Abstract:
There is provided a backlight driving system for a liquid crystal display that can reduce size and weight of a product because a DC-DC converter is not used when commercial AC power is converted into lamp driving power. A backlight driving system for a liquid crystal display according to an aspect of the invention includes a power supply unit converting commercial alternating current (AC) power into direct current (DC) power having a voltage level set beforehand, an inverter unit converting the DC power from the power supply unit into AC power at a one-to-one conversion ratio set beforehand, a boosting unit boosting the AC power from the inverter unit into lamp lighting power set beforehand; and a lamp group receiving the lamp lighting power from the boosting unit to emit light.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2007-72605 filed on Jul. 20, 2007 and Korean Patent Application No. 2007-120917 filed on Nov. 26, 2007, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a backlight driving system for a liquid crystal display, and more particularly, to a backlight driving system for a liquid crystal display that can reduce size and weight of a product because a DC-DC converter is not used when commercial AC power is converted into lamp driving power. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   In recent years, liquid crystal displays are generally used in a variety of display devices, such as monitors and televisions, so as to provide small, lightweight and thin LCD products. 
   These LCD products inevitably use LCD backlight driving systems that light lamps of the LCDs and output necessary light. 
     FIG. 1  is a configuration view illustrating a backlight driving system according to the related art. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a backlight driving system  10  according to the related art includes an alternating-current (AC) to direct-current (DC) converter  11 , a DC-DC converter  12 , an inverter unit  13 , and a plurality of lamps  14 . The AC to DC converter  11  converts commercial AC power to DC power of DC 400V. The DC to DC converter  12  converts the DC 400V from the AC to DC converter  11  to DC 24V. The inverter unit  13  converts the DC 24V from the DC-DC converter  12  into lamp lighting power of approximately AC 2700 vp-p. The plurality of lamps  14  emit light according to the lamp light power from the inverter unit  13 . 
   The above-described backlight driving system  10  according to the related art converts the commercial AC power into the lamp lighting power in order of AC-DC-DC-AC, which reduces power conversion efficiency and complicates a power conversion structure. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An aspect of the present invention provides a backlight driving system for a light crystal display that can reduce size and weight of a product because a DC-DC converter is not used when commercial AC power is converted into lamp driving power. 
   According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a backlight driving system for a liquid crystal display, the system including: a power supply unit converting commercial alternating current (AC) power into direct current (DC) power having a voltage level set beforehand, an inverter unit converting the DC power from the power supply unit into AC power at a one-to-one conversion ratio set beforehand, a boosting unit boosting the AC power from the inverter unit into lamp lighting power set beforehand; and a lamp group receiving the lamp lighting power from the boosting unit to emit light. 
   The system may include a first board having a mounting region set beforehand a second board physically separated from the first board and having a mounting region set beforehand, wherein the power supply unit and the inverter unit are mounted to the first board, and the boosting unit is mounted to the second board. 
   The power supply unit may include an electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression filter removing electromagnetic interference of the commercial AC power, a rectifier smoothing and rectifying the AC power through the EMI suppression filter, and a power factor corrector performing power factor correction of the AC power rectified by the rectifier to convert the corrected power to the DC power, the inverter unit may include a switch switching the power corrected by the power factor corrector, and a one-to-one transformer converting the power switched by the switch into AC power having the same voltage level as the voltage level of the DC power according to the same winding ratio set beforehand, and the boosting unit may include a distribution transformer boosting the AC power from the one-to-one transformer to the lamp lighting power according to a winding ratio set beforehand and distributing the lamp lighting power to lamps. 
   The one-to-one transformer may transmit the AC power to the distribution transformer through a cable. 
   The distribution transformer may be a one-to-one distribution transformer that transmits the lamp lighting power to one lamp or a one-to-many distribution transformer that transmits the lamp lighting power to at least two lamps. 
   The switch of the inverter may perform a switching operation by using any one of a full-bridge method, a half-bridge method, and a push-pull method. 
   The first board may include a primary ground having a ground region set beforehand and a secondary ground having a ground region isolated from that of the primary ground, and the EMI suppression filter, the rectifier, the power factor corrector, the switch, and a primary side of the one-to-one transformer may be grounded to the primary ground, and a secondary side of the one-to-one transformer may be grounded to the secondary ground. 
