Time schedule controller and related display system

Abstract

The present application relates to a timing controller comprising:-a counter configured to count the number of frames that have been displayed in a display, or the duration of a frame that has been displayed in the display, or the number of frames that have been displayed in the display during a predetermined duration; and a comparator configured to compare the parameter counted by the counter with a threshold parameter to generate a reverse signal when the comparator has determined that the threshold parameter is reached, such that the timing controller drives the display to display the frame with complementary polarity in a specific frame column flipping manner. The utility model further relates to a display system comprising the time schedule controller. By means of the method and the device, the total time of positive and negative polarity display of each column can be effectively balanced, so that liquid crystal molecules are prevented from being polarized too early.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a timing controller and a related display system. Background Art

[0002] As is known, more and more displays are beginning to adopt VRR (variable frame rate refresh) technology to improve the display effect. In order to prevent display units such as liquid crystal molecules from losing their optical properties due to fixed polarization (driving voltage remains unchanged), it is usually necessary to AC drive these display units so that each display unit (for example, each liquid crystal molecule) does not remain under the same positive polarity or polarity for a long time, so that the display unit is polarized, that is, these display units undergo periodic positive and negative polarity conversion. At present, it is known to ensure the above-mentioned positive and negative polarity conversion by using a timing controller through a frame flipping method. The so-called frame flipping refers to polarizing the liquid crystal molecules in the display according to a certain polarity in one or more frames, and then polarizing the corresponding liquid crystal molecules according to the opposite polarity in the subsequent one or more frames of the same number. It is also known to use a column flipping method to ensure the above-mentioned positive and negative polarity conversion, wherein each display device is composed of a certain number of columns of liquid crystal molecules and the liquid crystal molecules in adjacent columns are constructed to display with opposite polarities in the same frame. This column flipping is also called frame column flipping in this application. When the frame switches, the polarity of the liquid crystal molecules in the same column is also reversed accordingly, so that each column of liquid crystal molecules can continuously switch the displayed polarity to avoid charge accumulation.

[0003] The above solution is relatively stable for fixed frame rate refresh technology or balanced VRR conditions (i.e., most frames maintain a stable or near-fixed frame refresh rate). This is because, for a fixed frame rate, the duration of each frame is roughly the same. Therefore, the polarity switching method of frame or frame column flipping can generally ensure that each liquid crystal molecule does not accumulate a large amount of charge in one direction. However, this frame or frame column flipping technology has a significant drawback for unbalanced VRR conditions (i.e., when the frame refresh rate varies significantly). Because the duration of each frame of the same liquid crystal molecule varies when the frame or frame column is flipped, the display duration of opposite polarities is also different. This may result in one polarity being displayed for a longer duration and the other polarity being displayed for a shorter duration, resulting in charge accumulation. In this case, the liquid crystal molecules in a display with long VRR technology display will still polarize towards either positive or negative polarity. This phenomenon is particularly serious for long display times or when the image processor renders frames in an alternating manner. Utility Model Content

[0004] According to one aspect of the present application, the present application relates to a timing controller, which is constructed to drive a display to start displaying frames in a positive polarity display or a negative polarity display in a specific frame column flipping manner, characterized in that the timing controller includes: - a counter, which is communicatively connected to an image processor and counts counting parameters of frames displayed in the display, the counting parameters including the number of frames displayed in the display or the duration of the displayed frames in the display or the number of frames displayed in the display during a predetermined duration; and - a comparator, which is communicatively connected to the counter and compares the counting parameters and a threshold, wherein the comparator is also communicatively connected to the display to drive the display to start displaying frames with complementary polarity based on the comparison result, wherein the complementary polarity display indicates that the next frame is displayed at the next frame of the corresponding frame of the threshold with the same polarity as the corresponding frame.

[0005] Optionally, the specific frame column flipping mode includes a one-frame column flipping mode, a two-frame column flipping mode, or a flipping mode of any number of frame columns.

[0006] Optionally, the threshold comprises a threshold number of frames displayed on the display, and the threshold number is selected as a positive integer multiple of the number of frames displayed by performing one complete array flip in the case of the specific frame column flipping mode.

[0007] Optionally, the timing controller further includes a selector, which is communicatively connected to the comparator and selects a specific setting value of the threshold.

[0008] Optionally, the selector is configured to select the pre-stored threshold or select the threshold via user selection or direct input by the user.

