Image data transmission method and device, display device, and storage medium
By adjusting the image data transmission rate and start time of the display driver chip, the problem of high processor power consumption when the display refresh rate changes is solved, achieving energy saving and stable display at low refresh rates.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-07
Smart Images
Figure CN2025094264_07052026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
An image data transmission method, apparatus, display device, and storage medium.
[0001] Cross-references to related applications
[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410614680.X, filed on May 16, 2024, entitled "A Method, Apparatus, Display Device and Storage Medium for Image Data Transmission", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0003] This application relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular to an image data transmission method, apparatus, display device, and storage medium. Background Technology
[0004] With the development of display technology, displays used on electronic devices can support variable refresh rates (VRR), dynamically adjusting the image refresh rate according to the displayed content (such as different frame rates in a game). Dynamic frame rate switching on a display is achieved through a combination of 1 displayed frame and N hold frames. By changing the number of hold frames N, the refresh rate of the display can be changed. The process of refreshing one frame of an image refers to the charging process for all the pixel circuits in the display. Regardless of the refresh rate, the time it takes for the display to complete the charging of one frame remains constant, the same as the time required to complete the charging of one frame at the highest refresh rate.
[0005] During image display, the image data to be displayed is transmitted from the processor to the display driver chip, and then from the display driver chip to the display screen for display. Since the time it takes for the display to complete the charging of one frame remains constant when the refresh rate of the screen changes, the time consumed by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip also remains constant. That is, the transmission rate of image data from the processor to the display driver chip remains unchanged, essentially matching the charging rate of the display screen. This means that even if the refresh rate decreases, the performance requirements for the processor do not decrease; the processor cannot be down-voltaged or down-frequencyd, and power consumption remains high. Summary of the Invention
[0006] This application provides an image data transmission method, apparatus, display device, and storage medium that can save power consumption.
[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides an image data transmission method, which can be executed by a display driver chip in a display device, or by a chip system or circuit in the display driver chip. The display driver chip receives image data sent by a processor and transmits the image data to a display screen. The image data transmission method may include: when the transmission rate of image data transmitted from the processor to the display driver chip changes, determining the changed transmission rate, which characterizes the duration taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip; and adjusting the start time of transmitting the received unit of image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate.
[0008] For example, during image display on the screen, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate. When the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, i.e., when the frame rate of the content displayed on the screen changes, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate. The first and second transmission rates characterize the duration taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip. When the transmission rate of image data from the processor to the display driver chip changes, the display driver chip determines the changed second transmission rate and adjusts the start time for transmitting the received unit image data to the screen according to the second transmission rate, transmitting one unit of image data to the screen from the start time.
[0009] The image data transmission method provided in this application allows the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip at a lower rate when the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed decreases. This eliminates the need for the processor to maintain a constant maximum transmission rate. As the refresh rate decreases, the performance requirements for the processor also decrease, eliminating the need for the processor to operate at its highest performance level during the data transmission phase. In this case, the processor can reduce its voltage and frequency, thus saving power consumption.
[0010] In one alternative implementation, the time taken for the display driver chip to transmit a unit of image data to the display screen is less than or equal to the time taken for the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip; that is, the processor can use more time to encode and send the image data to be transmitted, reducing the performance requirements on the processor.
[0011] In one optional implementation, the aforementioned unit image data is one frame of image data. After the transmission rate changes, the display driver chip receives the image data sent by the processor, determines the time taken for the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip based on the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data, and determines the changed transmission rate based on the duration taken for the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip. Here, one frame of image data includes M lines of image data, where M is the number of rows of display pixels on the display screen, and N is less than M.
[0012] In another alternative implementation, the display driver chip can obtain the changed transmission rate from the rate switching instruction sent by the processor; the rate switching instruction is sent by the processor to the display driver chip when changing the transmission rate of image data.
[0013] This application provides two methods for determining the processor's transmission rate, both of which can accurately determine the transmission rate when the processor sends a frame of image data to the display driver chip.
[0014] In one alternative implementation, when adjusting the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen, the display driver chip can determine the transmission delay of the unit image data based on the changed transmission rate and the display frame rate of the display screen, determine the start time of transmitting the unit image data to the display screen based on the start time of receiving the unit image data and the transmission delay, and transmit the received unit image data to the display screen at the start time.
[0015] In the above implementation, after the processor reduces the transmission rate of unit image data to the display driver chip, the display driver chip can determine the transmission delay of the unit image data based on the changed transmission rate and the display frame rate. Based on the start time of receiving the unit image data and the transmission delay, the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen is adjusted to ensure that the transmission rate of the unit image data from the display driver chip to the display screen is the same as the display frame rate. This ensures that the display output line frequency and display timing of the display screen remain unchanged, thus avoiding display anomalies such as screen flickering. Furthermore, maintaining a constant display output line frequency ensures display quality and avoids flickering caused by abrupt changes in display brightness.
[0016] In one alternative implementation, during the time period when the display driver chip transmits a received frame of image data to the display screen, the display driver chip can stop sending a tearing effect TE signal to the processor. The TE signal is used to instruct the processor to send image data to the display driver chip. If the processor does not receive the TE signal, it will not send the next frame of image data to the display driver chip to avoid conflicts caused by the display driver chip simultaneously receiving and sending image data.
[0017] Secondly, this application provides an image data transmission method, which can be executed by a processor, or by a chip system or circuit within the processor. The processor can be located within or outside the display device; this application describes an example of a display device including a processor. The image data transmission method may include: the processor transmitting unit image data to a display driver chip at a first transmission rate; and transmitting unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate when the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes. The second transmission rate is determined based on the changed refresh rate; the first and second transmission rates characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip.
[0018] In one alternative implementation, before the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at the second transmission rate, it may send a rate switching instruction to the display driver chip. The rate switching instruction carries the second transmission rate, which is used by the display driver chip to determine the start time for transmitting unit image data to the display screen.
[0019] Thirdly, this application provides an image data transmission device applied to a display driver chip, the device comprising:
[0020] The transmission rate determination module is used to determine the changed transmission rate when the transmission rate of image data transmitted from the processor to the display driver chip changes; the transmission rate is used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip.
[0021] The output timing adjustment module is used to adjust the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate.
[0022] In one alternative implementation, the time taken for the display driver chip to transmit a unit of image data to the display screen is less than or equal to the time taken for the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip.
[0023] In one alternative implementation, the transmission rate determination module can specifically be used for:
[0024] The changed transmission rate is obtained from the rate switching instruction sent by the processor; the rate switching instruction is sent by the processor to the display driver chip when changing the transmission rate of image data.
[0025] In another optional implementation, the aforementioned unit image data is one frame of image data; the transmission rate determination module can specifically be used for:
[0026] After the transmission rate changes, the receiving processor sends image data;
[0027] The time taken for the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip is determined based on the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data.
[0028] The changed transmission rate is determined based on the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip; one frame of image data includes M lines of image data; M is the number of rows of display pixels contained in the display screen; N is less than M.
