Display apparatus and driving method thereof synchronizing frequencies of a synchronization signal and dimming signal

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel which displays an image in response to a gate voltage and a data voltage;

a panel driver which receives a control signal, and which supplies the gate voltage and the data voltage to the display panel according to the control signal;

a backlight which supplies a light to the display panel;

an inverter which receives a backlight dimming signal, and which controls a brightness of a light emitted from the backlight according to the backlight dimming signal; and

a timing controller which receives a synchronization signal, and which determines a frame frequency of the display panel according to the synchronization signal, outputs the control signal, and modulates the synchronization signal based on a ratio of a predetermined dimming frequency to the frame frequency, and which outputs the backlight dimming signal according to the modulated synchronization signal;

wherein the ratio has a fraction form obtained by dividing the backlight dimming frequency by the frame frequency,

wherein the timing controller comprises:

a memory which stores the backlight dimming frequency;

a comparator which reads out the backlight dimming frequency from the memory and outputs the ratio corresponding to the read-out backlight dimming frequency; and

an inverter synchronizer which modulates the synchronization signal based on the ratio to output the backlight dimming signal, and

wherein the comparator comprises first and second look-up tables each of which has at least one column representing a frame frequency and at least one row representing a backlight dimming frequency, and the first look-up table stores a denominator value of the ratio and the second look-up table stores a numerator value of the ratio.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second look-up tables each include:

a plurality of columns, each column representing a different frame frequency; and

a plurality of rows, each row representing a different backlight dimming frequency.

3. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dimming signal has a frequency corresponding to a value obtained by multiplying the frame frequency by the ratio.

4. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the timing controller further comprises a detector which detects the frame frequency based on a reference clock signal and outputs the frame frequency to the comparator.

5. The display apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising an oscillator which generates the reference clock signal.

6. The display apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the detector is a counter which determines the frame frequency using the reference clock signal.

7. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the backlight comprises a plurality of lamps which emit the light.

8. A method of driving a display apparatus, comprising:

receiving a reference clock signal and a synchronization signal;

detecting a frame frequency of a display panel using the reference clock signal and the synchronization signal;

detecting a ratio of a predetermined backlight dimming frequency to the frame frequency;

modulating the synchronization signal based on the ratio to generate a backlight dimming signal;

applying the backlight dimming signal to a backlight; and

driving the backlight using the applied backlight dimming signal,

wherein the ratio has a fraction form obtained by dividing the backlight dimming frequency by the frame frequency, and

wherein, the ratio has a denominator value and a numerator value selected from a first look-up table and a second look-up table, respectively, and each of the first and second look-up tables has at least one column representing a frame frequency and at least one row representing a backlight dimming frequency.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first look-up table stores denominator values of the ratio and the second look-up table stores numerator values of the ratio.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first and second look-up tables each include:

a plurality of columns, each column representing a different frame frequency; and

a plurality of rows, each row representing a different backlight dimming frequency.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the backlight dimming signal has a frequency corresponding to a value obtained by multiplying the frame frequency by the ratio.