Refresh rate switching method, and electronic device, chip system and readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of terminals. Disclosed are a refresh rate switching method, and an electronic device, a chip system and a readable storage medium. The method comprises: running a first application program at a first moment; a display screen displaying, at a first refresh rate, image data corresponding to the first application program, and an application processor transmitting image data to the display screen for a first transmission duration; at a second moment, the application processor sending a refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen; at a third moment, the application processor transmitting image data to the display screen for a second transmission duration, wherein the second transmission duration is shorter than or equal to the first transmission duration; at a fourth moment, the display screen displaying the image data at a second refresh rate, wherein the second refresh rate is lower than the first refresh rate; and at a fifth moment, the application processor transmitting image data to the display screen for a third transmission duration, wherein the third transmission duration is longer than the second transmission duration. In this way, the problem of screen tearing occurring during the switching of a screen refresh rate can be solved.

Description

Methods for switching refresh rates, electronic devices, chip systems, and readable storage media Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of terminal technology, and in particular to a method for switching refresh rates, an electronic device, a chip system, and a readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of terminal technology, electronic device displays can support multiple refresh rates (also known as screen refresh rates), which can be adjusted according to changes in the frame rate of applications. For example, when the frame rate of an application running on an electronic device decreases, the electronic device can correspondingly reduce the screen refresh rate, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0003] When adjusting the screen refresh rate, the timing of the software-side refresh rate adjustment and the hardware-side refresh rate adjustment of the electronic device are inconsistent. When switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate, the software sends a frame of image data to the hardware before the transmission of the first frame is completed, and then continues to send the next frame. This causes the two frames of image data to overlap, resulting in a screen distortion phenomenon when the display is shown.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a refresh rate switching method, an electronic device, a chip system, and a readable storage medium, which can solve the screen flickering problem that easily occurs when switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate in related technologies. The technical solution is as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, a refresh rate switching method is provided, the method being applied to an electronic device, the electronic device including an application processor, a display screen, and a first application application, the method comprising:

[0007] At a first moment, a first application is run; the display screen shows image data corresponding to the first application at a first refresh rate; the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a first transmission duration; at a second moment, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching command to the display screen; at a third moment, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a second transmission duration, wherein the second transmission duration is less than or equal to the first transmission duration; at a fourth moment, the display screen shows the image data corresponding to the first application at a second refresh rate, wherein the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate; at a fifth moment, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a third transmission duration, wherein the third transmission duration is greater than the second transmission duration.

[0008] In this way, during the screen refresh rate switching process, the application processor completes the transmission of image data in a short time, ensuring the timeliness and reliability of image data transmission when switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate, thus solving the problems of frame skipping and frame dropping.

[0009] As an example of this application, the first transmission duration corresponds to the first mobile industry processor interface MIPI rate, the second transmission duration corresponds to the second MIPI rate, and the third transmission duration corresponds to the third MIPI rate. The first mobile industry processor interface MIPI rate is less than or equal to the second MIPI rate, and the third MIPI rate is less than the second MIPI rate. Thus, increasing the MIPI rate during screen refresh rate switching can solve the problems of frame skipping and frame dropping. Furthermore, after screen refresh rate switching, the application processor transmits image data to the display screen at a lower MIPI rate, which avoids keeping the MIPI rate at a consistently high frequency, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0010] As an example of this application, the second time is at a low level within the i-th frame time period, and the first time is before the second time; the third time is the arrival time of the first TE signal, which is used to indicate the transmission of i+1 frame image data to the display screen; the fourth time is the arrival time of the vertical back delay VBP within the i+1 frame time period; the fifth time is the arrival time of the second TE signal, which is used to indicate the transmission of i+2 frame image data to the display screen.

[0011] Thus, when switching from high to low, the MIPI rate is increased during frame switching, or optionally, it can be unified to the highest MIPI rate (such as the MIPI rate corresponding to a 120Hz screen refresh rate). After frame switching, the MIPI rate is reduced. This can ensure that frame skipping issues are avoided as much as possible during frame switching, while also reducing power consumption.

[0012] As an example of this application, the first refresh rate is 120Hz, and the second refresh rate is 90Hz or 60Hz; or, the first refresh rate is 90Hz, and the second refresh rate is 60Hz. Thus, the method provided in this application's embodiments can be used in various scenarios involving switching from high to low refresh rates, achieving seamless switching across all scenarios.

[0013] As an example of this application, at a second moment, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen, including: at the second moment, in response to a first user operation, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen, the first user operation including setting the screen refresh rate or switching the application interface; or, at the second moment, if the business scenario of the first application changes, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen.

[0014] In this way, when the frame rate of the first application changes, the application processor is triggered to send a refresh rate switching command to the display to switch the screen refresh rate, which can reduce the display's refresh power consumption as much as possible while ensuring smooth picture.

[0015] As an example of this application, before the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen at the third moment with the second transmission duration, the method further includes: if the MIPI rate of the first mobile industry processor interface is less than the second MIPI rate, the application processor adjusts the MIPI rate of the first mobile industry processor interface to the second MIPI rate; the application processor determines the second transmission duration corresponding to the second MIPI rate. This allows the application processor to transmit the image data to the display screen in a shorter time at the third moment, thereby avoiding frame skipping issues.

[0016] As an example of this application, after the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a third transmission duration at the fifth moment, the method further includes: at the sixth moment, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a fourth transmission duration, the fourth transmission duration being longer than the third transmission duration. During the period between the fifth and sixth moments, the application processor transmits k frames of image data to the display screen, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Optionally, the fourth transmission duration corresponds to a fourth MIPI rate, which is less than the third MIPI rate.

[0017] Thus, after frame switching, by lowering the MIPI rate again, the MIPI rate is prevented from remaining at a high frequency. Since the MIPI rate is related to the MDP voltage level, lowering it to a certain extent can lower the MDP voltage level, thereby significantly reducing MDP power consumption.

[0018] As an example of this application, before the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a fourth transmission duration at the sixth time, the method further includes: the application processor determining a fourth MIPI rate from multiple candidate MIPI rates based on the amount of image data to be transmitted to the display screen at the sixth time; the application processor adjusting the MIPI rate to the fourth MIPI rate; and the application processor determining the fourth transmission duration corresponding to the fourth MIPI rate.

[0019] In this way, at the sixth moment, the application processor can transmit the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for the fourth transmission duration.

[0020] As an example of this application, each of the multiple candidate MIPI rates is less than the third MIPI rate. This allows the MIPI rate to show a decreasing trend during the adjustment process.

[0021] As an example of this application, the application processor determines a fourth MIPI rate from multiple candidate MIPI rates based on the amount of image data to be transmitted to the display screen at a sixth time. This includes: the application processor determining the candidate MIPI rate corresponding to the amount of image data to be transmitted to the display screen at the sixth time from the correspondence between the data amount range and the candidate MIPI rates; the fourth MIPI rate is the determined candidate MIPI rate. Thus, based on the preset correspondence between the data amount range and the candidate MIPI rates, the MPI rate that needs to be adjusted each time is determined to meet the transmission requirements of the image data to be transmitted, thereby ensuring the reliability of data transmission.

[0022] As an example of this application, the MDP voltage level of the mobile display processor corresponding to the third MIPI rate is lower than the MDP voltage level corresponding to the second MIPI rate. Thus, after frame switching, adjusting the MIPI rate to the third MIPI rate, since the MDP voltage level corresponding to the third MIPI rate is lower than the MDP voltage level corresponding to the second MIPI rate, can achieve the effect of reducing power consumption with a single adjustment.

[0023] As an example of this application, the display screen is a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) display screen.

[0024] In a second aspect, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device comprising: one or more processors, and a memory; the memory is coupled to the one or more processors, the memory being used to store computer program code, the computer program code including computer instructions, wherein the one or more processors invoke the computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the refresh rate switching method as described in the first aspect.

[0025] Thirdly, a chip system is provided, the chip system being applied to an electronic device, the chip system including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the refresh rate switching method as described in the first aspect.

[0026] Fourthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the refresh rate switching method described in the first aspect.

[0027] Fifthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the refresh rate switching method described in the first aspect.

[0028] The technical effects achieved by the second, third, fourth, and fifth aspects mentioned above are similar to those achieved by the corresponding technical means in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 is a waveform diagram of a Vsync signal according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0030] Figure 2 is a waveform diagram of a Vsync signal according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0031] Figure 3 is a waveform diagram of a Vsync signal according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0032] Figure 4 is a waveform diagram of a Vsync signal according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a refresh rate setting interface according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0035] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a software system for an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0036] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a refresh rate switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0037] Figure 9 is a waveform diagram of a Vsync signal according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0038] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a refresh rate switching method according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0039] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a refresh rate switching process according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0040] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0041] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] It should be understood that "multiple" as mentioned in this application refers to two or more. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this document is merely a description of 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, and B existing alone. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply differences.

[0043] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0044] Before providing a detailed description of the refresh rate switching method provided in the embodiments of this application, the terms or nouns involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained.

[0045] An application's frame rate refers to the frequency at which an application renders image data. The unit of frame rate is frames per second (fps). Different applications may have different frame rates. Furthermore, an application's frame rate may differ when displaying different aspects of the application; for example, a game application typically has a different frame rate when displaying the in-game interface compared to the main screen. Alternatively, an application's frame rate may change while displaying the same interface; for instance, the frame rate may differ when the application interface is stationary versus when a pop-up window is displayed.

