this application only describes a portion of its structure.

[0055] The processor 170 is the control center of the electronic device. It connects various parts of the electronic device through various interfaces and lines. By running or executing software programs and / or modules stored in the memory 120, and calling data stored in the memory 120, it performs various functions of the electronic device and processes data, thereby controlling the electronic device as a whole.

[0056] Processor 170 may include one or more processing units, which may include, but are not limited to, central processing units, application processors, general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, neural network processors, image processing units, microcontrollers, or microprocessors. Processor 170 may also be a combination of functions implementing computation, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor. In one possible implementation, the various processing units described above may be integrated onto a single chip, forming a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0057] The display unit 140 can be used to display information input by the user or information provided to the user, as well as various menus of the electronic device. The display unit 140 may include a display screen 141 and a display driver integrated chip (DDIC) 142, which can be used to drive the display screen 141 to display the above information.

[0058] In this embodiment, the display screen 141 in the display unit 140 can be a low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) display screen, an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display screen, a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) display screen, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a micro light-emitting diode (micro LED) display screen, etc. Of course, this embodiment does not limit the type of display screen 141. In practical applications, when the display screen 141 displays an image, the image to be displayed is sent by the application processor to the display driver 142. The display driver 142 converts the pixel data in the image to be displayed into voltage or current signals that regulate the brightness of the screen pixels and sends them to the display screen 141, thereby controlling the display screen 141 to display the image. In addition, the display driver 142 can also adjust the operating state of the display screen 141 by adjusting the frequency, amplitude, or duty cycle of the drive signal or control signal output to the display screen 141.

[0059] Foldable screen devices and other electronic devices typically include two or more displays. For example, based on the folding type, foldable screen devices can be divided into inward-folding devices and outward-folding devices. Inward-folding devices may include two inner screens and one outer screen, while outward-folding devices include two screens. The multiple displays mentioned here are categorized from a usage perspective. The multiple displays of a foldable screen device can be multiple independent displays; or they can be different display areas of the same display screen.

[0060] Each display screen in an electronic device is equipped with a corresponding display driver to drive that display screen. For example, an inward-folding screen device may have three displays. It can use one or two display drivers to drive the two inner screens and another display driver to drive the outer screen. The display drivers and the application processor can communicate based on the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) protocol. For electronic devices with multiple display drivers, the N display drivers typically act as N receiving devices communicating with the N-1 transmitting ports of the application processor.

[0061] For example, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an electronic device is shown, including an application processor 210, a first display screen 221, a second display screen 222, and a third display screen 223. The electronic device also includes a first display driver 231, a second display driver 232, and a third display driver 233, wherein the first display driver 231 drives the first display screen 221 to display; the second display driver 232 drives the second display screen 222 to display; and the third display driver 233 drives the third display screen 223 to display. Figure 2 The electronic device shown can be an inward-folding screen device, wherein the first display screen 221 and the second display screen 222 are inner screens, and the third display screen 223 is an outer screen. Alternatively, Figure 2 The electronic device shown can also be a "triple-fold" device.

[0062] Application processor 210 includes a first transmission port 211 and a second transmission port 212. The first transmission port 211 is connected to the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 via a switch 240; the second transmission port 212 is connected to the third display driver 233. The first transmission port 211 of application processor 210 communicates with the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 through time-sharing switching via the switch 240. However, setting up the switch 240 incurs additional area overhead and cost, reduces battery space in electronic devices, and affects battery life. If control of the first display driver 231, the second display driver 232, or more display drivers can be achieved through one of the transmission ports, eliminating the need for a switch, thus saving area and gaining cost and area benefits, increasing battery space, and achieving longer battery life.

[0063] Currently, one-to-two or one-to-many display drivers can be implemented based on the Virtual Channel (VC) field in the MIPI protocol. The VC field is a fixed field in the header of data packets in the MIPI protocol. In practical applications, different VC serial numbers can be assigned to different display drivers. When the application processor broadcasts data packets to multiple display drivers, it can assign values ​​to the VC field of the data packets, for example, assigning the VC serial number of a certain display driver to the VC field of the data packet. After receiving the data packet, the display driver will only respond if the value of the VC field of the data packet matches its own VC serial number.

[0064] For example, see Figure 3 The first display driver 231 is assigned a VC serial number of 0, and the second display driver 232 is assigned a VC serial number of 1. When the application processor 210 sends data packets to the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232, it can assign a value to the VC field in the header of the data packet, such as assigning a value of 0 or 1. For example, if the data packet needs to be processed by the first display driver 231, the VC field in the header of the data packet is assigned a value of 0; if the data packet needs to be processed by the second display driver 232, the VC field in the header of the data packet is assigned a value of 1.

