Driver and electro-optical device

Abstract

To provide a driver and the like in which static driving and duty driving can be set for each terminal.SOLUTION: A driver 10 for driving a liquid crystal panel 100 includes a first terminal TS1 to an n-th terminal TSn, each electrically connected to a segment electrode of the liquid crystal panel 100, and a first segment driving circuit 20-1 to an n-th segment driving circuit 20-n that output a driving signal of static driving or duty driving to the first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn. Each of the first segment driving circuit 20-1 to the n-th segment driving circuit 20-n outputs the driving signal of static driving when the static driving is set, and outputs the driving signal of duty driving when the duty driving is set.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driver, an electro-optical device, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid crystal drive circuit that has an output potential for duty drive and an output potential for static drive, and selects one of these potentials to output from a liquid crystal drive output terminal. In this conventional technology, the drive signal output from the liquid crystal drive output terminal is switched for each frame, for example, a duty drive signal is output from the liquid crystal drive output terminal in the first and second frames, and a static drive signal is output from the liquid crystal drive output terminal in the third frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-269752 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the prior art such as Patent Document 1, no method for switching the driving for each terminal of a driver that drives a liquid crystal panel has been proposed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a driver for driving a liquid crystal panel, including first to nth terminals, each terminal electrically connected to a segment electrode of the liquid crystal panel, and first to nth segment drive circuits that output drive signals for static drive or duty drive to the first to nth terminals, and each of the segment drive circuits from the first to nth segment drive circuits is related to a driver that outputs a drive signal for static drive when the static drive is set, and outputs a drive signal for duty drive when the duty drive is set.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electro-optical device including the driver described above and the liquid crystal panel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 3 shows an example of the configuration of a driver and an electro-optical device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] An example of a segment electrode on a liquid crystal panel. [Figure 3] 3 shows a detailed configuration example of the driver and electro-optical device of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a segment driver circuit and a data supply circuit. [Figure 5] 10 shows a detailed configuration example of a segment drive circuit and a data supply circuit. [Figure 6] 10 shows another example of the configuration of the segment drive circuit and the data supply circuit. [Figure 7] Example of static drive signal waveform. [Figure 8] An example of a duty-driven signal waveform. [Figure 9] An example of a duty-driven signal waveform. [Figure 10] An example of a duty-driven signal waveform. [Figure 11] An example of a duty-driven signal waveform. [Figure 12] Example of data format including display data and selection data. [Figure 13]Example of data format including display data and selection data. [Figure 14] An example of driver terminal layout. [Figure 15] 1 shows an example of the configuration of an electro-optical device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the scope of the claims, and not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential components.

[0009] 1. Driver configuration example FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a driver 10 of this embodiment. The driver 10 is a circuit device that drives a liquid crystal panel 100. The liquid crystal panel 100 is provided with a plurality of segment electrodes. The driver 10 includes a first terminal TS1 to an n-th terminal TSn and a first segment drive circuit 20-1 to an n-th segment drive circuit 20-n, where n is an integer of 2 or greater, for example. That is, the driver 10 includes a plurality of terminals and a plurality of segment drive circuits, and the liquid crystal panel 100 includes a plurality of segment electrodes.

[0010] The electro-optical device 200 is, for example, a display device that displays an image based on image data. The electro-optical device 200 is, for example, an in-vehicle display device such as a cluster display that is a display on an instrument panel, a center information display, a head-up display that displays a virtual image in the user's field of vision, or an electronic mirror. The in-vehicle display device is a display device mounted on a vehicle such as a four-wheeled or two-wheeled vehicle. Alternatively, the electro-optical device 200 may be a display device mounted on a moving object other than a vehicle, such as a ship, a head-mounted display device called an HMD, a television device, or a display of an information processing device.

[0011] The liquid crystal panel 100 is an electro-optical panel and a display panel. The liquid crystal panel 100 is a panel driven by a static driving method, a duty cycle driving method, or the like. Specifically, the liquid crystal panel 100 includes a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, and liquid crystal. The liquid crystal is sealed between the first and second glass substrates. Segment electrodes are provided on the first glass substrate, and a common electrode is provided on the second glass substrate. A driver 10 outputs a drive signal to the segment electrodes. The driver 10 may also output a common signal to the common electrode. As a result, the voltage difference between the drive signal and the common signal of the segment electrode is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode and the common electrode. The segment electrode and the common electrode are transparent electrodes, such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). The liquid crystal panel 100 is also provided with a backlight, as described below. For example, an edge-lit backlight may be used as the backlight. Specifically, the backlight has a light source and a light guide plate, and light from the light source is guided by the light guide plate provided on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 100, for example.

[0012] The liquid crystal panel 100 includes a plurality of segment electrodes (segment electrode group), and each of the first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn of the driver 10 is electrically connected to a corresponding segment electrode among the plurality of segment electrodes. Examples of segment electrodes include segment electrodes for displaying warning lights and segment electrodes used for displaying displays other than warning lights. Each of the first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn may be electrically connected to one segment electrode among the segment electrode group of the liquid crystal panel 100, or may be electrically connected to multiple segment electrodes.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows an example of a segment electrode of a liquid crystal panel 100. FIG. 2 shows an example of a liquid crystal panel 100 used in an automobile meter panel. ELA in FIG. 2 is an example of a segment electrode of a warning light. A warning light is a display that lights up to warn, for example, when some kind of malfunction or breakdown occurs in an automobile or when a user such as a driver performs an inappropriate operation. Specifically, ELA in FIG. 2 is a segment electrode for displaying warnings related to seat belt fastening, engine abnormalities, battery abnormalities, remaining gasoline, and door opening / closing. Warning lights are displayed using icons, symbols, or characters that indicate warnings. On the other hand, ELB, ELC, ELD, and ELE in FIG. 2 are segment electrodes for displaying display objects other than warning lights. Display objects other than warning lights are display objects that convey some kind of information to users such as drivers by displaying them in a manner such as on / off or gradation. For example, ELB is a segment electrode for a display object that displays the automobile's speed, and ELC is a segment electrode for a display object that displays the engine RPMs. ELB and ELC provide a gradation display in which, for example, areas representing current speed, speeds below the RPM, and RPM are displayed darker, and areas representing speeds above the current speed, speeds above the RPM, and RPM are displayed lighter. ELD is a segment electrode of an 8-segment display, and ELE is a segment electrode of a guide display such as an arrow in simple navigation. Note that the segment electrodes of warning lights and display devices other than warning lights are not limited to the example in Figure 2, and segment electrodes of various shapes and configurations can be envisioned.

[0014] The driver 10 is, for example, a circuit device called an IC (Integrated Circuit). For example, the driver 10 is an IC manufactured by a semiconductor process, a semiconductor chip in which circuit elements are formed on a semiconductor substrate, and a display driver that displays images on the liquid crystal panel 100. The driver 10, which is a circuit device, is mounted on, for example, a glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel 100. For example, the driver 10 is mounted on a first glass substrate on which segment electrodes are provided. Alternatively, the driver 10 may be mounted on a circuit board, and the circuit board and the liquid crystal panel 100 may be connected by a flexible substrate.

[0015] The driver 10 of this embodiment that drives the liquid crystal panel 100 includes a first terminal TS1 to an n-th terminal TSn and a first segment drive circuit 20-1 to an n-th segment drive circuit 20-n. The driver 10 may also include a data storage circuit, a common drive circuit, etc., as will be described later.