[0009] Optionally, the timing controller further includes a reverse signal generator communicatively connected to the comparator and the display, wherein the reverse signal generator is configured to generate a reverse signal based on a comparison result of the comparator so that the display displays with a complementary polarity.

[0010] Optionally, the counter is selected as a frame counter and counts the number of frames displayed on the display based on a Vsync signal input from an image processor to the timing controller.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present application, the present application relates to a display system, which includes: - a display, which is constructed to display frames and adopts VRR display technology; - an image driver, which is constructed to render the frames; and - a timing controller TCON, which is constructed to be arranged between the display and the image driver, so that the rendered frames are displayed on the display in a specific timing and specific frame column flipping manner; characterized in that the timing controller is the timing controller as described above.

[0012] Optionally, the image driver is communicatively connected to the TCON via a main transmission link line to transmit the rendered image signal of the frame to the TCON; and / or the image driver is also interactively connected to the TCON via an auxiliary link line to exchange signals of information related to the complementary polarity display on the display, wherein the signals include but are not limited to signals related to the start and stop status of the VRR function of the display and the start and stop status of the complementary polarity display function of the TCON.

[0013] Optionally, the image driver and the TCON are both provided with DPCD registers and are connected via the auxiliary link line.

[0014] With the help of this application, the total duration of each liquid crystal molecule displaying with positive and negative polarity can be effectively balanced, thereby ensuring that each liquid crystal molecule is not polarized prematurely, thereby affecting the display effect of the display. Furthermore, with the help of this application, the phenomenon of undesirable charge accumulation on each liquid crystal molecule caused by the change of the display frame refresh rate in VRR technology, thereby destroying the polarization of the liquid crystal molecule, can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Other notable features and advantages of the present application will be apparent from the following non-limiting description provided for illustrative purposes with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing charge accumulation that still occurs even when columns are flipped in a frame in a display supporting VRR technology according to the prior art;

[0017] Figure 2 FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a timing controller according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a display system according to an embodiment of the present application; and

[0019] Figure 4 Shown for Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the improvement effect of charge accumulation after the display in FIG. 5 uses the timing controller of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present application, its application, or uses. It will also be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

[0021] The following is a further description of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although the following embodiments of the present application use a liquid crystal display and its liquid crystal molecules to describe the charge accumulation and its effect on the polarization of the liquid crystal molecules, those skilled in the art will understand that the timing controller described in the present application can also be applied to any other type of display or display device, especially those that also need to utilize the voltage difference between different layers in the display panel, that is, the upper and lower polarizing layers in the display, to achieve the display function of the display unit.

[0022] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing charge accumulation that occurs when a frame column is flipped in a 60 / 120 Hz VRR technology according to the prior art. Figure 1 As shown, in the prior art, a display displays frames in a column-by-column flipping manner (changing the display polarity of the liquid crystal molecules once per frame). As will be understood in the art, column flipping means that the polarity of the display of each column of liquid crystal molecules in the display is flipped, and the display is constructed to be composed of a certain number of columns of liquid crystal molecules or display cells, wherein two adjacent columns of liquid crystal molecules or display cells are configured to display with opposite polarities in the same frame.

[0023] First, we need to define the symbols in the coordinate system in the attached figure: Figure 1 In the coordinate system in the upper middle part, the vertical axis V represents the driving voltage for a specific column or any column in the display, wherein when the voltage is positive, it corresponds to the positive polarity display as described above, and when the voltage is negative, it corresponds to the negative polarity display as described above; the horizontal axis T represents the duration (unit can be s). Figure 1 In the coordinate system in the middle and lower part, the vertical axis Q represents the charge accumulation on both sides (related definitions are described below) of a specific column or any column in the display; the horizontal axis T represents the duration (unit can be s). Figure 1 In the coordinate system of , Nf represents the Nth frame (N is a positive integer, for example, 1f represents the 1st frame). Figure 1 In the coordinate system, the value in the brackets after Nf represents the duration of the frame (which obviously corresponds to the inverse of the screen refresh rate). For example, 1f (1 / 60) means that the first frame is displayed continuously for 1 / 60s or the first frame is displayed at a refresh rate of 60Hz.