[0046] Screen refresh rate: This refers to the refresh rate of an electronic device's display screen, also known as the screen's frame rate. The screen refresh rate indicates the number of times the screen refreshes its display per second, measured in Hz (Hertz). For example, a 60Hz screen refresh rate means the display can refresh its image 60 times per second. A higher refresh rate results in lower latency and smoother visuals, but also higher power consumption.

[0047] Display driver integrated circuit (DDIC): It can be used to customize the power supply and timing settings of the display screen, and supports displaying image data sent by the system on chip (SOC) through the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) on the display screen.

[0048] Tearing effect (TE) signal: This is an interrupt signal used to prevent screen tearing during image refresh. When the display is ready to refresh the next frame of image data, the DDIC chip sends an interrupt signal (such as the TE signal) to the software (such as the application processor, AP). When the software detects the rising edge or high level of the TE signal and is ready for the next frame of image data, it sends the next frame of image data to the DDIC chip, thus preventing tearing.

[0049] Vertical synchronization (Vsync) mechanism: The display principle of electronic devices is based on the Vsync mechanism. Under the Vsync mechanism, the system includes two types of Vsync signals: one is the Vsync signal generated by the hardware side (such as the DDIC chip), which can be called the hardware Vsync signal, and can be understood as the TE signal of the screen; the other is the Vsync signal simulated by the software side based on the hardware Vsync signal, which can be called the software Vsync signal. Optionally, during frame switching, the software side enables Vsync signal calibration, and the hardware side can report the hardware Vsync signal to the software side after completing the screen refresh rate switch. At this time, the software side determines that the display screen has completed the screen refresh rate switch based on the Vsync period of the received hardware Vsync signal, and then adjusts the signal period of the software Vsync signal to the Vsync period corresponding to the new screen refresh rate to keep the software Vsync signal and the hardware Vsync signal period synchronized. Among them, the Vsync period corresponds to the screen refresh rate. For example, when the screen refresh rate is 60Hz, the Vsync period is approximately 16.6 milliseconds, and when the screen refresh rate is 120Hz, the Vsync period is approximately 8.3 milliseconds.

[0050] MIPI rate: refers to the data transmission rate of the high-speed serial interface used for image data transmission control in electronic devices. The MIPI rate directly affects the speed at which the software sends image data to the hardware. The higher the MIPI rate, the faster the software sends image data to the hardware, and vice versa.

[0051] With the rapid development of terminal technology, electronic device displays typically support multiple refresh rates, such as 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. The screen refresh rate of an electronic device can adjust according to changes in the application's frame rate. For example, when the application's frame rate is 90fps, the electronic device can switch its screen refresh rate to 90Hz; when the application's frame rate changes from 90fps to 60fps, the electronic device can switch its screen refresh rate from 90Hz to 60Hz. Of course, users can also manually trigger the electronic device to switch the screen refresh rate.

[0052] However, when adjusting the screen refresh rate, the adjustment time on the software side and the adjustment time on the hardware side of the electronic device are inconsistent. This can easily lead to frame skipping issues when switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate, resulting in screen flickering. Frame skipping, also known as TE skipping, refers to the overlap of two adjacent frames of image data sent from the software side to the hardware side.

[0053] The inconsistency between the software-side adjustment time and the hardware-side adjustment time of the electronic device is due to the different judgment logics on the software and hardware sides for a single frame of image data within the Vsync cycle. Referring to Figure 1, which is a waveform diagram of a Vsync signal according to an exemplary embodiment, the judgment logics on the hardware and software sides of the electronic device will be explained separately below with reference to Figure 1.

[0054] Referring to Figure 1(a), the hardware side of the electronic device determines the start time of a frame of image data in the Vsync cycle from a short period before the falling edge of the waveform. That is, the hardware side determines the starting point in Figure 1(a) as the start time of a frame of image data in the Vsync cycle. From the waveform diagram, after the starting point, the waveform experiences a short high-level period, called the vertical back porch (VBP). After VBP, the waveform experiences a falling edge, followed by a low-level period (VACTIVE). After the low-level period, the waveform experiences a rising edge. When the rising edge arrives, the hardware side sends an interrupt signal (such as a TE signal) to the software side. After the rising edge, the waveform experiences another short period of high level, called the vertical front porch (VFP). During VBP and VFP, the hardware side typically performs correction and other processing on the image data to be displayed, and refreshes the image data to the display screen during the low-level (VACTIVE) period. After VFP (Vibration Frame Preview), the waveform undergoes a compensation period (i.e., the VFP extension period). The length of the VFP extension period varies depending on the screen refresh rate. For example, the VFP extension period for a 120Hz screen refresh rate is shorter than that for a 90Hz screen refresh rate, resulting in different Vsync cycles for different screen refresh rates. The end of the compensation period marks the end point, meaning that at the end point, the hardware determines that a complete frame of image data has been refreshed within one Vsync cycle.

[0055] The software side of the electronic device calculates the frame rate based on the time interval between two TE signals. For example, referring to Figure 1(b), the software side sends the i-th frame (which can be called the current frame) of image data to the hardware side of the electronic device when the TE signal arrives, and completes the transmission of the i-th frame of image data before the next TE signal arrives. When the next TE signal arrives, the software side sends the (i+1)-th frame of image data to the hardware side. Therefore, the software side's determination of a frame of image data in the Vsync cycle is from one rising edge to the next rising edge of the Vsync signal waveform. That is, in the software side's determination logic, a complete frame of image data in the Vsync cycle is from the beginning of one TE signal to the end of the next TE signal. For example, referring to Figure 1(b), when the time interval between two TE signals is approximately 11.1 milliseconds, the frame rate can be determined to be 90fps.

[0056] It is easy to understand that for the same frame of image data, the software side and the hardware side start processing the image data at different times. For example, referring to Figure 2, for the i-th frame of image data, the software side starts processing the i-th frame of image data when the TE signal arrives, while the hardware side starts processing the i-th frame of image data from the VBP time.

[0057] During screen refresh rate switching, from the hardware side's perspective, if the refresh rate switching command sent by the software side is issued before VBP (for example, during the low-level period of the i-th frame), the screen refresh rate switching on the hardware side will take effect in the (i+1)-th frame. If the refresh rate switching command sent by the software side is issued after VBP (for example, after VBP in the (i+1)-th frame), the screen refresh rate switching on the hardware side will take effect in the (i+2)-th frame. The software side's frame switching always lags behind the hardware side. For example, referring to Figure 2, taking the switch from 90Hz to 60Hz as an example, the software side sends the refresh rate switching command to the hardware side during the low-level period of the Vsync signal corresponding to the i-th frame's image data. After receiving the refresh rate switching command, the hardware side will adjust the screen refresh rate from 90Hz to 60Hz in the (i+1)-th frame. Since the software calculates the frame rate based on the time interval between two TE signals, it considers the switching complete at the end of frame i+2. As shown in Figure 2, the software only considers the hardware to have completed the screen refresh rate switch when the fourth TE signal arrives. In other words, from the software's perspective, if the refresh rate switching command is issued in frame i, the new screen refresh rate does not take effect in frame i+1; it only takes effect in frame i+2.

[0058] The transmission time for image data from the software to the hardware varies depending on the screen refresh rate; that is, different screen refresh rates correspond to different transmission times. For example, for a high screen refresh rate, the transmission time for image data from the software to the hardware is shorter, while for a low screen refresh rate, the transmission time is longer. During frame switching, the software adjusts the transmission time simultaneously with the refresh rate switching command sent to the hardware, and this adjustment takes effect immediately. For instance, as shown in Figure 3, when switching from 90Hz to 60Hz, the software transmits image data to the hardware in frame i+1 according to the transmission time corresponding to 60Hz. As a result, as shown in Figure 3, the transmission time for the (i+1)th frame of image data from the software side to the hardware side becomes longer. Since the screen refresh rate is not active on the software side when the (i+1)th frame is transmitted, the transmission time exceeds the duration of the Vsync cycle corresponding to the (i+1)th frame (90Hz). Consequently, the software side continues to transmit the (i+2)th frame of image data to the hardware side before completing the transmission of the (i+1)th frame of image data. This results in partial overlap between the (i+1)th and (i+2)th frames of image data, as shown in Figure 3, where frame skipping occurs for a short period after the arrival of the third TE signal. Therefore, after the hardware side refreshes the (i+1)th frame of image data to the display, the screen displays a distorted image.

[0059] To address the aforementioned frame skipping issue, some embodiments employ a delay mechanism when switching from a high to a low screen refresh rate. For example, referring to Figure 4, the software side of the electronic device sends a refresh rate switching command to the hardware side during the i-th frame time period and adds a delay. After the TE signal (the second TE in Figure 4) arrives, the software side may not send the (i+1)th and (i+2)th frame image data to the hardware side. Only after the frame rate switch (referred to as frame cutting) is completed does the software side of the electronic device send image data to the hardware side again; for example, during the (i+3)th frame time period, the software side sends the (i+3)th frame image data to the hardware side, thus avoiding the frame skipping problem during switching. However, this method of adding delay can lead to image data loss, and in some scenarios, users may see noticeable stuttering on the display.

