JP2012198563A - Image display panel, display panel control device, and image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically perform specification change in a display panel control device in response to a control specification required in an image display panel and to share the control specification by a plurality of other image display panels controlled by the display panel control device.SOLUTION: An image display panel 1 controlled by a display panel control device 9 comprises: a storage circuit 2 for storing information about a control specification required when the display panel control device 9 controls the image display panel 1; and a communication circuit 3 for outputting information stored in the storage circuit 2 to the exterior.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for controlling an image display panel by a display panel control device.

  Image display panels generally have display panel control specifications such as the timing of power supply to the image display panel, the timing of sending data to be displayed, the brightness control timing of the image display panel, and the polarity of the control signal. It depends on the manufacturer and the type of image display panel.

  On the other hand, in recent years, the manufacturing industry of display devices using image display panels has been divided and specialized, and image display panels have been produced by display panel manufacturers specializing in image display panel manufacturing. According to market conditions such as price and supply, image display panels to be adopted are decided from a plurality of display panel manufacturers. Furthermore, even in the same display device product, select multiple image display panels suitable for specifications from among the compatible image display panels of multiple display panel manufacturers, and display different images from time to time. The use of panels is increasing.

  However, because the control specifications differ in detail depending on the image display panel, it is necessary for the display device to change the display panel control specifications every time the image display panel changes, resulting in problems such as software changes. It was.

  As a method of sharing on the image display apparatus side when using a plurality of image display panels, there has been a mechanistic sharing improvement measure such as an image display panel mounting method (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-208384 A

  However, in the above-described conventional example, the mechanical specifications are shared, and the electrical control of the image display panel has not been shared for a plurality of image display panels so far. The reason is that the control specifications required by the image display panel can only be known from the display panel specifications issued by the display panel manufacturer, and the specifications of the display panel control device are manually created according to the specifications of the image display panel each time. This is because there was a need to change.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and automates the specification change in the display panel control device performed for the control specifications required by the image display panel, and displays a plurality of images on the display panel control device. The purpose is to share the panel.

  An image display panel according to the present invention is an image display panel controlled by a display panel control device, and stores storage means and storage means for storing information relating to control specifications required when the display panel control device controls the image display panel. Output means for outputting the stored information to the outside, the storage means includes a control line that can be pulled up / down, and the output means includes an output terminal of the control line.

  As an effect of the present invention, the image display panel includes storage means and output means for storing information relating to the control specifications of the image display panel. Therefore, the information is received by the display panel control device, and the image is displayed based on the received information. By controlling the display panel, the display panel control device can be shared by a plurality of image display panels.

It is a block diagram which shows the image display panel and display panel control apparatus which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the image display panel and display panel control apparatus which concern on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.

<Embodiment 1>
(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an apparatus according to the first embodiment. An image display panel 1 such as a liquid crystal display panel for displaying a video such as a moving image and a display panel control device 9 are included.

  The image display panel 1 includes a storage circuit 2 and a communication circuit 3.

  The storage circuit 2 is a storage unit that stores information related to control specifications required when the display panel control device 9 controls the image display panel 1 and includes a nonvolatile memory. Examples of information relating to the control specifications include a control method and control timing of the image display panel 1. The communication circuit 3 is connected to the output unit of the memory circuit 2 and is an output means for reading out the information stored in the memory circuit 2 and outputting the information to the outside. The information in the memory circuit 2 is transmitted to the outside by serial communication, for example. Communication circuit.

  The display panel control device 9 includes a receiving circuit 4, a microcontroller 6, and a display panel control circuit 5.

  The receiving circuit 4 is a receiving unit that is connected to the output unit of the communication circuit 3 and receives information transmitted by the communication circuit 3. The microcontroller 6 is connected to the output unit of the receiving circuit 4 and the input unit of the display panel control circuit 5 and controls the display panel control circuit 5 based on the information received by the receiving circuit 4. The receiving circuit 4 is a receiving circuit that can read information in the storage circuit 2 transmitted via the communication circuit 3 by serial communication, for example, and the microcontroller 6 often serves also as the receiving circuit 4.

  The display panel control circuit 5 is a control unit that is connected to the output unit of the microcontroller 6 and the input unit of the image display panel 1 and controls the image display panel 1. Here, a signal for controlling the image display panel 1 by the display panel control circuit 5 is referred to as a control signal 7. The display panel control circuit 5 controls the image display panel 1 with a control signal 7 but always includes a microcontroller 6.

(Operation)
Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  By starting the processing (step S1), the data stored in the storage circuit 2 of the nonvolatile memory of the image display panel 1 is output to the outside of the image display panel 1 via the communication circuit 3, and the data is Received by the receiving circuit 4 (step S2).

  Further, whether or not the signal is correctly received by the receiving circuit 4 is checked by a checksum method or the like (step S3). If not correctly received, the receiving operation is repeated.

  When the information is correctly received, the receiving circuit 4 checks whether the value of the received control information is included in the limit value prepared in advance for each control information item, and the acquired control information It is confirmed whether there is no problem even if the value of is actually applied to the control signal 7 (step S4).

  If there is a problem, it is processed as an error (step S8).

  If there is no problem, the value of the acquired control information is analyzed by the microcontroller 6, and the control signal 7 is replaced with a corresponding variable in software processing (step S5). Thereafter, the control signal 7 is changed by the display panel control circuit 5, the display panel control process is executed (step S6), and the process ends (step S7). The control signal 7 is appropriately changed so that the optimal control for the image display panel 1 can be performed.

