Granted Patent B2

US 12,361,868 · App. 18/627,085 · Granted Jul 15, 2025

Inventors: Changhun Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Deukgeun Ahn (Suwon-si, KR)

Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.

G09G3/32G09G2310/08G09G2370/08

Abstract

Claims (102)

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display panel comprising a plurality of regions;

a panel driver comprising a plurality of driver circuits, wherein the panel driver is configured to control driving of the display panel;

a plurality of timing controllers, wherein each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers comprises two ports disposed in opposite directions, the plurality of timing controllers are connected to each other through the respective two ports, and each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers corresponds to a region of the plurality of regions;

memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute one or more of the instructions,

wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

transmit a first signal in a first direction through the plurality of timing controllers, and

transmit a second signal in a second direction opposite to the first direction through the plurality of timing controllers,

wherein the first signal comprises image data and a control instruction for transmitting the image data in the first direction,

wherein the second signal comprises the image data and a control instruction for transmitting the image data in the second direction, and

wherein the plurality of timing controllers are configured to: execute one or more of the instructions, and

wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the plurality of timing controllers, cause the plurality of timing controllers to:

based on receiving the first signal, identify an input/output direction of each of the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers corresponding to the first direction,

configure the input/output direction of each of the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers to the correspond to the identified input/output directions,

transmit the first signal in the first direction through the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers, and

prevent transmission of the second signal in the second direction while the first signal is transmitted in the first direction.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 ,

wherein the at least one processor comprises a first processor and a second processor,

wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the first processor, cause the first processor to transmit the first signal, and

wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the second processor, cause the second processor to transmit the second signal.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 ,

wherein the plurality of timing controllers comprise a first timing controller directly connected to the first processor, a second timing controller directly connected to the first timing controller, a third timing controller directly connected to the second timing controller, and a fourth timing controller directly connected to the second processor,

the first direction is a transmission direction of the first signal from the first timing controller to the fourth timing controller, and

the second direction is a transmission direction of the second signal from the fourth timing controller to the first timing controller.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 ,

wherein the two ports of the first timing controller comprise a first port directly connected to the first processor and a second port directly connected to the second timing controller, and

wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the first timing controller, cause the first timing controller to, based on receiving the first signal, identify the first port as an input port and the second port as an output port.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the fourth timing controller, cause the fourth timing controller to:

based on receiving the first signal within a predetermined threshold time, transmit in the second direction a state signal related to a state of the display panel, and

based on not receiving the first signal within the predetermined threshold time, receive the second signal, identify the input/output direction of each of the two ports of the fourth timing controller corresponding to the second direction, configure the input/output direction of each of the two ports of the fourth timing controller to correspond to the identified input/output directions of the two ports of the fourth timing controller, and transmit the second signal in the second direction through the two ports of the fourth timing controller.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the plurality of timing controllers, further cause the plurality of timing controllers to, based on one or more timing controllers of the plurality of timing controllers not receiving the first signal within the predetermined threshold time:

identify, among the one or more timing controllers not receiving the first signal, a boundary timing controller that is closest to the first timing controller in the first direction,

identify a timing controller among the plurality of timing controllers that is directly connected to the boundary timing controller in the second direction among the plurality of timing controllers,

control the boundary timing controller to transmit the state signal in the first direction, and

control the timing controller directly connected to the boundary timing controller in the second direction to transmit the state signal in the second direction.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more of the instructions, when executed by the plurality of timing controllers, further cause the plurality of timing controllers to:

based on identifying the input/output direction of each of the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers corresponding to the first direction, store information on the identified input/output directions in the memory, and

based on the display panel being activated after being deactivated, identify the input/output direction corresponding to the first direction of each of the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers based on the information on the identified input/output directions stored in the memory.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of timing controllers are connected to each other in a daisy chain manner through the two ports included in each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers.

9. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

transmitting, at least one processor of the electronic device through a plurality of timing controllers of the electronic device, a first signal comprising image data and a control instruction for transmitting the image data in a first direction, wherein each of the plurality of timing controllers comprises two ports disposed in opposite directions, and wherein the plurality of timing controllers are connected to each other through the respective two ports;

transmitting, by the at least one processor through the plurality of timing controllers, a second signal in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the second signal comprises the image data and a control instruction for transmitting the image data in the second direction;

identifying, by the plurality of timing controllers, an input/output direction of each of the two ports of each of the plurality of timing controllers corresponding to the first direction;

configuring the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers to the correspond to the identified input/output directions;

transmitting, by the plurality of timing controllers, the first signal in the first direction through the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers; and

based on the plurality of timing controllers receiving the first signal, preventing transmission of the second signal in the second direction by the plurality of timing controllers while the first signal is transmitted in the first direction.

10. The method of claim 9 ,

wherein the at least one processor comprises a first processor and a second processor,

wherein the transmitting the first signal comprises transmitting the first signal in the first direction by the first processor, and

wherein the transmitting the second signal comprises transmitting the second signal in the second direction by the second processor.