[0024] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the A-number frame column flipping mode means that the display polarity of the liquid crystal molecules is flipped once per A frame and per column. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for liquid crystal molecules, the displayed polarity refers to the difference in driving voltage between the two sides of the liquid crystal molecules (between the front side (upper polarizer) and the back side (lower polarizer) along the direction perpendicular to the display surface of the display), and as an example, when the difference is positive, it is expressed as a positive polarity display or positive display polarity and when it is opposite, it is expressed as a negative polarity display or negative display polarity. Of course, the definition of such positive and negative polarity can be adaptively limited according to the conventional concepts in the art without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, the A-number frame column flipping mode can represent the following display mode: for the display units or liquid crystal molecules in any column of the display, it first displays a continuous number of A frames in one of the positive or negative polarity, and then displays a continuous number of A frames in the other of the positive or negative polarity and repeats this cycle. In this case, the polarity of specific liquid crystal molecules switches repeatedly between positive and negative, which helps to avoid the accumulation of charge on both sides of the liquid crystal molecules, thereby preventing the liquid crystal molecules from being polarized and unable to effectively display clearly with two polarities, resulting in display defects such as flickering, jitter, white edges, color blocks, etc.

[0025] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present application, “a specific frame column flipping mode” refers to any “selected number of frame column flipping modes” without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0026] However, for display systems that use VRR technology, especially displays, since the efficiency of image rendering is not the same or there are differences, in order to ensure the continuity of the image display of the display, different frames are usually displayed at a time that is suitable for the rendering efficiency of the subsequent frames, that is, the frame refresh rate of the display is changed in real time. In this case, when the display unit or liquid crystal molecules are flipped in polarity, the cumulative time of display in positive polarity is inconsistent with the cumulative time of display in negative polarity and there is a difference. In particular, in the case of fast and slow alternating rendering, that is, in an alternating rendering mode in which one frame is rendered faster and the next frame is rendered slower, the display is displayed alternately with a faster frame refresh rate and a slower frame refresh rate, resulting in a gradually increasing charge accumulation on both sides of the display unit or liquid crystal molecules of the display.

[0027] For example, in Figure 1In an embodiment of the prior art, for a frame-column flipping method, for a specific column in the display, odd frames, such as the first, third, fifth, seventh, etc. frames, are displayed on the display with positive polarity at a frame refresh rate of 60 Hz. In contrast, even frames, such as the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, etc. frames, are displayed on the display with negative polarity at a frame refresh rate of 120 Hz. At this time, for the display units or liquid crystal molecules in the column, the total display time of positive polarity is obviously longer than the negative polarity display time, so that charge accumulates on both sides of the liquid crystal molecules in the column. When this situation becomes more frequent and the charge accumulated on both sides of the liquid crystal molecules reaches a certain threshold and time, the display capability of the liquid crystal molecules may be permanently damaged.

[0028] Figure 2 The overall structural diagram of the timing controller 222 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. As an example, as known to those skilled in the art, the timing controller 222 is constructed to control the display timing of the frames rendered or processed by the image processor in the display, including the display time (corresponding to the frame refresh rate of the display) and the display order. The timing controller 222 is also constructed to control the driving voltage applied to each display unit or liquid crystal molecule of the display in each frame of the display. In other words, the timing controller is also constructed to apply a voltage to both sides of each display unit or liquid crystal molecule of the display or control its display polarity and thus further control the frame column flipping mode of the display. Obviously, the above-mentioned functions and structures of the timing controller 222 are the same as the conventional settings and structures in the art, and are not described additionally here and are not shown additionally in the drawings. Only those structures, modules, components and / or features related to achieving the effects and purposes of the present application are described to avoid confusing the focus of the present application.

[0029] The timing controller 222 includes a counter 204 that is communicatively connected to the image processor and counts frames displayed on the display. In embodiments of the present application, the counting parameter includes the number of frames displayed on the display, the duration of frames displayed on the display, or the number of frames displayed on the display during a predetermined duration. For example, the counter 204 counts the number of frames displayed on the display based on the number of image signals input to the timing controller from the image processor. For example, as is known to those skilled in the art, the counter 204 can be configured as a frame counter and count the number of frames displayed on the display based on the Vsync signal input from the image processor. For another example, the counter can be configured as a timer configured to count the duration of frames displayed on the display. For another example, the counter 204 can be configured as a clock timer. For another example, the counter 204 can be configured to count the number of frames displayed on the display during a predetermined duration. For example, the counter 204 can count the total number of frames displayed on the display during a predetermined duration, such as one hour.