[0060] To address frame drops and frame skipping issues, some embodiments employ methods to increase the data transmission rate of image data sent from the software side to the hardware side. During image display, the software side of the electronic device obtains image data through rendering and compositing, and then sends this image data to the hardware side for display via the MIPI interface. A higher MIPI rate results in faster image data transmission. Therefore, in some embodiments, the electronic device consistently uses a high MIPI rate for image data transmission. In practice, the electronic device maintains a consistently high MIPI rate, regardless of the screen refresh rate. That is, the data transmission rate remains unchanged regardless of screen refresh rate switching. For example, the electronic device can maintain the MIPI rate at the highest screen refresh rate supported by the display, such as 120Hz. This ensures that regardless of whether the screen refresh rate is switched to 60Hz or 90Hz, the data transmission rate of image data sent from the software side to the hardware side is always consistent with the data transmission rate when the screen refresh rate is 120Hz. In other words, whether switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate or vice versa, the electronic device uses a uniform high MIPI rate for data transmission. This eliminates the need for latency during frame switching to transmit image data, thus resolving the issue of dropped frames during transitions. Furthermore, because the electronic device maintains a consistently high MIPI rate for data transmission, the software can send image data to the hardware in a relatively short time. Therefore, this method also solves the problem of frame drops that can easily occur when switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate.

[0061] However, during the process of sending image data from the software side to the hardware side, the image data is typically first sent to the electronic device's display processor (MDP) for a series of image processing operations. For example, if the display processor is a mobile display processor (MDP), the MDP performs image scaling, color space conversion, and other processing on the image data sent from the software side. Afterward, the MDP can send the processed image data to the hardware side via MIPI. Therefore, with an increased MIPI rate, more image data needs to be transmitted in a shorter time. This usually requires the MDP to perform more processing or operate at a higher frequency to handle this image data. In other words, to meet the demands of high-speed data transmission, it may be necessary to increase the MDP's operating frequency or adopt other higher-power technologies to process image data. This typically requires increasing the MDP's clock frequency. Thus, changes in the MIPI rate are related to the MDP's clock frequency. Increasing the MDP's clock frequency may require increasing the MDP voltage to ensure stable operation, but increasing the MDP voltage leads to increased power consumption. Therefore, the MIPI rate is one of the factors affecting MDP power consumption. When the MIPI rate increases, the MDP clock frequency increases, which may lead to an increase in the MDP voltage, and consequently, an increase in MDP power consumption. In other words, while maintaining a consistently high MIPI rate can solve the frame drops and skips that occur during screen refresh rate switching, it also increases the power consumption of the display processor.

[0062] To address this, this application provides a refresh rate switching method. During screen refresh rate switching, the electronic device increases the MIPI rate to a uniform level to support high data transmission rates from the software side to the hardware side during frame switching. Furthermore, after frame switching, the software side lowers the MIPI rate. For example, after screen refresh rate switching, the electronic device can dynamically select different MIPI rates for different screen refresh rates, rather than always keeping the MIPI rate high. This solves the frame skipping and frame dropping problems during screen refresh rate switching while reducing power consumption. Additionally, after lowering the MIPI rate, it can continue to be dynamically adjusted within a specified range to further reduce power consumption. The specific implementation is described below.

[0063] To facilitate understanding, the following sections will introduce several exemplary application scenarios involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0064] In an exemplary application scenario, a user can manually adjust the screen refresh rate as needed. For example, referring to the refresh rate setting interface shown in Figure 5(a), the user can select the optional control corresponding to the "High" setting. In response to the user's selection of the optional control corresponding to the "High" setting, the electronic device sets the screen refresh rate to 120Hz. Afterwards, the user can manually set the display refresh rate to 90Hz. As shown in Figure 5(b), the user can select the optional control corresponding to the "Medium" setting in the refresh rate setting interface. In response to the user's selection of the optional control corresponding to the "Medium" setting, the electronic device switches the screen refresh rate from 120Hz to 90Hz. After the user manually adjusts the screen refresh rate, the electronic device executes the refresh rate switching method provided in this application embodiment.

[0065] It should be noted that the above explanation uses the example of switching the screen refresh rate from 120Hz to 90Hz. In another example, the user can also adjust the screen refresh rate to a lower level, for example, referring to Figure 5(a). The user can also select the optional control corresponding to the "Standard" level in the refresh rate setting interface. Accordingly, in response to the user's selection of the optional control corresponding to the "Standard" level, the electronic device switches the screen refresh rate from 120Hz to 60Hz. Similarly, after the user manually adjusts the screen refresh rate, the electronic device executes the refresh rate switching method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0066] It should also be noted that the above explanation uses the switching from 120Hz to a lower screen refresh rate as an example. As another exemplary application scenario of this application, the screen refresh rate of the electronic device may also switch from 90Hz to a lower screen refresh rate (such as 60Hz). Alternatively, if the display of the electronic device supports a higher screen refresh rate (such as 144Hz), the application scenario of this application embodiment may also include switching from a higher screen refresh rate (such as 144Hz) to a lower screen refresh rate (such as 120Hz, 90Hz, or 60Hz), and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0067] The above explanation uses the example of a user manually triggering an electronic device to switch its screen refresh rate. In another exemplary application scenario, referring to Figure 5(a), the electronic device's screen refresh rate is set to "high," meaning 120Hz. However, some applications can only achieve a maximum frame rate lower than 120fps. When these applications are not running, the screen refresh rate is 120Hz. When these applications are running, the screen refresh rate can automatically decrease based on their frame rates. For example, if application A can only reach a maximum frame rate of 60fps, the screen refresh rate is 120Hz when application A is not running. When application A is running, the electronic device can switch the screen refresh rate from 120Hz to 60Hz. In this scenario, when application A is running, the refresh rate switching method provided in this embodiment is executed.

[0068] In another exemplary application scenario, referring to Figure 5(a), the user can also set the screen refresh rate of the electronic device to the "smart" level in the refresh rate settings interface. In this case, the electronic device can intelligently switch the screen refresh rate, for example, it can adaptively adjust the screen refresh rate according to the currently displayed content or application interface. In one example, referring to Figure 6(a), the electronic device is running a video application and displaying the application interface of the video being played. At this time, the electronic device adjusts the screen refresh rate to a high level, such as 120Hz. Referring to Figure 6(b), the user triggers the electronic device to switch from the application interface of the video application to the application interface of the weather application. After displaying the application interface of the weather application, the electronic device can automatically lower the screen refresh rate, for example, switching the screen refresh rate from 120Hz to 60Hz. In this scenario, the electronic device executes the refresh rate switching method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0069] It should be noted that the above application scenarios are merely exemplary and do not limit the application scenarios of the refresh rate switching method provided in this application embodiment. In another example, the method provided in this application embodiment may also be applied to other scenarios of switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0070] The refresh rate switching method provided in this application can be applied to electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, desktops, laptops, handheld computers, notebook computers, in-vehicle devices, ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPCs), and netbooks. For ease of understanding, the software system of the electronic device will be described below.

[0071] The software system of an electronic device can adopt a layered architecture, event-driven architecture, microkernel architecture, microservice architecture, or cloud architecture. This application uses the layered architecture Android system as an example to illustrate the software system of an electronic device.

[0072] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a software system for an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 7, the layered architecture divides the software into several layers, each with a clear role and division of labor. Layers communicate with each other through software interfaces. In some embodiments, the Android system is divided into four layers, from top to bottom: the application layer (App layer), the application framework layer (FWK layer), the hardware abstraction layer (HAL layer), and the kernel layer.

[0073] The application layer may include a series of application packages. An application may be simply referred to as an application. As shown in Figure 7, an application package may include applications such as e-books, videos, navigation, games, browsers, music, and reading, but this embodiment does not limit the scope of the application.

[0074] The application framework layer provides application programming interfaces (APIs) and a programming framework for applications in the application layer. The application framework layer includes some predefined functions.

[0075] As an example of this application, as shown in Figure 7, the application framework layer may include a SurfaceFlinger (SF) module and a refresh rate decision module. The refresh rate decision module has the ability to sense external events. For example, the refresh rate decision module can obtain user interface (UI) events from the application layer through the application program interface (API). UI events can be triggered by the user clicking, swiping, or performing other operations on the electronic device. Alternatively, UI events can be automatically triggered by the electronic device. For example, when the foreground application of the electronic device automatically switches screens, the aforementioned UI event can be triggered. The foreground application is the application whose interface is currently displayed on the screen of the electronic device. Another example is when the electronic device receives a message notification and needs to display a pop-up window, thus triggering the aforementioned UI event. Based on the obtained UI events, the refresh rate decision module can determine the appropriate screen refresh rate for the current display scenario and send the newly determined screen refresh rate to the SF module. The SF module then sends the newly determined screen refresh rate to the display driver, which in turn sends it to the DDIC chip. The DDIC chip then controls the display screen to refresh the image according to the newly determined screen refresh rate.

[0076] The HAL layer can encapsulate kernel-level drivers and provide calling interfaces to higher layers. As an example of this application, the HAL layer may include a hardware composer (HWC). The HWC has the ability to composite image data of layers / windows using hardware. In this embodiment, the SF module can send the latest determined screen refresh rate to the display driver through the HWC.