[0016] Each of the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn is electrically connected to a corresponding segment electrode of the liquid crystal panel 100. Each terminal may be connected to one segment electrode or multiple segment electrodes. For example, the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn are electrically connected to each of the multiple segment electrodes via segment lines, input terminals, or the like of the liquid crystal panel 100. The first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn of the driver 10 are, for example, pads of the driver 10, which is a circuit device. For example, in the pad region, a metal layer is exposed from a passivation film, which is an insulating layer, and this exposed metal layer forms a pad, which is a terminal of the driver 10. The terminal may be an external connection terminal of a package that houses the driver 10. The connection in this embodiment is an electrical connection. An electrical connection is a connection that allows electrical signals to be transmitted, and is a connection that enables information to be transmitted by electrical signals. The electrical connection may be a connection via a passive element, for example.

[0017] The first segment drive circuits 20-1 to the n-th segment drive circuits 20-n output drive signals SG1 to SGn to the first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn. The drive signals SG1 to SGn are, for example, drive signals of static drive or duty drive. For example, the i-th segment drive circuit 20-i among the first segment drive circuits 20-1 to the n-th segment drive circuits 20-n outputs the drive signal SGi to the i-th terminal TSi. Also, the j-th segment drive circuit 20-j outputs the drive signal SGj to the j-th terminal TSj. Here, i and j are integers satisfying, for example, 1≦i<j≦n.

[0018] In this embodiment, when static drive (static drive method) is set, each of the first segment drive circuit 20-1 to the nth segment drive circuit 20-n outputs a drive signal for static drive. Furthermore, when duty drive (duty drive method) is set, each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for duty drive. For example, assume that the i-th segment drive circuit 20-i is set to static drive and the j-th segment drive circuit 20-j is set to duty drive. In this case, the i-th segment drive circuit 20-i outputs a drive signal SGi for static drive to the i-th terminal TSi, thereby driving the segment electrode connected to the i-th terminal TSi by static drive. Furthermore, the j-th segment drive circuit 20-j outputs a drive signal SGj for duty drive to the j-th terminal TSj, thereby driving the segment electrode connected to the j-th terminal TSj by duty drive. In this duty drive mode, multiple segment electrodes are connected to the j-th terminal TSj. For example, when j=i+1, the ith terminal TSi and the jth terminal TSj are arranged, for example, adjacent to each other along a side of the driver 10. A static drive drive signal SGi is output from the ith terminal TSi, and a duty drive drive signal SGj is output from the jth terminal TSj adjacent to the ith terminal TSi. A static drive drive signal or a duty drive drive signal is output from the j+1th terminal TSj+1 adjacent to the jth terminal TSj. In this way, each segment drive circuit of the multiple segment drive circuits can be individually set to static drive or duty drive, and a static drive or duty drive drive signal can be output from each of the multiple terminals.

[0019] In this embodiment, each segment drive circuit, which is one of the first segment drive circuit 20-1 to the n-th segment drive circuit 20-n, will be appropriately described as a segment drive circuit 20. Furthermore, each terminal, which is one of the first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn, will be appropriately described as a terminal TS.

[0020] According to this embodiment, when the segment drive circuit 20 is set to static drive, it outputs a drive signal for static drive to the terminal TS. As a result, the segment electrodes connected to the terminal TS are driven by static drive. On the other hand, when the segment drive circuit 20 is set to duty drive, it outputs a drive signal for duty drive to the terminal TS. As a result, the segment electrodes connected to the terminal TS are driven by duty drive. Setting the segment drive circuit 20 to static drive means that the segment drive circuit 20 is set to output a drive signal of the static drive system. Setting the segment drive circuit 20 to duty drive means that the segment drive circuit 20 is set to output a drive signal of the duty drive system.

[0021] The static drive method is a method in which, for example, each segment electrode is driven separately. For example, if the liquid crystal panel 100 is provided with multiple segment electrodes, each segment drive circuit, i.e., segment drive circuit 20, outputs a drive signal to each of the multiple segment electrodes. This static drive method, which drives each segment electrode separately, can increase the difference in brightness between when the segment electrodes are lit (ON display) and when they are off (OFF display), allowing warning lights and other display objects corresponding to the segment electrodes to be displayed with high contrast.

[0022] On the other hand, the duty drive method is a dynamic drive method, specifically a drive method called a simple matrix method. In the dynamic drive method, multiple segment electrodes are driven by a common drive signal. For example, a segment drive circuit 20 outputs a common drive signal to multiple segment electrodes provided on a liquid crystal panel 100 to drive them. For example, the liquid crystal panel 100 is provided with segment lines commonly connected to the multiple segment electrodes, and the drive signal from the segment drive circuit 20 is input to the segment lines commonly connected to the multiple segment electrodes. The duty drive performed by the segment drive circuit 20 can be various duty drives, such as 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 4, 1 / 5, and 1 / 8. The duty drive method is, for example, a drive method based on a voltage averaging method.

[0023] For example, the segment electrodes for displaying the warning light described in FIG. 2 are preferably displayed with high contrast. Therefore, it is desirable that the segment drive circuit 20 for driving the segment electrodes for displaying the warning light be set to static drive. Here, "high contrast" refers to, for example, a large difference in luminance between the luminance when the warning light is on and the luminance when the light is off. For example, a drive signal that increases the luminance difference between the luminance when the warning light is on and the luminance when the light is off is output to the segment electrode. For example, in the case of normally white, the on state is a black display, and the off state is a white display. Therefore, in this case, the warning light is driven so that the luminance difference between the black display and the white display is larger than the luminance difference between the black display and the white display of other display objects. On the other hand, in the case of normally black, the on state is a white display, and the off state is a black display. Therefore, in this case, the warning light is driven so that the luminance difference between the white display and the black display is larger than the luminance difference between the white display and the black display of other display objects. By displaying the warning light with a higher contrast than other display objects, the luminance difference between the on state and the off state is large, thereby improving the visibility of the warning light. The lit state can be called an on display, and the unlit state can be called an off display.

[0024] In static driving, gradation display is possible by driving using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) or PAM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation) methods. Therefore, it is desirable that the segment drive circuit 20 that drives the segment electrodes that require gradation display be set to static driving. In this way, it becomes possible to display objects corresponding to the segment electrodes in gradation.

[0025] On the other hand, in duty driving, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs a drive signal to a segment line commonly connected to a plurality of segment electrodes, thereby displaying objects corresponding to these plurality of segment electrodes. Therefore, by outputting a drive signal from the segment drive circuit 20 to one terminal of the driver 10, it becomes possible to display objects corresponding to the plurality of segment electrodes commonly connected to the segment line connected to this one terminal. This makes it possible to reduce the number of terminals of the driver 10 and simplify the wiring of the segment lines in the liquid crystal panel 100.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration example of the driver 10 and electro-optical device 200 of this embodiment. In FIG. 3, the driver 10 includes a first segment drive circuit 20-1 through an n-th segment drive circuit 20-n, common drive circuits 31 and 32, a first terminal TS1 through an n-th terminal TSn, a common terminal TMS, and a common terminal group TMDG. The first terminals TS1 through the n-th terminal TSn are segment terminals connected to segment electrodes. The common drive circuit 31 is a common drive circuit for static drive, and the common drive circuit 32 is a common drive circuit for duty drive. The common terminal TMS is a common terminal for static drive, and the common terminal group TMDG is a terminal group including multiple common terminals for duty drive. The driver 10 can also include a data supply circuit 50, a control circuit 60, a drive voltage supply circuit 70, and an interface circuit 80. The data supply circuit 50 includes a data storage circuit 52. The driver 10 and the electro-optical device 200 are not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and various modifications are possible, such as omitting some of the components and adding other components.

[0027] The first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn are electrically connected to segment electrodes of the liquid crystal panel 100, and the first segment drive circuit 20-1 to the n-th segment drive circuit 20-n output drive signals to the first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn. Each of the first segment drive circuit 20-1 to the n-th segment drive circuit 20-n outputs a drive signal for static drive when static drive is set, and outputs a drive signal for duty drive when duty drive is set. For example, each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for static drive when static drive is selected by selection data described below, and outputs a drive signal for duty drive when duty drive is selected by the selection data.