[0029] In one alternative implementation, the output timing adjustment module can be used specifically for:
[0030] The transmission delay per unit of image data is determined based on the changed transmission rate and the display frame rate.
[0031] Adjust the start time of transmitting the unit image data to the display screen based on the start time of receiving the unit image data and the transmission delay.
[0032] In an alternative implementation, the image data transmission device may further include a signal transmission module, configured to: stop sending a tearing effect (TE) signal to the processor during the time period during which the display driver chip transmits a received frame of image data to the display screen. The TE signal is used to instruct the processor to send image data to the display driver chip.
[0033] Fourthly, this application provides an image data transmission apparatus applied to a processor, the apparatus including:
[0034] The data transmission module is used to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate; when the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, it transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is determined based on the changed refresh rate; the first transmission rate and the second transmission rate are used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip.
[0035] In an alternative implementation, the device may further include an instruction transmission module for:
[0036] Before transmitting unit image data to the display driver chip at the second transmission rate, a rate switching command is sent to the display driver chip; the rate switching command carries the second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is used by the display driver chip to determine the start time of transmitting unit image data to the display screen.
[0037] Fifthly, this application provides a display device, including a display driver chip and a display screen;
[0038] The display driver chip drives the display screen to operate based on image data from the processor by executing any of the methods provided in the first aspect above.
[0039] In an alternative implementation, the display device may further include a processor that transmits image data to the display driver chip by performing any of the methods provided in the second aspect above.
[0040] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which are used to cause a computer to perform any of the image data transmission methods provided in the first aspect above.
[0041] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which are used to cause a computer to perform any of the image data transmission methods provided in the second aspect above.
[0042] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions being used to cause a computer to execute any of the image data transmission methods provided in the first aspect above.
[0043] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions being used to cause a computer to execute any of the image data transmission methods provided in the second aspect above.
[0044] The technical effects that can be achieved by any of the second to ninth aspects mentioned above can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description
[0045] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0046] Figure 2 is a timing diagram of the image data transmission process in related technologies;
[0047] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of device interaction for an image data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0048] Figure 4 is a timing diagram of an image data transmission process provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of device interaction for another image data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0050] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an image data transmission device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0051] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another image data transmission device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0052] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display driver chip provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0053] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another display device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0054] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the implementation section of this application is only for explaining specific embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application.
[0055] Before introducing the specific solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, some terms used in this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, but the terms used in this application are not limited.
[0056] (1) Tearing effect (TE) signal: The TE signal is a signal generated by the display driver chip to prevent screen tearing during image refresh. When ready to refresh the next frame of the image, the display driver chip generates a TE signal and sends it to the processor. When the processor detects the rising edge of the TE signal, or detects that the TE signal is in a high-level state, it can send the next frame of image data to the display driver chip.
[0057] (2) Display driver chip: To improve the image quality displayed on the screen, a display driver chip can be used to drive the screen. The display driver chip can transmit image data from the processor to the screen for display. That is, the screen displays the image based on the signal output by the display driver chip to ensure that the content of each frame is displayed synchronously. The display driver chip may include a chip using a system on chip (SoC) architecture or a display driver integrated circuit (DDIC) architecture.
[0058] In this application embodiment, "multiple" refers to two or more. Therefore, in this application embodiment, "multiple" can also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, such as one, two, or more. For example, "including at least one" means including one, two, or more, and it does not limit which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C, then it could include A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.
[0059] Unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.
[0060] The embodiments of this application can be applied to the display device shown in FIG1. The display device can be the following electronic devices, or can be applied to the following electronic devices. The electronic devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile terminals such as mobile phones, tablets, handheld computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart home devices such as smart TVs and smart cameras, wearable devices such as smart bracelets, smartwatches, and smart glasses, or other desktop, laptop, notebook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), netbook, smart screen and other computer devices.
[0061] As shown in Figure 1, the display device 100 may include one or more of the following components: a processor 110, a display driver chip 120, and a display screen 130. The display driver chip 120, the display screen 130, and the processor 110 can be connected via a bus. The bus can transmit data between the processor 110, the display driver chip 120, and the display screen 130. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.
[0062] The processor 110 can be an application processor (AP), which is a chip that integrates a processor core, memory controller, graphics processor, multimedia decoder, and other functions to execute various applications and tasks. In smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices, the AP can be a semiconductor chip, typically responsible for running the operating system, applications, and processing multimedia content. In some embodiments, the processor 110 can also be one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor (MP), or a digital signal processor (DSP).
[0063] The processor 110 can acquire the image data to be displayed and transmit it to the display screen 130 via the display driver chip 120. For example, during the running of a game, the processor 110 can acquire the game's scene data, render the image data to be displayed based on the game's scene data, and transmit the image data to be displayed to the display screen 130 via the display driver chip 120 for display.
[0064] The display driver chip 120 is used to drive the display screen 130 to display images. The display driver chip 120 can be connected to the processor 110 via a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) to receive image data sent by the processor 110, and drive the display screen 130 to display images based on the image data sent by the processor 110. It should be noted that the display driver chip 120 and the processor 110 can also be connected via an embedded display interface (EDP) or other interfaces; this embodiment does not limit the connection in this application.
[0065] Display screen 130 is a display component used for displaying images, typically located on the front panel of an electronic device. Display screen 130 can be designed as a full-screen, curved screen, irregularly shaped screen, dual-sided screen, or foldable screen. It can also be designed as a combination of a full-screen and a curved screen, or a combination of an irregularly shaped screen and a curved screen; this embodiment does not limit this. Display screen 130 can be an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display screen; for example, display screen 130 can be a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) OLED display screen or a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED display screen.
[0066] In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of the display device 100 shown in the above figures does not constitute a limitation on the display device 100. The display device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements. For example, the display device 100 also includes components such as a power module and a sensor module, which will not be described in detail here.
[0067] The display device 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a processor 110. In some embodiments, when the display device 100 is part of an electronic device, the processor of the electronic device and the processor 110 of the display device 100 can be two separate processors. For example, the processor of the electronic device can be a CPU, and the processor 110 of the display device 100 can be an application processor (AP). The CPU and the AP can be connected via a bus. In other embodiments, when the display device is part of an electronic device, the processor can also be located outside the display device, serving as the core processing device of the electronic device. That is, the electronic device and the display device share a single processor. For example, the processor can be a CPU. In other words, the display device 100 may also exclude the processor 110, including only the display driver chip 120 and the display screen 130.
[0068] With the development of display technology, displays used on electronic devices can support VRR (Dynamic Refresh Rate), which dynamically adjusts the image refresh rate based on the displayed content. When the displayed content has a high frame rate, the refresh rate is increased; when the displayed content has a low frame rate, the refresh rate is decreased. For example, when running high frame rate games, the refresh rate can be increased to improve game smoothness and user experience; when playing 30FPS videos, a high refresh rate is unnecessary, and the refresh rate can be decreased. FPS is a unit of video frame rate, meaning frames per second; 30FPS can be understood as 30 Hertz (Hz).