[0030] As previously mentioned, the counter 204 may include a frame counting function, a duration counting function, or both a duration and a frame counting function. Of course, the counter 204 may be implemented as any other logic circuit or sensor that implements the above counting functions without departing from the scope of the present application. As an example, the logic circuit may monitor the switching of the display polarity of a specific liquid crystal molecule in the display and count each time it switches. Although in Figure 2 The counter 204 is shown separately in the figure, which is only exemplary and not restrictive. The counter 204 can actually be implemented as any independent or integrated logic circuit or module or component without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0031] The timing controller also includes a comparator 206, which is communicatively connected to the counter and compares the counting parameter and the threshold value. The threshold value includes a threshold number of frames that have been displayed on the display or a threshold duration of frames that will be displayed on the display or a predetermined time threshold number of frames that will be displayed on the display during a predetermined duration. Obviously, the comparator 206 ultimately determines that the technical parameters of the counter have reached the threshold value, that is, the display has displayed a threshold number of frames in a specific frame column flipping manner or has displayed frames in a specific frame column flipping manner for a predetermined duration or has displayed a threshold number of frames in a specific frame column flipping manner for a predetermined duration. Of course, the comparator 206 can be constructed using any comparator 206 known in the art that can perform counting comparison or time comparison without departing from the scope of this application. Although in Figure 2The comparator 206 is shown separately in the figure, which is only exemplary and not restrictive. The comparator can actually be implemented as any independent or integrated logic circuit or module or component without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0032] It should be understood that the amount of charge that can accumulate on both sides of a display unit or liquid crystal molecule is directly related to the number of frame displays. Therefore, when to initiate complementary polarity display or reverse polarity display in a particular frame column flip mode clearly depends on when a certain amount of charge has accumulated on both sides of the liquid crystal molecule. Because the amount of charge accumulated on both sides of each liquid crystal molecule may not be the same, the minimum or average number of displays experienced by at least one liquid crystal molecule before sufficient charge accumulation occurs is used, particularly an empirical value of the number of frame column flip cycles experienced. Of course, those skilled in the art can determine the relevant threshold number based on any feasible laboratory method.

[0033] The timing controller 222 may further include an inverse signal generator 208 communicatively connected to the comparator and the display. The inverse signal generator is configured to generate an inverse signal based on the comparison result of the comparator 206, such as a determination that the display has displayed a threshold number of frames in a specific frame column flipping manner, has displayed frames in a specific frame column flipping manner for a threshold duration, or has displayed a predetermined threshold number of frames in a specific frame column flipping manner for a predetermined duration (e.g., which can be determined based on the feedback signal of the comparator as described above), so that at the next frame position corresponding to the threshold number, the threshold duration, or the predetermined threshold number of frames during the predetermined duration, the timing controller 222 drives each column in the display to display the next frame using the same polarity as at the corresponding frame, and continues to display frames on the display using the specific frame column flipping manner starting from the next frame, so that the display achieves complementary polarity display or inverse polarity display. The definition of complementary polarity display or reverse polarity display is described here: for a display that displays in a specific frame column flip mode, it can, for example, start displaying the first frame in positive polarity and all subsequent frames are displayed in a form that conforms to the specific frame column flip mode. In this regard, the specific frame column flip mode that displays in positive polarity can be called a positive polarity specific frame column flip mode and the specific frame column flip mode that displays in negative polarity can be called a negative polarity specific frame column flip mode; in this case, the positive polarity specific frame column flip mode and the negative polarity specific frame column flip mode are each other's complementary polarity displays, also known as the display of the reverse specific frame column flip mode. Based on the above definition, an example of the control operation process of the timing controller 222 based on the reverse signal can be clarified: in terms of the positive polarity specific frame column flip mode (first frame positive polarity display), after determining that the display has displayed a threshold number of frames, the reverse signal generator 208 generates a reverse signal, so that the timing controller 222 controls the next frame to continue displaying in the negative polarity specific frame column flip mode. In other words, the complementary polarity display means that the next frame after the frame corresponding to the threshold is displayed with the same polarity as that at the corresponding frame.

[0034] Although, in the embodiments of the present application, the reverse signal generator 208 is described as being independent, those skilled in the art will recognize that the reverse signal generator 208 may be omitted or integrated into the comparator 206. In the case where the reverse signal generator 208 is omitted, the feedback signal from the comparator 206, which determines that the number of frames displayed on the display counted by the counter has reached a threshold number, or that the duration of the frames displayed on the display has reached a threshold duration, or that the number of frames displayed on the display during a predetermined duration has reached a predetermined time threshold, may be used as the reverse signal without additionally providing the reverse signal generator 208, or the reverse signal generator 208 may be considered to be integrated into the comparator 206. Such embodiments are obviously also included in the present application without departing from the scope of protection of the present application.

