LCD source driver feedback system and method
View Patent ↗An electrical assembly and method for detecting failures in an LCD source driver is disclosed herein. A plurality of active channels are placed on the source driver which communicate electronically with an LCD. At least one dummy channel may be placed on the source driver which is driven with an original signal. A microprocessor may then receive the dummy channel and compare the received dummy channel signal to the original signal. An error message may be transmitted when the received dummy channel signal does not match the original signal. Alternatively, the source driver may be provided with a split active channel which is provided with an original signal that is split into an active split channel and a dummy split channel. While the active split channel is sent to the LCD, the dummy split channel is sent to the microprocessor for comparison with the original signal.
1. A method for detecting a failure in an LCD source driver comprising the steps of:
providing at least one dummy channel in addition to the active channels on the source driver;
driving the dummy channel and all of the active channels to be used, with original signals;
receiving said dummy channel original signal at a microprocessor; and
comparing said dummy channel original signal with at least one active channel original signal at the microprocessor.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
converting the received dummy channel signal from analog to digital before comparing with the original signal.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
alerting upstream logic that a failure has occurred when the received dummy channel signal does not match the original signal.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
splitting an active channel so as to produce a resulting active channel signal and dummy channel signal based on the same original signal.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:
receiving the dummy channel signal and comparing it with the original signal; and
receiving the active channel signal at the LCD.
6. An electrical assembly for detecting failures in an LCD source driver comprising:
a plurality of active channels on the source driver which communicate electronically with an LCD;
a dummy channel on the source driver which is driven with an original signal; and
a microprocessor which receives the dummy channel and compares the received dummy channel signal to the original signal;
wherein the dummy channel is configured to bypass the LCD.
7. The electrical assembly of claim 6 further comprising:
an analog to digital converter which digitizes the received dummy channel signal before comparing it to the original signal.
8. The electrical assembly of claim 6 wherein:
the microprocessor is located on a display interface board.
9. The electrical assembly of claim 6 further comprising:
a second dummy channel on the source driver which is driven with a second original signal; and
wherein the microprocessor additionally receives the second dummy channel and compares the received second dummy channel to the second original signal.
10. The electrical assembly of claim 9 wherein:
the microprocessor is adapted to transmit an error message when either (1) the received dummy channel signal does not match the original signal or (2) the received second dummy channel signal does not match the second original signal.
11. The electrical assembly of claim 6 wherein:
the microprocessor is adapted to transmit an error message when the received dummy channel signal does not match the original signal.