[0069] The dynamic frame rate switching of a display is achieved through a combination of 1 display frame and N hold frames. By changing the number of hold frames N, the refresh rate of the display can be changed. For a display, refreshing one frame refers to the process of charging all the pixel circuits in the display. Regardless of the refresh rate, the time for charging each row of pixel circuits in the display remains constant during the process of refreshing one frame. That is, the display output line frequency remains constant, and the time (i.e., charging rate) for the display to complete one frame remains constant, the same as the time to complete one frame at the highest refresh rate. Since the time for the display to complete one frame remains constant when changing the refresh rate, the time consumed by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip also remains constant; otherwise, screen flickering would easily occur. In other words, the transmission rate of image data from the processor to the display driver chip remains constant, maintaining essentially the same charging rate as the display.
[0070] For example, as shown in Figure 2, assuming the display's maximum refresh rate is 120Hz, the time it takes for the display to charge one frame is 1s / 120, or approximately 8.3ms. The display driver chip can send TE signals to the processor at a set frequency. For example, the display driver chip can send TE signals to the processor at 360Hz, or at 240Hz, or at 120Hz. Figure 2 illustrates this using the example of the display driver chip sending TE signals to the processor at 120Hz. When the frame rate of the content to be displayed is 60Hz, the display driver chip can still send TE signals to the processor at 120Hz. The processor can transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip when it detects the kth TE signal. The time consumed by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip is approximately 8.3ms, which is basically the same as the display's charging rate. After receiving the image data transmitted by the processor, the display driver chip sends one display frame to the display. The display completes the charging of one frame of image based on this display frame, and the charging time for one frame of image is approximately 8.3ms. When the processor detects the (k+1)th TE signal, it can pause the transmission of image data to the display driver chip. The display driver chip can generate a hold frame based on the display frame received at the time of the kth TE signal and send it to the display screen. The display screen completes the charging of one frame of image data based on this hold frame. The processor can then transmit the next frame of image data to the display driver chip when it detects the (k+2)th TE signal. The time consumed by transmitting the next frame of image data is also approximately 8.3ms. The display driver chip receives the next frame of image data, sends the next display frame to the display screen, and the display screen completes the charging of one frame of image data based on this display frame. The charging time for one frame of image data is also approximately 8.3ms. Then, the display driver chip can generate a hold frame based on the display frame received at the time of the (k+2)th TE signal and send it to the display screen, and so on.
[0071] When the frame rate of the content to be displayed becomes 30Hz, the display can reduce its refresh rate. The display driver chip can still send TE signals to the processor at 120Hz. The processor can transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip when it detects the m-th TE signal. The time consumed by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip is about 8.3ms, which is basically the same as the charging rate of the display. The display driver chip receives the image data transmitted by the processor and sends one display frame to the display. The display completes the charging of one frame of image based on this display frame, and the charging time for one frame of image is about 8.3ms. When the processor detects the (m+1), (m+2), and (m+3)th TE signals, it can pause the transmission of image data to the display driver chip. The display driver chip can generate three hold frames based on the display frame received at the (m)th TE signal, and send one hold frame to the display screen during the (m+1), (m+2), and (m+3)th TE signal cycles respectively. During the (m+1), (m+2), and (m+3)th TE signal cycles, the display screen completes the charging of one frame of image based on the received hold frames. The processor can then transmit the next frame of image data to the display driver chip when it detects the (m+4)th TE signal; the time consumed by transmitting the next frame of image data is also approximately 8.3ms. Upon receiving the next frame of image data, the display driver chip sends the next display frame to the display screen, and the display screen completes the charging of one frame of image based on this display frame; the charging time for one frame of image is approximately 8.3ms. Then, the display driver chip can generate 3 hold frames based on the display frame received at the (m+4)th TE signal and send the hold frames to the display screen, and so on.
[0072] As can be seen from the process shown in Figure 2, no matter how the refresh rate changes, the time consumed by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip remains unchanged. That is, the transmission rate of image data from the processor to the display driver chip remains unchanged, and it remains basically the same as the charging rate of the display screen. As a result, even if the refresh rate is reduced, the performance requirements of the processor are not reduced. The processor can neither reduce voltage nor reduce frequency, and the power consumption is still very high.
[0073] Based on this, this application provides an image data transmission method. During image display on the screen, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate. When the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, i.e., when the frame rate of the content displayed on the screen changes, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate. The first and second transmission rates characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip. When the transmission rate of the processor transmitting image data to the display driver chip changes, the display driver chip determines the changed second transmission rate and adjusts the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the screen according to the second transmission rate. In this application embodiment, when the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed decreases, the transmission rate of the processor transmitting unit image data to the display driver chip can decrease accordingly. The processor does not need to maintain a constant maximum transmission rate. When the refresh rate decreases, the performance requirements of the processor also decrease, and the processor does not need to operate at its highest performance state during the data transmission phase. At this time, the processor can reduce voltage and frequency, thus saving processor power consumption.
[0074] The image data transmission method provided in this application is illustrated below through two specific embodiments.
[0075] Figure 3 illustrates, exemplarily, a device interaction diagram of an image data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the method may include the following steps:
[0076] S301, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip according to the first transmission rate.
[0077] During image display, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate. The first transmission rate characterizes the time taken for the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip. Unit image data can be one frame of image data. For example, the first transmission rate can be 120Hz. For instance, when running a high frame rate game, the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed is 120Hz, and the processor can transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip every 8.3ms at a rate of 120Hz.
[0078] S302, the processor determines that the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed has changed.
[0079] S303, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip according to the second transmission rate.
[0080] When the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, that is, when the frame rate of the content displayed on the screen changes, the processor transmits a unit of image data to the display driver chip according to a second transmission rate. The second transmission rate characterizes the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip. For example, the second transmission rate can be 60Hz. For instance, when the user exits a game, opens a video player, and plays a 60FPS video, the processor reduces the image data transmission rate, transmitting one frame of image data to the display driver chip every 16.7ms at a transmission rate of 60Hz.
[0081] S304, the display driver chip determines the changed second transmission rate, determines the start time for transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen based on the second transmission rate, and waits for the start time to be reached.
[0082] S305 is a display driver chip that transmits unit image data to the display screen.
[0083] The display driver chip transmits received unit image data to the display screen. In some embodiments, the processor can adjust the transmission rate of the image data as needed without notifying the display driver chip. The display driver chip can monitor whether the processor's transmission rate changes in real time. For example, as shown in FIG4, a frame of image data includes M lines of image data. Each line of image data can be carried in one or two data packets. The processor encapsulates the M lines of image data into multiple data packets and transmits them to the display driver chip respectively according to the required transmission rate. Here, M is the number of rows of display pixels contained in the display screen. The display driver chip can determine the time taken by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip based on the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data, where N is less than M. For example, assuming that the number of rows of pixels contained in the display screen is 720, i.e., M = 720, then the value of N can be 10, 20, or 72. When the processor sends the F1 frame of image data to the display driver chip, the display driver chip receives the image data sent by the processor, monitors the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data, determines the ratio of the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data to N, and multiplies this ratio by M as the duration used by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip. Taking N as 72 as an example, the display driver chip receives the image data sent by the processor and monitors the duration of receiving 72 consecutive lines of image data. Assuming the duration of receiving 72 consecutive lines of image data is 0.83ms, 0.83 ÷ 72 × 720 = 8.3ms. Therefore, it can be determined that the duration used by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip is 8.3ms, 8.3ms = 0.0083s. The reciprocal of the duration used by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip, i.e., 1 / 0.0083 = 120, is taken as the transmission rate of the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip. In this case, the transmission rate of the processor is 120Hz.