[0035] By way of example and preferably, the threshold number or the predetermined time threshold number is selected as a positive integer multiple of the number of frame displays required to complete a specific frame column flip cycle (i.e., complete a corresponding number of positive and negative polarity displays). For example, for a one-frame column flip, the threshold number can be selected as a positive integer multiple of 2, such as 4000; for a three-frame column flip, the threshold number can be selected as a multiple of 6, such as 6000. These numbers are exemplary only and are not limiting.

[0036] As an example and optionally, the timing controller also includes a selector 210, which is constructed to select a specific set value of a threshold quantity or a threshold duration or a predetermined time threshold quantity. As an example, the threshold quantity or the threshold duration or the predetermined time threshold quantity can be pre-stored, for example, stored in the timing controller 222 or in other storage devices and selected by the selector. As an example, the selector 210 can be based on the needs of the user or needs to be selected by the user or can also be based on the needs of the user or needs to be directly input by the user. In the case where the user directly inputs or is selected by the user, the selector 210 can be constructed as a user-editable input device, such as various input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, microphone, touch screen without departing from the scope of this application. Of course, it is conceivable that the selector 210 can be constructed to automatically select based on the parameter settings or state of the display or be selected by default in advance by the manufacturer.

[0037] As an example, the timing controller 222 or other storage device stores multiple options for specific setting values. Therefore, the selector 222 is configured to select these options to select different options as needed, that is, different specific setting values ​​for comparison by the comparator 206 of the timing controller 222. This multiple option solution allows the timing controller to select a preferred specific setting value that meets the parameters or status of the display (such as its aging status, etc.) based on the user's selection or a pre-set strategy solution in the timing controller.

[0038] As examples, these additional storage devices include a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0039] It is also necessary to understand that although in this application Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present application, although the preferred timing controller 222 of the present application is described in the form of various modules or functional components, this is merely exemplary and not restrictive. In practice, one or more of these modules or functional components can be implemented in a single other component or module, or one of these modules or functional components can be split into multiple sub-modules or sub-functional components to implement the various functions of the timing controller as a whole without departing from the scope of the present application.

[0040] Figure 3 Schematic diagram showing the structure of a display system 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 In an embodiment of the present application, a display system 300 is shown, which includes at least: a display 314 or display device configured to display frames and utilize VRR display technology; an image driver 302 configured to render frames; and a timing controller TCON 222 configured to be disposed between or electrically connected to the display 314 and the image driver 302, such that the rendered frames are displayed on the display 314 with a specific timing sequence and a specific frame column flipping method. In the display system of the present application, the meaning and definition of the specific frame column flipping method are as described above. The specific connection and operational relationship between the display 314, the image driver 302, and the timing controller 222 can be the same as commonly understood in the art and will not be further elaborated here. Instead, only the improvements of the display system in the embodiment of the present application compared to the prior art will be described. Obviously, in the embodiment of the present application, the timing controller 222 is also configured as the timing controller described above.

[0041] In addition, it should be noted that in order to realize the function of displaying in a specific frame column flipping manner as described above on the display 314, the display system may also optionally include a column driver 312, which is configured to determine the driving voltage of the display unit or liquid crystal molecules in each column of the display 314 based on the frame refresh rate (or the timing of the frame) determined by the timing controller TCON so that the frame is displayed on the display 314. Of course, the column driver 312 can be integrated into the display 314 or any other component, rather than a separate component. Of course, the column driver 312 can be an independent component. Although in Figure 3 The column driver 312 is shown separately in the view of FIG, which is only exemplary and not limiting.

[0042] As an example and alternatively, Figure 3 As shown, the image driver 302 is communicatively connected to the TCON 222 via a main transmission link line 316 to transmit the image signal of the rendered frame to the TCON 222, thereby displaying the image on the display 314. As will be understood by those skilled in the art and as an example, the main transmission link line 316 may be selected as a Main Link structure, and its configuration and structure are well known in the art and will not be further described herein.