[0065] Application processor 210 is connected to first display driver 231 and second display driver 232 via a one-to-two connection cable. Therefore, each transmission is a broadcast transmission, and both first display driver 231 and second display driver 232 will receive the data packets sent by application processor 210.

[0066] Combination Figure 3 , Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the communication process between the application processor and the display driver. If the value of the VC field in the data packet sent by the application processor 210 is 0, after the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 receive the data packet, they will determine whether their own VC serial number matches the value of the VC field in the data packet. The VC serial number of the first display driver 231 is 0, which matches the value of the VC field in the data packet, so the first display driver 231 will process the data packet. However, the VC serial number of the second display driver 232 is 1, which does not match the value of the VC field in the data packet, so the second display driver 232 will not process the data packet.

[0067] Conversely, if the value of the VC field of the data packet sent by the application processor 210 is 1, then the first display driver 231 does not process the data packet after receiving it, while the second display driver 232 processes the data packet after receiving it.

[0068] The VC field in the header of a data packet can be used to identify data packets that need to be processed by the first display driver and data packets that need to be processed by the second display driver, thereby enabling one-to-two communication between the application processor and the first and second display drivers. Each display driver only processes data packets that match its VC sequence number. However, if the assignment of values ​​to the VC field of the data packet is to be supported, the sending port of the application processor needs to be equipped with additional control circuitry, which will increase the cost of the application processor.

[0069] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides an electronic device that enables an application processor to drive two or more display drivers without setting a switch or using the MIPI protocol VC field.

[0070] The electronic device provided in this application embodiment includes an application processor and multiple displays, for example, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 This illustration shows a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 A functional block diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0071] Reference Figure 4 The electronic device provided in this application embodiment includes a first display screen 221 and a second display screen 222, which can be folded or unfolded along a bending axis. For example Figure 4 Figure a shows a schematic diagram of the electronic device in its unfolded state. Figure 4 Figure b shows a schematic diagram of an electronic device in a partially folded state. The first display screen 221 and the second display screen 222 can be different display areas on the same display panel.

[0072] See Figure 5 The electronic device also includes an application processor 210 and multiple display drivers corresponding to the multiple displays, such as a first display driver 231 and a second display driver 232. The first display driver 231 is used to drive the first display screen 221, and the second display driver 232 is used to drive the second display screen 222. The application processor 210 and the multiple display drivers communicate using the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) protocol.

[0073] The application processor 210 includes processing circuitry and a transmit port, and the display driver includes processing circuitry and a receive port. (See also...) Figure 6 The application processor 210's transmit port is connected to the receive ports of the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232. The electronic device may also include components not shown in the figures, such as a first display screen, a second display screen, etc., but this embodiment does not limit the scope of the application.

[0074] Application processor 210 acts as the transmitting device, and the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 act as the receiving devices. Communication between the transmitting and receiving devices can be categorized into read operations and write operations. Read operations can only read from either the first display driver 231 or the second display driver 232, and cannot read simultaneously. For example, application processor 210 may read the operating status of either the first display driver 231 or the second display driver 232. Write operations can include writing to both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 simultaneously, writing only to the first display driver 231, or writing only to the second display driver 232. For example, application processor 210 may simultaneously write the same configuration to both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232, or send the same image data; or application processor 210 may write the configuration to only the first display driver 231 or send image data only to only the second display driver 232.

[0075] The above-mentioned scenarios can be divided into two types according to the processing flow. One type requires only one of the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to process the data packets sent by the application processor 210. The other type requires both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to process the data packets sent by the application processor 210. This application describes the solution based on these two scenarios.

[0076] First, we will introduce the scenario where only one of the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 needs to process the data. In this application, we will use the example where only the first display driver 231 needs to process the data and the second display driver 232 does not need to process the data.

[0077] Application processor 210 can first send a preset instruction to the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232, instructing the first display driver 231 to process the received data and the second display driver 232 not to process the received data; after sending the preset instruction, application processor 210 then sends several data packets that only require processing by the first display driver 231.

[0078] For example, the transmit port of application processor 210 is connected to the receive port of first display driver 231 and the receive port of second display driver 232. Application processor 210 transmits data packets via broadcast, and both first display driver 231 and second display driver 232 receive the data packets sent by application processor 210. If one transmit port of application processor 210 is connected to more display drivers, then multiple display drivers will receive the data packets sent by application processor 210.

