IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,756,473
Granted Patent B2
US 11,756,473 · App. 17/555,301 · Granted Sep 12, 2023

Digital gamma circuit and source driver including the same

Inventor: Young Jun Jun (Daejeon, KR)
Assignee: LX SEMICON CO., LTD.
G09G3/2007G09G2320/0276G09G2320/041
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,756,473
App. No.
17/555,301
Granted
Sep 12, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are a digital gamma circuit capable of reducing a chip area and adjusting white color coordinates, and a source driver including the same. The digital gamma circuit may include a digital gamma algorithm for setting a gamma curve for each R, G, or B. Through the digital gamma algorithm, values of X-axis points of the gamma curve may be set, values of Y-axis points of the gamma curve corresponding to the values of the X-axis points may be set, and a value of at least one Y-axis point indicative of white among the values of the Y-axis points may be adjusted by adding an offset value thereto.

Claims (44)

1. A digital gamma circuit comprising:

a digital gamma algorithm for setting a gamma curve for each R, G, or B,

wherein through the digital gamma algorithm, values of X-axis points of the gamma curve are set, values of Y-axis points of the gamma curve corresponding to the values of the X-axis points are set, and a value of at least one Y-axis point of the gamma curve indicative of white among the values of the Y-axis points is adjusted by adding an offset value thereto,

wherein the digital gamma algorithm receives a gray signal, selects values of two X-axis points adjacent to the gray signal and values of two Y-axis points corresponding to the values of the two X-axis points, and calculates a luminance value by using the selected values of the two X-axis points and the selected values of the two Y-axis points.

2. The digital gamma circuit of claim 1 , wherein the values of the X-axis points are set at intervals of a square of 2.

3. The digital gamma circuit of claim 1 , wherein the digital gamma algorithm adjusts, as another offset value, the values of two or more Y-axis points of the gamma curve indicative of white among the values of the Y-axis points.

4. The digital gamma circuit of claim 1 , wherein, when one of the Y-axis points is set to a white point, the digital gamma algorithm adjusts values of Y-axis points after the white point to a same offset value.

5. The digital gamma circuit of claim 1 , wherein the offset values are differently set with respect to each of various color standards.

6. The digital gamma circuit of claim 5 , wherein when receiving a command signal for adjusting white color coordinates, the digital gamma algorithm adjusts the value of the at least one Y-axis point corresponding to a white, based on an offset value set for a color standard corresponding to the command signal.

7. The digital gamma circuit of claim 1 , wherein the digital gamma algorithm converts the 12-bit gray signal into 10-bit data.

8. The digital gamma circuit of claim 1 , wherein:

the values of the Y-axis points are set as several sets depending on target brightness of a panel, and

when receiving brightness information from an application, the digital gamma algorithm selects a set corresponding to the brightness information or calculates values of Y-axis points between the sets through linear interpolation.

9. The digital gamma circuit of claim 1 , wherein:

the digital gamma circuit comprises an X point generation unit, a Y point set linear interpolation unit, a Y point offset unit, an X-Y point selection unit, a linear interpolation unit and a dithering unit for the digital gamma algorithm,

the X point generation unit receives the values of the X-axis points and generates the values of the X-axis points of the gamma curve at intervals of a square of 2,

the Y point set linear interpolation unit receives brightness information and values of first Y-axis points of a plurality of sets and calculates values of second Y-axis points through linear interpolation for values of first Y-axis points between sets adjacent to the brightness information,

the Y point offset unit adjusts a value of the at least one second Y-axis point corresponding to the white, based on an offset value set for a color standard corresponding to in response to an external command signal,

the X-Y point selection unit receives an external first gray signal and selects values of two X-axis points adjacent to the first gray signal and values of two second Y-axis points corresponding to the values of the two X-axis points, wherein the values of the two X-axis points are selected among the values of the X-axis points provided by the X point generation unit, and the values of the two second Y-axis points are selected among the values of the Y-axis points provided by the Y point offset unit,

the linear interpolation unit receives the first gray signal and outputs a second gray signal having a luminance value calculated using the values of the two X-axis points and the values of the two second Y-axis points selected by the X-Y point selection unit, and

the dithering unit converts the second gray signal having a first bit number into data having a second bit number and indicative of the luminance value through dithering and outputs the data.

