Apparatus and method for driving liquid crystal display device

1. An apparatus for driving an image display device comprising:

a display panel, which comprises a plurality of pixel regions, to display an image;

a plurality of data integrated circuits, which share at least one of synchronizing signals internally generated therefrom, generate gate and data control signals in accordance with the shared synchronizing signal, and drive data lines of the display panel, using the internally-generated data control signals; and

a gate driver that drives gate lines of the display panel in accordance with the gate control signal generated from one of the plurality of data integrated circuits, wherein each of the data integrated circuits comprises:

a clock generator for internally generating a main clock in real time in accordance with a predetermined frequency;

a synchronizing signal generator for internally generating a horizontal synchronizing signal, using the main clock, supplying the internally-generated horizontal synchronizing signal to remaining ones of the driving integrated circuits, comparing the internally-generated horizontal synchronizing signal with one or more externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals, and generating a vertical synchronizing signal, using one of the compared horizontal synchronizing signals, which is selected in accordance with a result of the comparison; and

a control signal generator for generating the gate and data control signals, using one horizontal synchronizing signal selected from among the horizontal synchronizing signal internally generated from the synchronizing signal generator and the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals and the vertical synchronizing signal.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the data integrated circuits further comprises:

a signal repeater that repeats image data externally input to the data integrated circuit, and repeats synchronizing signals externally input to the data integrated circuit when the synchronizing signals are input; and

an image processor that aligns the image data supplied from the signal repeater by a unit of at least one horizontal line such that the image data is suitable for driving the display panel, and sequentially outputting the aligned data.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein:

the synchronizing signal generator supplies the external synchronizing signals to the control signal generator, upon receiving the external synchronizing signals from the signal repeater; and

the synchronizing signal generator internally generates the horizontal synchronizing signal, to share the horizontal synchronizing signal with the remaining driving integrated circuits, when there is no externally-input horizontal synchronizing signal, and generates the vertical synchronizing signal, using a highest-frequency one of the internally-generated horizontal synchronizing signal and the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the synchronizing signal generator comprises:

a first counter that counts the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals, and generates a first count signal corresponding to a highest-frequency one of the counted horizontal synchronizing signals;

a second counter that counts the horizontal synchronizing signal internally generated from the synchronizing signal generator in accordance with the main clock from the clock generator, and generates a second count signal corresponding to the counted horizontal synchronizing signal;

a horizontal synchronizing signal generator that compares the first count signal and the second count signal, and internally generates the horizontal synchronizing signal, using a highest-frequency one of the first and second count signals;

a reset signal generator that supplies a reset signal to the second counter in response to outputting of the horizontal synchronizing signal from the horizontal synchronizing signal generator, to reset the second counter;

a horizontal synchronizing signal counter that counts the horizontal synchronizing signal output from the horizontal synchronizing signal generator; and

a vertical synchronizing signal generator that generates a vertical synchronizing signal, using the horizontal synchronizing signal output from the horizontal synchronizing signal generator.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the horizontal synchronizing signal generator supplies the horizontal synchronizing signal corresponding to the second count signal to the first counters of the remaining data integrated circuits, and compares the first count signal and the second count signal, thereby internally generating a horizontal synchronizing signal corresponding to a higher-frequency one of the first and second count signals.

6. A method for driving an image display device,

comprising:

sharing, by a plurality of data integrated circuits, at least one of synchronizing signals internally generated from the plural data integrated circuits, internally generating gate and data control signals from the plural data integrated circuits in accordance with the shared synchronizing signal, and driving data lines of a display panel, using the internally-generated data control signals; and

driving gate lines of the display panel in accordance with the gate control signal of one of the plural data integrated circuits,

wherein the step of generating the gate and data control signals from each of the plural data integrated circuits comprises the steps of:

internally generating a main clock in real time by a clock generator in accordance with a predetermined frequency;

internally generating a horizontal synchronizing signal by a synchronizing signal generator, using the main clock, supplying the internally-generated horizontal synchronizing signal to remaining ones of the driving integrated circuits, comparing the internally-generated horizontal synchronizing signal with one or more externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals, and generating a vertical synchronizing signal, using one of the compared horizontal synchronizing signals, which is selected in accordance with a result of the comparison; and

generating the gate and data control signals by a control signal generator using one horizontal synchronizing signal selected from among the horizontal synchronizing signal internally generated from the synchronizing signal generator and the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals and the vertical synchronizing signal.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein generating the gate and data control signals from each of the plural data integrated circuits further comprises:

repeating externally-input image data by a signal repeater, and repeating externally-input synchronizing signals by the signal repeater, upon receiving the externally-input synchronizing signals; and

aligning, by an image processor, the image data supplied from the signal repeater by a unit of at least one horizontal line such that the image data is suitable for driving the display panel, and sequentially outputting the aligned data;

internally generating a main clock in real time by a clock generator in accordance with a predetermined frequency.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein generating the vertical synchronizing signal comprises:

supplying the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals to the control signal generator, upon receiving the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals from a signal repeater; and

internally generating the horizontal synchronizing signal, to share the horizontal synchronizing signal with the remaining driving integrated circuits, when there is no externally-input horizontal synchronizing signal, and generating the vertical synchronizing signal, using a highest-frequency one of the internally-generated horizontal synchronizing signal and the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein generating the vertical synchronizing signal comprises:

counting the externally-input horizontal synchronizing signals by a first counter, and generating a first count signal corresponding to a highest-frequency one of the counted horizontal synchronizing signals;

counting the horizontal synchronizing signal internally generated from the synchronizing signal generator in accordance with the main clock from the clock generator by a second counter, and generating a second count signal corresponding to the counted horizontal synchronizing signal;

comparing the first count signal and the second count signal, and internally generating the horizontal synchronizing signal by a horizontal synchronizing signal generator, using a highest-frequency one of the first and second count signals;

supplying a reset signal to the second counter by a reset signal generator in response to outputting of the horizontal synchronizing signal from the horizontal synchronizing signal generator, to reset the second counter;

counting the horizontal synchronizing signal output from the horizontal synchronizing signal generator by a horizontal synchronizing signal counter; and

generating a vertical synchronizing signal by a vertical synchronizing signal generator, using the horizontal synchronizing signal output from the horizontal synchronizing signal generator.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein internally generating the horizontal synchronizing signal comprises supplying the horizontal synchronizing signal corresponding to the second count signal to the first counters of the remaining data integrated circuits, and comparing the first count signal and the second count signal, thereby internally generating the horizontal synchronizing signal corresponding to a higher-frequency one of the first and second count signals.