[0079] See Figure 7 In this embodiment of the application, the application processor 210 is used to send a first instruction packet through the sending port, and the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 are used to receive the first instruction packet. Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a first instruction packet structure is shown. The structure of the first instruction packet includes a header field and a data field. The header field includes fields such as data type (e.g., command or data) and virtual channel (VC). In this embodiment, the data type of the first instruction packet can be a command. The data field can include an instruction ID, data or commands that need to be processed by the display driver. For example, the instruction ID can have various forms, such as a specific code value at the beginning of a pre-agreed data field, or an address inside the display driver.

[0080] Here, to ensure that each display driver can receive the first instruction packet sent by the application processor 210, the first instruction packet can be sent in high-speed mode.

[0081] The data fields of the first instruction packet include first indication information. For example, the first indication information may include some pre-defined fields whose values ​​are used to indicate whether a certain display driver processes subsequently received data. For instance, the first indication information includes a first field and a second field, wherein the first field is used to indicate whether the first display driver 231 processes subsequently received data, and the second field is used to indicate whether the second display driver 232 processes subsequently received data. If the application processor 210's transmit port is connected to more display drivers, the first indication information may also include more fields to indicate whether these display drivers process subsequently received data.

[0082] Application processor 210 can send different first instruction packets to the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 by configuring the values ​​of the first and second fields in the first instruction information, for example, configuring them to 1 or 0, thereby issuing instructions with different meanings. For example, 1 can be used to indicate "yes", that is, the display driver processes the subsequently received data; 0 can be used to indicate "no", that is, the display driver does not process the subsequently received data. Alternatively, 1 can be used to indicate "no"; 0 can be used to indicate "yes".

[0083] After receiving the first instruction packet, the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 parse the first instruction packet to obtain the first instruction information and perform corresponding operations according to the first instruction information.

[0084] For example, for any one display driver, the first indication information includes two states. For instance, it may include a first instruction instructing the display driver to process subsequently received data, in which case the display driver processes the subsequently received data sent by the application processor 210. Alternatively, it may include a second instruction instructing the display driver not to process subsequently received data, in which case the display driver does not process the subsequently received data sent by the application processor 210. In this embodiment, the first indication information is used to indicate whether multiple display drivers should process subsequent data; therefore, the indications for multiple display drivers can be combined to form various different instructions.

[0085] Application processor 210 can configure the values ​​of the data fields of the first instruction packet to form different first instruction packets. For example, configuring the first field to 1 and the second field to 0 constitutes one type of instruction; or configuring the first field to 0 and the second field to 1 constitutes another type of instruction; or configuring both the first and second fields to 1 constitutes yet another type of instruction.

[0086] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of several different first instruction packages provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 9 Figure 'a' in the diagram illustrates one form of the first instruction packet, combined with... Figure 9 As shown in Figure a, the data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information. The first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 receive the first instruction packet and parse it to obtain the first indication information. Figure 9 As shown in Figure a, the first instruction information is used to instruct the first display driver 231 to process subsequent data, while the second display driver 232 does not process subsequent data. That is, by sending the first instruction packet, the application processor 210 can select the display driver to process subsequent data. For example, here the first instruction packet is used to select the first display driver 231 to process subsequent data.

[0087] Application processor 210 is also configured to send several data packets expected to be processed by first display driver 231 after sending the first instruction packet.

[0088] Before receiving subsequent data from the application processor 210, since the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 have already parsed the first instruction information, the first display driver 231 will process the subsequently received data, while the second display driver 232 will not. For example, this data may include configurations or instructions that need to be written to the first display driver 231.

[0089] In this embodiment, the application processor 210 communicates with the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 based on the MIPI protocol. Data is transmitted between the application processor 210 and the first display driver 231, and between the application processor 210 and the second display driver 232, in the form of data packets. For example, the first instruction packet here is a data packet. The data to be processed sent by the application processor 210 later is also sent in the form of data packets. For ease of understanding and distinction, different data packets are named differently, which will not be described further.

[0090] For example, the data to be processed can be image data. After the first display driver 231 processes the image data, it drives the first display screen 221 to display it. Whether the first display driver 231 has processed image data can be determined by whether the displayed content has changed. The data to be processed can also be a write configuration command. After the first display driver 231 processes the write configuration command, its own working state will change, or the state controlling the display of the first display screen 221 will change, such as adjusting the image brightness, adjusting the refresh rate, etc.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the data field of the first instruction packet may further include the number of data packets that the first display driver 231 is expected to process. For example, if the first indication information is used to instruct the first display driver 231 to process subsequent data and the number of data packets to be processed is M, then the first display driver 231 can receive and process the M data packets after the first instruction packet; the second display driver 232 receives and processes the M data packets after the first instruction packet.