[0084] When the processor sends the F2 frame of image data to the display driver chip, the display driver chip receives the image data sent by the processor and monitors the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data. At this time, the duration of receiving 72 consecutive lines of image data is 1.67 ms. The display driver chip determines the ratio of the duration of receiving 72 consecutive lines of image data to 72, and multiplies this ratio by 720. This product is taken as the duration used by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip, i.e., 1.67 ÷ 72 × 720 = 16.7 ms. The display driver chip can determine that the duration used by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip is consistently 16.7 ms, 16.7 ms = 0.0167 s. The reciprocal of the duration used by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip, i.e., 1 / 0.0167 = 60, is taken as the transmission rate of the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip. At this time, the processor's transmission rate is 60 Hz. Through the above process, the display driver chip can monitor changes in the processor's transmission rate and determine the changed second transmission rate.
[0085] After determining the second transmission rate, the display driver chip can determine the transmission delay of one frame of image data based on the second transmission rate and the display frame rate. Based on the start time of receiving a particular frame of image data and the transmission delay, it can determine the start time for transmitting that frame of image data to the display. The display frame rate can be understood as the display's maximum refresh rate, which is the reciprocal of the time it takes for the display to complete the charging of one frame of image data.
[0086] In one optional embodiment, based on the second transmission rate, the display driver chip can determine the duration for which the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip. Based on the display frame rate of the display screen, the display driver chip can determine the time it takes for the display screen to complete charging one frame of image data. The display driver chip can use the difference between the duration for which the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip and the time it takes for the display screen to complete charging one frame of image data as the transmission delay. For example, assuming the second transmission rate is 60Hz, the duration for which the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip is 16.7ms; assuming the display frame rate of the display screen is 120Hz, the time it takes for the display screen to complete charging one frame of image data is 8.3ms; the display driver chip can use the time difference 16.7ms - 8.3ms = 8.4ms as the transmission delay. Taking the F2nd frame of image data as an example, the display driver chip can determine the start time t2 for transmitting the F2nd frame of image data to the display screen based on the start time t1 for receiving the F2nd frame of image data and the transmission delay of 8.4ms, and send the F2nd frame of image data to the display screen at the start time t2. For example, in some embodiments, the display driver chip can send image data to the display screen through an output control module. The display driver chip starts the output control module at the start time t1 of receiving the F2 frame image data. The output control module enters a waiting phase. When the waiting time reaches a determined transmission delay, i.e., the start time t2 is reached, the display driver chip sends the F2 frame image data to the display screen through the output control module. Further, starting from the start time t1, the display driver chip receives each line of image data from the F2 frame image data one by one, and saves each line of image data received to a buffer area in the display driver chip. Waiting until the start time t2 is reached, the output control module reads each line of image data from the buffer area one by one and sends it to the display screen. In other embodiments, the display driver chip can start a timer at the start time t1 of receiving the F2 frame image data and set the timer duration to a transmission delay of 8.4ms. When the timer expires, the display driver chip determines that the start time t2 has been reached and sends the F2 frame image data to the display screen.
[0087] In another alternative embodiment, based on the second transmission rate, the display driver chip can determine the duration taken by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip and the duration taken to transmit one line of image data. Based on the display frame rate, the display driver chip can determine the charging time for the display to complete one frame of image data. The display driver chip can determine the difference between the duration taken by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip and the charging time for the display to complete one frame of image data. The transmission delay is characterized by the ratio between this time difference and the duration taken by the processor to transmit one line of image data to the display driver chip, i.e., the number of delayed lines. The number of delayed lines can also be called the phase value. For example, assuming the second transmission rate is 60Hz, the time taken for the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip is 16.7ms. If the display screen contains 720 rows of pixels, the time taken for the processor to transmit one row of image data to the display driver chip is 16.7 / 720 = 0.023ms. Assuming the display screen's frame rate is 120Hz, the time it takes for the display screen to complete charging one frame of image data is 8.3ms. The display driver chip can determine the time difference between the time taken for the processor to transmit one row of image data to the display driver chip and the time it takes for the display screen to complete charging one frame of image data, 16.7ms - 8.3ms = 8.4ms. The transmission delay is characterized by the ratio of the time difference 8.4ms to the time taken for the processor to transmit one row of image data to the display driver chip (0.023ms), which is 360, i.e., the number of delayed rows 360. In some embodiments, the display driver chip can send image data to the display screen through an output control module. The display driver chip starts the output control module at the start time t1 of receiving the F2 frame image data. The output control module enters a waiting phase. When the number of received image data lines reaches a predetermined delay line number, the display driver chip sends the F2 frame image data to the display screen through the output control module. In some embodiments, the display driver chip can start a counter at the start time t1 of receiving the F2 frame image data. The counter records the number of received image data lines. When the number of received image data lines reaches a predetermined delay line number 360, the display driver chip sends the F2 frame image data to the display screen.
[0088] In some embodiments, when sending the F2 frame image data to the display screen, the display driver chip may also send a gate-on-array (GOA) control signal to the display screen. Exemplarily, the display driver chip may include multiple GOA driving units, each GOA driving unit driving one or more rows of display pixels on the display screen. Each GOA driving unit may send a GOA control signal to the display screen to drive the corresponding one or more rows of display pixels.
[0089] In some embodiments, when the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip at a transmission rate of 120Hz, the display driver chip also transmits one frame of image data to the display screen at a transmission rate of 120Hz. In this case, the time taken for both the processor and the display driver chip to transmit one frame of image data is 8.3ms. The time taken for the display driver chip to transmit a unit of image data to the display screen is equal to the time taken for the processor to transmit the same unit. When the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip at a transmission rate of 60Hz, the display driver chip still transmits one frame at a transmission rate of 120Hz. In this case, the time taken for both the processor and the display driver chip to transmit the same unit is 16.7ms, and the time taken for the display driver chip to transmit the same unit is still 8.3ms, which is the same as the time it takes for the display screen to complete the charging of one frame. This is to match the charging rate of the display screen and ensure that the horizontal output frequency of the display remains constant. The time taken for the display driver chip to transmit a unit of image data to the display screen is less than the time taken for the processor to transmit the same unit. For example, regarding the F2 frame image data shown in Figure 4, the time taken for the processor to transmit the F2 frame image data to the display driver chip is 16.7 ms, and the time taken for the display driver chip to transmit the F2 frame image data to the display screen is 8.3 ms. Then, starting from the reception start time t3 of the F3 frame image data, after the aforementioned determined transmission delay, the display driver chip can send the F3 frame image data to the display screen starting at the start time t4. During the time period between t3 and t4, the display driver chip can send a hold frame of the F2 frame image data to the display screen.