[0028] The common drive circuit 31 for static drive outputs a common signal CMS for static drive. For example, the common drive circuit 31 drives the common electrode for static drive by outputting the common signal CMS for static drive to a common terminal TMS for static drive.

[0029] The common drive circuit 32 for duty drive outputs a group of common signals CMDG for duty drive. For example, the common drive circuit 32 drives a group of common electrodes for common drive by outputting a group of common signals CMDG for common drive to a group of common terminals TMDG for duty drive. The group of common signals CMDG for duty drive includes multiple common signals, and in the case of 1 / 2 duty drive described below, it includes two common signals, and in the case of 1 / 4 duty drive, it includes four common signals. The common terminal group TMDG for duty drive includes multiple common terminals, and in the case of 1 / 2 duty drive, it includes two common terminals, and in the case of 1 / 4 duty drive, it includes four common terminals.

[0030] The first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn are terminals for outputting drive signals SG1 to SGn, and are realized by, for example, pads of the driver 10. The common terminal TMS is a terminal for outputting a common signal CMS for static drive, and the common terminal group TMDG is a terminal group for outputting a common signal group CMDG for duty drive, and is realized by, for example, pads of the driver 10.

[0031] The drive voltage supply circuit 70 supplies drive voltages, which are drive power supply voltages for driving the liquid crystal panel 100, to the first segment drive circuit 20-1 through the n-th segment drive circuit 20-n and the common drive circuits 31 and 32. The first segment drive circuit 20-1 through the n-th segment drive circuit 20-n select drive voltages for the segment electrodes based on display data, and thereby generate and output drive signals SG1 through SGn. The common drive circuits 31 and 32 select drive voltages for the common electrodes under the control of the control circuit 60, and thereby generate and output a common signal CMS and a common signal group CMDG. The polarities of the common signals CMS and CMDG are inverted, for example, every frame.

[0032] The data supply circuit 50 supplies data to each segment drive circuit. For example, the data supply circuit 50 supplies display data and selection data for static drive or duty drive to each of the segment drive circuits, the first segment drive circuit 20-1 through the n-th segment drive circuit 20-n. For example, the display data and selection data are stored in association with each segment electrode or each terminal TS1 through TSn. For example, a data storage circuit 52 included in the data supply circuit 50 stores the display data and selection data in association with each segment electrode or each terminal. The data supply circuit 50 then supplies display data for the segment electrode and selection data for whether the segment electrode is to be driven by static drive or duty drive to each segment drive circuit corresponding to each segment electrode or each terminal. In this way, the segment electrode corresponding to each terminal can be driven based on the display data using the drive method selected by the selection data.

[0033] The data storage circuit 52 is a circuit that stores data including display data and selection data, and can be realized by, for example, a memory such as RAM or a flip-flop circuit. The data storage circuit 52 stores display data for the liquid crystal panel 100 and selection data for static drive and duty drive. The display data is, for example, on / off data or grayscale data for displaying objects corresponding to the segment electrodes. The display data and selection data are received, for example, from the processing device 300 via the interface circuit 80 and stored in the data storage circuit 52. The selection data for static drive and duty drive may be stored, for example, in a nonvolatile memory provided in the driver 10 and transferred from this nonvolatile memory to the data supply circuit 50 and the data storage circuit 52.

[0034] The control circuit 60 is, for example, a logic circuit that operates based on a clock signal from an oscillator circuit (not shown). The control circuit 60 can be realized by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) circuit that uses automatic placement and wiring such as a gate array, or a processor such as a CPU. The control circuit 60 controls display timing and performs operation settings for the driver 10. Specifically, the control circuit 60 writes display data, selection data, various setting data, command data, etc. received by the interface circuit 80 into the data storage circuit 52, which is realized by, for example, a RAM.

[0035] The interface circuit 80 is a circuit that serves as an interface with the external processing device 300, and performs communication processing between the processing device 300 and the driver 10. For example, the interface circuit 80 receives various data such as command data and display data from the processing device 300. The interface circuit 80 can be realized by a serial interface circuit such as an I2C (Inter Integrated Circuit) system or an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) system.

[0036] The processing device 300 is, for example, a host device of the driver 10, and is realized by, for example, a processor or a display controller. The processor is, for example, a CPU or a microcomputer. The processing device 300 may be a circuit device composed of multiple circuit components. For example, in an on-board electronic device, the processing device 300 may be an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0037] FIG. 4 shows an example configuration of the segment drive circuit 20 and data supply circuit 50. The segment drive circuit 20 corresponds to each of the segment drive circuits, the first segment drive circuit 20-1 through the n-th segment drive circuit 20-n. The terminals TS correspond to each of the first terminal TS1 through the n-th terminal TSn, and the drive signals SG correspond to each of the drive signals SG1 through SGn. The segment drive circuit 20 includes a static drive circuit 21, a duty drive circuit 24, a selection circuit 27, and an output circuit 28. The data supply circuit 50 includes a data storage circuit 52. Note that the segment drive circuit 20 and the data supply circuit 50 are not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, and various modifications are possible, such as omitting some of the components or adding other components.

[0038] The static drive circuit 21 outputs a drive signal for static drive. For example, when the segment drive circuit 20 is set to static drive, the signal output by the static drive circuit 21 is output to the terminal TS as the drive signal SG. The duty drive circuit 24 outputs a drive signal for duty drive. For example, when the segment drive circuit 20 is set to duty drive, the signal output by the duty drive circuit 24 is output to the terminal TS as the drive signal SG.

[0039] For example, the static drive circuit 21 and the duty drive circuit 24 select a drive voltage corresponding to the display data DPD from a plurality of drive voltages supplied from the drive voltage supply circuit 70 shown in Fig. 3, and output a signal of the selected drive voltage as a drive signal. The drive voltages to be selected are drive voltages such as VLCDA, VSSA, V3B, V2B, V1B, and VSSB shown in Figs. 7 to 11, which will be described later.

[0040] The output circuit 28 outputs either the drive signal from the static drive circuit 21 or the drive signal from the duty drive circuit 24 as the drive signal SG. The output circuit 28 can also be called an output selection circuit. For example, when static drive is selected, the output circuit 28 outputs the static drive signal from the static drive circuit 21 as the drive signal SG. Furthermore, when duty drive is selected, the output circuit 28 outputs the duty drive signal from the duty drive circuit 24 as the drive signal SG.

[0041] In cases where the static drive circuit 21 or the duty drive circuit 24 can set their outputs to a high impedance state, the output circuit 28 does not need to have a drive signal selection function, and in this case it is sufficient to have only a drive signal buffering function. For example, in the case of static drive, the duty drive circuit 24 sets its output to a high impedance state, and in the case of duty drive, the static drive circuit 21 sets its output to a high impedance state. The output circuit 28 then buffers the drive signal from the static drive circuit 21 or the duty drive circuit 24 using, for example, a buffer circuit and outputs it.

[0042] The selection circuit 27 receives display data and selection data for static drive and duty drive from the data supply circuit 50. When static drive is selected by the selection data, the selection circuit 27 outputs static drive display data DPD to the static drive circuit 21. The static drive circuit 21 outputs a drive signal for static drive based on this static drive display data DPD. When duty drive is selected by the selection data, the selection circuit 27 outputs duty drive display data DPD to the duty drive circuit 24. The duty drive circuit 24 outputs a duty drive drive signal based on this duty drive display data DPD.

[0043] Furthermore, the selection circuit 27 outputs a selection signal SEL according to the selection data to the output circuit 28. For example, when static driving is selected by the selection data, the selection circuit 27 outputs a selection signal SEL to the output circuit 28 that instructs it to select the output of the static driving circuit 21. This enables the output circuit 28 to select and output the drive signal for static driving from the static driving circuit 21. Furthermore, when duty driving is selected by the selection data, the selection circuit 27 outputs a selection signal SEL to the output circuit 28 that instructs it to select the output of the duty driving circuit 24. This enables the output circuit 28 to select and output the drive signal for duty driving from the static driving circuit 21.