[0043] As an example and option, the image driver 302 is further communicatively coupled to the TCON 222 via an auxiliary link line 318 to exchange signals related to complementary polarity display on the display. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, and as an example, this auxiliary link line 318 may be configured as an AUX Channel. Its configuration and structure are well known in the art and will not be further described here. As previously mentioned, for an existing image driver 302, such as a graphics processor, the auxiliary link line 318 can be added to connect to the TCON 222 and exchange information, enabling the TCON 222 to implement complementary polarity display functionality. Apparently, signals exchanged over this auxiliary link line 318 include, but are not limited to, the start and stop status of the VRR function of the display 314 and the start and stop status of the complementary polarity display of the TCON 222. As is known in the art, for some display systems 300, i.e., displays 314 that do not support VRR, such reverse display functionality or complementary polarity display functionality may not be necessary for these display systems 300. In this case, based on the auxiliary link line 318, it can be determined whether the display system 300 can realize and whether the complementary polarity display function is required. The transmission method and parameter setting of this information are obviously well known to those skilled in the art and will not be further described here.

[0044] With the help of the auxiliary link line 318, the complementary polarity display function as described in this application can be realized by adding additional corresponding components or modules to the TCON in the prior art without completely changing the overall structure of the TCON, thereby achieving a cost-effective improvement to the TCON in the prior art.

[0045] As an example and optional, TCON 222 further includes a verifier configured to verify that the TCON 222 can drive any column in the display 314 to display with complementary polarity in a specific frame column flipping manner. Obviously, such a verifier is only optional and exemplary and not restrictive.

[0046] As an example of implementing interactive communication between the image driver 302 and the TCON 222 via the auxiliary link line 318, the image driver 302 and the TCON 222 are optionally both provided with a DPCD register 320 and connected via the auxiliary link line 318. The structure of the DPCD register 320 is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be further described herein. The function of the DPCD register 320 will be further described herein. In practice, the DPCD register 320 includes a signal interface or signal channel related to implementing the timing controller 222 of the present application, to ensure interactive signal transmission, i.e., information exchange, between the image driver 302 and the TCON 222, thereby ensuring that the TCON 222 can ultimately implement the complementary polarity display function.

[0047] As an example, a 1-bit signal is transmitted between the image driver 302 and the corresponding DPCD register 320 of the TCON 222, wherein the signal can include various information for implementing the functions of various components or modules of the TCON as described in the present application. In this example, specifically, the meaning of each bit of the signal transmitted between the DPCD registers 320 is set as follows:

[0048] Bit[0]: indicates information about whether the display 314 supports VRR technology;

[0049] Bit[1]: indicates whether TCON 222 enables the complementary polarity display function;

[0050] Bit[2]: indicates whether the display 314 is activated;

[0051] Bit[4:3]: indicates a specific setting value, which may be selected by a selector of a timing control controller, and will not be further described here;

[0052] Bit[7:5]: Reserved bit, which is convenient for subsequent expansion.

[0053] Of course, the DPCD register 320 described above is merely exemplary, and any suitable signal transmission device or interface may be selected to implement the aforementioned information exchange or signal transmission functionality. Furthermore, the signals transmitted via the DPCD register 320 in the above example are merely exemplary and non-limiting. Those skilled in the art will be able to select the content and meaning of the information to be exchanged based on the specific configuration of the TCON without departing from the scope of this application. In fact, the meaning of each bit in the signal provided herein is merely to indicate the information that may be exchanged between the TCON 222 and the image processor 302 based on the complementary polarity display function of the TCON 222, and not to define the meaning of each bit of these signals themselves. In fact, any other type of register or other signal transmission format may be used without departing from the scope of this application.

[0054] Further or alternatively, in an embodiment of the present application, the specific frame column flipping mode includes a one-frame column flipping mode, a two-frame column flipping mode, or an arbitrary number of frame column flipping mode, wherein the arbitrary number of frame column flipping mode means that any column in the display or the liquid crystal molecules therein are displayed with the same polarity in any consecutive number of frames and are displayed with opposite polarity in the same number of consecutive frames after the arbitrary number of consecutive frames. Obviously, the relevant definition of the arbitrary number of frame column flipping mode can be referred to the A number of frame column flipping mode described above, and will not be further elaborated here.

[0055] Furthermore or alternatively, in the embodiments of the present application, the aforementioned threshold quantity or expected duration or the threshold quantity during the expected duration can be determined based on laboratory data or empirical data. However, it should be understood that for a specific liquid crystal molecule or display, the determination and selection of the threshold quantity is actually based on parameters such as the display specifications, the display frame rate, the display continuous display time, or the degree of aging of the display. In fact, these parameters correspond to factors that affect the charge accumulation on both sides of the liquid crystal molecules. Therefore, for different displays, the threshold quantity or expected duration or the threshold quantity during the expected duration may obviously be different.