[0077] The kernel layer is the layer between hardware and software. Referring to Figure 7, the kernel layer includes the display driver, which drives the display screen to show images. In addition, the kernel layer may also include camera drivers, audio drivers, sensor drivers, etc. (not shown in the figure).

[0078] Furthermore, Figure 7 illustrates the relationship between the hardware layer and the software system architecture of the electronic device. By way of example, and not limitation, the hardware layer includes a display module, which comprises a DDIC chip and a display screen. The DDIC chip may include a buffer for storing image data sent from the software side. During image display, the DDIC chip reads image data from the buffer and displays the image data on the display screen by scanning. By way of example, and not limitation, the display screen in this embodiment may be a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) display screen.

[0079] In the Android system, the process of drawing and displaying image data typically requires the collaboration of the software, the DDIC chip, and the display screen. For example, referring to Figure 7, the software can draw layers through an application, and the resulting layers can be stored in an image buffer. The software retrieves the layers from the image buffer through the SF module, which can then composite the layers using the HWC. The HWC sends the composited image data to the display driver, which can then send the image data to the DDIC chip via the MIPI interface. The DDIC chip can store the image data sent by the software in a buffer and read the image data from the buffer during the low level (VACTIVE) of the Vsync signal, displaying the image data on the display screen.

[0080] As mentioned earlier, during image display, electronic devices may switch the screen refresh rate from high to low to minimize power consumption while ensuring smooth image display. For example, when switching from a video application to an e-book application, the electronic device switches the screen refresh rate from high to low. As previously described, switching the screen refresh rate from high to low requires overcoming issues such as frame drops, frame skipping, and high power consumption. Next, based on the electronic device shown in Figure 7, and in conjunction with Figure 8, a detailed description of the refresh rate switching method provided by this application embodiment that can solve the above problems will be given. Referring to Figure 8, the method mainly includes the following parts or all of the following:

[0081] S801: The first application displays a first application interface, wherein the screen refresh rate of the electronic device is a first refresh rate when the first application interface is displayed.

[0082] The first application is an application that is currently running on the electronic device, and it is running in the foreground. For example, the first application is a game application, and the first application interface is the interface of a game in progress. That is, the electronic device is running a game application, such as when a user is playing a game on the electronic device.

[0083] As an example, when the first application displays the first application interface, the frame rate of the first application is 120fps, and when the electronic device displays the first application interface, the screen refresh rate is 120Hz. That is, the first refresh rate is 120Hz, which means that the electronic device displays the interface at a screen refresh rate of 120Hz.

[0084] As an example of this application, during the display of the first application interface, the MIPI rate of the electronic device is a first MIPI rate, and the software side of the electronic device transmits image data to the hardware side with a first transmission duration. The first transmission duration corresponds to the first MIPI rate.

[0085] S802: When the frame rate of the first application changes, the first application sends a frame rate change message to the refresh rate decision module.

[0086] In one example, the frame rate of the first application changes when the application interface switches from one interface to another. For instance, the frame rate of the first application may change when the electronic device switches from the interface of a game in progress to the main interface of the game application. In another example, the frame rate of the first application changes when the content displayed in the first application interface changes. For instance, the frame rate of the first application may change when the first application interface enters a static or paused state.

[0087] As an example of this application, when the frame rate of the first application changes, the first application can send a frame rate change message to the refresh rate decision module. For example, the first application can send the frame rate change message to the refresh rate decision module through an API interface, so that the refresh rate decision module can determine whether the screen refresh rate needs to be switched. Optionally, the frame rate change message can carry the changed frame rate. For example, the changed frame rate is frame rate p1, such as frame rate p1 being 90fps.

[0088] It should be noted that this embodiment of the application illustrates the change in frame rate when switching from the first application interface to the second application interface of the first application. In another example, the frame rate may also change when switching from the first application interface of the first application to the third application interface of the second application, that is, when switching between two applications. For example, referring to Figure 6, the frame rate changes when switching from the application interface of a video application to the application interface of a weather application, that is, the frame rate changes after entering the weather application. Similarly, the frame rate may also change when exiting a game application interface. In this case, the second application can send a frame rate change message to the refresh rate decision module.

[0089] S803: The refresh rate decision module determines the second refresh rate based on the changed frame rate p1.

[0090] As an example, the refresh rate decision module can query the corresponding screen refresh rate from the preset frame rate mapping relationship based on the changed frame rate p1, and use the queried screen refresh rate as the second refresh rate. The preset frame rate mapping relationship can be pre-set according to requirements. The preset frame rate mapping relationship includes the mapping relationship between frame rate and screen refresh rate. As an example and not a limitation, the preset frame rate mapping relationship can be as shown in Table 1:

[0091] Table 1

[0092] In the preset frame rate mapping relationship in Table 1, a frame rate of 120fps corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 120Hz, a frame rate of 90fps corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 90Hz, a frame rate of 60fps corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, and so on. For example, if the changed frame rate p1 is 90fps, then by querying the preset mapping relationship, its corresponding screen refresh rate can be determined to be 90Hz, which means the second refresh rate can be determined to be 90Hz.

[0093] It should be noted that this embodiment uses a table to illustrate the mapping relationship between the application's frame rate and the screen refresh rate. In another example, the preset frame rate mapping relationship can also be recorded in other forms, such as a set, etc. This embodiment does not limit this approach.

[0094] As another example, the refresh rate decision module can also determine the second refresh rate based on the frame rate p1, combined with information such as the current ambient light of the electronic device, according to a preset judgment strategy. This application embodiment does not limit this aspect.

[0095] It should be noted that the above explanation uses the example of notifying the refresh rate decision module when the application's frame rate changes. In another example, the user might trigger the electronic device to switch the screen refresh rate, for example, as shown in Figure 5, where the user triggers the electronic device to switch from 120Hz to 90Hz. In this case, the first application is a settings application, which is an example and not a limitation. The settings application sends the switched screen refresh rate (i.e., 90Hz) to the refresh rate decision module, and accordingly, the refresh rate decision module determines the screen refresh rate sent by the settings application as the second refresh rate.

[0096] S804: If the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate, the refresh rate decision module sends the second refresh rate to the SF module.

[0097] As an example, the refresh rate decision module can compare the currently determined second refresh rate with the previously determined first refresh rate. If the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate, it indicates that the electronic device is switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate. In this case, to address issues such as frame skipping, frame dropping, and high power consumption in some embodiments, the refresh rate decision module sends the second refresh rate to the SF module, which then sends a refresh rate switching command to the underlying layer.

[0098] It should be noted that this application embodiment is illustrated using the example of a second refresh rate being less than a first refresh rate. In another example, if the second refresh rate is greater than the first refresh rate, that is, when the electronic device switches from a low screen refresh rate to a high screen refresh rate, the electronic device does not execute the method provided in this application embodiment. In this case, since there is no issue of frame skipping or frame dropping, the screen refresh rate switching can be performed directly according to the conventional switching process, and this application embodiment will not elaborate further on this. Furthermore, if the second refresh rate is the same as the first refresh rate, the screen refresh rate switching operation is not performed.

[0099] S805: The SF module sends a refresh rate switching command to the hardware synthesizer.

[0100] As an example rather than a limitation, the refresh rate switching command may include a second refresh rate. The refresh rate switching command is used to instruct the screen refresh rate to be switched from the first refresh rate to the second refresh rate.

[0101] Upon receiving the second refresh rate, the SF module determines that frame switching is required. As an optional example, the SF module can generate a refresh rate switching instruction, which includes the second refresh rate. Afterward, the SF module can send the refresh rate switching instruction to the hardware compositor (HWC) so that the hardware compositor can issue the refresh rate switching instruction to the display driver.

[0102] It should be noted that this embodiment of the application illustrates the example where the refresh rate switching instruction is generated by the SF module. In another example, the refresh rate switching instruction can also be generated by the refresh rate decision module and then sent to the SF module, which in turn sends it to the hardware synthesizer. This embodiment of the application does not limit this approach.

[0103] S806: The hardware synthesizer sends refresh rate switching instructions to the display driver.

[0104] After receiving the refresh rate switching command from the SF module, the hardware synthesizer sends the refresh rate switching command to the display driver.

[0105] S807: If the MIPI rate is not the second MIPI rate, the display driver will adjust the MIPI rate to the second MIPI rate.

[0106] The second MIPI rate can be set according to actual needs; for example, the second MIPI rate can be 1.45Gbps.

[0107] As an example of this application, the second MIPI rate can be the MIPI rate corresponding to the maximum screen refresh rate supported by the display. For example, if the maximum screen refresh rate supported by the display is 120Hz, and the MIPI rate corresponding to 120Hz is 1.45Gbps, then the second MIPI rate can be the MIPI rate corresponding to the 120Hz screen refresh rate. That is, the second MIPI rate can be the MIPI rate used by the display driver to transmit image data to the DDIC chip when the screen refresh rate is 120Hz, for example, 1.45Gbps.

[0108] After receiving a refresh rate switching command from the upper layer (hardware compositor), if the current MIPI rate is not the second MIPI rate, the display driver can increase the MIPI rate to the second MIPI rate, such as maintaining the MIPI rate corresponding to a 120Hz screen refresh rate. This allows the display driver to transmit image data to the DDIC chip at a high data transfer rate through the MIPI interface during the switching process, thus enabling the image data to be sent to the DDIC chip quickly during the switching process.