[0044] The selection circuit 27 also receives a frame signal FRS for static drive and a frame signal FRD for duty drive. When static drive is selected, the selection circuit 27 outputs display data DPD based on the frame signal FRS for static drive. When duty drive is selected, the selection circuit 27 outputs display data DPD based on the frame signal FRD for duty drive. As a result, when static drive is selected, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs a drive signal for static drive in synchronization with the frame signal FRS for static drive, and when duty drive is selected, it outputs a drive signal for duty drive in synchronization with the frame signal FRD for duty drive.

[0045] The data supply circuit 50 includes a data storage circuit 52. The data storage circuit 52 stores display data and selection data for static drive and duty drive. A polarity inversion signal PLI for normalizing or inverting the display data and a latch signal LAT are input to the data supply circuit 50. For example, the data supply circuit 50 latches the display data from the data storage circuit 52 based on the latch signal LAT. The data supply circuit 50 then normalizes or inverts the latched display data based on the polarity inversion signal PLI and outputs it to the segment drive circuit 20.

[0046] 5 shows a detailed configuration example of the segment drive circuit 20 and data supply circuit 50. In Fig. 5, the data supply circuit 50 includes a data storage circuit 52, a display data selection circuit 54, a latch circuit 56, and a polarity inversion circuit 58. The segment drive circuit 20 includes a static drive circuit 21, a duty drive circuit 24, a selection circuit 27, and an output circuit 28. The static drive circuit 21 includes a level shifter 22 and a drive circuit 23, which in turn includes a duty drive circuit 24, a level shifter 25, and a drive circuit 26.

[0047] The data storage circuit 52 stores display data and selection data for static drive and duty drive. The display data selection circuit 54 selects display data from the data stored in the data storage circuit 52. For example, in the case of static drive, the display data selection circuit 54 selects pixel data corresponding to a segment electrode as display data, and in the case of duty drive, it selects pixel data for each line as display data. The latch circuit 56 latches the display data from the display data selection circuit 54 based on a latch signal LAT from the control circuit 60. For example, the latch circuit 56, which is a line latch, is realized by a flip-flop circuit or the like. The polarity inversion circuit 58 inverts or normalizes the display data for each frame based on a polarity inversion signal PLI from the control circuit 60. This prevents burn-in of the liquid crystal panel 100.

[0048] The selection circuit 27 receives display data DPD from the data supply circuit 50. The selection circuit 27 also receives selection data DSEL from the data storage circuit 52, and a frame signal FRS for static driving and a frame signal FRD for duty driving from the control circuit 60. The selection circuit 27 outputs the display data DPD to the static driving circuit 21 in the case of static driving, and outputs the display data DPD to the duty driving circuit 24 in the case of duty driving. The selection circuit 27 also outputs a selection signal SEL based on the selection data DSEL to the output circuit 28.

[0049] The static drive circuit 21 includes a level shifter 22 and a drive circuit 23, and the duty drive circuit 24 includes a level shifter 25 and a drive circuit 26. The level shifters 22 and 25 level-shift the logic-level voltage signal to a high-voltage analog-level voltage. The drive circuits 23 and 26 select a drive voltage from a plurality of drive voltages according to the display data and output it as a drive signal. Based on a selection signal SEL from a selection circuit 27, the output circuit 28 selects the output of the static drive circuit 21 in the case of static drive, or the output of the duty drive circuit 24 in the case of duty drive, and outputs it to the terminal TS as a drive signal SG.

[0050] The segment drive circuit 20 and the data supply circuit 50 are not limited to the configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and various modifications are possible. For example, FIG. 6 shows another configuration example of the segment drive circuit 20 and the data supply circuit 50. While the static drive circuit 21 and the duty drive circuit 24 are provided separately in FIGS. 4 and 5, in FIG. 5, these drive circuits are integrated. When static drive is selected by the selection data DSEL, the segment drive circuit 20 synchronizes with a frame signal FRS for static drive to select a drive voltage for static drive corresponding to the display data from among multiple drive voltages. When duty drive is selected by the selection data DSEL, the segment drive circuit 20 synchronizes with a frame signal FRD for duty drive to select a drive voltage for duty drive corresponding to the display data from among multiple drive voltages. For example, the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is effective when a common voltage is used for both static drive and duty drive.

[0051] As described above, the driver 10 of this embodiment, which drives the liquid crystal panel 100, includes first terminals TS1 through n-th terminals TSn, each electrically connected to a segment electrode of the liquid crystal panel 100, and first segment drive circuits 20-1 through n-th segment drive circuits 20-n, which output drive signals to the first terminals TS1 through TSn. Each of the first segment drive circuits 20-1 through n-th segment drive circuits 20-n outputs a drive signal for static drive when static drive is set, and outputs a drive signal for duty drive when duty drive is set. In this manner, when static drive is set, each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for static drive, and the drive signal for static drive is output from the terminal corresponding to that segment drive circuit. When duty drive is set, each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for duty drive, and the drive signal for duty drive is output from the terminal corresponding to that segment drive circuit. Therefore, it becomes possible to select and set for each of the multiple terminals of the driver 10 whether to output a drive signal for static drive or a drive signal for duty drive.

[0052] For example, there are static driving and duty driving as methods for driving segment electrode liquid crystal panels using a driver. Conventional general drivers allow the driver to select which of these driving methods to use, but only one of these driving methods can be selected within a single driver, and it is not possible to set which driving method to select for each driver terminal. In other words, the selection of static driving or duty driving is set for all driver terminals at once, so it is not possible to set static driving or duty driving individually for each pixel on the liquid crystal panel using a single driver.

[0053] In contrast, the driver 10 of this embodiment allows for individual selection of either static driving or duty driving for each terminal TS1 to TSn. This allows for selection of either static driving or duty driving for each terminal of the driver 10, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in arranging the segment electrodes of the liquid crystal panel 100 and facilitating layout design. This embodiment also improves display quality. For example, the driver 10 of this embodiment allows for a difference in the brightness of the warning lights described in FIG. 2 and the normal display objects other than the warning lights (such as the speedometer display level, numbers, remaining fuel level, or coolant temperature display). For example, static driving can increase the contrast ratio and display brightness compared to duty driving. Therefore, the segment drive circuits for the segment electrodes corresponding to the warning lights are set to static driving, and the segment drive circuits for the segments corresponding to the normal display objects are set to duty driving. This allows for a difference in brightness between the warning lights and the normal display objects, thereby improving the visibility of the warning lights.

[0054] As a comparative example of this embodiment, a method can be considered in which multiple terminals are treated as a single block and static drive and duty drive are set. For example, the segment electrodes of a warning light are driven using the static drive method, while the segment electrodes of other display elements are driven using the duty drive method. However, this method disperses the static drive terminals and the duty drive terminals in blocks. This can lead to design constraints, such as difficulty in wiring the drivers and segment electrodes depending on the layout design of the segment electrodes (pixels) of the liquid crystal panel, or the necessity to arrange the segment electrodes on the liquid crystal panel in accordance with the driver terminal layout. In contrast, this embodiment allows for selection of static drive or duty drive for each of the multiple terminals, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in the layout of the segment electrodes of the liquid crystal panel 100 and facilitating layout design.