10. A source driver comprising:

a digital gamma circuit configured to set a gamma curve for each R, G, or B and convert an inputted gray signal into data indicative of a luminance value by using the gamma curve;

a gamma voltage generator configured to generate and provide gamma voltages; and

a gamma decoder configured to receive the gamma voltages and the data and select and output a gamma voltage corresponding to the data,

wherein the digital gamma circuit sets values of X-axis points of the gamma curve, sets values of Y-axis points of the gamma curve corresponding to the values of the X-axis points, and adjusts a value of at least one Y-axis point of the gamma curve indicative of white among the values of the Y-axis points by adding an offset value thereto,

wherein the digital gamma circuit receives a gray signal, selects values of two X-axis points adjacent to the gray signal and values of two Y-axis points corresponding to the values of the two X-axis points, and calculates a luminance value by using the selected values of the two X-axis points and the selected values of the two Y-axis points.

11. The source driver of claim 10 , wherein the digital gamma circuit sets the values of the X-axis points at intervals of a square of 2.

12. The source driver of claim 10 , wherein the digital gamma circuit adjusts, as another offset value, the values of two or more Y-axis points indicative of white.

13. The source driver of claim 10 , wherein, when one of the Y-axis points is set to a white point, the digital gamma circuit adjusts values of Y-axis points after the white point to a same offset value.

14. The source driver of claim 10 , wherein the offset values are differently set with respect to each of various color standards.

15. The source driver of claim 14 , wherein when receiving a command signal for adjusting white color coordinates, the digital gamma circuit adjusts the value of the at least one Y-axis point corresponding to the white, based on an offset value set for a color standard corresponding to the command signal.

16. The source driver of claim 10 , wherein the digital gamma circuit converts the 12-bit gray signal into 10-bit data.

17. The source driver of claim 10 , wherein:

the values of the Y-axis points are set as several sets depending on target brightness of a panel, and

when receiving brightness information from an application, the digital gamma circuit selects a set corresponding to the brightness information or calculates values of Y-axis points between the sets through linear interpolation.

18. The source driver of claim 10 , wherein:

the digital gamma circuit comprises an X point generation unit, a Y point set linear interpolation unit, a Y point offset unit, an X-Y point selection unit, a linear interpolation unit and a dithering unit,

the X point generation unit receives the values of the X-axis points and generates the values of the X-axis points of the gamma curve at intervals of a square of 2,

the Y point set linear interpolation unit receives brightness information and values of first Y-axis points of a plurality of sets and calculates values of second Y-axis points through linear interpolation for values of first Y-axis points between sets adjacent to the brightness information,

the Y point offset unit adjusts a value of at least one second Y-axis point corresponding to the white, based on an offset value set for a color standard in response to an external command signal,

the X-Y point selection unit receives an external first gray signal and selects values of two X-axis points adjacent to the first gray signal and values of two second Y-axis points corresponding to the values of the two X-axis points, wherein the values of the two X-axis points are selected among the values of the X-axis points provided by the X point generation unit, and the values of the two second Y-axis points are selected among the values of the Y-axis points provided by the Y point offset unit,

the linear interpolation unit receives the first gray signal and outputs a second gray signal having a luminance value calculated using the values of the two X-axis points and the values of the two second Y-axis points selected by the X-Y point selection unit, and

the dithering unit converts the second gray signal having a first bit number into data having a second bit number and indicative of the luminance value through dithering and outputs the data.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2021
From: JUN, YOUNG JUN
To: LX SEMICON CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 058503/0656 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2020-0179291 · Dec 21, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220198986A1 · Jun 23, 2022