Image display method and image display device

1. An image display method for expressing gray levels in accordance with a frame-rate-control (FRC) method using a display device having a plurality of pixels including P (P is a positive integer) sub-pixels, said method comprising:

supplying K-bit (K is positive integer) input image data to a signal processing circuit;

generating M (M is positive integer) time-shared frame data in time series each having P J-bit (J is positive integer of J<K and M<2 K−J ) data from K-bit input image data; and

supplying said time-shared frame data to a source driver as driving data,

wherein said signal processing circuit generates 2 K−J gray levels insufficient due to a difference between numbers of bits of the K-bit input image data and the J-bit time-shared frame data by using at least some of combinations of said time-shared frame data of (P×M) ways performed for each of the pixels in accordance with the 2 K−J gray levels, and

when a total number of combinations of (P×M) ways of the time-shared frame data to the P sub-pixels is less than 2 K−J gray levels, i.e., P×M<2 K−J , a shortage is compensated by using at least some of (Q×M) {Q is a positive integer of (Q×M)<2 K−J } time-shared frame data values.

2. The image display method according to claim 1 ,

wherein P carry signals are generated by generating M time-series data in time-shared for each of the sub-pixels in accordance with low-order (K−J) bits of the K-bit input image data,

the P carry signals are added to high-order J-bit data of the input image data, respectively, and

obtained addition results are used as J-bit data to each of the P sub-pixels.

3. The image display method according to claim 1 ,

wherein a combination of the time-shared frame data for the P sub-pixels is decided so that a maximum value or a minimum value of low-order (K−J)-bit data values of the input image data are related to a maximum brightness or a minimum brightness of a combined display of the P sub-pixels, respectively.

4. The image display method according to claim 2 ,

wherein a combination of the time-shared frame data for the P sub-pixels is decided so that a maximum value or a minimum value of low-order (K−J)-bit data values of the input image data are related to a maximum brightness or a minimum brightness of a combined display of the P sub-pixels, respectively.

5. The image display method according to claim 1 , wherein the (Q×M) time-shared frame data is different from the M time-shared frame data.

6. The image display method according to claim 5 , wherein the (Q×M) time-shared frame data has a shorter unit frame data than that of the M time-shared frame data.

7. An image display device for expressing gray levels by using a Frame Rate Control (FRC) method, comprising:

a display panel having a plurality of pixels including P (P is a positive integer) sub-pixels;

a driver for display-driving each of the pixels of the display panel in accordance with P J-bit (J is a positive integer) driving data values corresponding to the P sub-pixels; and

a signal processing circuit for distributing K-bit (K is a positive integer of K>J) input image data to time-shared frame data values including M (M is a positive integer of M<2 K−J ) frames arranged in time series each of which includes P J-bit data values and supplying the time-shared frame data values to the driver as driving data,

wherein said signal processing circuit generates 2 K−J gray levels insufficient due to a difference between numbers of bits of the K-bit input image data and the J-bit time-shared frame data by using at least some of combinations of said time-shared frame data of (P×M) ways performed for each of the pixels in accordance with the 2 K−J gray levels, and

when a total number of combinations of (P×M) ways of the time-shared frame data to the P sub-pixels is less than 2 K−J gray levels, i.e., P×M<2 K−J , a shortage is compensated by using at least some of (Q×M) {Q is a positive integer of (Q×M)<2 K−J } time-shared frame data values.

8. The image display device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the signal processing circuit comprises a carry setting circuit for generating P carry signals by generating M time-series data values for each of the sub-pixels in time-shared in accordance with low-order (K−J)-bit data of the K-bit input image data and P adders for respectively adding the P carry signals to high-order J-bit data of the input image data and outputting the obtained addition results to each of the P sub-pixels as J-bit data.

9. The image display device according to claim 7 ,

wherein a combination of the time-shared frame data for the P sub-pixels is decided so that a maximum value or a minimum value of low-order (K−J)-bit data values of the input image data are related to a maximum brightness or a minimum brightness of a combined display of the P sub-pixels, respectively.

10. The image display device according to claim 8 ,

wherein a combination of the time-shared frame data for die P sub-pixels is decided so that a maximum value or a minimum value of low-order (K−J)-bit data values of the input image data are related to a maximum brightness or a minimum brightness of a combined display of the P sub-pixels, respectively.

11. The image display method according to claim 7 , wherein the (Q×M) time-shared frame data is different from the M time-shared frame data.

12. The image display method according to claim 11 , wherein the (Q×M) time-shared frame data has a shorter unit frame data than that of the M time-shared frame data.

13. An image display method using Frame Rate Control (FRC) method of a display panel having a plurality of pixels, said method comprising:

supplying K-bit input image data (K is positive integer) for a pixel including P (P is a positive integer) sub-pixels to a signal processing circuit;

dividing said K-bit input image data into J-bit (J<K) driving image data and (K−J)-bit data;

forming M time-shared frame data for each of said P sub-pixels so that (P×M) combination data correspond to said (K−J)-bit data; and

driving each of P sub-pixels M dines using based on said (K−J)-bit data to display 2 K−J ( 2 K−J <P×M) gray levels for each J-bit driving image data having 2 j gray levels so that said pixel including P sub-pixels display 2 K gray levels,

wherein, when a total number of combinations of (P×M) ways of the time-shared frame data to the P sub-pixels is less than 2 K−J gray levels, i.e., P×M<2 K−J , a shortage is compensated by using at least some of (Q×M) {Q is a positive integer of (Q×M)<2 K−J } time-shared frame data values.

14. The image display method according to claim 13 ,

wherein P carry signals are generated by generating M time-series data in time-shared for each of the sub-pixels in accordance with low-order (K−J) bits of the K-bit input image data,

the P carry signals are added to high-order J-bit data of the input image data respectively, and

the obtained addition results are used as J-bit data to each of the P sub-pixels.

15. The image display method according to claim 13 ,

wherein a combination of the time-shared frame data for the P sub-pixels is decided so that a maximum value or a minimum value of low-order (K−J)-bit data values of the input image data are related to a maximum brightness or a minimum brightness of a combined display of the P sub-pixels, respectively.

16. The image display method according to claim 14 ,

wherein a combination of the time-shared frame data for the P sub-pixels is decided so that a maximum value or a minimum value of low-order (K−J)-bit data values of the input image data are related to a maximum brightness or a minimum brightness of a combined display of the P sub-pixels, respectively.

17. The image display method according to claim 13 , wherein the (Q×M) time-shared frame data is different from the M time-shared frame data.

18. The image display method according to claim 17 , wherein the (Q×M) time-shared frame data has a shorter unit frame data than tat of the M time-shared frame data.