Shared-Controller Scan Driver for Stable Scan and Sensing Output
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current display devices face challenges in minimizing circuit complexity while stably performing various operations such as scan methods, mobility sensing, and threshold voltage sensing, particularly in scan drivers and stage circuits.
Innovation Solution
A scan driver design where multiple output buffers share a single drive controller, utilizing oxide thin film transistors to manage scan and sensing signals efficiently, with specific clock and power control mechanisms to stabilize output voltages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If multiple output buffers share one drive controller, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability may deteriorate due to increased load on the shared controller
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple output buffers share a single drive controller to reduce device complexity. The patent integrates the drive controller to simultaneously manage multiple output buffers, eliminating the need for separate controllers for each buffer and thereby simplifying the overall circuit architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive controller is designed with multi-functionality to handle various scan methods, mobility sensing operations, and threshold voltage sensing operations. It can adapt to different operation modes through configuration signals, making a single controller capable of performing multiple functions that would otherwise require separate dedicated controllers.
2Measurement precision
If different scan methods are used for display operation, mobility sensing, and threshold voltage sensing, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive controller dynamically adapts its operation mode based on the type of operation required. It can switch between display scan mode, mobility sensing mode, and threshold voltage sensing mode by responding to control signals, allowing different scan methods to be applied as needed without requiring separate static circuit paths for each mode.
Solution Approach 2:
A single drive controller is designed to universally handle multiple operation types including display scanning, mobility sensing, and threshold voltage sensing. The controller interprets control signals to determine the appropriate scan method to use, consolidating multiple specialized controllers into one multi-functional unit while maintaining the precision benefits of method-specific scanning.
3Manufacturing precision
If oxide thin film transistors are used in stage circuits, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to specialized processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies particular parameter ranges for the oxide thin film transistors, including threshold voltage ranges and mobility ranges, to ensure consistent performance. By defining these parameters and selecting transistors that fall within these ranges, the patent achieves manufacturing precision while providing clear fabrication guidelines that help manage the complexity of producing specialized oxide TFT circuits.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A scan driver includes stages configured to output a scan signal and a sensing signal. An i-th (where i is an odd number) stage includes a common circuit configured to control voltages of a first node and a second node in response to a previous carry signal, a first carry control clock signal, and a second carry control clock signal, to control a voltage of a sampling node in response to a sensing on signal and a subsequent carry signal, and to control voltages of a first drive node and a second drive node based on the voltages of the first node, the second node, the sampling node, and a sensing clock signal, and a first output buffer configured to output the scan signal and the sensing signal to an i-th pixel row in response to the voltages of the first drive node and the second drive node.