11. The method of claim 10 ,

wherein the plurality of timing controllers include a first timing controller directly connected to the first processor, a second timing controller directly connected to the first timing controller, a third timing controller directly connected to the second timing controller, and a fourth timing controller directly connected to the second processor,

wherein the first direction is a transmission direction of the first signal from the first timing controller to the fourth timing controller, and

wherein the second direction is a transmission direction of the second signal from the fourth timing controller to the first timing controller.

12. The method of claim 11 ,

wherein the first timing controller includes a first port directly connected to the first processor and a second port directly connected to the second timing controller, and

wherein the identifying of the input/output directions further comprises:

based on the first timing controller receiving the first signal from the first processor, identifying, by the first timing controller, the first port as an input port and the second port as an output port.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

based on the fourth timing controller receiving the first signal within a predetermined threshold time, transmitting, by the fourth timing controller in the second direction, a state signal related to a state of a display panel of the electronic device; and

based on the fourth timing controller not receiving the first signal within the predetermined threshold time:

receiving the second signal from the second processor;

identifying the input/output directions of each of the two ports of the fourth timing controller corresponding to the second direction,

configuring the input/output direction of each of the two ports of the fourth timing controller to the identified input/output directions of the two ports of the fourth timing controller; and

transmitting the second signal in the second direction through the two ports of the fourth timing controller.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

based on one or more timing controllers of the plurality of timing controllers not receiving the first signal within the predetermined threshold time:

identifying among the one or more timing controllers not receiving the first signal, by the plurality of timing controllers, a boundary timing controller that is closest to the first timing controller in the first direction;

identifying a timing controller among the plurality of timing controllers that is directly connected to the boundary timing controller in the second direction among the plurality of timing controllers,

controlling, by the plurality of timing controllers, the boundary timing controller to transmit the state signal in the first direction; and

controlling, by the plurality of timing controllers, the timing controller directly connected to the boundary timing controller in the second direction to transmit the state signal in the second direction.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

based on identifying the input/output direction of each of the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers corresponding to the first direction, storing, by the plurality of timing controllers, information on the identified input/output directions in at least one memory of the electronic device; and

based on a display panel of the electronic device being activated after being deactivated, identifying, by the plurality of timing controllers, the input/output direction corresponding to the first direction of each of the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers based on the information on the identified input/output directions stored in the at least one memory.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to execute a method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the at least one processor through a plurality of timing controllers of the electronic device, a first signal comprising image data and a control instruction for transmitting the image data in a first direction, wherein each of the plurality of timing controllers comprises two ports disposed in opposite directions, and wherein the plurality of timing controllers are connected to each other through the respective two ports;

transmitting, by the at least one processor through the plurality of timing controllers, a second signal in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the second signal comprises the image data and a control instruction for transmitting the image data in the second direction;

identifying, by the plurality of timing controllers, an input/output direction of each of the two ports of each of the plurality of timing controllers corresponding to the first direction;

configuring the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers to the correspond to the identified input/output directions;

transmitting, by the plurality of timing controllers, the first signal in the first direction through the two ports of each timing controller of the plurality of timing controllers; and

based on the plurality of timing controllers receiving the first signal, preventing transmission of the second signal in the second direction by the plurality of timing controllers while the first signal is transmitted in the first direction.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 ,

wherein the at least one processor comprises a first processor and a second processor,

wherein the transmitting the first signal comprises transmitting the first signal in the first direction by the first processor, and

wherein the transmitting the second signal comprises transmitting the second signal in the second direction by the second process.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 ,

wherein the plurality of timing controllers include a first timing controller directly connected to the first processor, a second timing controller directly connected to the first timing controller, a third timing controller directly connected to the second timing controller, and a fourth timing controller directly connected to the second processor,

wherein the first direction is a transmission direction of the first signal from the first timing controller to the fourth timing controller, and

wherein the second direction is a transmission direction of the second signal from the fourth timing controller to the first timing controller.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 ,

wherein the first timing controller includes a first port directly connected to the first processor and a second port directly connected to the second timing controller, and

wherein the identifying of the input/output directions further comprises:

based on the first timing controller receiving the first signal from the first processor, identifying, by the first timing controller, the first port as an input port and the second port as an output port.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises:

based on the fourth timing controller receiving the first signal within a predetermined threshold time, transmitting, by the fourth timing controller in the second direction, a state signal related to a state of a display panel of the electronic device; and

based on the fourth timing controller not receiving the first signal within the predetermined threshold time:

receiving the second signal from the second processor;

identifying the input/output directions of each of the two ports of the fourth timing controller corresponding to the second direction,

configuring the input/output direction of each of the two ports of the fourth timing controller to the identified input/output directions of the two ports of the fourth timing controller; and

transmitting the second signal in the second direction through the two ports of the fourth timing controller.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (20)