[0109] S808: The display driver adjusts the transmission duration to the second transmission duration corresponding to the second MIPI rate.

[0110] As the MIPI rate changes, the data transmission rate also changes; for example, as the MIPI rate increases, the data transmission rate also increases. If the software's data processing speed does not keep pace with this change, data loss or overflow may occur during transmission, affecting data integrity and accuracy, and consequently impacting the stability and smoothness of image display. Therefore, to match the data transmission rate when the MIPI rate changes, the display driver typically adjusts the transmission duration accordingly; different MIPI rates correspond to different transmission durations. Furthermore, adjusting the transmission duration ensures that the arrival time of image data matches the display's refresh cycle, thus guaranteeing proper image display.

[0111] In the embodiments of this application, when the MIPI rate is increased, the display driver shortens the transmission time. For example, if the transmission time before the MIPI rate adjustment is t1, then after the MIPI rate is increased, the display driver adjusts the transmission time to t2, that is, the second transmission time is t2, where t2 is less than t1.

[0112] As an example, and not a limitation, electronic devices can pre-store the correspondence between MIPI rates and transmission durations, such as shown in Table 2. In this way, when adjusting the transmission duration, the display driver can look up the transmission duration corresponding to the second MIPI rate from this correspondence and use the retrieved transmission duration as the second transmission duration. Subsequently, when the display driver sends the (i+1)th frame of image data to the DDIC chip, it will send it according to the second transmission duration.

[0113] Table 2

[0114] It should be noted that this embodiment uses a table to record the correspondence between MIPI rate and transmission duration as an example for illustration. In another example, the correspondence between MIPI rate and transmission duration can also be recorded in other forms, such as by using sets, etc. This embodiment does not limit this method.

[0115] It should be noted that within one Vsync cycle, the total time for one frame of image data to complete image display includes the time for the display driver to send image data to the DDIC chip, the time for the display driver to issue instructions to the DDIC chip, and the time for the DDIC chip to refresh image data to the display screen. The instructions issued by the display driver to the DDIC chip include, but are not limited to, refresh rate switching instructions and backlight instructions. The backlight instructions are used to instruct adjustments to the backlight brightness. In this embodiment, the adjusted transmission time refers to the time for the display driver to send image data to the DDIC chip, while the time for the DDIC chip to refresh image data to the display screen is usually fixed and does not change with changes in the screen refresh rate.

[0116] It should be noted that S807 to S808 illustrate the example of the display driver adjusting the MIPI rate and transmission duration before sending the refresh rate switching command to the DDIC chip. In another example, the display driver can also adjust the MIPI rate and transmission duration after sending the refresh rate switching command to the DDIC chip and before the next TE signal arrives; that is, as long as the adjustment is completed before the next TE signal arrives, this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0117] It should also be noted that S807 to S808 are explained using the example that the current MIPI rate is not the second MIPI rate. In another possible case, the current MIPI rate may also be the second MIPI rate. For example, the first refresh rate is 120Hz, that is, the screen refresh rate is 120Hz before the switch. The display driver transmits image data to the DDIC chip according to the MIPI rate corresponding to 120Hz. In other words, the current MIPI rate is the second MIPI rate. In this case, the display driver can directly execute the operation as shown in S809, that is, it is not necessary to execute the operations of S807 to S808.

[0118] S809: The display driver sends a refresh rate switching command to the DDIC chip.

[0119] That is, after the display driver increases the MIPI rate to the second MIPI rate and adjusts the transmission duration to the second transmission duration, it sends a refresh rate switching command to the DDIC chip to instruct the DDIC chip to control the display screen to refresh the image data according to the second refresh rate.

[0120] S810: The DDIC chip switches the screen refresh rate.

[0121] For the DDIC chip, if the refresh rate switching command is received before VBP, for example, during the low-level period of the i-th frame, the display screen will be controlled to refresh the image data according to the second refresh rate in the (i+1)-th frame. If the refresh rate switching command is received after VBP, the display screen will be controlled to refresh the image data according to the second refresh rate in the (i+2)-th frame. The specific implementation principle can be found in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above.

[0122] S811: After the next TE signal arrives, the display driver transmits the i+1th frame of image data to the DDIC chip according to the second transmission duration.

[0123] As an example of this application, after adjusting the transmission duration and MIPI rate, upon the arrival of the next TE signal, it is determined that the (i+1)th frame of image data can be transmitted to the DDIC chip. The display driver transmits the (i+1)th frame of image data to the DDIC chip according to the adjusted transmission duration (i.e., the second transmission duration), at which time the MIPI rate is the second MIPI rate. Correspondingly, the DDIC chip refreshes the (i+1)th frame of image data onto the display screen during the low level of the Vsync signal. Because the MIPI rate is increased, that is, a uniform high MIPI rate is used for data transmission during the switching process, the data transmission speed is faster and the transmission duration is shorter. The display driver can send a complete frame of image data to the DDIC chip in a shorter time, thus solving the problem of frame skipping or frame dropping when switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate.

[0124] In one possible scenario, S811 is executed before S810.

[0125] S812: If the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate, after transmitting the i+1th frame of image data, the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate from the second MIPI rate to the third MIPI rate, where the third MIPI rate is less than the second MIPI rate.

[0126] The third MIPI rate can be set according to requirements; for example, the third MIPI rate can be 1.4 Gbps. As an example of this application, the MDP voltage level corresponding to the third MIPI rate is different from the MDP voltage level corresponding to the second MIPI rate. That is, the voltage level of the MDP in the electronic device when the MIPI rate is the second MIPI rate is different from the voltage level of the MDP when the MIPI rate is the third MIPI rate. For example, the MDP voltage level corresponding to the third MIPI rate is V1, and the MDP voltage level corresponding to the second MIPI rate is V2, where V1 is less than V2. The lower the MDP voltage level, the lower the power consumption of the MDP.

[0127] As an example, the display driver can compare the screen refresh rate before the frame switch (i.e., the first refresh rate) with the second refresh rate in the refresh rate switching instruction. If the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate, it means that the Vsync cycle duration will increase after the frame switch. For example, when the first refresh rate is 120Hz, the Vsync cycle duration is approximately 8.3ms, and when the second refresh rate is 90Hz, the Vsync cycle duration is approximately 11.1ms. In this case, the transmission time for sending image data from the software side to the hardware side can also increase after the frame switch, as long as the image data transmission is completed before the new TE signal arrives. Therefore, after the frame switch, the display driver can adjust the MIPI rate from the second MIPI rate to the third MIPI rate to reduce the MIPI rate. As shown in Figure 3, during the switching process, after the software side transmits the (i+1)th frame of image data to the hardware side, the hardware side completes the screen refresh rate switch. That is, starting from the arrival of the third TE signal in Figure 3, the duration of the next Vsync cycle is the cycle duration corresponding to the second screen refresh rate. Therefore, in practice, the electronic device can readjust the MIPI rate after transmitting the (i+1)th frame of image data. For example, referring to Figure 3, the display driver can readjust the MIPI rate when it receives the third TE signal in Figure 3.

[0128] It's worth noting that after frame switching, the software lowers the MIPI rate instead of keeping it consistently at a high level, to avoid the software always transmitting image data at a high data transfer rate. As described earlier, the MIPI rate is a factor affecting the MDP voltage, so lowering the MIPI rate may reduce the MDP voltage by one level, thereby reducing the MDP's power consumption.

[0129] In one example, different second refresh rates can correspond to different third MIPI rates. For instance, when the second refresh rate is 90Hz, the corresponding third MIPI rate can be the first value; when the second refresh rate is 60Hz, the corresponding third MIPI rate can be the second value. The first and second values ​​are different; for example, the first value can be greater than the second value. The first and second values ​​can be set according to requirements. In this way, for different screen refresh rates, after frame switching, the MIPI rate can be adjusted to a more suitable level to ensure the timeliness and reliability of data transmission while reducing MDP power consumption.

[0130] In another example, the third MIPI rate can be the same for different second refresh rates. For example, when switching from 120Hz to a lower screen refresh rate, regardless of whether the screen refresh rate (i.e., the second refresh rate) after switching is 90Hz or 60Hz, the display driver will adjust the MIPI rate to 1.4Gbps after frame switching, that is, the third MIPI rate corresponding to the second refresh rate is 1.4Gbps.

[0131] It should be noted that the implementation methods of S807 to S812 described above are merely exemplary. In another example, after receiving the refresh rate switching command from the hardware compositor, the display driver can first determine whether the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate. If the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate, and the current MIPI rate is not the second MIPI rate, the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate to the second MIPI rate and the transmission duration to the second transmission duration. Then, it sends a refresh rate switching command to the DDIC chip, and after the switch, the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate from the second MIPI rate to the third MIPI rate. Otherwise, if the display driver determines that the second refresh rate is greater than the first refresh rate, it can switch according to the normal frame-slicing process without adjusting the MIPI rate and transmission duration.

[0132] S813: The display driver adjusts the transmission duration to the third transmission duration corresponding to the third MIPI rate.

[0133] The third transmission duration is longer than the second transmission duration.