   The lamp group may include at least one external electrode fluorescent lamp, and the external electrode fluorescent lamp may receive the lamp lighting power from the boosting unit to emit light. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other aspects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a configuration view illustrating a backlight driving system according to the related art. 
       FIG. 2  is a configuration view illustrating a backlight driving system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a boosting unit that is used in the backlight driving system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a configuration view illustrating a backlight driving system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a view illustrating a boosting unit that is used in the backlight driving system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6A  is a view illustrating an external electrode fluorescent lamp that is used in the backlight driving system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6B  is a graph illustrating positive resistance characteristics of an external electrode fluorescent lamp. 
       FIG. 6C  is a graph illustrating negative resistance characteristics of a cold cathode fluorescent lamp. 
       FIG. 7  is a graph illustrating deviation in current among lamps in a backlight driving system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 2  is a configuration view illustrating a backlight driving system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , a backlight driving system  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a power supply unit  110 , an inverter unit  120 , and a boosting unit  130 . 
   The backlight driving system  100  according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention may be formed at a first board B 1  that has a mounting region set beforehand and a second board B 2  that is physically separated from the first board B 1  and has a mounting region set beforehand. Here, the power supply unit  110  and the inverter unit  120  may be mounted to the first board B 1 , and the boosting unit  130  may be mounted to the second board B 2 . 
   The power supply unit  110  includes an EMI suppression filter  111  that removes electromagnetic interference (EMI) from commercial alternating current (AC) power, a rectifier  112  that rectifies and smoothes the AC power from which the EMI is removed by the EMI suppression filter  111 , and a power factor corrector  113  that performs power factor correction of the power rectified by the rectifier  112  to convert the corrected power into direct current (DC) power set beforehand. 
   The inverter unit  120  includes a switch  121  and a one-to-one transformer  122 . The switch  121  switches the DC power from the power factor corrector  113  by a method set beforehand. The one-to-one transformer  122  converts the power switched by the switch  121  into AC power having the same voltage level as the DC power according to a winding ratio set beforehand. That is, when the DC power has a voltage level of DC 400V, the one-to-one transformer  122  converts the DC power into the AC power having a voltage level of 400 Vp-p. 
   The switch  121  can perform the switching operation by a full-bridge method, a half-bridge method, or a push-pull method. 
   The one-to-one transformer  122  may be divided into a primary side that has a coil having a winding number set beforehand and a secondary side that has a coil having the same winding number as the coil at the primary side. 
   Meanwhile, the first board B 1  may include a primary ground that has a ground region set beforehand and a secondary ground that has a different ground region from the ground region of the primary ground. The EMI suppression filter  111 , the rectifier  112 , the power factor corrector  113 , the switch  121 , and the primary side of the one-to-one transformer  122  may be grounded to the primary ground, while the secondary side of the one-to-one transformer  122  may be grounded to the secondary ground. 
   The boosting unit  130  and a lamp group L may be mounted to the second board B 2 . 
   Since the first board B 1  and the second board B 2  are physically separated from each other, the one-to-one transformer  122  of the inverter unit  120  transmits the AC power to the boosting unit  130  through a cable C. Since the AC power has the voltage level of approximately 400 Vp-p, a cable for low voltage is used to thereby reduce costs. 
     FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a boosting unit that is used in the backlight driving system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , the boosting unit  130  used in the backlight driving system  100  according to the embodiment of the invention may include a distribution transformer  131 . The distribution transformer  131  boosts the AC power through the cable C to distribute the boosted power to lamps of the lamp group L. 
   At this time, the distribution transformer  131  may include a primary coil and at least one secondary coil. The primary coil has a winding number set beforehand and receives the AC power. The secondary coil has a higher winding number than the primary coil to boost the AC power from the primary coil and convert the boosted AC power into lamp lighting power. 
   The distribution transformer  131  may be a one-to-one distribution transformer that has one end of the secondary coil connected to one of the lamps in the lamp group L to transmit the lamp lighting power to the lamp, or a one-to-two distribution transformer that has one end and the other end of the secondary coil connected to two of the lamps of the lamp group L to transmit the lamp lighting power to the two lamps. 