[0056] Optionally, different numerical options for the threshold number or expected duration or the threshold number during the expected duration can be provided in advance for manual or automatic selection, or a fitting function can be set based on changes in the display parameters over time (such as its aging degree, etc.) so that the threshold number or expected duration or the threshold number during the expected duration can be automatically adjusted in the display system without any human intervention.

[0057] In fact, in the timing controller or display system of the present application, the main purpose is to avoid the randomness of the duration in which each column of liquid crystal molecules in the display is displayed with a certain polarity in each frame in the VRR display. By using the column flipping method, the display polarity of the column is continuously changed to neutralize the charge accumulation caused by this randomness, thereby effectively protecting the display and ensuring the display effect of the display.

[0058] Figure 4 Shown for Figure 1 The improvement effect diagram of the charge accumulation after the display in the present invention is used. Figure 4 In the embodiment, it is assumed that the timing controller counts the number of frames displayed by the display and selects the specific setting value of the threshold number in the comparator to be 6 frames. In this case, the timing controller will drive the display to display with complementary polarity or reverse polarity starting from the seventh frame, that is, the seventh frame is displayed with negative polarity like the sixth frame and then continues to be displayed in a specific frame column flipping manner.

[0059] like Figure 4 As shown, compared to Figure 1 At this time, for the display units or liquid crystal molecules in this column, the total display time of the positive polarity is balanced and roughly equal to the negative polarity display time. Therefore, the charge accumulation on both sides of the liquid crystal molecules in this column can be released in time, thereby avoiding permanent damage to the display capability of the liquid crystal molecules.

[0060] Although the embodiments of the present application are described above in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications or substitutions to the above embodiments based on the teachings of the present application without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A timing controller configured to drive a display to start displaying a frame in a positive polarity display or a negative polarity display in a specific frame column flipping manner, It is characterized by: The timing controller includes: a counter communicatively connected to the image processor and counting a counting parameter of frames displayed on the display, the counting parameter including the number of frames displayed on the display or the duration for which frames have been displayed on the display or the number of frames displayed on the display during a predetermined duration; and a comparator communicatively coupled to the counter and configured to compare the counting parameter with a threshold value; wherein the comparator is further communicatively connected to the display to drive the display to start displaying a frame with a complementary polarity based on the comparison result, The displaying with complementary polarity means that the next frame is displayed with the same polarity as that of the corresponding frame at the next frame of the frame corresponding to the threshold.

2. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein: The specific frame column flipping mode includes a one-frame column flipping mode, a two-frame column flipping mode, or a flipping mode with any number of frame columns.

3. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein: The threshold comprises a threshold number of frames displayed on the display, and the threshold number is selected as a positive integer multiple of the number of frames displayed by performing one complete array flipping operation in the specific frame column flipping mode.

4. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein: The timing controller further includes a selector that is communicatively coupled to the comparator and selects a specific setting value of the threshold.

5. The timing controller according to claim 4, wherein: The selector is configured to select the pre-stored threshold or select the threshold via user selection or direct input by the user.

6. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein: The timing controller further includes an inverse signal generator communicatively connected to the comparator and the display, wherein the inverse signal generator is configured to generate an inverse signal based on a comparison result of the comparator to enable the display to display with a complementary polarity.

7. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein: The counter is selected as a frame counter and counts the number of frames displayed on the display based on a Vsync signal input from an image processor to the timing controller.

8. A display system, comprising: - a display configured to display frames and employing VRR display technology; - a graphics driver configured to render the frame; as well as - a timing controller TCON configured to be disposed between the display and the image driver so as to enable the rendered frames to be displayed on the display in a specific timing and in a specific frame column flipping manner; It is characterized in that the timing controller is the timing controller according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The display system according to claim 8, wherein: The image driver is communicatively connected to the TCON via a main transmission link line to transmit the rendered image signal of the frame to the TCON; and / or the image driver is also communicatively connected to the TCON via an auxiliary link line to exchange signals of information related to complementary polarity display on the display, The signal includes a signal related to the start / stop state of the VRR function of the display and the start / stop state of the complementary polarity display function of the TCON.

10. The display system according to claim 8, wherein: The image driver and the TCON are both provided with DPCD registers and are connected via an auxiliary link line.

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