[0055] In this embodiment, the driver 10 also includes a data supply circuit 50, which supplies display data and selection data for static driving and duty driving to the segment drive circuit 20. For example, in FIG. 5, the data supply circuit 50 supplies display data DPD to the segment drive circuit 20, and also supplies selection data DSEL to the segment drive circuit 20. In this manner, the segment drive circuit 20 can determine whether to perform static driving or duty driving based on the selection data from the data supply circuit 50, and output a drive signal for the selected drive method to the terminal TS. The display data and selection data will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

[0056] Furthermore, when static drive is selected by the selection data, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs a drive signal for static drive, and when duty drive is selected by the selection data, it outputs a drive signal for duty drive. For example, in FIG. 5, when static drive is selected by the selection data DSEL, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs a drive signal for static drive based on the display data DPD. For example, the segment drive circuit 20 selects a drive voltage corresponding to the display data DPD from among multiple drive voltages for static drive, thereby outputting a drive signal for static drive to the terminal TS. Furthermore, when duty drive is selected by the selection data DSEL, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs a drive signal for duty drive based on the display data DPD. For example, the segment drive circuit 20 selects a drive voltage corresponding to the display data DPD from among multiple drive voltages for duty drive, thereby outputting a drive signal for duty drive to the terminal TS. In this way, it is possible to set for each terminal, based on the selection data, whether the segment drive circuit 20 outputs a drive signal for static drive or a drive signal for duty drive.

[0057] Furthermore, when static drive is selected, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs a static drive drive signal in synchronization with a static drive frame signal FRS, and when duty drive is selected, it outputs a duty drive drive signal in synchronization with a duty drive frame signal FRD. For example, in FIGS. 4 to 6, a static drive frame signal FRS and a duty drive frame signal FRD are input to the segment drive circuit 20. These frame signals FRS and FRD are output by, for example, a control circuit 60. As shown in FIG. 7 (described later), when static drive is selected, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs static drive drive signals SG1 and SG2 in synchronization with the static drive frame signal FRS. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 (described later), when duty drive is selected, the segment drive circuit 20 outputs duty drive drive signals SG1 and SG2 in synchronization with the duty drive frame signal FRD. In this way, when static drive is selected, the segment drive circuit 20 can output a drive signal for static drive in synchronization with a frame signal FRS appropriate for static drive. Also, when duty drive is selected, the segment drive circuit 20 can output a drive signal for duty drive in synchronization with a frame signal FRD appropriate for duty drive. For example, even if the frame period or the like differs between static drive and duty drive, the segment drive circuit 20 can output a drive signal using a frame signal that is optimal for each drive method.

[0058] 4, 5, etc., the segment drive circuit 20 includes a static drive circuit 21, a duty drive circuit 24, and an output circuit 28. The static drive circuit 21 outputs a drive signal for static drive, and the duty drive circuit 24 outputs a drive signal for duty drive. When static drive is selected, the output circuit 28 outputs a drive signal for static drive, and when duty drive is selected, the output circuit 28 outputs a drive signal for duty drive. For example, when static drive is selected by the selection signal SEL, the output circuit 28 selects the output of the static drive circuit 21 and outputs a drive signal for static drive from the static drive circuit 21. When duty drive is selected by the selection signal SEL, the output circuit 28 selects the output of the duty drive circuit 24 and outputs a drive signal for duty drive from the duty drive circuit 24. In this manner, when static drive is selected, the output circuit 28 outputs a drive signal from the static drive circuit 21, thereby enabling static drive of the corresponding segment electrode. When duty driving is selected, the output circuit 28 outputs a drive signal from the duty driving circuit 24, thereby enabling duty driving of the corresponding segment electrodes.

[0059] 3, the driver 10 includes a common drive circuit 31 for static drive that outputs a common signal CMS for static drive, and a common drive circuit 32 for duty drive that outputs a common signal group CMDG for duty drive. The common drive circuit 31 for static drive outputs a common signal CM1 as shown in FIG. 7, which will be described later, as the common signal CMS for common drive. The common drive circuit 32 for duty drive outputs common signals CM1, CM2, CM3, and CM4 as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, which will be described later, as the common signal group CMDG for common drive. In this manner, common signals from the common drive circuit 31 for static drive are supplied to common electrodes corresponding to segment electrodes driven by the segment drive circuit 20 set to static drive. Common signals from the common drive circuit 32 for duty drive are supplied to common electrodes corresponding to segment electrodes driven by the segment drive circuit 20 set to duty drive. Therefore, it becomes possible to supply a common signal having an appropriate signal waveform according to the driving method of the segment electrodes to the corresponding common electrodes, thereby realizing static driving or duty driving with an appropriate signal waveform.

[0060] 2.Static drive and duty drive Next, specific examples of signal waveforms for static driving and duty driving will be described. For example, Fig. 7 shows an example of signal waveforms for static driving. Fig. 7 shows an example of signal waveforms when segment electrode EL11, to which a common signal CM1 and a drive signal SG1 are applied to a pixel, displays black, and segment electrode EL12, to which a common signal CM1 and a drive signal SG2 are applied to a pixel, displays white. Note that the following explanation will be given using the normally white case as an example. Also, the reference symbols for segment electrodes EL11, EL12, etc. will not be shown here.

[0061] The segment drive circuit 20 set to static drive outputs drive signals SG1 and SG2, as shown in FIG. 7, to segment electrodes EL11 and EL12, respectively, and the common drive circuit 31 for static drive outputs a common signal CM1 to the common electrodes corresponding to EL11 and EL12. VLCDA and VSSA in FIG. 7 are drive voltages for static drive supplied by the drive voltage supply circuit 70 in FIG. 3. As a result, a voltage signal VLC11 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM1 and SG1 is applied to the liquid crystal between segment electrode EL11 and the corresponding common electrode. Similarly, a voltage signal VLC12 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM1 and SG2 is applied to the liquid crystal between segment electrode EL12 and the corresponding common electrode. Because the display is normally white, applying a voltage signal VLC11 with a high effective voltage to the liquid crystal in segment electrode EL11 causes a warning light or other display object corresponding to segment electrode EL11 to display black, indicating a lit state. Meanwhile, a warning light or other display object corresponding to segment electrode EL12 displays white, indicating a lit state.

[0062] Figures 8 and 9 show signal waveform examples for duty driving. Figures 8 and 9 show an example of 1 / 2 duty driving, in which four segment electrodes are used for display, with two segment lines corresponding to drive signals SG1 and SG2 and two common lines corresponding to common signals CM1 and CM2. For example, in Figures 8 and 9, one frame is divided into two subfields, and common signals CM1 and CM2 are sequentially selected in each of the two subfields. Here, the segment electrodes of the first line (first subfield) driven by CM1, SG1, and SG2 are designated EL11 and EL12, respectively, and the segment electrodes of the second line (second subfield) driven by CM2, SG1, and SG2 are designated EL21 and EL22, respectively. In this case, Figures 8 and 9 show signal waveform examples for when the segment electrodes EL11 and EL12 of the first line display black and white, respectively, and the segment electrodes EL21 and EL22 of the second line display white.

[0063] The segment drive circuit 20 set to duty drive outputs a drive signal SG1 as shown in FIG. 8 to segment electrodes EL11 and EL21. The common drive circuit 32 for duty drive outputs common signals CM1 and CM2 to the common electrodes corresponding to EL11 and EL21. An adjacent segment drive circuit 20 also set to duty drive outputs a drive signal SG2 as shown in FIG. 8 to segment electrodes EL12 and EL22. The common drive circuit 32 for duty drive outputs common signals CM1 and CM2 to the common electrodes corresponding to EL12 and EL22. V3B, V1B, and VSSB in FIG. 8 are drive voltages for 1 / 2 duty drive supplied by the drive voltage supply circuit 70 in FIG. 3.

