Controller Driver Architecture for Display Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Controller/drivers for display panels face increased power consumption due to higher image data requirements for improved grayscale capacity and smoothness, which is undesirable for portable devices like cell phones and PDAs.
Innovation Solution
A controller/driver architecture that includes a work memory for converting external image data into bitmap data, a display memory for storing and processing this data, and a driver circuit for driving the display panel, reducing image data transmission and power consumption by transferring data in synchronous units and using compressed formats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If increased image data is provided to achieve higher grayscale capacity and improved smoothness of moving pictures, then image quality is improved, but power consumption of controller/drivers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image data processing into two segments: vector data (which requires minimal transmission) and bitmap data (which is generated locally). By segmenting the data types and processing them differently, the system maintains high image quality while reducing power consumption associated with transmitting and processing large amounts of bitmap data.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller/driver performs preliminary conversion of vector data to bitmap data internally before display. This preliminary action allows the system to work with compact vector representations during transmission while still achieving high-quality bitmap display output, thereby reducing power consumption without sacrificing image quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If increased image data is provided to achieve higher grayscale capacity and improved smoothness of moving pictures, then grayscale capacity and smoothness are improved, but data transmission amount increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments image data into vector format (for transmission) and bitmap format (for display). Vector data requires significantly less transmission bandwidth while still enabling high grayscale capacity and smoothness when converted to bitmap format locally in the controller/driver.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter representation of image data from bitmap format (high data amount) to vector format (low data amount) for transmission purposes. The controller/driver then converts these vectors back to bitmap format with appropriate grayscale and smoothness parameters for display, effectively reducing data transmission while maintaining quality.
3Reliability
If complete bitmap data is displayed regardless of processing progress, then display completeness is improved, but processing latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller/driver performs preliminary conversion of vector data to bitmap data and stores it in display memory before it is needed for display. This preliminary action ensures that complete bitmap data is ready for immediate display without waiting for vector processing to complete, thereby reducing latency while maintaining display completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to data processing by pre-converting and storing bitmap data in display memory. This allows the system to decouple the vector processing time from the display timing, ensuring complete images are displayed without delay even if vector processing is ongoing.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller/driver is composed of a work memory, a graphic engine, a display memory, and a driver circuit. The graphic engine converts externally received image data into first bitmap data, and stores the first bitmap data in the work memory. The display memory receives and stores second bitmap data developed from the first bitmap data stored in the work memory. The driver circuit drives a display panel in response to the second bitmap data received from the display memory.