[0090] The display driver chip adjusts the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen according to the changed second transmission rate. When the display driver chip receives the image data sent by the processor, it saves the image data line by line in the cache area of the display driver chip. At the determined start time, it reads the image data line by line from the cache area and sends it to the display screen. This can avoid reading the image data from the cache area too early, which would cause read and write conflicts in the cache area, and thus avoid screen distortion caused by read and write conflicts inside the display driver chip.
[0091] Figure 5 exemplarily illustrates a device interaction diagram of another image data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include the following steps:
[0092] S501, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip according to a first transmission rate.
[0093] During image display, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate. The first transmission rate characterizes the time taken for the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip. Unit image data can be one frame of image data. For example, the first transmission rate can be 120Hz, and the processor can transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip every 8.3ms at a rate of 120Hz.
[0094] S502: When the processor determines that the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed has changed, it generates a rate switching instruction.
[0095] S503, the processor sends a rate switching command to the display driver chip.
[0096] When the processor determines that the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed has changed, i.e., the frame rate of the content displayed on the screen has changed, the processor generates a rate switching instruction and sends it to the display driver chip. The rate switching instruction carries a changed second transmission rate, which characterizes the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip. For example, when transitioning from a game to video playback, the processor reduces the image data transmission rate to 60Hz. The processor can send the second transmission rate to the display driver chip via the rate switching instruction before switching the transmission rate. Exemplarily, the rate switching instruction may include a data type field and a data field; the data type field indicates that the rate switching instruction is a control signaling command, and the second transmission rate is carried in the data field.
[0097] S504, the display driver chip obtains the changed second transmission rate from the received rate switching command, and determines the transmission delay for transmitting unit image data to the display screen based on the second transmission rate.
[0098] After acquiring the changed second transmission rate, the display driver chip can determine the transmission delay for transmitting one frame of image data to the display screen based on the second transmission rate and the display screen's frame rate. The display screen's frame rate can be understood as the display screen's maximum refresh rate, which is the reciprocal of the time it takes for the display screen to complete the charging of one frame of image data.
[0099] In an optional embodiment, for example, the display driver chip can determine the duration for which the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip based on the second transmission rate. Based on the display frame rate of the display screen, the display driver chip can determine the time it takes for the display screen to complete charging of one frame of image data. The display driver chip can use the difference between the duration for which the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip and the time it takes for the display screen to complete charging of one frame of image data as the transmission delay.
[0100] In another alternative embodiment, based on the second transmission rate, the display driver chip can determine the duration taken by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip and the duration taken to transmit one line of image data. Based on the display frame rate, the display driver chip can determine the charging time for the display to complete one frame of image data. The display driver chip can determine the difference between the duration taken by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip and the charging time for the display to complete one frame of image data. The transmission delay is characterized by the ratio between this time difference and the duration taken by the processor to transmit one line of image data to the display driver chip, i.e., the number of delayed lines. The number of delayed lines can also be called the phase value.
[0101] After determining the transmission delay, the display driver chip waits to receive image data from the processor.
[0102] S505, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate.
[0103] The processor reduces the image data transmission rate to 60Hz, transmitting one frame of image data to the display driver chip every 16.7ms.
[0104] S506, the display driver chip determines the start time for transmitting the unit image data to the display screen based on the start time of receiving the unit image data and the transmission delay, and waits for the start time to be reached.
[0105] S507 is a display driver chip that transmits unit image data to the display screen.
[0106] In some embodiments, after determining the transmission delay of image data, the display driver chip can determine the start time for transmitting a frame of image data to the display screen based on the reception start time and transmission delay of that frame of image data, and wait for the start time to arrive before transmitting unit image data to the display screen. In some embodiments, the display driver chip can also send a GOA control signal to the display screen when sending image data.
[0107] In some embodiments, the processor can begin sending image data to the display driver chip upon detecting a TE signal sent by the display driver chip. The display driver chip can send TE signals to the processor at a set rate. For example, as shown in FIG4, the display driver chip can send TE signals to the processor at 240Hz, approximately one TE signal every 3.7ms. In an optional embodiment, the display driver chip stops sending TE signals to the processor during the time period when transmitting one frame of image data to the display screen; that is, the display driver chip may not send TE signals to the processor when sending a display frame of image data to the display screen; the display driver chip may send TE signals to the processor at a set rate when sending a hold frame of image data to the display screen. For example, the display driver chip may shield the TE signal when sending the display frames of the F1, F2, and F3 frames of image data to the display screen, i.e., it may not send TE signals to the processor. The display driver chip may send TE signals to the processor normally at a set rate when sending the hold frames of the F1 and F2 frames of image data to the display screen. In another alternative embodiment, the display driver chip may also send TE signals to the processor at a set rate when sending display frames and hold frames of image data to the display screen.
[0108] In other embodiments, the processor can begin sending image data to the display driver chip upon detecting a TE signal sent by the display driver chip. When the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate, the display driver chip can send a TE signal to the processor at the first transmission rate. When the transmission rate changes, the display driver chip can determine a second transmission rate and send a TE signal to the processor at the second transmission rate.
[0109] This application provides an interaction method between a processor and a display driver chip in mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and portable computing devices. In this application embodiment, when the transmission rate of image data from the processor to the display driver chip changes, the display driver chip determines a changed second transmission rate. Based on the second transmission rate, it determines the start time for transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen. At the determined start time, the display driver chip transmits the unit image data to the display screen. In this process, the processor can dynamically change the transmission rate of unit image data to the display driver chip according to the refresh rate requirements of the displayed content. During the rate change, the changed transmission rate takes effect at the frame level, meaning it takes effect immediately when transmitting the next frame of image data, without needing to pause the transmission of one or more frames of image data. This avoids the stuttering or black screen caused by display delays due to paused image data transmission, achieving dynamic rate switching without the user's awareness, thus improving the user experience.
[0110] In this embodiment, when the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed decreases, the transmission rate of unit image data from the processor to the display driver chip can also decrease. The processor does not need to maintain a constant maximum transmission rate. With a lower refresh rate, the processor can spend more time processing a frame of image data, reducing the performance requirements on the processor. The processor does not need to operate at its highest performance state during data transmission; therefore, it can reduce voltage and frequency, thus saving power consumption. Simultaneously, the reduced performance requirements on the processor help reduce display performance jitter. For example, when playing 4K video, the processor's requirements for memory latency and the performance of the distributed storage service (DSS) can be reduced, mitigating display performance jitter caused by excessively high peak performance requirements on the processor. When double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM) is used, memory latency can also be referred to as DDR laterncy.
[0111] After the processor reduces the transmission rate of unit image data to the display driver chip, the display driver chip adjusts the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate. This ensures that the transmission rate of unit image data from the display driver chip to the display screen is the same as the display frame rate of the display screen, ensuring electromagnetic oscillation (EM) period alignment, and ensuring that the display output line frequency and display timing of the display screen do not change, thus avoiding display abnormalities such as screen flickering. Furthermore, keeping the display output line frequency of the display screen unchanged can guarantee the display effect and avoid flickering caused by sudden changes in display brightness.