[0134] As mentioned earlier, when the MIPI rate changes, the transmission duration is usually adjusted accordingly to match the adjusted MIPI rate. Therefore, after adjusting the MIPI rate from a high rate to a low rate, the display driver adjusts the transmission duration accordingly to the third transmission duration corresponding to the third MIPI rate. At this time, the transmission duration of the display driver transmitting the (i+2)th frame of image data to the DDIC chip becomes longer.

[0135] S814: The display driver transmits image data to the DDIC chip according to the third transmission duration.

[0136] After adjusting the MIPI rate and the transmission duration, the display driver continues to transmit image data to the DDIC chip according to the third transmission duration. That is, after frame cutting, the display driver sends image data to the DDIC chip according to the third transmission duration.

[0137] It should be noted that this embodiment of the application illustrates the example of the display driver adjusting the MIPI rate from the second MIPI rate to the third MIPI rate immediately after the (i+1)th frame of image data transmission is completed. In another example, the display driver may also adjust the MIPI rate from the second MIPI rate to the third MIPI rate after transmitting n more frames of image data after the (i+1)th frame of image data transmission is completed, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1, such as n being 1 or 2, etc. This embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0138] As an example of this application, after adjusting the MIPI rate from the second MIPI rate to the third MIPI rate, the display driver can continue to adjust the MIPI rate and transmission duration to further reduce power consumption, as detailed below.

[0139] S815: The display driver dynamically adjusts the MIPI rate among multiple candidate MIPI rates without changing the screen refresh rate.

[0140] Multiple candidate MIPI rates can be set as needed, and each candidate MIPI rate is lower than the second MIPI rate. In one example, each candidate MIPI rate is also lower than the third MIPI rate. As an example of this application, the multiple candidate MIPI rates, the second MIPI rate, and the third MIPI rate can all be set considering the impact of radio frequency interference.

[0141] Exemplarily, multiple candidate MIPI rates may include 0.3 Gbps, 0.35 Gbps, 0.4 Gbps, 0.45 Gbps, 0.5 Gbps, 0.55 Gbps, 0.6 Gbps, 0.65 Gbps, 0.7 Gbps, 0.75 Gbps, 0.8 Gbps, 0.85 Gbps, 0.9 Gbps, 0.95 Gbps, 1.0 Gbps, 1.05 Gbps, 1.10 Gbps, 1.15 Gbps, 1.2 Gbps, 1.25 Gbps, 1.3 Gbps, 1.35 Gbps. That is, the minimum candidate MIPI rate is 0.3 Gbps and the maximum candidate MIPI rate is 1.35 Gbps. Among them, the minimum candidate MIPI rate can ensure the timeliness of image data transmission in the scenario of the second refresh rate.

[0142] It should be noted that the above multiple candidate MIPI rates are only examples. In practice, more candidate MIPI rates may be included, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0143] In one example, different MIPI rate ranges correspond to different MDP voltage levels. For example, the MDP voltage level corresponding to the MIPI rate range of [0.3, 0.6] Gbps is V3, the MDP voltage level corresponding to the MIPI rate range of (0.6, 0.9] Gbps is V4, the MDP voltage level corresponding to the MIPI rate range of (0.9, 1.10] Gbps is V5, and the MDP voltage level corresponding to the MIPI rate range of (1.10, 1.35] Gbps is V6, where V3 < V4 < V of [0.3, 0.6] Gbps is V3, it means that when the MIPI rate is within the range of [0.3, 0.6] Gbps, the voltage of MDP works at the V3 level. Optionally, the MDP voltage level V2 corresponding to the third MIPI rate may be the same as the MDP voltage level V6 corresponding to the MIPI rate range of (1.10, 1.35] Gbps.

[0144] In one example, the candidate MIPI rates corresponding to different second refresh rates can be different. For instance, when the second refresh rate is 90Hz, the candidate MIPI rates could include 0.8Gbps, 0.85Gbps, 0.9Gbps, 0.95Gbps, 1.0Gbps, 1.05Gbps, 1.10Gbps, 1.15Gbps, 1.2Gbps, 1.25Gbps, 1.3Gbps, and 1.35Gbps; when the second refresh rate is 60Hz, the second refresh rate could be different. The multiple candidate MIPI rates corresponding to the new rate can include 0.3Gbps, 0.35Gbps, 0.4Gbps, 0.45Gbps, 0.5Gbps, 0.55Gbps, 0.6Gbps, 0.65Gbps, 0.7Gbps, 0.75Gbps, 0.8Gbps, 0.85Gbps, 0.9Gbps, 0.95Gbps, 1.0Gbps, 1.05Gbps, 1.10Gbps, 1.15Gbps, 1.2Gbps, and 1.25Gbps.

[0145] In another example, multiple candidate MIPI rates corresponding to different second refresh rates can also be the same. For instance, regardless of whether the second refresh rate is 90Hz or 60Hz, the software can adjust the MIPI rate based on the aforementioned multiple candidate MIPI rates after frame switching.

[0146] As an example of this application, the display driver can dynamically adjust the MIPI rate among multiple candidate MIPI rates based on the amount of image data sent by the hardware compositor. Exemplarily, the electronic device can pre-set the correspondence between data volume ranges and candidate MIPI rates. Thus, when the display driver receives image data to be transmitted from the hardware compositor, it can determine the amount of image data to be transmitted, and then determine the MIPI rate corresponding to the data volume range to which the image data to be transmitted belongs from the pre-set correspondence between data volume ranges and candidate MIPI rates. Subsequently, the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate to the determined MIPI rate.

[0147] For example, in one possible application scenario, a pop-up window appears in the first application interface. In this case, after rendering and compositing, the hardware compositor sends the obtained pop-up window data (i.e., the image data to be transmitted) to the display driver. The display driver determines the amount of pop-up window data, and then determines the candidate MIPI rate corresponding to the data range to which the pop-up window data belongs from the correspondence between the data range and the candidate MIPI rate. The display driver then adjusts the MIPI rate to the determined candidate MIPI rate.

[0148] In another possible application scenario, the application interface of the first application enters a static state for an extended period. In this case, the upper layer typically stops sending image data to the display driver, meaning there is no image data to update the display. It's easy to understand that the amount of image data to be transmitted to the DDIC chip is zero. In this situation, the display driver can gradually decrease the MIPI rate based on multiple candidate MIPI rates during this period, for example, from 1.0Gbps to 0.95Gbps, then from 0.95Gbps to 0.90Gbps, until it reaches 0.3Gbps. Optionally, during the adjustment process, the display driver can adjust the MIPI rate every time a new TE signal is received, meaning the time interval between two adjacent adjustments is the Vsync cycle length corresponding to the second refresh rate. When the application interface of the first application changes, the MIPI rate can be increased again based on the amount of image data to be displayed after the change.

[0149] It is worth mentioning that the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate according to the amount of image data to be transmitted, so that the MIPI rate matches the actual data transmission requirements. This ensures the stability of image data transmission while minimizing the MIPI rate, thereby reducing the power consumption of the MDP.

[0150] S816: Each time the MIPI rate is adjusted, the display driver determines the transmission duration corresponding to the adjusted MIPI rate and adjusts the transmission duration to the determined transmission duration.

[0151] As mentioned earlier, after adjusting the MIPI rate, the display driver usually needs to adjust the transmission duration accordingly to adapt to the adjusted MIPI rate and ensure that image data can be transmitted within the required time. In practice, the display driver can determine the transmission duration corresponding to each adjusted MIPI rate based on the pre-stored correspondence between MIPI rate and transmission duration, and then adjust the transmission duration accordingly.

[0152] Each time the MIPI rate and transmission duration are adjusted, the display driver sends the image data to be transmitted to the DDIC chip based on the adjusted MIPI rate and transmission duration, so that the DDIC chip can control the display screen to complete the image display.

[0153] It should be noted that the above implementation is merely exemplary. In another example, different data volumes can directly correspond to different MIPI rates. In this case, after frame segmentation, the display driver can also directly determine the corresponding candidate MIPI rate from multiple candidate MIPI rates based on the data volume of the image data to be transmitted, then adjust the MIPI rate to the determined candidate MIPI rate, and adjust the transmission duration to the transmission duration corresponding to the determined candidate MIPI rate. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0154] To facilitate understanding, the MIPI rate adjustment process in a screen refresh rate switching scenario will be explained below with reference to Figure 9. For example, the display driver receives a refresh rate switching command from the hardware synthesizer during the low level of the Vsync cycle corresponding to the i-th frame of image data. Then, before sending the refresh rate switching command to the DDIC chip, the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate to a second MIPI rate and the transmission duration to a second transmission duration. Afterward, the display driver sends the refresh rate switching command to the DDIC. After sending the refresh rate switching command, upon the arrival of the next TE signal (the second TE signal in Figure 9), the display driver sends the (i+1)-th frame of image data to the DDIC chip according to the second transmission duration. After transmitting the (i+1)-th frame of image data, the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate to a third MIPI rate and the transmission duration to a third transmission duration, for example, when the third TE signal arrives in Figure 9. When transmitting the (i+2)-th frame of image data, as after the arrival of the third TE signal in Figure 9, the display driver sends the image data to the DDIC chip according to the third transmission duration. Furthermore, when the image data transmission of the (i+2)th frame ends, that is, when the TE signal corresponding to the second refresh rate takes effect, the display driver can start to dynamically adjust the MIPI rate and adaptively adjust the transmission duration according to the amount of image data to be transmitted subsequently.