[0064] As a result, as shown in Figure 9, a voltage signal VLC11 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM1 and SG1 is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode EL11 of the first line and its corresponding common electrode, and a voltage signal VLC12 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM1 and SG2 is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode EL12 of the first line and its corresponding common electrode. A voltage signal VLC21 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM2 and SG1 is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode EL21 of the second line and its corresponding common electrode, and a voltage signal VLC22 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM2 and SG2 is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode EL22 of the second line and its corresponding common electrode. Because the voltage signal VLC11, which has a higher effective voltage than VCL12, VLC21, and VLC22, is applied to the leftmost segment electrode EL11 of the first line, the display object corresponding to segment electrode EL11 displays black, indicating that it is lit.

[0065] Figures 10 and 11 show example signal waveforms for 1 / 4 duty drive. In the 1 / 4 duty drive shown in Figures 10 and 11, eight segment electrodes are used for display, with two segment lines corresponding to drive signals SG1 and SG2 and four common lines corresponding to common signals CM1, CM2, CM3, and CM4. For example, in Figures 10 and 11, one frame is divided into four subfields, and the common signals CM1, CM2, CM3, and CM4 are sequentially selected in each of the four subfields. Here, the segment electrodes of the first line (first subfield) driven by CM1, SG1, and SG2 are designated EL11 and EL12, respectively, and the segment electrodes of the second line (second subfield) driven by CM2, SG1, and SG2 are designated EL21 and EL22, respectively. The segment electrodes of the third line (third subfield) driven by CM3, SG1, and SG2 are designated EL31 and EL32, respectively, and the segment electrodes of the fourth line (fourth subfield) driven by CM4, SG1, and SG2 are designated EL41 and EL42, respectively. In this case, Figures 10 and 11 show example signal waveforms when segment electrodes EL11 and EL12 of the first line display black and white, segment electrodes EL21 and EL22 of the second line both display white, segment electrodes EL31 and EL32 of the third line both display black, and segment electrodes EL41 and EL42 of the fourth line display white and black, respectively.

[0066] A segment drive circuit 20 set to duty drive outputs a drive signal SG1 as shown in Fig. 10 to segment electrodes EL11, EL21, EL31, and EL41, and a common drive circuit 32 for duty drive outputs common signals CM1, CM2, CM3, and CM4 to the common electrodes corresponding to EL11, EL21, EL31, and EL41. An adjacent segment drive circuit 20 also set to duty drive outputs a drive signal SG2 as shown in Fig. 10 to segment electrodes EL12, EL22, EL32, and EL42, and the common drive circuit 32 for duty drive outputs common signals CM1, CM2, CM3, and CM4 to the common electrodes corresponding to EL12, EL22, EL32, and EL42. V3B, V2B, V1B, and VSSB in Fig. 8 are drive voltages for 1 / 4 duty drive supplied by the drive voltage supply circuit 70 in Fig. 3.

[0067] As a result, as shown in Figure 11, a voltage signal VLC11 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM1 and SG1 is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode EL11 of the first line and its corresponding common electrode, and a voltage signal VLC12 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM1 and SG2 is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode EL12 of the first line and its corresponding common electrode. Furthermore, a voltage signal VLC21 corresponding to the voltage difference between CM2 and SG1 is applied to the liquid crystal between the segment electrode EL21 of the second line and its corresponding common electrode. And because a voltage signal VLC11 with a higher effective voltage than VCL12 and VLC21 is applied to the leftmost segment electrode EL11 of the first line as shown in Figure 11, the display object corresponding to segment electrode EL11 displays black, indicating that it is lit.

[0068] In the static drive of FIG. 7, there is a large difference in effective voltage between the effective voltage (VLC11) applied to the liquid crystal of segment electrode EL11 in the lit state (black display) and the effective voltage (VLC12) applied to the liquid crystal of segment electrode EL12 in the extinguished state (white display). On the other hand, in the duty drive of FIGS. 8 to 11, there is a smaller difference in effective voltage between the effective voltage (VLC11) applied to the liquid crystal of segment electrode EL11 in the lit state and the effective voltage (VLC12) applied to the liquid crystal of segment electrode EL12 in the extinguished state than in the static drive of FIG. 7. Therefore, by statically driving segment electrodes EL11 and EL12 as shown in FIG. 7, the effective voltage difference between the lit and extinguished states can be made larger than in the duty drive of FIGS. 8 to 11, and the warning lights corresponding to segment electrodes EL11 and EL12 can be displayed with high contrast. For example, the difference in brightness between when the liquid crystal is in a non-transparent state and the warning light displays black and when the liquid crystal is in a transparent state and the warning light displays white corresponds to the maximum brightness of the backlight, making it possible to display the warning light with high contrast.On the other hand, if the segment electrodes of displays other than warning lights are driven by duty driving as shown in Figures 8 to 11, the number of segment lines can be reduced compared to static driving, which has the advantage of reducing the wiring area for the number of segments on the liquid crystal panel 100 and simplifying the wiring of the segment lines.

[0069] 3. Display data, selection data 12 and 13 show examples of data formats such as display data and selection data stored in the data storage circuit 52. In FIG. 12, for example, 8-bit data (D0 to D7) is stored in the data storage circuit 52 in association with each segment electrode (SEG1, SEG2, SEG3, etc.). As shown in FIG. 13, selection data DSEL for static drive and duty drive is stored in, for example, bit D7 of each data stored in the data storage circuit 52. Furthermore, display data for the segment electrodes is stored in, for example, bits D0 to D6 of each data. For example, in the case of 1 / 4 duty drive as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, data for the first line, second line, third line, and fourth line corresponding to each subfield are stored in bits D3, D4, D5, and D6, respectively. Data that is, for example, 1 for black display and 0 for white display is stored in bits D3, D4, D5, and D6. In the case of the 1 / 2 duty drive shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the data for the third and fourth lines is unnecessary.

[0070] In the case of static drive in Fig. 7, for example, data representing a black or white display is stored in bit D3. Grayscale display is possible in static drive, and in this case, grayscale data for static drive can be stored in bits D3 to D0, for example, as shown in Fig. 13. For example, storing 4-bit grayscale data in D3 to D0 makes it possible to display 16 grayscales. Grayscale display in static drive can be achieved by PWM grayscale control, which changes the pulse width of the drive signal according to the grayscale data, or PMA grayscale control, which changes the voltage level of the drive signal according to the grayscale data.

[0071] As described above, in this embodiment, display data and selection data for static drive and duty drive are stored in the data storage circuit 52 and supplied to the segment drive circuit 20 by the data supply circuit 50. In this case, the data supply circuit 50 supplies data to the segment drive circuit 20, in which selection data is set in the s-th bit and display data for duty drive or display data for static drive is set in the t-th to u-th bits. Here, s, t, and u are integers greater than or equal to 1 and are mutually different. Taking FIG. 13 as an example, selection data DSEL is stored in bit D7, which is the s-th bit of the data. Furthermore, display data for duty drive or display data for static drive is set in bits D0 to D6, which are the t-th to u-th bits of the data. In this way, the segment drive circuit 20 can determine whether to output a drive signal for stage drive or duty drive by referring to the s-th bit of the data supplied from the data supply circuit 50. Then, based on the display data set in the t-th to u-th bits of the data supplied from the data supply circuit 50, the segment drive circuit 20 is able to output a drive signal of the drive method selected by the selection data.

[0072] In the case of static driving, it is sufficient that display data is set in at least one bit from the t-th bit to the u-th bit. In the case of static driving of gradation display, it is sufficient that gradation data is set using multiple bits from the t-th bit to the u-th bit. In the case of duty driving, it is sufficient that display data is set in multiple bits from the t-th bit to the u-th bit. For example, the number of bits set will differ depending on the duty (number of lines) of duty driving.

