Display Controller Digital Precharge Reduces Power

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing display devices face challenges in reducing power consumption and minimizing layout area while maintaining image quality, particularly in high-resolution displays, due to the need for analog circuits to perform precharge and recycle operations which increase power consumption and circuit area.

Innovation Solution

A display controller and driving apparatus that compares pixel data with reference data to generate control data, determining whether to perform precharge or recycle operations in a digital domain, thereby eliminating the need for analog circuits in the source driver and reducing power consumption and circuit area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If analog circuits are used to perform precharge and recycle operations in the source driver, then image quality is maintained, but power consumption increases and circuit area increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces analog circuits with digital circuits to perform precharge and recycle operations. The display controller compares pixel data with reference data using digital comparison operations, generating control signals that indicate whether precharge or recycle operations are needed. This digital domain implementation eliminates the need for analog comparison circuits in the source driver, reducing power consumption while maintaining operational reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces control data as an intermediary between the pixel data and the source driver operations. The control data, generated by comparing pixel data with reference data in the display controller, serves as a mediator that informs the source driver whether to perform precharge or recycle operations. This intermediary mechanism allows the source driver to operate without complex analog circuits while maintaining image quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If analog circuits are used to perform precharge and recycle operations in the source driver, then image quality is maintained, but circuit area increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidcircuit area

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces analog circuits with digital circuits to perform precharge and recycle operations. The display controller compares pixel data with reference data using digital comparison operations, generating control signals that indicate whether precharge or recycle operations are needed. This digital domain implementation eliminates the need for analog comparison circuits in the source driver, reducing power consumption while maintaining operational reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the comparison function from the source driver and relocates it to the display controller. By moving the analog-to-digital comparison operation to the display controller's digital domain, the source driver no longer requires complex analog circuits for precharge and recycle decisions. This extraction reduces the circuit area in the source driver while maintaining the necessary functionality through digital control signals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If high-resolution display is implemented, then image quality is improved, but power consumption increases due to increased circuit complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces analog circuits with digital circuits to perform precharge and recycle operations. The display controller compares pixel data with reference data using digital comparison operations, generating control signals that indicate whether precharge or recycle operations are needed. This digital domain implementation eliminates the need for analog comparison circuits in the source driver, reducing power consumption while maintaining operational reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10482805B2Display controller and display driving apparatus including the same

Publication Date: 2019.11.19 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

A display controller comprises a buffer configured to store first pixel data input to a source line during a first period, and second pixel data input to the source line during a second period, subsequent to the first period, and a data generating unit configured to generate control data by comparing each of the first pixel data and the second pixel data with desired reference data, and transfer the second pixel data and the control data to a source driver driving the source line.