[0112] Based on the same design concept as the above-described method embodiments, this application also provides an image data transmission device. This image data transmission device can be applied to the display driver chip 120 shown in FIG1. This image data transmission device can be used to implement the functions of the method embodiments executed by the display driver chip described above, thus achieving the beneficial effects of the above-described method embodiments. As shown in FIG6, the image data transmission device 600 may include a transmission rate determination module 601 and an output timing adjustment module 602.
[0113] The transmission rate determination module 601 is used to determine the changed transmission rate when the transmission rate of image data transmitted from the processor to the display driver chip changes; the transmission rate is used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip. The output time adjustment module 602 is used to adjust the start time of transmitting the received unit of image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate.
[0114] In an alternative implementation, the image data transmission device may further include a signal transmission module, which is used to stop sending a tearing effect (TE) signal to the processor during the time period during which the display driver chip transmits a received frame of image data to the display screen. The TE signal is used to instruct the processor to send image data to the display driver chip.
[0115] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the transmission rate determination module 601 can be used to execute any step in the image data transmission method, and the output timing adjustment module 602 can be used to execute any step in the image data transmission method. The steps implemented by the transmission rate determination module 601 and the output timing adjustment module 602 can be specified as needed. The transmission rate determination module 601 and the output timing adjustment module 602 respectively implement different steps in the image data transmission method to achieve all the functions of the image data transmission device.
[0116] In the embodiments of this application, the functional modules can be integrated into a single processor, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.
[0117] Based on the same design concept as the above-described method embodiments, this application also provides an image data transmission device. This image data transmission device can be applied to a processor, such as the processor 110 shown in FIG. 1. This image data transmission device can be used to implement the functions of the method embodiments executed by the processor described above, thus achieving the beneficial effects of the above-described method embodiments.
[0118] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7, the image data transmission device 700 may include a data transmission module 701. The data transmission module 701 can be used to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate; and when the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is determined based on the changed refresh rate; the first transmission rate and the second transmission rate are used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip.
[0119] In some embodiments, the image data transmission apparatus 700 may further include an instruction transmission module 702. The instruction transmission module 702 may be used to: send a rate switching instruction to the display driver chip before transmitting unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate; the rate switching instruction carries the second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is used by the display driver chip to determine the start time of transmitting unit image data to the display screen.
[0120] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the data transmission module 701 can be used to execute any step in the image data transmission method, and the instruction transmission module 702 can be used to execute any step in the image data transmission method. The steps implemented by the data transmission module 701 and the instruction transmission module 702 can be specified as needed. The data transmission module 701 and the instruction transmission module 702 respectively implement different steps in the image data transmission method to achieve all the functions of the image data transmission device.
[0121] In the embodiments of this application, the functional modules can be integrated into a single processor, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.
[0122] Based on the same design concept as the above-described method embodiments, this application also provides a display driver chip for driving a display screen to display images based on image data sent by a processor. This display driver chip can be the display driver chip 120 shown in FIG. 1. This display driver chip can be used to implement the functions of the display driver chip in the above-described method embodiments, and therefore can achieve the beneficial effects of the above-described method embodiments.
[0123] In some embodiments, the display driver chip 800 may have the structure shown in FIG8, including a controller 801 and a memory 802 connected to the controller 801. The controller 801 and the memory 802 may be interconnected via a bus, which may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.
[0124] The display driver chip 800 can be a chip using a system-on-chip (SoC) architecture or a display driver integrated circuit (DDIC) architecture. If the display driver chip 800 uses a SoC architecture, the controller 801 can be a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, or other conventional processor. If the display driver chip 800 uses a DDIC architecture, the controller 801 can be a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic array (PLA), etc.
[0125] When the transmission rate of image data from the processor to the display driver chip changes, the controller 801 can determine the changed transmission rate and adjust the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate.
[0126] The memory 802 provides a cache area for the display driver chip 800 to cache image data from the processor. The memory 802 shown in Figure 8 is located inside the display driver chip 800. In other embodiments, the memory 802 may be located outside the display driver chip 800; alternatively, the memory 802 may include a one-time programmable memory (OTP) located inside the display driver chip 800, and flash memory located outside the display driver chip 800. Flash memory is a type of memory device that is non-volatile.
[0127] In some embodiments, the display driver chip 800 may further include a first communication interface and a second communication interface. The display driver chip 800 can connect to the processor through the first communication interface and to the display screen through the second communication interface. The display driver chip 800 can receive image data sent by the processor through the first communication interface and transmit image data to the display screen through the second communication interface. The first communication interface can also send a TE signal to the processor under the control of the controller 801.
[0128] Based on the same design concept as the above method embodiments, this application also provides a processor, which may be the processor 110 shown in FIG1. During the display screen's image display process, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate. When the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, i.e., when the frame rate of the content displayed on the screen changes, the processor transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate. The first and second transmission rates characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip. This processor can be used to implement the functions of the processor in the above method embodiments, and therefore can achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.
[0129] Based on the same design concept as the above-described method embodiments, this application also provides a display device, which can be used in or applied to electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, and handheld computers. In some embodiments, the structure of the display device can be as shown in FIG1, and may include a processor 110, a display driver chip 120, and a display screen 130; or, the display device may include a display driver chip 120 and a display screen 130, and the processor 110 may be disposed outside the display device. During the process of displaying an image on the display screen 130, the processor 110 may transmit unit image data to the display driver chip 120 at a first transmission rate. When the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, that is, when the frame rate of the content displayed on the display screen 130 changes, the processor 110 may transmit unit image data to the display driver chip 120 at a second transmission rate. The first transmission rate and the second transmission rate are used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip. When the transmission rate of image data from processor 110 to display driver chip 120 changes, display driver chip 120 determines a changed second transmission rate. Based on the second transmission rate, it adjusts the start time for transmitting the received unit image data to display screen 130. At the determined start time, display driver chip 120 transmits the unit image data to display screen 130. This display device can be used to implement the functions of the above method embodiments, and therefore can achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.
[0130] In some embodiments, the display device may be a mobile phone. Taking a mobile phone as an example, as shown in FIG9, the display device 900 may include a processor 910, a memory 920, a power module 930, an input component 940, a communication module 950, an audio module 960, a sensor module 970, an image sensor 980, a display driver chip 991, and a display screen 992. In some embodiments, the image sensor 980 may serve as a sensor within the sensor module 970; in other embodiments, the image sensor 980 may be independent of the sensor module 970.
[0131] It is understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention does not constitute a specific limitation on the display device 900. In other embodiments of this application, the display device 900 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.
[0132] Processor 910 may include one or more processing units, such as an access point (AP), a modem processor, a GPU, an ISP, a controller, a video codec, a DSP, a baseband processor, and / or an NPU. These different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors. The controller can generate operation control signals based on the instruction opcode and timing signals to control instruction fetching and execution.
[0133] The processor 910 may also include a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 910 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that the processor 910 has just used or that are used repeatedly. If the processor 910 needs to use the instruction or data again, it can directly retrieve it from the memory. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces the waiting time of the processor 910, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.