[0155] It's worth noting that different MIPI rate ranges correspond to different MDP voltage levels. The lower the MDP voltage level, the lower the MDP power consumption. At the same MDP voltage level, a higher MIPI rate results in lower MDP power consumption. This is because a higher MIPI rate means a higher data transmission rate, resulting in a shorter processing time for the MDP to handle one frame of image data. After processing one frame, the MDP can enter low-power mode. Therefore, a higher MIPI rate allows the MDP to enter low-power mode faster and for a longer period. Thus, for the same MDP voltage level, a higher MIPI rate within its corresponding MIPI speed range corresponds to lower power consumption. Based on this, in this embodiment, the display driver adjusts the MIPI rate downwards after frame switching because when the MIPI rate decreases to a certain level, the MDP voltage decreases by one level, thereby reducing MDP power consumption. As the MIPI rate continues to decrease, the MDP's voltage level may be adjusted to an even lower level. For example, in a scenario where the application interface is static, when the MIPI rate is adjusted to 0.3Gbps, the MDP's voltage level operates at its lowest setting, and the MDP enters a low-power mode. Therefore, dynamically lowering the MIPI rate after frame switching can further reduce the MDP's power consumption.

[0156] In some embodiments, the operations described in S815 to S816 can be referred to as MIPI rate dimming operations, or adaptive MIPI rate adjustment operations. Through this operation, the voltage level of the MDP can be further reduced to an even lower level, thereby further reducing the MDP's power consumption.

[0157] It should be noted that the embodiments in this application only illustrate the example of a display driver adjusting the MIPI rate based on the amount of image data to be transmitted and multiple candidate MIPI rates. In another example, the display driver can also adjust the MIPI rate in other ways, such as gradually reducing it based on multiple candidate MIPI rates, etc., which are not limited in this application embodiment.

[0158] Furthermore, as described above, after frame switching, the display driver will adjust the MIPI rate to a lower level. Therefore, in one possible case, when frame switching is performed again, the MIPI rate may not be the second MIPI rate. This explains one possible reason why the MIPI rate in S805 is not currently the second MIPI rate.

[0159] In this embodiment, when screen refresh rate switching is required, before the switch, the electronic device adjusts the MIPI rate to a second MIPI rate and the transmission duration to a second transmission duration corresponding to the second MIPI rate, i.e., increasing the MIPI rate and shortening the transmission duration. When transmitting the next frame of image data, the image is sent according to the second transmission duration, so that image data transmission is completed in a shorter time during frame switching. This ensures the timeliness and reliability of image data transmission even when switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate, solving the problems of frame skipping and frame dropping. Furthermore, after the screen refresh rate switch, the electronic device reduces the MIPI rate to a third MIPI rate and switches the transmission duration to a third transmission duration corresponding to the third MIPI rate, further reducing the MIPI rate. Then, the electronic device continues to lower the MIPI rate to reduce the MDP voltage level, thereby reducing the MDP's power consumption. Thus, while preventing frame dropping and frame skipping during the switch from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate, the power consumption of the MDP can be reduced as much as possible, achieving the goal of power reduction.

[0160] It is also worth mentioning that some embodiments do not support large-scale adjustment of the MIPI rate, meaning that the MIPI rate is not truly switched, but only switched within a small fluctuation range. However, the embodiments of this application support large-scale adjustment of the MIPI rate, enabling full-scenario switching under low-power conditions.

[0161] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram illustrating another refresh rate switching method flow according to an exemplary embodiment. This application embodiment describes the method as being implemented through the interaction of an application processor, a display screen, and a first application in an electronic device. The method may include some or all of the following:

[0162] S1001: Run the first application at the first moment.

[0163] S1002: The display screen shows the image data corresponding to the first application at a first refresh rate.

[0164] For example, the first refresh rate can be 120Hz or 90Hz.

[0165] The specific implementation of S1001-S1002 can be found in S801 of the embodiment in Figure 8.

[0166] S1003: The application processor transmits image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a first transmission duration.

[0167] The first transmission duration corresponds to the first MIPI rate.

[0168] In implementation, the application processor transmitting image data to the display screen means that the application processor transmits image data to the DDIC, and the DDIC refreshes the image data to the display screen. Further, from the display driver's perspective, the display driver transmits image data to the MDP for processing, the MDP transmits the processed image data to the DDIC, and the DDIC refreshes the image data to the display screen.

[0169] S1004: At the second moment, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching command to the display screen.

[0170] As an example of this application, at the second moment, in response to the first user operation, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching command to the display screen. The first user operation includes setting the screen refresh rate or switching the application interface. After switching the application interface, the frame rate of the first application changes. Alternatively, at the second moment, if the business scenario of the first application changes, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching command to the display screen. The frame rate of the first application changes when the business scenario changes, for example, switching from a game scenario to a static interface scenario. Thus, triggering the application processor to send a refresh rate switching command to the display screen to switch the screen refresh rate when the frame rate of the first application changes can minimize the display screen's refresh power consumption while ensuring smooth visuals. For a specific implementation, please refer to S802 to S806 and S809 in the embodiment of Figure 8.

[0171] S1005: At the third moment, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a second transmission duration, wherein the second transmission duration is less than or equal to the first transmission duration.

[0172] The second transmission duration corresponds to the second MIPI rate, which is greater than or equal to the first MIPI rate. In other words, the MIPI rate is increased during frame switching to shorten the transmission duration, allowing the application processor to transmit complete image data to the display screen in a shorter time.

[0173] S1006: At the fourth moment, the display screen displays the image data corresponding to the first application at a second refresh rate, wherein the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate.

[0174] In one possible scenario, the first refresh rate is 120Hz, and the second refresh rate is 90Hz or 60Hz. In this case, the second MIPI rate is the same as the first MIPI rate.

[0175] In another possible scenario, the first refresh rate is 90Hz and the second refresh rate is 60Hz. In this case, the second MIPI rate is greater than the first MIPI rate; for example, the second MIPI rate is the MIPI rate corresponding to a 120Hz refresh rate. In this case, before transmitting the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen with the second transmission duration, the application processor adjusts the first MIPI rate to the second MIPI rate and determines the second transmission duration corresponding to the second MIPI rate, so that the image data corresponding to the first application can be transmitted to the display screen with the second transmission duration at the third moment.

[0176] Thus, increasing the MIPI rate during frame switching, or optionally unifying it to the highest MIPI rate (such as the MIPI rate corresponding to a 120Hz screen refresh rate), can ensure that frame skipping issues are avoided as much as possible during frame switching.

[0177] S1007: At the fifth moment, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a third transmission duration, wherein the third transmission duration is longer than the second transmission duration.

[0178] The third transmission duration corresponds to the third MIPI rate, which is lower than the second MIPI rate. Thus, after frame switching, the application processor transmits image data to the display at a lower MIPI rate, avoiding the MIPI rate from always being kept at a high frequency, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0179] As an example of this application, the MDP voltage level corresponding to the third MIPI rate is lower than the MDP voltage level corresponding to the second MIPI rate. Thus, after a screen refresh rate switch, a single MIPI rate adjustment can lower the MDP voltage level by one level, reducing the MDP's power consumption.

[0180] For a detailed implementation of S1005 to S1007, please refer to S810 to S814 in the embodiment shown in Figure 8.

[0181] To facilitate understanding, the various moments mentioned above will be explained below with reference to Figure 11. As an example of this application, referring to Figure 11, the second moment is at a low level within the i-th frame time period, and the first moment is before the second moment; the third moment is the arrival time of the first TE signal, which is used to indicate the transmission of the (i+1)-th frame image data to the display screen; the fourth moment is the arrival time of the VBP within the (i+1)-th frame time period; and the fifth moment is the arrival time of the second TE signal, which is used to indicate the transmission of the (i+2)-th frame image data to the display screen.

[0182] In an optional example, the second moment can also be a moment after the arrival of the first TE signal, for example, the second moment can be after the arrival of the first TE signal and before the arrival of the VBP within the (i+1)th frame period. That is, the application processor can first transmit the (i+1)th frame image data to the display screen, and then send a refresh rate switching command to the display screen.

[0183] As an example of this application, after S1007, at the sixth moment, the application processor transmits image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a fourth transmission duration, which is longer than the third transmission duration. During the period between the fifth and sixth moments, the application processor transmits k frames of image data to the display screen, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The fourth transmission duration corresponds to the fourth MIPI rate, which is less than the third MIPI rate. Thus, after frame switching, by further reducing the MIPI rate, the MIPI rate is prevented from remaining at a high frequency. Since the MIPI rate is related to the MDP voltage level, reducing it to a certain level can lower the MDP voltage level, thereby significantly reducing MDP power consumption.

[0184] In implementation, the application processor determines a fourth MIPI rate from multiple candidate MIPI rates based on the amount of image data to be transmitted to the display screen at the sixth time. For example, the application processor determines the candidate MIPI rate corresponding to the amount of image data to be transmitted to the display screen at the sixth time from the correspondence between the data amount range and the candidate MIPI rates. The fourth MIPI rate is the determined candidate MIPI rate. The application processor adjusts the MIPI rate to the fourth MIPI rate. The application processor determines the fourth transmission duration corresponding to the fourth MIPI rate. In this way, at the sixth time, the application processor can transmit the image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen with the fourth transmission duration.

