Display Driver Subframe Timing for Frame Drop Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic displays using arbitrary presentation time schemes often experience frame drops or delays due to the mismatch between frame generation time and the quanta corresponding to the maximum frame rate, leading to undesirable image artifacts like judder or flickering.
Innovation Solution
The display driver programs display pixels to display image frames over a series of subframes with finer-grained time quanta than the maximum frame rate, ensuring that frames are displayed or partially displayed even if they arrive late, thereby reducing or eliminating frame drops and artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the display uses maximum frame rate quanta for arbitrary presentation time, then the display can support higher frame rates and reduce temporal artifacts, but frames may be dropped or delayed when generation time exceeds the quantum period
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the frame display process into multiple subframes with finer-grained time quanta. Instead of displaying a frame in a single quantum at maximum frame rate, the frame is divided into multiple subframes that can be displayed sequentially at a higher subframe rate. This segmentation allows the display to accommodate frames that take longer to generate by distributing their display across multiple smaller time intervals, preventing frame drops while maintaining high refresh rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of the display quantum period. The system can switch between different quantum periods - a longer quantum period for normal operation and a shorter quantum period for subframe display when frames are delayed. This dynamic adjustment allows the display to adapt to varying frame generation times while maintaining smooth visual output and preventing artifacts.
2Reliability
If the display uses finer-grained time quanta for subframe display, then frame drops and delays are reduced, but the display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-configuring the display driver to handle frame timing variations before they cause visible artifacts. The system anticipates potential frame delays and prepares subframe display sequences in advance, allowing smooth transitions and preventing judder or flickering even when frames arrive later than expected. This proactive approach reduces the need for complex real-time corrections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the frame generation system and the display hardware. The display driver acts as this intermediary, buffering and managing the timing discrepancies between frame generation and display quanta. By implementing subframe display logic in the driver, the system absorbs the complexity of timing adjustments without increasing the complexity of the display hardware itself.
3Reliability
If the display programs pixels to display frames over multiple subframes, then front-of-screen performance improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes periodic action by displaying frames through repeated cycles of subframe updates. Instead of a single continuous display event, the frame is updated multiple times at higher frequencies across different periods. This periodic subframe display maintains smooth visual performance while allowing the display to enter lower-power states between subframe cycles, managing power consumption through rhythmic rather than continuous operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Electronic devices and displays are provided for reducing or eliminating image artifacts due to delayed or dropped image frames. Such an electronic display may include an electronic display panel to display an image frame and display driver circuitry (e.g., a timing controller (TCON)). The display driver circuitry may program display pixels of the display panel to display the image frame over a series of subframes having time quanta higher than a maximum frame rate of the electronic display.