Display Driving IC Always-On Display Power Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices face challenges in providing informative content, such as always-on displays, while operating in low power modes, as they require minimal power consumption and limited functionality to extend battery life.

Innovation Solution

The method involves using a display driving IC to provide always-on display (AOD) content even when the processor is inactive, by utilizing a touch sensor IC and pressure sensor IC to detect user interactions and selectively output partial images or encoded images from a graphic random access memory, allowing for reduced power usage and extended battery life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If the processor remains active to provide always-on display content, then the display functionality is maintained, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoiddisplay functionality

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the always-on display functionality from the main processor by implementing a separate display driving IC that can independently render and update display content using stored image data, allowing the main processor to enter low-power states while the display continues to function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The display driving IC performs self-service by autonomously managing display content rendering, touch input processing, and image data retrieval from external memory without requiring continuous processor intervention, enabling the system to maintain display functionality while minimizing overall power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Use of energy by moving object

If the processor is deactivated to save power, then power consumption is reduced, but the ability to provide interactive display content is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidinteractive display capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a touch sensor IC as an intermediary that bridges user interaction and the display driving IC, enabling touch input detection and processing without requiring the main processor to be active, thus preserving interactive capability while maintaining low power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing multiple image data sets in external memory that correspond to different display states and interactions, allowing the display driving IC to quickly switch between predefined content without requiring real-time processor generation of display content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3582065B1Method for low power driving of display and electronic device for performing same

Publication Date: 2025.01.01 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

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AI summary

An electronic device includes a touch sensor, a touch sensor integrated circuit (IC) to detect a touch sensed by the touch sensor, a display panel, a host processor, and a display driving integrated circuit (IC) to drive the display panel such that an image received from the host processor is displayed on the display panel.