Drive circuit for flat display apparatus and flat display apparatus

1. A drive circuit for a flat display apparatus wherein driving signals are produced by a digital to analog conversion processing of image data and are used to drive signal lines of a display section wherein pixels are arranged in a matrix, comprising:

an original reference voltage production circuit for producing a plurality of original reference voltages;

a reference voltage production circuit including a resistor series circuit formed from a plurality of voltage dividing circuits connected in series and each including a plurality of resistors connected in series for receiving the original reference voltages at the opposite ends of and at nodes between said voltage dividing circuits of said resistor series circuit and outputting divided voltages by said voltage dividing circuits as a plurality reference voltages; and

a driving signal digital to analog conversion circuit for receiving the reference voltages as inputs thereto and selectively outputting the inputted reference voltages in accordance with the image data for the corresponding ones of said signal lines as the driving signals;

said reference voltage production circuit producing the reference voltages in a plurality of systems having different gamma characteristics;

said driving signal digital to analog conversion circuit selecting the reference signals of one of the plural systems and selectively outputting the selected reference voltages in response to the image data.

2. The drive circuit for a flat display apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a selector for outputting the driving signals outputted from digital to analog conversion circuits for said signal lines successively in a circulating manner to a plurality of sets of the pixels used to display a color image.

3. The drive circuit for a flat display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said original reference voltage production circuit produces and outputs the reference voltages in a plurality of systems individually corresponding to the systems of the reference voltages, and said reference voltage production circuit divides the original reference voltages of the individual systems by means of a plurality of systems of such resistor series circuits individually corresponding to the systems of the reference voltages to produce the reference voltages of the plural systems and outputs the produced reference voltages in the plurality of systems.

4. The drive circuit for a flat display apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said original reference voltage production circuit includes a plurality of original reference voltage digital to analog conversion circuits for performing a digital to analog conversion process for original reference voltage setting data to produce the original reference voltages, the original reference voltages for a black level and a white level of each of the systems of the original reference voltages being produced by the original reference voltage digital to analog conversion circuit common to the plural systems.

5. A flat display apparatus for displaying an image based on image data, comprising:

a display section including pixels arranged in a matrix;

a horizontal drive circuit for producing driving signals from the image data and driving signal lines of said display section with the driving signals; and

a body apparatus for outputting image data to said horizontal drive circuit;

said body apparatus outputting selection signals for indicating selection of gamma characteristics to be used to display the image data to said horizontal drive circuit together with the image data;

said horizontal drive circuit including an original reference voltage production circuit for producing a plurality of original reference voltages, a reference voltage production circuit including a resistor series circuit formed from a plurality of voltage dividing circuits connected in series and each including a plurality of resistors connected in series for receiving the original reference voltages at the opposite ends of and at nodes between said voltage dividing circuits of said resistor series circuit and outputting divided voltages by said voltage dividing circuits as a plurality reference voltages, and a driving signal digital to analog conversion circuit for receiving the reference voltages as inputs thereto and selectively outputting the inputted reference voltages in accordance with the image data for the corresponding ones of said signal lines as the driving signals;

said reference voltage production circuit producing the reference voltages in a plurality of systems having different gamma characteristics;

said driving signal digital to analog conversion circuit selecting the reference signals of one of the plural systems and selectively outputting the selected reference voltages in response to the image data.

6. The flat display apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said horizontal drive circuit further includes a selector for outputting the driving signals outputted from digital to analog conversion circuits for said signal lines successively in a circulating manner to a plurality of sets of the pixels used to display a color image.

7. The flat display apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, in response to selection of one of the systems of reference voltages in accordance with the selection signal, the gamma characteristic for display of said display section is changed over within a region of a predetermined range in a horizontal direction and/or a vertical direction in one screen.

8. The flat display apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said original reference voltage production circuit produces and outputs the reference voltages in a plurality of systems individually corresponding to the systems of the reference voltages, and said reference voltage production circuit divides the original reference voltages of the individual systems by means of a plurality of systems of such resistor series circuits individually corresponding to the systems of the reference voltages to produce the reference voltages of the plural systems and outputs the produced reference voltages in the plurality of systems.

9. The flat display apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said original reference voltage production circuit includes a plurality of original reference voltage digital to analog conversion circuits for performing a digital to analog conversion process for original reference voltage setting data to produce the original reference voltages, the original reference voltages for a black level and a white level of each of the systems of the original reference voltages being produced by the original reference voltage digital to analog conversion circuit common to the plural systems.