  Examples of variable contents of the control signal 7 include power supply control timing to the image display panel 1, video data control timing to the panel, luminance control timing to the image display panel 1, and polarity of the control signal.

  The variable contents of the control signal 7 to the image display panel 1 performed by the display panel control circuit 5 and the microcontroller 6 include not only the control timing received by the receiving circuit 4 and the information on the polarity of the control signal, Other information may be used. For example, the type name code or the display panel manufacturer code of the image display panel 1 is received to determine the type of the image display panel 1, and the control information for each type of the image display panel 1 is previously determined by the microcontroller 6. If the table is held, it can be called and used, and equivalent processing may be performed.

  At that time, the microcontroller 6 needs to be provided with a storage circuit such as a non-volatile memory for storing the control information table.

(effect)
Information such as a control method and control timing of the image display panel 1 is stored in the image display panel 1, and information stored in the image display panel 1 is received by the display panel control device 9, and the information is stored in the information. In addition, since a mechanism for controlling the image display panel 1 is incorporated, the display panel control device 9 can be shared by a plurality of image display panels 1.

<Embodiment 2>
(Constitution)
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an apparatus according to the second embodiment. An image display panel 1 such as a liquid crystal display panel and a display panel control device 9 are included.

  The image display panel 1 is provided with a control line 8 which is a storage means for outputting a Hi / Low signal. Any number of control lines 8 may be provided, and pull-up / pull-down processing is performed on the image display panel 1 side in advance. In the first embodiment, the control line 8 has a means for storing information by having a non-volatile memory in the image display panel 1, but the storage means does not necessarily have to be a memory. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the image display panel 1 includes an output terminal that is an output unit that outputs a signal stored in the control line 8 to the outside of the image display panel 1.

  The display panel control device 9 includes a microcontroller 6 and a display panel control circuit 5.

  The microcontroller 6 is connected to the output terminal of the image display panel 1 and the input unit of the display panel control circuit 5, receives information from the control line 8, and supervises the display panel control circuit 5 based on the information. The display panel control circuit 5 is connected to the output unit of the microcontroller 6 and the input unit of the image display panel 1 and controls the display panel 1. Here, a signal for controlling the image display panel 1 by the display panel control circuit 5 is referred to as a control signal 7.

(Operation)
Next, the operation will be described.

  Data that has been subjected to pull-up / pull-down processing by the control line 8 of the image display panel 1 is output to the outside of the image display panel 1 through an output terminal, and the data is received by the microcontroller 6. The value of the received control information is analyzed by the microcontroller 6, the control signal 7 is replaced with a corresponding variable in the software process, and is output to the display panel control circuit 5. Thereafter, the control signal 7 is changed by the display panel control circuit 5 and the control process of the image display panel 1 is executed.

  By determining the meaning of the Hi / Low signal of each control line 8 in advance, the microcontroller 6 reading the status of the control line 8 appropriately changes the control signal 7 according to the status information.

  The status of each control line 8 that should be determined in advance on the image display panel 1 side and the display panel control device 9 side may be assigned a unique meaning for each, but for example, eight control lines May be prepared, and 8-bit binary information is obtained by the Hi / Low, and the number has a meaning. For example, if it is determined that the upper 3 bits of 8 bits represent display panel manufacturers and the lower 5 bits represent the types of image display panels, 32 types of image display panels 1 of 8 display panel manufacturers can be represented.

(effect)
Also in the present embodiment, different image display panels 1 can be shared by the same display panel control device 9 as in the first embodiment.

  Further, as a feature of the present embodiment, a storage circuit such as a non-volatile memory is not provided on the image display panel 1 side, and only the control line 8 for the Hi / Low signal by pull-up / pull-down is prepared. Therefore, the objective can be achieved at an extremely low cost. Furthermore, since the control line 8 is integrated with the control signal 7 to the image display panel 1, it is not necessary to increase the number of cables connecting the image display panel 1 and the display panel control circuit 5. I can do it.

  In the present invention, the display panel control information is provided in the image display panel 1 and is mainly outputable, but the information provided in the image display panel 1 is not limited to the display panel control information. For example, by giving the serial number of the image display panel 1 so that it can be output, it is possible to know the serial number of the image display panel 1 without disassembling it after the image display panel 1 is assembled as an image display device. It can be used at low cost for display panel number management on the production line and defective product management when a display panel defect occurs.

  Here, a liquid crystal display panel is given as a representative example of the image display panel 1, but the present invention is applied to all display devices that are controlled by a control signal to the image display panel, such as a plasma panel and an organic EL panel. Can do.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image display panel, 2 Memory circuit, 3 Communication circuit, 4 Reception circuit, 5 Display panel control circuit, 6 Microcontroller, 7 Control signal, 8 Control line, 9 Display panel control apparatus.

Claims (3)

An image display panel controlled by a display panel control device,
Storage means for storing information relating to control specifications required when the display panel control device controls the image display panel;
Output means for outputting the information stored in the storage means to the outside;
With
The storage means includes a control line that can be pulled up / down,
The output means includes an output terminal of the control line,
Image display panel. A display panel control device for controlling an image display panel,
Receiving means for receiving, from the image display panel, information relating to control specifications required when the display panel control device controls the image display panel;
Control means for controlling the image display panel based on the information received by the receiving means;
A display panel control device comprising: An image display panel according to claim 1;
A display panel control device according to claim 2;
An image display device comprising:

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