[0134] In some embodiments, the processor 910 may include one or more interfaces. Interfaces may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, MIPI, a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a USB interface, etc.
[0135] The MIPI interface can be used to connect the processor 910 to peripheral devices such as the display driver chip 991 and the image sensor 980. The MIPI interface includes a camera serial interface (CSI) and a display serial interface (DSI). In some embodiments, the processor 910 and the image sensor 980 can communicate via the CSI interface to enable the image capture function of the display device 900. The processor 910 and the display driver chip 991 communicate via the DSI interface to enable the display function of the display device 900.
[0136] The SIM interface is used to connect a SIM card. The SIM card can be inserted into or removed from the SIM interface. The display device 900 interacts with the network via the SIM card to achieve functions such as calls and data communication.
[0137] It is understood that the interface connection relationships between the modules illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative and do not constitute a structural limitation on the display device 900. In other embodiments of this application, the display device 900 may also employ different interface connection methods or combinations of multiple interface connection methods as described in the above embodiments.
[0138] The power module 930 may include a charging management module, a power management module, and a battery. The charging management module receives charging input from a charger. In some wired charging embodiments, the charging management module receives charging input from the wired charger via a USB interface. In some wireless charging embodiments, the charging management module receives wireless charging input via a wireless charging coil. While charging the battery, the charging management module can also supply power to the electronic device via the power management module.
[0139] The power management module connects to the battery, charging management module, and processor 910. It receives input from the battery and / or charging management module, supplying power to the processor 910, memory 920, display driver chip 991, display screen 992, image sensor 980, and communication module 950. The power management module can also monitor parameters such as battery capacity and battery health status (leakage current, impedance).
[0140] Input component 940 may include a touchscreen and buttons. The touchscreen may include a touch sensor, also known as a "touch device." The touch sensor may be located on the display screen, and the touch sensor and the display screen together form a touchscreen, also known as a "touchscreen." The touch sensor is used to detect touch operations applied to or near it. The touch sensor can transmit the detected touch operation to an application processor to determine the type of touch operation. In other embodiments, the touch sensor may also be located on the surface of the display device 900, in a different position than the display screen.
[0141] The touchscreen may also include a pressure sensor disposed on the display screen. The pressure sensor senses pressure signals and converts them into electrical signals. There are many types of pressure sensors, such as resistive pressure sensors, inductive pressure sensors, and capacitive pressure sensors. A capacitive pressure sensor may consist of at least two parallel plates with conductive material. When force is applied to the pressure sensor, the capacitance between the electrodes changes. The display device 900 determines the pressure intensity based on the change in capacitance. When a touch operation is applied to the touchscreen, the display device 900 can detect the touch operation intensity through the pressure sensor. The display device 900 can also calculate the touch position based on the detection signal from the pressure sensor. In some embodiments, touch operations applied to the same touch position but with different touch operation intensities can correspond to different operation commands. For example, when a touch operation with an intensity less than a first pressure threshold is applied to the SMS application icon, a command to view an SMS message is executed. When a touch operation with an intensity greater than or equal to the first pressure threshold is applied to the SMS application icon, a command to create a new SMS message is executed.
[0142] In this embodiment of the application, the user can switch the light source by inputting the operation through the touch screen, and the display device 900 can determine the ambient light source selected by the user based on the position of the user's touch operation.
[0143] The buttons on an electronic device may include a power button, volume buttons, etc. These buttons can be mechanical or touch-sensitive. The display device 900 can receive button input and generate key signal inputs related to user settings and function control of the display device 900.
[0144] The communication module 950 of the display device 900 is used to implement wireless communication functions. For example, the communication module 950 can be implemented by an antenna, a mobile communication module, a wireless communication module, a modem processor, and a baseband processor.
[0145] Antennas are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the display device 900 can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization.
[0146] The mobile communication module can provide solutions for wireless communication, including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, applied to the display device 900. The mobile communication module may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), etc.
[0147] A modem processor may include a modulator and a demodulator. The modulator modulates the low-frequency baseband signal to be transmitted into a mid-to-high frequency signal. The demodulator demodulates the received electromagnetic wave signal into a low-frequency baseband signal.
[0148] The wireless communication module can provide solutions for wireless communication applications on the display device 900, including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), and infrared (IR) technologies. The wireless communication module can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module.
[0149] The display device 900 can implement audio functions through the audio module 960, which may include an audio processing module, a speaker, a receiver, a microphone, a headphone jack, and an application processor, etc.
[0150] The audio processing module converts digital audio information into analog audio signals for output, and also converts analog audio input into digital audio signals. It can also encode and decode audio signals. A speaker, also called a "loudspeaker," converts audio electrical signals into sound signals. A receiver, also called a "handpiece," converts audio electrical signals into sound signals. A microphone, also called a "microphone," converts sound signals into electrical signals. A headphone jack is used to connect wired headphones. The headphone jack can be a USB interface or another type of interface.
[0151] The sensor module 970 may include a gyroscope sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an accelerometer, a distance sensor, a proximity sensor, a fingerprint sensor, a temperature sensor, a touch sensor, an ambient light sensor, a bone conduction sensor, etc.
[0152] A gyroscope sensor can be used to determine the motion attitude of the display device 900. In some embodiments, the gyroscope sensor can determine the angular velocity of the display device 900 around three axes (i.e., the x, y, and z axes). The gyroscope sensor can be used for image stabilization. For example, when the shutter is pressed, the gyroscope sensor detects the angle of the display device 900's movement, calculates the distance the lens module needs to compensate based on the angle, and allows the lens to counteract the movement of the display device 900, thus achieving image stabilization. The gyroscope sensor can also be used in navigation and motion-sensing gaming scenarios.
[0153] A barometric pressure sensor is used to measure air pressure. In some embodiments, the display device 900 calculates altitude using the air pressure value measured by the barometric pressure sensor to assist in positioning and navigation.
[0154] The accelerometer can detect the magnitude of acceleration of the display device 900 in various directions (typically three axes). When the display device 900 is stationary, it can detect the magnitude and direction of gravity. It can also be used to identify the posture of electronic devices and is applied to applications such as screen orientation switching and pedometers.
[0155] An ambient light sensor is used to sense the ambient light intensity. In some embodiments, the display device 900 can determine the exposure time of an image based on the ambient light intensity sensed by the ambient light sensor.
[0156] The display device 900 implements display functions through a graphics processing unit (GPU), a display driver chip 991, a display screen 992, and an application processor. The GPU is an electronic microprocessor connected to the display driver chip 991 and the application processor. The GPU performs mathematical and geometric calculations and is used for graphics rendering. The processor 910 may include one or more GPUs, which execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.
[0157] The display screen 992 is used to display images, videos, etc., under the control of the display driver chip 991. Exemplarily, the processor 910 can transmit image data to be displayed to the display driver chip 991. The display driver chip 991 generates control signals based on the received images and controls the display screen 992 to display them. The display screen 992 may include a display panel. The display panel may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), a MiniLED, a MicroLED, a Micro-OLED, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), etc. In some embodiments, the display device 900 may include one or N1 displays, where N1 is a positive integer greater than 1.