[0073] 4. Layout and backlight FIG. 14 shows an example of the layout of the first terminal TS1 to the n-th terminal TSn, the common terminal TMS, and the common terminal group TMDG in the driver 10. In FIG. 14, the driver 10, which is a semiconductor IC, has short sides SD1 and SD2 and long sides SD3 and SD4 in a plan view. Side SD2 is opposite side SD1, and side SD4 is opposite side SD3. The direction along the long sides SD4 and SD3 is defined as a first direction DR1, and the direction perpendicular to the first direction DR1 is defined as a second direction DR2. The second direction DR2 is a direction along the short sides SD1 and SD2. For example, the first direction DR1 is a direction from side SD1 toward side SD2, which is opposite side SD1. The second direction DR2 is a direction from side SD3 toward side SD4, which is opposite side SD3. The shape of the driver 10 in plan view may be a substantially quadrilateral, and for example, the corners of the quadrilateral may have chamfered portions.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 14, the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn, from which drive signals for the segment electrodes are output, are arranged along a side SD4 of the driver 10. For example, the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn are arranged in a first direction DR1, which is a direction along the side SD4, which is, for example, the long side, of the driver 10, so that the ith terminal TSi and the (i+1)th terminal TSi+1 of the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn are adjacent to each other. In this way, drive signals for static drive or duty drive can be output from each of the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn arranged along the side SD4 of the driver 10. That is, each of the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TSn arranged along the side SD4 of the driver 10 can output a drive signal of a drive method set by the segment drive circuit 20 corresponding to that terminal. That is, it can be arbitrarily set whether to output a drive signal for segment drive or a drive signal for duty drive for each of the first terminals TS1 to n-th terminals TS1 to n-th terminals arranged along the side SD4 of the driver 10.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 14 and the aforementioned FIG. 3, the driver 10 includes a static drive common terminal TMS, which outputs a static drive common signal CMS, and a duty drive common terminal group TMDG, which outputs a duty drive common signal group CMDG. For example, the static drive common terminal TMS and the duty drive common terminal group TMDG are arranged along the side SD4 of the driver 10. In this manner, the common signal output from the static drive common drive circuit 31 can be output from the common terminal TMS, and the common signal group output from the duty drive common drive circuit 32 can be output from the common terminal group TMDG. The segment electrodes can then be statically driven using the common signal CMS output from the common terminal TMS. Furthermore, the segment electrodes can be duty driven using the common signal group CMDG output from the common terminal group TMDG. For example, in the case of the 1 / 2 duty drive shown in Figures 8 and 9, two common signals CM1 and CM2 are output from the common terminal group TMDG as the common signal group CMDG. Also, in the case of the 1 / 4 duty drive shown in Figures 10 and 11, four common signals CM1, CM2, CM3, and CM4 are output from the common terminal group TMDG as the common signal group CMDG.

[0076] Also, as shown in FIG. 14, the first terminal TS1 to the nth terminal TSn include the pth terminal TSp to the qth terminal TSq and the (q + 1)th terminal TSq+1 to the rth terminal TSr. For example, the pth terminal TSp to the qth terminal TSq are arranged along the side SD4 of the driver 10, and the (q + 1)th terminal TSq+1 to the rth terminal TSr are also arranged along the side SD4 of the driver 10. p, q, and r are integers of 1 or more such that p < q < r. And the common terminal TMS for static driving and the common terminal group TMDG for duty driving are arranged between the qth terminal TSq and the (q + 1)th terminal TSq+1. For example, the common terminal TMS and the common terminal group TMDG are arranged along the side SD4 of the driver 10 between the qth terminal TSq and the (q + 1)th terminal TSq+1. For example, the common terminal TMS and the common terminal group TMDG are arranged in the first direction DR1 of the qth terminal TSq, and the (q + 1)th terminal TSq+1 is arranged in the first direction DR1 of the common terminal TMS and the common terminal group TMDG. In this way, the common terminal TMS and the common terminal group TMDG are arranged in the space between the qth terminal TSq and the (q + 1)th terminal TSq+1, so that the common signal CMS for static driving can be output from the common terminal TMS, and the common signal group CMDG for duty driving can be output from the common terminal group TMDG. Thereby, the arrangement of the segment electrodes and the common electrodes in the liquid crystal panel 100 and the wiring of the segment lines and the common lines can be facilitated.

[0077] In FIG. 14, the arrangement areas of the common terminal TMS and the common terminal group TMDG are in one place, but the common terminal TMS and the common terminal group TMDG may be arranged in each of the plurality of arrangement areas. Also, the common driving circuit 31 for static driving that outputs the common signal CMS to the common terminal TMS and the common driving circuit 32 for duty driving that outputs the common signal group CMDG to the common terminal group TMDG can be arranged adjacent to each other along the side SD4 of the driver 10. For example, the common terminal TMS and the common terminal group TMDG may be arranged between the first common driving circuit group that outputs a driving signal to the pth terminal TSp to the qth terminal TSq and the second common driving circuit group that outputs a driving signal to the (q + 1)th terminal TSq+1 to the rth terminal TSr.

[0078] 1 and 3, the electro-optical device 200 of this embodiment includes a driver 10 and a liquid crystal panel 100. This allows various display objects corresponding to the segment electrodes to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 100. For example, it becomes possible to display warning lights and other display objects on the liquid crystal panel 100.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 15 , the electro-optical device 200 may include a backlight 110. In FIG. 15 , the backlight 110 includes a light guide plate 130 and a light source 120 provided on at least one side of the light guide plate 130. The light source 120 may be realized by, for example, an LED element or a cold cathode fluorescent lamp. For example, an edge-light or side-light type backlight may be used as the backlight 110. While FIG. 15 shows a side view of the electro-optical device 200, the light source 120 is provided on, for example, one side of the light guide plate 130 in a plan view of the electro-optical device 200. In this case, multiple light sources 120 may be arranged on one side of the light guide plate 130. Alternatively, a light source 120 may be provided on a first side of the light guide plate 130, and another light source 120 may be provided on a second side opposite the first side of the light guide plate 130. The light guide plate 130, which is a light guide sheet, may be realized by, for example, an acrylic plate. A diffusion plate 134, which is, for example, a diffusion sheet, is provided between the light guide plate 130 and the liquid crystal panel 100. In addition, a reflection plate 132, which is, for example, a reflection sheet, is provided on the surface of the light guide plate 130 opposite the liquid crystal panel 100. By providing a backlight 110 as shown in Fig. 15, light from the light source 120 is guided by the light guide plate 130, and the guided light can be made to enter the liquid crystal panel 100 approximately uniformly from the back side of the liquid crystal panel 100.

[0080] 15 , light from the backlight 110 is emitted almost uniformly from the rear side of the liquid crystal panel 100, making it difficult to display a warning light with high contrast by controlling the backlight 110. In this regard, in this embodiment, the segment drive circuit 20 can be set to static drive or duty drive. If the segment electrodes corresponding to the warning light are driven by the segment drive circuit 20 set to static drive, it is possible to provide an electro-optical device 200 that can display a warning light with higher contrast than other display objects, even when using a backlight 110 of the type shown in FIG. 15 .

[0081] As described above, the driver of this embodiment for driving a liquid crystal panel includes first to n-th terminals each electrically connected to a segment electrode of the liquid crystal panel, and first to n-th segment drive circuits each outputting a drive signal for static drive or duty drive to the first to n-th terminals. Each of the first to n-th segment drive circuits outputs a drive signal for static drive when static drive is set, and outputs a drive signal for duty drive when duty drive is set.

[0082] According to this embodiment, when static drive is set, each of the first to nth segment drive circuits outputs a drive signal for static drive, and the static drive drive signal is output from the terminal corresponding to that segment drive circuit. Furthermore, when duty drive is set, each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for duty drive, and the duty drive drive signal is output from the terminal corresponding to that segment drive circuit. Therefore, it is possible to select and set for each terminal, from the first to nth terminals of the driver, whether to output a drive signal for static drive or a drive signal for duty drive.