[0092] In one possible implementation, if the type of data that the first display driver 231 is expected to process is a command, such as a command or configuration to write to the first display driver 231, or a read command, then the application processor 210 can send the first instruction packet in high-speed mode. After sending the first instruction packet, the application processor 210 can send several data packets that the first display driver 231 is expected to process in low-speed mode.

[0093] In one possible implementation, if the type of data that the first display driver 231 is expected to process is data, such as image data, then the application processor 210 can send a first instruction packet in high-speed mode. After sending the first instruction packet, the application processor 210 can send several data packets that the first display driver 231 is expected to process in high-speed mode.

[0094] Based on the above, it can be seen that the application processor 210 sends a first instruction packet to select a display driver. For example, in the previous example, the application processor 210 sends a first instruction packet to select the first display driver 231 to process subsequent data, while the second display driver 232 does not process subsequent data.

[0095] Or, see Figure 9 The diagram in Figure b illustrates another type of first instruction packet. The application processor 210 can also send a first instruction packet to select the second display driver 232 to process subsequent data, while the first display driver 231 does not process subsequent data.

[0096] Or, see Figure 9 The diagram in Figure c illustrates another type of first instruction packet. The application processor 210 can also send a first instruction to select the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to process subsequent data.

[0097] For example, when application processor 210 needs to send data that both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 need to process, it can first send data such as... Figure 9 The first instruction shown in Figure c causes both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to process subsequent data.

[0098] In the solution provided in this application embodiment, by having the application processor 210 first send an instruction to the display driver to inform it whether to process subsequent data, and then send the data to be processed, the display driver that needs to be processed can be selected. When the application processor 210 is connected to two or more display drivers through a single transmit port, individual control of a single display driver to process data can be achieved without using the VC field. No switching circuit is required between the application processor and multiple display drivers; without using the VC field, there is no need to configure corresponding functional circuits, which simplifies the structure of the application processor 210 and the electronic device, reducing costs.

[0099] In the above embodiments, the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 are informed whether to process the subsequently received data by sending a first instruction packet. That is to say, the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 will receive the data sent after the application processor 210 sends the first instruction packet, but will process or not process the subsequent data based on the indication of the first instruction packet.

[0100] This application embodiment also provides another implementation method. The application processor 210 can first send an instruction to enable the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to receive data subsequently sent by the application processor 210 differently. For example, the first display driver 231 receives the data and the second display driver 232 does not receive it, or the first display driver 231 does not receive the data and the second display driver 232 receives it. In this way, only the display driver that receives the data can complete the data processing. Based on this, the application processor 210 communicates with the first display driver 231, or the application processor communicates with the second display driver 232.

[0101] In this embodiment, the application processor 210 uses the MIPI protocol to communicate with the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232. The MIPI protocol supports low-power mode and high-speed mode. Low-power mode is typically used for transmitting control signals and is also known as low-speed mode, while high-speed mode is typically used for high-speed data transmission. See also... Figure 10 The diagram shows a schematic of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. For the sending port of the application processor 210, the receiving port of the first display driver 231, and the receiving port of the second display driver 232, both the sending port and the receiving port include a control circuit, a high-speed transceiver circuit, and a low-power transceiver circuit. The control circuit is used to control the sending and receiving of data through the high-speed transceiver circuit or the low-power transceiver circuit, wherein the high-speed transceiver circuit is used to send and receive high-speed data, and the low-power transceiver circuit is used to send and receive low-speed data.

[0102] Application processor 210 can first send a preset instruction to the first display driver and the second display driver, notifying the first display driver to turn on the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port and notifying the second display driver to turn off the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port. After sending the preset instruction, application processor 210 sends several data packets that only need to be processed by the first display driver in low-speed mode. In this way, only the display driver with the low-power transceiver circuit turned on will receive the data sent in low-speed mode, and the display driver with the low-power transceiver circuit turned off will not receive the data sent in low-speed mode, thus realizing differentiated processing for different display drivers.

[0103] In the embodiments of this application, participants Figure 11 The application processor 210 is used to send a second instruction packet through the sending port. The first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 are used to receive the second instruction packet and respond to the second instruction packet to perform corresponding operations.

[0104] Figure 12A schematic diagram of a second instruction packet is shown. The data fields of the second instruction packet may include second indication information. In this embodiment, the second indication information includes some pre-defined fields whose values ​​are used to indicate whether a display driver disables its low-power transceiver circuit. For example, the second indication information includes a first field and a second field, where the first field indicates whether a first display driver disables its low-power transceiver circuit, and the second field indicates whether a second display driver disables its low-power transceiver circuit. If the application processor 210's transmit port is connected to more display drivers, the second indication information may include more fields. The application processor 210 can configure the values ​​of the first and second fields in the second indication information, for example, to 1 or 0, thereby issuing different instructions to the first and second display drivers. 1 can represent "yes," i.e., disabling the low-power transceiver circuit; 0 can represent "no," i.e., enabling the low-power transceiver circuit. Alternatively, 1 can be used to represent "no," and 0 can represent "yes."

