Apparatus and method of driving light source for image display device and image display device having the same

1. An apparatus for driving a light source in an image display device in which a gate signal of a gate line includes a gate-on voltage and a gate-off voltage to control activation of pixels of the image display device, the apparatus comprising:

a signal controller that generates a synchronization signal in response to input control signals externally provided, wherein the signal controller generates a gate control signal to control timing of generation of the gate-on voltage, and the synchronization signal generated from the signal controller has a phase difference of 90° with respect to the gate control signal; and

an inverter that generates a driving signal synchronized with the synchronization signal, the driving signal being provided to the light source,

wherein the driving signal includes a wave signal of which a rising slope interval and a falling slope interval are substantially equal to each other during a gate-on voltage interval in which a data voltage of a data line in the image display device is charged in corresponding one of the pixels.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gate-on voltage interval is smaller than a period of the gate control signal.

3. An apparatus for driving a light source in an image display device in which a gate signal of a gate line includes a gate-on voltage and a gate-off voltage to control activation of pixels of the image display device, the apparatus comprising:

a signal controller that generates a synchronization signal in response to input control signals externally provided, wherein the signal controller generates a gate control signal to control timing of generation of the gate-on voltage;

an inverter that generates a driving signal synchronized with the synchronization signal, the driving signal being provided to the light source; and,

a phase shifter that receives the gate control signal from the signal controller and generates the synchronization signal to the inverter, the synchronization signal having a phase difference of 90° with respect to the gate control signal,

wherein the driving signal includes a wave signal of which a rising slope interval and a falling slope interval are substantially equal to each other during a gate-on voltage interval in which a data voltage of a data line the image display device is charged in corresponding one of the pixels.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a multi-vibrator that receives a data enable signal from the signal controller and generates the synchronization signal to the inverter, wherein the data enable signal controls timing of image data provided to a data driver of the image display device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the synchronization signal has a phase difference of 90° with respect to the gate control signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wave signal of the driving signal is substantially symmetric with respect to a vertical center line within the gate-on voltage interval.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the wave signal of the driving signal is a sinusoidal signal.

8. An image display device comprising:

a display panel having gate lines and data lines electrically connected with pixels of the image display device;

a gate driver that provides a gate signal to corresponding ones of the pixels via the gate lines;

a data driver that provides a data voltage to corresponding ones of the pixels via the data lines;

a lamp unit that provides light to the display panel;

an inverter that provides a lamp driving signal to drive the lamp unit; and

a signal controller that generates a gate control signal to control timing of generation of the gate-on voltage,

wherein the signal controller generates a synchronization signal to the inverter, the synchronization signal having a phase difference of 90° with respect to the gate control signal, the lamp driving signal being synchronized with the synchronization signal, and

wherein the lamp driving signal includes a wave signal of which a rising slope interval and a falling slope interval are substantially equal to each other during a gate-on voltage interval in which the data voltage is charged in corresponding one of the pixels.

9. The image display device of claim 8 , wherein the gate-on voltage interval is smaller than a period of the gate control signal.

10. An image display device comprising:

a display panel having gate lines and data lines electrically connected with pixels of the image display device;

a gate driver that provides a gate signal to corresponding ones of the pixels via the gate lines;

a data driver that provides a data voltage to corresponding ones of the pixels via the data lines;

a lamp unit that provides light to the display panel;

an inverter that provides a lamp driving signal to drive the lamp unit;

a signal controller that generates a gate control signal to control timing of generation of the gate-on voltage; and

a phase shifter that receives the gate control signal from the signal controller and generates the synchronization signal to the inverter, the synchronization signal having a phase difference of 90° with respect to the gate control signal,

wherein the lamp driving signal includes a wave signal of which a rising slope interval and a falling slope interval are substantially equal to each other during a gate-on voltage interval in which the data voltage is charged in corresponding one of the pixels.

11. The image display device of claim 8 , wherein the signal controller generates a data enable signal to control timing of image data provided to a data driver of the image display device.

12. The image display device of claim 11 , further including a multi-vibrator that receives the data enable signal and generates the synchronization signal to the inverter, the synchronization signal having a phase difference of 90° with respect to the gate control signal.

13. The image display device of claim 8 , wherein the wave signal of the lamp driving signal is substantially symmetric with respect to a vertical center line within the gate-on voltage interval.

14. The image display device of claim 13 , wherein the wave signal of the lamp driving signal is a sinusoidal signal.

15. A method for driving a light source for providing light to a display panel in an image display device, comprising:

providing a gate signal to control activation of corresponding pixels in the display panel, the gate signal including a gate-on voltage and a gate-off voltage;

providing a data voltage to activated pixels to display images;

generating a gate control signal to control timing of generation of the gate-on voltage;

phase-shifting the gate control signal to generate a synchronization signal; and

generating a driving signal to drive the light source, the driving signal being synchronized with the synchronization signal and having a wave signal that is substantially symmetric with respect to a vertical center line within a gate-on voltage interval during which the data voltage is charged in corresponding one of the pixels,

wherein the phase-shifting the gate control signal includes shifting a phase of the gate control signal by 90° to generate the synchronization signal.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the wave signal of the driving signal has a rising slope interval and a falling slope interval that are substantially equal to each other during the gate-on voltage interval.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the wave signal of the driving signal is a sinusoidal signal.