[0083] In addition, this embodiment may include a data supply circuit that supplies display data and selection data for static driving and duty driving to each segment driving circuit.

[0084] In this way, each segment drive circuit can determine whether to perform static drive or duty drive based on the selection data from the data supply circuit, and output a drive signal for the selected drive method.

[0085] In addition, in this embodiment, each segment drive circuit may output a drive signal for static drive when static drive is selected by the selection data, and may output a drive signal for duty drive when duty drive is selected by the selection data.

[0086] In this way, it becomes possible to set for each terminal whether each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for static drive or a drive signal for duty drive based on the selection data.

[0087] In addition, in this embodiment, the data supply circuit may supply each segment drive circuit with data in which selection data is set in the sth bit and display data for duty drive or display data for static drive is set in the tth to uth bits.

[0088] In this way, each segment drive circuit can determine whether to output a drive signal for static drive or duty drive by referring to the s-th bit of the data supplied from the data supply circuit. Each segment drive circuit can then output a drive signal for the drive method selected by the selection data, based on the display data set in the t-th to u-th bits of the data supplied from the data supply circuit.

[0089] In addition, in this embodiment, when static drive is selected, each segment drive circuit may output a static drive drive signal in synchronization with a frame signal for static drive, and when duty drive is selected, may output a duty drive drive signal in synchronization with a frame signal for duty drive.

[0090] In this way, when static drive is selected, each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for static drive in synchronization with a frame signal appropriate for static drive, and when duty drive is selected, each segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for static drive in synchronization with a frame signal appropriate for duty drive.

[0091] In addition, in this embodiment, each segment drive circuit may include a static drive circuit that outputs a drive signal for static drive, a duty drive circuit that outputs a drive signal for duty drive, and an output circuit that outputs a drive signal for static drive when static drive is selected and outputs a drive signal for duty drive when duty drive is selected.

[0092] In this way, when static drive is selected, the output circuit outputs a drive signal from the static drive circuit, thereby enabling static drive of the corresponding segment electrode, and when duty drive is selected, the output circuit outputs a drive signal from the duty drive circuit, thereby enabling duty drive of the corresponding segment electrode.

[0093] Furthermore, this embodiment may include a common drive circuit for static driving that outputs a common signal for static driving, and a common drive circuit for duty driving that outputs a group of common signals for duty driving.

[0094] In this way, a common signal for static drive is supplied to common electrodes corresponding to segment electrodes driven by a segment drive circuit set to static drive, and a common signal for duty drive is supplied to common electrodes corresponding to segment electrodes driven by a segment drive circuit set to duty drive.

[0095] Furthermore, this embodiment may include a common terminal for static driving to which a common signal for static driving is output, and a common terminal group for duty driving to which a common signal group for duty driving is output.

[0096] In this way, the common signal output by the common drive circuit for static drive can be output from the common terminal for static drive, and the common signal group output by the common drive circuit for duty drive can be output from the common terminal group for duty drive.

[0097] In this embodiment, the first to nth terminals include the pth to qth terminals and the q+1th to rth terminals, and the common terminals for static driving and the group of common terminals for duty driving may be arranged between the qth and q+1th terminals.

[0098] In this way, common terminals and common terminal groups can be arranged in the space between the qth terminal and the q+1th terminal, and common signals for static driving can be output from the common terminals, and common signals for duty driving can be output from the common terminal groups.

[0099] In this embodiment, the first to n-th terminals may be arranged along the sides of the driver.

[0100] In this way, it becomes possible to output a drive signal for static drive or duty drive from each of the first to n-th terminals arranged along the side of the driver.

[0101] The electro-optical device of this embodiment may include the driver described above and a liquid crystal panel.

[0102] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel features and advantages of the present disclosure. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a term described at least once in the specification or drawings together with a different term having a broader or equivalent meaning may be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Furthermore, all combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the configurations and operations of the driver, electro-optical device, liquid crystal panel, etc. are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 10...driver, 20...segment drive circuit, 20-1...first segment drive circuit, 20-i...ith segment drive circuit, 20-j...jth segment drive circuit, 20-n...nth segment drive circuit, 21...static drive circuit, 22...level shifter, 23...drive circuit, 24...duty drive circuit, 25...level shifter, 26...drive circuit, 27...selection circuit, 28...output circuit, 31...common drive circuit, 32...common drive circuit, 50...data supply circuit, 52...data storage circuit, 54...display data selection circuit, 56...latch circuit, 58...polarity inversion circuit, 60...control circuit, 70...drive voltage supply circuit, 80...interface circuit, 100...liquid crystal panel, 110... Backlight, 120...light source, 130...light guide plate, 132...reflector, 134...diffuser, 200...electro-optical device, 300...processing device, CM1, CM2, CM3, CM4...common signal, CMDG...common signal group, CMS...common signal, DPD...display data, DSEL...selection data, EL11 to EL42...segment electrodes, FRD, FRS...frame signal, SEL...selection signal, SG, SG1, SG2, SGi, SGj...drive signal, TMDG...common terminal group, TMS...common terminal, TS...terminal, TS1...first terminal, TSi...ith terminal, TSj...jth terminal, TSn...nth terminal, TSp...pth terminal, TSq...qth terminal, TSr...rth terminal, VLC11 to VLC22...voltage signals

Claims

1. A driver for driving a liquid crystal panel, a first terminal to an n-th terminal, each of which is electrically connected to a segment electrode of the liquid crystal panel; a first segment drive circuit to an n-th segment drive circuit that output drive signals for static drive or duty drive to the first terminal to the n-th terminal; Including, A driver characterized in that each of the first segment drive circuit to the nth segment drive circuit outputs a drive signal for the static drive when the static drive is set, and outputs a drive signal for the duty drive when the duty drive is set.

2. 2. The driver according to claim 1, a data supply circuit for supplying display data and selection data for the static drive and the duty drive to each of the segment drive circuits;

3. 3. The driver according to claim 2, Each of the segment drive circuits is A driver characterized in that when the static drive is selected by the selection data, a drive signal for the static drive is output, and when the duty drive is selected by the selection data, a drive signal for the duty drive is output.

4. 3. The driver according to claim 2, The data supply circuit A driver characterized in that the selection data is set in the sth bit, and the display data for duty driving or the display data for static driving is set in the tth to uth bits, and the driver supplies the data to each segment driving circuit.

5. 2. The driver according to claim 1, Each of the segment drive circuits is When the static drive is selected, a drive signal for the static drive is output in synchronization with a frame signal for the static drive; When the duty drive is performed, the driver outputs a drive signal for the duty drive in synchronization with a frame signal for the duty drive.

6. 2. The driver according to claim 1, Each of the segment drive circuits is a static drive circuit that outputs a drive signal for the static drive; a duty drive circuit that outputs a drive signal for the duty drive; an output circuit that outputs a drive signal for the static drive when the static drive is selected, and outputs a drive signal for the duty drive when the duty drive is selected; A driver comprising:

7. 2. The driver according to claim 1, a common drive circuit for static driving that outputs a common signal for the static driving; a common drive circuit for duty driving that outputs the common signal group for duty driving; A driver comprising:

8. 8. The driver according to claim 7, a common terminal for static driving to which the common signal for static driving is output; a group of common terminals for duty driving to which the group of common signals for duty driving are output; A driver comprising:

9. 9. The driver according to claim 8, the first terminal to the nth terminal include a pth terminal to a qth terminal and a q+1th terminal to an rth terminal, A driver characterized in that the common terminal for static driving and the group of common terminals for duty driving are arranged between the q terminal and the q+1 terminal.

10. 2. The driver according to claim 1, A driver, wherein the first terminal to the nth terminal are arranged along a side of the driver.

11. A driver according to any one of claims 1 to 10; the liquid crystal panel; An electro-optical device comprising:

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