[0105] After receiving the second instruction packet, the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 parse the second instruction information and perform corresponding operations according to the second instruction information.

[0106] For example, for any display driver, the second indication information includes two states. For instance, if the second indication information includes a third instruction, instructing the display driver to turn off its low-power transceiver circuit, then the display driver can respond to the second indication information by turning off the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port; or, if the second indication information includes a fourth instruction, instructing the display driver not to turn off the low-power transceiver circuit, then the display driver can respond to the second indication information by turning on the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port.

[0107] Figure 13 The diagram illustrates several different second instruction packages provided in the embodiments of this application, wherein, Figure 13 Figure a illustrates one form of the second instruction packet. In this embodiment, the data field of the second instruction packet includes second indication information. The first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 receive the first instruction packet and parse it to obtain the first indication information. For example, see [reference needed]. Figure 13 In Figure a, the second indication information is used to instruct the first display driver 231 not to turn off (i.e., turn on) the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port, and the second display driver 232 to turn off the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port.

[0108] The first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 parse the second indication information. In response to the second indication information, the first display driver 231 activates the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port. Once activated, the first display driver 231 can receive or transmit low-speed mode signals through its low-power transceiver circuit. In response to the second indication information, the second display driver 232 deactivates the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port. Once deactivated, the second display driver 232 cannot receive low-speed mode signals.

[0109] Continue reading Figure 11 The application processor 210 is also configured to send data expected to be processed by the first display driver 231 in a low-speed mode after sending the second instruction packet. For example, the application processor 210 sends configuration or instructions that need to be written to the first display driver 231; or, the application processor 210 sends a read instruction to read information from the first display driver 231.

[0110] See Figure 14 Taking a read command as an example, the application processor 210 sends the read command in low-speed mode. Since the low-power transceiver circuit of the second display driver 232 is in the off state, only the first display driver 231 receives the read command and sends a read packet to the application processor 210 in response to the read command. The read packet includes the information that the application processor 210 wants to read. Thus, the application processor 210 can only receive the read packet sent by the first display driver 231, thereby realizing the operation of the application processor 210 reading the first display driver 231.

[0111] Application processor 210 selects a display driver to process subsequent data by first sending a second instruction packet and then sending the data to be processed in low-speed mode. The second instruction packet instructs the selected display driver to enable the low-power transceiver circuitry of its receive port, while the non-selected display drivers disable the low-power transceiver circuitry of their receive ports. This ensures that when sending data to be processed in low-speed mode, only the selected display driver can receive and process the subsequent data sent by application processor 210 in low-speed mode.

[0112] Figure 13Figure b illustrates another type of second instruction packet. Application processor 210 can also send a second instruction packet to select the second display driver 232. In this case, the data field of the second instruction packet includes second indication information, which instructs the first display driver 231 to disable the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port, while the second display driver 232 does not disable (i.e., enables) the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port. Then, when application processor 210 sends data to be processed in low-speed mode, only the second display driver 232 will receive and process the subsequently sent data. For example, if the data packet subsequently sent by application processor 210 is a read instruction, after the second display driver 232 processes the read instruction, application processor 210 can receive the read packet sent by the second display driver 232, completing the operation of reading the second display driver 232.

[0113] Or, see Figure 13 Figure c in the middle, Figure 13 Figure c illustrates another type of second instruction packet. Application processor 210 can also send a second instruction packet to simultaneously select the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232. In this case, the data field of the second instruction packet includes second indication information, which instructs the first display driver 231 not to turn off (i.e., turn on) the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port, and the second display driver 232 not to turn off (i.e., turn on) the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port. Then, when application processor 210 sends the data to be processed in low-speed mode, both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 will receive and process the subsequent data sent by application processor 210.

[0114] For example, if the application processor 210 needs to broadcast the processing data required by both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 in low-speed mode after the low-power transceiver circuit of the receiving port is turned off by the first display driver 231 or the second display driver 232, it needs to send a second instruction packet first so that both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 can turn on the low-power circuit of the receiving port.