[0158] The display device 900 can achieve the shooting function through an image signal processing unit (ISP), an image sensor 980, a video codec, a GPU, a display driver chip 991, and a display screen 992.
[0159] Image sensor 980 is used to capture still images or videos. An object is projected onto a photosensitive element by generating an optical image through a lens. The photosensitive element can be a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistor. The photosensitive element converts the light signal into an electrical signal, which is then transmitted to an ISP for conversion into a digital image signal. The ISP outputs the digital image signal to a DSP for processing. The DSP converts the digital image signal into image signals in standard formats such as RGB and YUV. In some embodiments, processor 910 can trigger the image sensor 980 to start according to a program or instruction in memory 920, thereby enabling the image sensor 980 to acquire at least one image and perform corresponding processing on the at least one image according to the program or instruction, such as removing rotation blur, removing translation blur, de-mosaic, denoising, or enhancement processing, as well as image post-processing. In some embodiments, display device 900 may include one or N2 image sensors 980, where N2 is a positive integer greater than 1. For example, display device 900 may include at least one front-facing camera and at least one rear-facing camera. For example, the display device 900 may also include a side camera. In one possible implementation, the electronic device may include two rear cameras, such as a main camera and a telephoto camera; or, the electronic device may include three rear cameras, such as a main camera, a wide-angle camera, and a telephoto camera; or, the electronic device may include four rear cameras, such as a main camera, a wide-angle camera, a telephoto camera, and a mid-range camera.
[0160] The memory 920 may be the internal memory of the display device 900, used to store computer-executable program code, including instructions. The memory 920 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, at least one application program required for a function (such as a camera application), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the display device 900 (such as images captured by a camera), etc. Furthermore, the memory 920 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, universal flash storage (UFS), etc. The processor 910 executes various functional applications of the display device 900, as well as data processing or electronic processes, by running instructions stored in the memory 920 and / or instructions stored in memory disposed within the processor 910.
[0161] In some embodiments, the display device 900 may further include an external memory interface for connecting an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the display device 900. The external memory card communicates with the processor 910 through the external memory interface to perform data storage functions. For example, it can store captured images, videos, and other files on the external memory card.
[0162] It is understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of this application do not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.
[0163] This application also provides a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions. In one embodiment, the computer-executable instructions are used to cause a computer to perform the functions described in the method embodiments above.
[0164] Computer-executable instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions. In one embodiment, the computer-executable instructions are used to cause a computer to perform the functions described in the method embodiments above.
[0165] The computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of this application may be random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), register, hard disk, portable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium known in the art.
[0166] Computer-executable instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc (DVD); or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive (SSD).
[0167] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such as including a series of steps or units. A method, system, product, or device is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.
[0168] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely illustrative examples of the solutions defined by the appended claims and are to be considered as covering any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application.
[0169] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.
Claims
1. An image data transmission method, applied to a display driver chip, characterized in that, The method includes: When the transmission rate of image data from the processor to the display driver chip changes, the changed transmission rate is determined; the transmission rate is used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip. Adjust the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The time taken for the display driver chip to transmit the unit image data to the display screen is less than or equal to the time taken for the processor to transmit the unit image data to the display driver chip.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The determination of the changed transmission rate includes: The changed transmission rate is obtained from the rate switching instruction sent by the processor; the rate switching instruction is sent by the processor to the display driver chip when changing the transmission rate of image data.
4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The unit image data is one frame of image data; determining the changed transmission rate includes: After the transmission rate changes, the image data sent by the processor is received; Based on the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data, the duration for which the processor transmits one frame of image data to the display driver chip is determined; the one frame of image data includes M lines of image data; M is the number of rows of display pixels contained in the display screen; N is less than M; The changed transmission rate is determined based on the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip.
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate includes: The transmission delay of the unit image data is determined based on the changed transmission rate and the display frame rate of the display screen. The start time for transmitting the unit image data to the display screen is adjusted based on the start time of receiving the unit image data and the transmission delay.
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the time period when the display driver chip transmits the unit image data to the display screen, the transmission of the tearing effect TE signal to the processor is stopped; the TE signal is used to instruct the processor to transmit image data to the display driver chip.
7. An image data transmission method, characterized in that, Applied to a processor, the method includes: Transmit unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate; When the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, a unit of image data is transmitted to the display driver chip according to a second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is determined based on the changed refresh rate; the first transmission rate and the second transmission rate are used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip.
8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Before transmitting unit image data to the display driver chip at the second transmission rate, the method further includes: A rate switching command is sent to the display driver chip; the rate switching command carries the second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is used by the display driver chip to determine the start time of transmitting unit image data to the display screen.
9. An image data transmission device, applied to a display driver chip, characterized in that, The device includes: A transmission rate determination module is used to determine the changed transmission rate when the transmission rate of image data transmitted by the processor to the display driver chip changes; the transmission rate is used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip. The output timing adjustment module is used to adjust the start time of transmitting the received unit image data to the display screen according to the changed transmission rate.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The time taken for the display driver chip to transmit the unit image data to the display screen is less than or equal to the time taken for the processor to transmit the unit image data to the display driver chip.
11. The apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The transmission rate determination module is specifically used for: The changed transmission rate is obtained from the rate switching instruction sent by the processor; the rate switching instruction is sent by the processor to the display driver chip when changing the transmission rate of image data.
12. The apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The unit image data is one frame of image data; the transmission rate determination module is specifically used for: After the transmission rate changes, the image data sent by the processor is received; Based on the duration of receiving N consecutive lines of image data, the duration taken by the processor to transmit one frame of image data to the display driver chip is determined; The changed transmission rate is determined based on the time taken by the processor to transmit a unit of image data to the display driver chip; the frame of image data includes M lines of image data; M is the number of rows of display pixels contained in the display screen; N is less than M.
13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The output timing adjustment module is specifically used for: The transmission delay of the unit image data is determined based on the changed transmission rate and the display frame rate of the display screen. The start time for transmitting the unit image data to the display screen is adjusted based on the start time of receiving the unit image data and the transmission delay.
14. An image data transmission device, applied to a processor, characterized in that, The device includes: The data transmission module is used to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip at a first transmission rate; when the refresh rate of the image data to be displayed changes, it transmits unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is determined based on the changed refresh rate; the first transmission rate and the second transmission rate are used to characterize the time taken by the processor to transmit unit image data to the display driver chip.
15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The device further includes: The instruction transmission module is used to send a rate switching instruction to the display driver chip before transmitting unit image data to the display driver chip at a second transmission rate; the rate switching instruction carries the second transmission rate; the second transmission rate is used by the display driver chip to determine the start time of transmitting unit image data to the display screen.
16. A display device, characterized in that, Including display driver chips and displays; The display driver chip drives the display screen to operate based on image data from the processor by executing the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.
17. The display device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The display device also includes a processor; The processor transmits image data to the display driver chip by executing the method of claim 7 or 8.
18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The device stores computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or to perform the method as described in claim 7 or 8.
19. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or, to perform the method as described in claim 7 or 8.