[0185] As an example of this application, the MIPI rate and transmission duration can be adjusted multiple times during the period between the fifth and sixth time points, so that the overall trend of the MIPI rate is a decreasing trend, so as to reduce MDP power consumption when the MIPI rate is reduced to a certain level. The time interval between two adjacent adjustments is greater than or equal to the Vsync cycle duration corresponding to the second refresh rate. Optionally, the time interval between two adjacent adjustments is an integer multiple of the Vsync cycle duration corresponding to the second refresh rate.

[0186] As an example, each of the multiple candidate MIPI rates is less than the third MIPI rate, so that the MIPI rate shows a decreasing trend.

[0187] For a detailed implementation of S1007 and beyond, please refer to S815 to S816 in the embodiment shown in Figure 8.

[0188] In this embodiment, at a first moment, a first application runs. The display screen shows image data corresponding to the first application at a first refresh rate, and the application processor transmits the image data to the display screen for a first transmission duration. At a second moment, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching command to the display screen. At a third moment, the application processor transmits image data to the display screen for a second transmission duration, where the second transmission duration is less than or equal to the first transmission duration. At a fourth moment, the display screen shows image data at a second refresh rate, where the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate. At a fifth moment, the application processor transmits image data corresponding to the first application to the display screen for a third transmission duration, where the third transmission duration is greater than the second transmission duration. Thus, during the screen refresh rate switching process, the application processor completes the image data transmission in a relatively short time, ensuring the timeliness and reliability of image data transmission when switching from a high screen refresh rate to a low screen refresh rate, and solving the problems of frame skipping and frame dropping.

[0189] In addition, after the screen refresh rate is switched, the application processor adjusts the MIPI rate to make the overall trend of the MIPI rate decrease, so as to avoid the MIPI rate always being kept at a high frequency. This allows the voltage level of the MDP to be lowered, thereby reducing the power consumption of the MDP.

[0190] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 12, the electronic device 100 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, a headphone jack 170D, a sensor module 180, buttons 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, etc. The sensor module 180 may include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, a barometric pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an accelerometer sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, an ambient light sensor 180L, a bone conduction sensor 180M, etc.

[0191] It is understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of this application do not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device 100 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.

[0192] Processor 110 may include one or more processing units, such as: application processor (AP), modem processor, graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, memory, video codec, digital signal processor (DSP), baseband processor, and / or neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0193] The controller can be the nerve center and command center of the electronic device 100. The controller can generate operation control signals according to the instruction opcode and timing signals to complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

[0194] The processor 110 may also include a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or that are used repeatedly. If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it can retrieve it directly from this memory. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0195] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces, such as 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, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0196] The MIPI interface can be used to connect the processor 110 to peripheral devices such as the display screen 194 and the camera 193. The MIPI interface includes a camera serial interface (CSI) and a display serial interface (DSI), with the DSI used for transmitting image data. In some embodiments, the processor 110 and the camera 193 communicate via the CSI interface to enable the electronic device 100 to capture images. The processor 110 and the display screen 194 communicate via the DSI interface to enable the electronic device 100 to display images.

[0197] It is understood that the interface connection relationships between the modules illustrated in the embodiments of this application are merely illustrative and do not constitute a structural limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device 100 may also employ different interface connection methods or combinations of multiple interface connection methods as described in the above embodiments.

[0198] The charging management module 140 receives charging input from a charger, which can be either a wireless or wired charger. While charging the battery 142, the charging management module 140 can also power the electronic device 100 via the power management module 141. The power management module 141 connects the battery 142, the charging management module 140, and the processor 110. The power management module 141 receives input from the battery 142 and / or the charging management module 140, and powers the processor 110, internal memory 121, external memory, display screen 194, camera 193, and wireless communication module 160, etc.

[0199] The wireless communication function of electronic device 100 can be realized through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, modem processor and baseband processor, etc.

[0200] Electronic device 100 implements display functions through a GPU, a display screen 194, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, connected to the display screen 194 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations and for graphics rendering. Processor 110 may include one or more GPUs, which execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.

[0201] Display screen 194 is used to display images, videos, etc. Display screen 194 includes 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 LED, a MicroLED, a Micro-OLED, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), etc. In some embodiments, electronic device 100 may include one or N displays 194, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0202] Electronic device 100 can perform shooting functions through ISP, camera 193, video codec, GPU, display 194 and application processor.

[0203] The external storage interface 120 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the electronic device 100. The external memory card communicates with the processor 110 through the external storage interface 120 to perform data storage functions, such as saving music, video, and other files on the external memory card.

[0204] Internal memory 121 can be used to store computer-executable program code, which includes instructions. Processor 110 executes various functional applications and data processing of electronic device 100 by running the instructions stored in internal memory 121. Internal memory 121 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 sound playback, image playback, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created by electronic device 100 during use (such as audio data, phonebook, etc.). Furthermore, internal memory 121 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.

[0205] Electronic device 100 can realize audio functions, such as music playback and recording, through audio module 170, speaker 170A, receiver 170B, microphone 170C, headphone jack 170D and application processor.

[0206] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line, DSL) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., Solid State Disks (SSDs)).

[0207] The above-described embodiments are optional embodiments provided by this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method of refresh rate switching, characterized by, The method is applied to an electronic device including an application processor, a display screen and a first application program, and the method includes: running the first application program at a first time; the display screen displays image data corresponding to the first application program at a first refresh rate; the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application program to the display screen at a first transmission duration; at a second time, the application processor sends a refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen; at a third time, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application program to the display screen at a second transmission duration, wherein the second transmission duration is less than or equal to the first transmission duration; at a fourth time, the display screen displays the image data corresponding to the first application program at a second refresh rate, wherein the second refresh rate is less than the first refresh rate; at a fifth time, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application program to the display screen at a third transmission duration, wherein the third transmission duration is greater than the second transmission duration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first transmission duration corresponds to a first Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) rate, the second transmission duration corresponds to a second MIPI rate, and the third transmission duration corresponds to a third MIPI rate. The first MIPI rate is less than or equal to the second MIPI rate, and the third MIPI rate is less than the second MIPI rate.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The second time is at a low level in an i-th frame period, and the first time is before the second time; The third time is a first TE signal arrival time, the first TE signal being used to indicate transmission of (i+1)-th frame image data to the display screen; The fourth time is a Vertical Back Porch (VBP) arrival time in the (i+1)-th frame period; The fifth time is a second TE signal arrival time, the second TE signal being used to indicate transmission of (i+2)-th frame image data to the display screen.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The first refresh rate is 120 Hz, and the second refresh rate is 90 Hz or 60 Hz; or the first refresh rate is 90 Hz, and the second refresh rate is 60 Hz.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The application processor sends the refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen at the second time, including: At the second time, in response to a first user operation, the application processor sends the refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen, the first user operation including an operation of setting a screen refresh rate or an operation of switching an application interface; or At the second time, if a service scenario of the first application program changes, the application processor sends the refresh rate switching instruction to the display screen.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, Before the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application program to the display screen at the second transmission duration at the third time, the method further includes: In the case where the first Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) rate is less than the second MIPI rate, the application processor adjusts the first MIPI rate to the second MIPI rate; ​ The application processor determines the second transmission duration corresponding to the second MIPI rate.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, After the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application program to the display screen in the third transmission duration at the fifth time point, the method further includes: At a sixth time point, the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application program to the display screen in a fourth transmission duration, the fourth transmission duration being greater than the third transmission duration, and the application processor transmits k frames of image data to the display screen in a time period between the fifth time point and the sixth time point, k being an integer greater than or equal to 1.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The fourth transmission duration corresponds to a fourth MIPI rate, and the fourth MIPI rate is less than the third MIPI rate.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein, Before the application processor transmits the image data corresponding to the first application program to the display screen in the fourth transmission duration at the sixth time point, the method further includes: The application processor determines a fourth MIPI rate from a plurality of candidate MIPI rates according to the data amount of the image data to be transmitted to the display screen at the sixth time point. The application processor adjusts the MIPI rate to the fourth MIPI rate. The application processor determines the fourth transmission duration corresponding to the fourth MIPI rate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, Each of the plurality of candidate MIPI rates is less than the third MIPI rate.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein, The application processor determines a fourth MIPI rate from a plurality of candidate MIPI rates according to the data amount of the image data to be transmitted to the display screen at the sixth time point, including: The application processor determines a candidate MIPI rate corresponding to the data amount of the image data to be transmitted to the display screen at the sixth time point from a correspondence between a data amount range and a candidate MIPI rate, and the fourth MIPI rate is the determined candidate MIPI rate.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein, The third MIPI rate corresponds to a mobile display processor (MDP) voltage gear lower than a MDP voltage gear corresponding to the second MIPI rate.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein, The display screen is a low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) display screen.

14. An electronic device, comprising: The chip system is applied to an electronic device, and the chip system includes one or more processors configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-13.

15. A chip system, characterized by The chip system is applied to an electronic device, and the chip system includes one or more processors configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-13.

16. A computer readable storage medium characterized by The computer readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-13.

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