CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean patent application number No. 10-2020-0030278, filed on Mar. 11, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a display device and a method of driving the display device.

2. Related Art

A display device may include a host processor, a display driver, and a display panel. The host processor may transmit input image data to the display driver, and the display driver may generate data signals based on the input image data. The display panel may display an image in a display area based on the data signals.

The display device may shift an image displayed in the display area of the display panel depending on a display mode. When the host processor generates input image data for shifting the image in each frame and transmits the generated input image data to the display driver, power consumption by the display device may increase.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a display device that is capable of reducing power consumption by a host processor for generating input image data and power consumption by an interface for transmitting/receiving the input image data.

An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide for a display device. The display device may include a display driver configured to receive input image data and generate a data signal based on the input image data, and a display panel configured to display an image in a display area based on the data signal. The input image data may include position information of the image, and the display driver may update at least a portion of the position information included in the input image data corresponding to at least a partial area of the display area and provide the data signal including an updated position information during a frame period in which no new input image data is received. The image corresponding to the partial area may be updated in the display area based on the updated position information during the frame period.

In an embodiment, the display panel may be drivable in a first mode in which a moving image is displayed in the display area or a second mode in which a still image is displayed in the display area.

In an embodiment, the input image data may include first sub-input image data and second sub-input image data; in the first mode, the first sub-input image data may be provided to the display driver in each frame; and in the second mode, the second sub-input image data may be provided to the display driver to correspond to at least one frame, after which provision of the second sub-input image data is paused.

In an embodiment, the display driver may include an input interface configured to receive the input image data, a frame memory configured to store the input image data, and an image position change component configured to change the position information included in the input image data stored in the frame memory.

In an embodiment, the display driver may further include a data signal generator configured to generate the data signal in each frame based on the input image data stored in the frame memory.

In an embodiment, the display area may include first to n-th sub-display areas, where n is a natural number, the input image data includes first to n-th line data values respectively corresponding to the first to n-th sub-display areas. The display driver may further include a line memory configured to store at least a portion of the first to n-th line data values included in the input image data stored in the frame memory.

In an embodiment, the line memory may store an i-th line data value and (i+1)-th line data value, among the first to n-th line data values, where i is a natural number that is equal to or greater than 1 and is less than or equal to n, the frame memory may store the i-th line data value stored in the line memory, as a first line data value corresponding to an (i+1)-th sub-display area, among the first to n-th sub-display areas, and stores the (i+1)-th line data value stored in the line memory, as a second line data value corresponding to an (i+2)-th sub-display area, among the first to n-th sub-display areas, and the image may be shifted based on the first to n-th line data values stored in the frame memory during the frame period.

An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide for a display device. The display device may include a host processor configured to generate input image data, a display driver configured to receive the input image data from the host processor and generate a data signal based on the input image data, and a display panel configured to display an image in a display area based on the data signal. The host processor may output the input image data and an image position control signal. The input image data may include position information of the image, and the display driver may update at least a portion of the position information included in the input image data in response to the image position control signal and provide the data signal including an updated position information during a frame period until the host processor outputs next input image data, the portion of the position information updated by the display driver corresponding to at least a partial area of the display area. The image corresponding to the partial area may be updated in the display area based on the updated position information during the frame period.

In an embodiment, the display panel may be drivable in a first mode in which a moving image is displayed in the display area or a second mode in which a still image is displayed in the display area, and the input image data may include first sub-input image data corresponding to the first mode and second sub-input image data corresponding to the second mode.

In an embodiment, the host processor may include an image position control signal generator configured to generate the image position control signal in the second mode, and an output interface configured to output the first sub-input image data, the second sub-input image data, and the image position control signal.

In an embodiment, the host processor may further include an image analyzer configured to analyze whether the display mode is the first mode or the second mode, and an output controller configured to generate an output control signal when the display mode is the second mode based on a result of analysis by the image analyzer.

In an embodiment, the output interface may be configured to, in the first mode, output the first sub-input image data as the input image data in each frame, and in the second mode, output the second sub-input image data corresponding to at least one frame as the input image data in response to the output control signal, and pause to output the input image data based on the result of analysis.