[0115] In the solution provided in this application embodiment, the application processor 210 first sends a second instruction packet to enable the low-power transceiver circuit of the selected display driver and disable the low-power transceiver circuit of the other display drivers. The application processor 210 then sends the data to be processed in low-speed mode. In this way, only the display driver with its low-power transceiver circuit enabled will receive and process the subsequent data. When the application processor 210 connects to two or more display drivers through a single transmit port, it achieves individual control of a single display driver to process data without using a toggle switch or the VC field in the data packet. Without using the VC field, there is no need to configure corresponding functional circuits, which simplifies the structure of the application processor 210 and the electronic device, reducing costs.

[0116] The above example illustrates how to control one display driver to process data sent by the application processor 210 independently when the application processor 210 is connected to two or more display drivers through a transmit port. The following describes the scenario where both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 need to process data sent by the application processor 210.

[0117] For multiple display drivers connected to the transmit port of application processor 210, taking the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 as examples, the transmit port of application processor 210 is connected to the receive port of the first display driver 231 and the receive port of the second display driver 232 through a connecting cable. Application processor 210 can send data that needs to be processed to the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 through the cable.

[0118] However, if, prior to this, one of the display drivers, in response to receiving the first instruction packet sent by the application processor 210, is not processing subsequently received data, the application processor 210 may first send a third instruction packet, and then send the data that needs to be processed by the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232. The data field of the third instruction packet includes third indication information, which instructs both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to process the subsequently received data.

[0119] The structure and principle of the third instruction packet here are the same as those described above. Figure 9 The structure and principle of the first instruction packet shown in Figure c are similar, and will not be elaborated here.

[0120] Furthermore, if the low-power transceiver circuit of the receiving port of a certain display driver is in the off state, and the data to be processed needs to be sent in low-speed mode, the application processor 210 should first send the fourth instruction packet in high-speed mode, and then send the data to be processed in low-speed mode. The data field of the fourth instruction packet includes fourth indication information, which is used to instruct the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to both turn on the low-power transceiver circuit of their receiving ports.

[0121] Here, the structure and principle of the fourth instruction packet are the same as those described above. Figure 13 The structure and principle of the second instruction packet shown in Figure c are similar, and will not be elaborated here.

[0122] Application processor 210 can send data that both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 need to process in either low-speed or high-speed mode. For example, if the data packet to be sent is a command, then application processor 210 can send it in either low-speed or high-speed mode; if the data packet to be sent is data, then application processor 210 can send it in high-speed mode.

[0123] Taking the scenario of application processor 210 sending an image to the display driver as an example, see [link / reference]. Figure 15 The image sending scenario can be considered as high-speed data writing, and its data packet format differs from the format of the write command or configuration, for example, the data packet header type value is different. In this embodiment, the first display driver 231 is used to drive the first display screen 221 to display, and the second display driver 232 is used to drive the second display screen 222 to display. The application processor 210 can send image data. Typically, the application processor 210 sends image data line by line, that is, each time the image data is sent, it includes one line of data from the first display screen 221 and one line of data from the second display screen 222. In this embodiment, each time the application processor 210 sends image data, it includes a first part and a second part, wherein the first part is the image to be displayed on the first display screen 221, and the second part is the image to be displayed on the second display screen 222.

[0124] The first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 receive image data sent by the application processor 210. The first display driver 231 drives the first display screen 221 to display the image based on a first portion of the image data; the second display driver 232 drives the second display screen 222 to display the image based on a second portion of the image data. In one possible implementation, the first and second portions of the image data can be divided according to the resolution of the first display screen 221 and the second display screen 222. For example, if a frame of image is jointly displayed by the first display screen 221 and the second display screen 222, with each display screen 221 and the second display screen 222 displaying half of the image, then after the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 receive a line of data sent by the application processor 210, they each take half of the data according to the resolution and drive the display screen to display the image.

[0125] In the above examples, the communication and interaction between the application processor 210 and the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 are used as examples for illustration. The sending port of the application processor 210 can also connect to more display drivers, and the solution provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to all of them.

[0126] For example, the transmit port of the application processor 210 is connected to the receive port of the first display driver 231, the receive port of the second display driver 232, and the receive port of the third display driver 233.

[0127] If data that needs to be processed by all three display drivers needs to be sent, it can be sent directly through the traces, and all three display drivers can receive and process the data sent by the application processor.

[0128] If only some of the data processed by the display drivers is required, for example, the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 need to process the data while the third display driver 233 does not need to process it, the two solutions provided in the aforementioned embodiments can also be used.

[0129] For example, application processor 210 may first broadcast a first instruction packet. The data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information, which is used to instruct the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to process subsequent data, and the third display driver 233 not to process subsequent data.

[0130] After the application processor 210 sends the first instruction packet, it then sends the data to be processed. In this way, only the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 process the received data, while the third display driver 233 does not process the received data.

[0131] Alternatively, the application processor 210 may first send a second instruction packet, the data field of which includes second indication information. The second indication information is used to instruct the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 to turn on the low-power transceiver circuit of their receiving ports and the third display driver 233 to turn off the low-power transceiver circuit of their receiving ports.

[0132] After receiving the second instruction packet sent by the application processor 210, the first display driver 231, the second display driver 232, and the third display driver 233 parse and process it. The first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 respond to the second instruction packet by turning on the low-power transceiver circuit of their receiving ports, and the third display driver 233 responds to the second instruction packet by turning off the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving ports.

[0133] After the application processor 210 sends the second instruction packet, it then sends the data to be processed in low-speed mode. Since the low-power transceiver circuits of the receiving ports of the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 are in the on state, and the low-power transceiver circuit of the receiving port of the third display driver 233 is in the off state, only the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 can receive and process the data sent by the application processor 210 in low-speed mode; the third display driver 233 cannot receive the data sent by the application processor 210 in low-speed mode.

[0134] This application also provides a control method for the electronic device provided in the foregoing embodiments, see below. Figure 16 The method includes:

[0135] S301: The application processor sends the data to be processed.

[0136] S302A: The first display driver receives and processes the received data.

[0137] S302B: The second display driver receives and processes the received data.

[0138] For data that both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 need to process, the application processor 210 broadcasts it through the transmit port, and both the first display driver 231 and the second display driver 232 can receive and process the data.

[0139] If only the first display driver 231 or the second display driver 232 needs to process the data sent by the application processor 210, the embodiments of this application all take the example that the first display driver 231 needs to process the data while the second display driver 232 does not. See [reference needed] Figure 17 The methods also include:

[0140] S401: The application processor sends the first instruction packet.

[0141] The data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information, which is used to instruct the first display driver 231 to process subsequently received data, and the first indication information is also used to instruct the second display driver 232 not to process subsequently received data.

[0142] S402: The application processor sends the data to be processed.

[0143] S403A: The first display driver receives a first instruction packet and subsequent data sent by the application processor, and processes the received data based on the first instruction packet.

[0144] The data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information, which instructs the first display driver 231 to process subsequent data. Therefore, when receiving subsequent data sent by the application processor 210, the first display driver 231 processes the received data.

[0145] S403B: The second display driver receives the first instruction packet and subsequent data sent by the application processor, and does not process the received data based on the first instruction packet.

[0146] The data field of the first instruction packet includes first indication information, which instructs the second display driver 232 not to process subsequent data. Therefore, when receiving subsequent data sent by the application processor 210, the second display driver 232 does not process the received data.

[0147] In another possible implementation, if only the first display driver 231 needs to process the data and the second display driver 232 does not process the data sent by the application processor 210, see [reference needed]. Figure 18 The method may also include:

[0148] S501: The application processor sends a second instruction packet.

[0149] The data field of the second instruction packet includes second indication information, which is used to instruct the first display driver 231 to turn on the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port, and the second indication information is also used to instruct the second display driver 232 to turn off the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port.

[0150] S502A: The first display driver, in response to receiving the second instruction packet, turns on the low-power transceiver circuit of its receive port.

[0151] S502B: In response to receiving a second instruction packet, the second display driver shuts down the low-power transceiver circuitry of its receive port.

[0152] S503: The application processor sends the data to be processed in low-speed mode.

[0153] S504: The first display driver receives and processes data sent by the application processor 210 in low-speed mode.

[0154] Application processor 210 first sends a second instruction packet, then sends the data packet to be processed. Upon receiving the second instruction packet, first display driver 231 activates its low-power transceiver circuit in response to the second indication information within the packet. Therefore, first display driver 231 can receive the data packet to be processed subsequently sent by application processor 210 in low-speed mode. Upon receiving the second instruction packet, second display driver 232 deactivates its low-power transceiver circuit in response to the second indication information within the packet. With the low-power transceiver circuit deactivated, second display driver 232 will not receive the data packet to be processed subsequently sent by application processor 210 in low-speed mode. Therefore, in this case, only first display driver 231 receives and processes the data packet sent by application processor 210 in low-speed mode.

[0155] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described in the embodiments of this application in one or more of the above examples can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0156] Based on this, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which includes computer instructions that, when executed on a device, cause the device to perform the control method provided in embodiments of this application.

[0157] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the control method provided in this application.