In an embodiment, the display driver may include an input interface configured to receive the first sub-input image data, the second sub-input image data, and the image position control signal, a frame memory configured to store the second sub-input image data in the second mode, and an image position change component configured to generate an image position change signal in response to the image position control signal in the second mode. The portion of the position information included in the second sub-input image data stored in the frame memory may be updated in response to the image position change signal in the second mode.

In an embodiment, the display driver may further include a data signal generator configured to generate the data signal in each frame based on the input image data.

In an embodiment, the data signal generator may be configured to, in the first mode, generate the data signal based on the first sub-input image data, and in the second mode, generate the data signal based on the second sub-input image data stored in the frame memory.

In an embodiment, the display panel may include a visible area that is perceivable by a user and an invisible area that is not perceivable by the user in the display area, and the host processor may generate the image position control signal based on the visible area.

In an embodiment, the host processor may generate the image position control signal based on scroll information.

In an embodiment, the display area may include first to n-th sub-display areas, where n is a natural number, the second sub-input image data may include first to n-th line data values respectively corresponding to the first to n-th sub-display areas. The display driver may further include a line memory configured to store at least a portion of the first to n-th line data values included in the second sub-input image data stored in the frame memory.

In an embodiment, the line memory may store an i-th line data value and (i+1)-th line data value, among the first to n-th line data values, in response to the image position change signal in the second mode, where i is a natural number that is equal to or greater than 1 and is less than or equal to n. The frame memory may store the i-th line data value stored in the line memory, as a first line data value corresponding to an (i+1)-th sub-display area, among the first to n-th sub-display areas, and store the (i+1)-th line data value stored in the line memory, as a second line data value corresponding to an (i+2)-th sub-display area, among the first to n-th sub-display areas, in response to the image position change signal in the second mode. The image may be shifted based on the first to n-th line data values stored in the frame memory in the second mode.

An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide for a method of driving a display device that includes a host processor, a display driver, and a display panel. The method may include generating, by the host processor, input image data, generating, by the display driver, a data signal based on the input image data, and displaying, by the display panel, an image in a display area based on the data signal. The display panel may be drivable in a first mode or a second mode depending on a display mode, the host processor may output first sub-input image data as the input image data in the first mode, output second sub-input image data as the input image data and an image position control signal in the second mode. The second sub-input image data may include position information of an image displayed in the display area. The display driver may update at least a portion of the position information included in the second sub-input image data in response to the image position control signal and provide the data signal including an updated position information in the second mode, the portion of the position information updated by the display driver corresponding to at least a partial area of the display area. The host processor may pause outputting the input image data in the second mode. The image corresponding to the partial area is updated in the display area based on the updated position information in the second mode until the host processor outputs next input image data.

In an embodiment, the display panel may be configured to display a moving image in the display area in the first mode, and display a still image in the display area in the second mode.

In an embodiment, the display driver may include a frame memory and an image position change component, and the frame memory may store the second sub-input image data in the second mode. The image position change component may generate an image position change signal in response to the image position control signal in the second mode. The portion of the position information included in the second sub-input image data stored in the frame memory may be updated in response to the image position change signal in the second mode.

In an embodiment, the display driver may further include a data signal generator. The data signal generator may generate the data signal in each frame based on the input image data.

In an embodiment, the data signal generator may be configured to, in the first mode, generate the data signal based on the first sub-input image data, and in the second mode, generate the data signal based on the second sub-input image data stored in the frame memory.

In an embodiment, the display panel may include a visible area that is perceivable by a user and an invisible area that is not perceivable by the user in the display area. The host processor may generate the image position control signal based on the visible area.

In an embodiment, the display area may include first to n-th sub-display areas, where n is a natural number. The second sub-input image data may include first to n-th line data values respectively corresponding to the first to n-th sub-display areas.

In an embodiment, the display driver may further include a line memory, the line memory stores an i-th line data value and (i+1)-th line data value, among the first to n-th line data values, in response to the image position change signal in the second mode, where i is a natural number that is equal to or greater than 1 and is less than or equal to n. The frame memory may store the i-th line data value stored in the line memory, as a first line data value corresponding to an (i+1)-th sub-display area, among the first to n-th sub-display areas, and store the (i+1)-th line data value stored in the line memory, as a second line data value corresponding to an (i+2)-th sub-display area, among the first to n-th sub-display areas, in response to the image position change signal in the second mode. The image may be shifted based on the first to n-th line data values stored in the frame memory in the second mode.