[0158] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes an application processor and multiple display drivers, which communicate using the MIPI protocol. The application processor includes a transmit port, the display drivers include a receive port, and the multiple display drivers include a first display driver and a second display driver. The transmit port is connected to the receive port of the first display driver and the receive port of the second display driver. When only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the application processor is configured to first send a first instruction packet through the sending port, and then send the data to be processed. The first instruction packet includes first indication information. The first display driver and the second display driver are used to receive the first indication information and the data; After receiving the first indication information, the first display driver processes the data sent by the application processor; After receiving the first indication information, the second display driver does not process the data sent by the application processor.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data fields of the first instruction packet include the first indication information.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In cases where only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the application processor is also configured to first send a second instruction packet through the sending port, the second instruction packet including second indication information; The first display driver and the second display driver are used to receive the second indication information, wherein after the first display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port is turned on; after the second display driver receives the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port is turned off. The application processor is also configured to transmit data to be processed in a low-speed mode through the transmission port; The first display driver is also used to receive the data via the low-power transceiver circuit.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The data fields of the second instruction packet include the second instruction information.

5. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, When both the first display driver and the second display driver need to process the data sent by the application processor, the application processor is used to send the data to be processed through the sending port; The first display driver and the second display driver are used to receive and process the data.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The application processor is also configured to first send a third instruction packet through the sending port, and then send the data to be processed; the third instruction packet includes third indication information; The first display driver and the second display driver are used to receive the third indication information and the data, wherein the first display driver processes the data sent by the application processor after receiving the third indication information; After receiving the third instruction information, the second display driver processes the data sent by the application processor.

7. The electronic device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The application processor is also configured to first send a fourth instruction packet through the sending port, the fourth instruction packet including fourth indication information; The first display driver and the second display driver are used to receive the fourth indication information. After receiving the fourth indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of the receiving port of the first display driver is turned on; after receiving the fourth indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of the receiving port of the second display driver is turned on. The application processor is also used to send the data to be processed in a low-speed mode; The first display driver is also configured to receive the data through the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port; the second display driver is also configured to receive the data through the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port.

8. The electronic device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The electronic device further includes a first display screen and a second display screen, wherein the first display driver is connected to the first display screen and the second display driver is connected to the second display screen; The application processor is also used to send image data to be processed through the transmission port; The first display driver and the second display driver are further configured to receive the image data, which includes a first part and a second part. The first display driver is configured to control the first display screen to display the first part of the image data, and the second display driver is configured to control the second display screen to display the second part of the image data.

9. A display driver, characterized in that, The display driver is applied to an electronic device, which includes an application processor and a plurality of the display drivers. The application processor and the plurality of display drivers communicate using the MIPI protocol. The display driver includes a receiving port, and the application processor includes a transmitting port. The receiving port is connected to the transmitting port. The display driver is used to receive a first instruction packet sent by the application processor; The display driver is also configured to receive data to be processed sent by the application processor after the first instruction packet. When the first instruction packet includes a first instruction, the display driver processes the data; when the first instruction packet includes a second instruction, the display driver does not process the data.

10. The display driver according to claim 9, characterized in that, The display driver is also used to receive a second instruction packet sent by the application processor; The display driver is also configured to disable the low-power transceiver circuitry of its receive port when the second instruction packet includes a third instruction.

11. The display driver according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The display driver is also configured to enable the low-power transceiver circuit of its receiving port when the second instruction packet includes a fourth instruction. The display driver is also configured to receive, via its low-power transceiver circuitry, pending data sent by the application processor in low-speed mode after the second instruction packet.

12. A control method for an electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes an application processor and multiple display drivers, which communicate using the MIPI protocol. The application processor includes a transmit port, and each display driver includes a receive port. The multiple display drivers include a first display driver and a second display driver. The transmit port is connected to the receive ports of the first and second display drivers. When only the first display driver needs to process the data transmitted by the application processor, the method includes: The application processor first sends a first instruction packet through the sending port; The application processor sends the data to be processed; The first display driver and the second display driver receive the first instruction packet and the data to be processed. The first instruction packet includes first indication information. After receiving the first indication information, the first display driver processes the data sent by the application processor. After receiving the first indication information, the second display driver does not process the data sent by the application processor.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, When only the first display driver needs to process the data sent by the application processor, the method further includes: The application processor first sends a second instruction packet through the sending port; The first display driver and the second display driver receive the second instruction packet. The data field of the second instruction packet includes second indication information. After receiving the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of the first display driver's receiving port is turned on. After receiving the second indication information, the low-power transceiver circuit of the second display driver's receiving port is turned off. The application processor transmits the data to be processed through the transmission port in low-speed mode; The first display driver receives the data through the low-power transceiver circuit.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, When both the first display driver and the second display driver need to process the data sent by the application processor, the method further includes: The application processor sends the data to be processed through the sending port; The first display driver and the second display driver receive and process the data.

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