   Further, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the distribution transformer  131  may be a one-to-four distribution transformer that includes one primary coil and two secondary coils and connected to four of the lamps of the lamp group L to transmit the lamp lighting power to the four lamps. 
   Further, the distribution transformer  131  may be formed of any one of various kinds of distribution transformers, such as a one-to-eight distribution transformer that has one primary coil and four secondary coils to transmit the lamp lighting power to eight lamps and a one-to-sixteenth distribution transformer that has one primary coil and eight secondary coils to transmit the lamp light power to sixteen lamps. 
   As described above, in the backlight driving system  100  according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the power supply unit  110  and the inverter unit  120  are mounted to the first board B 1 , and the boosting unit  130  is mounted to the second board B 2 . That is, the boosting unit  130  that outputs the lamp lighting power having a high voltage level of approximately 2700 Vp-p to the lamps is physically separated from the power supply unit  110  and the inverter unit  120  that use the commercial AC power and the DC power having relatively low voltage levels. Therefore, the power supply unit  110  and the inverter unit  120  are not affected by the electromagnetic interference generated in the boosting unit  130 . Further, since the volume of components used in the boosting unit  130  that uses a high voltage is larger than that of components used in the power supply unit  110  and the inverter unit  120  that use a low voltage, the power supply unit  110  and the inverter unit  120 , and the boosting unit  130  are mounted to the different boards to thereby reduce the product size. 
   Further, the one-to-one transformer  122  that is used in the inverter unit  120  generates the AC power of 400 Vp-p that has the same voltage level as the DC power of 400V from the power supply unit  110 . That is, the one-to-one transformer  122  uses low-voltage power to reduce the safety distance, such that the volume of the transformer can be reduced. 
     FIG. 4  is a configuration view illustrating a backlight driving system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , a backlight driving system  200  according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a power supply unit  210 , an inverter unit  220 , and a boosting unit  230  like the configuration shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   Since the power supply unit  210 , the inverter unit  220 , and the boosting unit  230 , shown in  FIG. 4 , are the same as those shown in  FIG. 2  except for the fact that the technique that connects the cable and separates the boards is not applied, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     FIG. 5  is a view illustrating a boosting unit that is used in the backlight driving system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , the boosting unit  230  used in the backlight driving system  200  according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention may include a distribution transformer  231 . The distribution transformer  231  boosts the AC power to transmit the boosted power to lamps of a lamp group  240 . 
   The distribution transformer  231  may be a one-to-one distribution transformer that has one end of a secondary coil connected to one of external electrode fluorescent lamps of the lamp group  240  to transmit the lamp lighting power to the lamp, or a one-to-two distribution transformer that has one end and the other end of the secondary coil connected to two of the external electrode fluorescent lamps of the lamp group  240  to transmit the lamp lighting power to the two lamps. 
   Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the distribution transformer  231  may be a one-to-four distribution transformer that has one primary coil and two secondary coils. Here, ends of the secondary coils are connected to four external electrode fluorescent lamps  241 ,  242 ,  243 , and  244 , respectively, of the lamp group  240  to transmit the lamp lighting power to the four lamps. 
   Further, the distribution transformer  231  may be formed of any one of various kinds of distribution transformers, such as a one-to-eight distribution transformer that has one primary coil and four secondary coils to transmit the lamp lighting power to eight lamps and a one-to-sixteenth distribution transformer that has one primary coil and eight secondary coils to transmit the lamp light power to sixteen lamps. 
   Further, since the backlight driving system  200  according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention uses the external electrode fluorescent lamps, a current balancing circuit that is necessarily used when cold cathode fluorescent lamps can be removed to thereby reduce the circuit area and manufacturing costs. 
   A technique that maintains the current balancing when external electrode fluorescent lamps are used will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 6A  is a view illustrating an external electrode fluorescent lamp that is used in a backlight driving system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 6B  is a graph illustrating positive resistance characteristics of the external electrode fluorescent lamp. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6A , the external electrode fluorescent lamp includes a phosphor and a discharge gas in a glass tube having a bar shape. External electrodes are formed at both end portions of the glass tube. 
   This can be represented as an equivalent circuit by using a resistor R and capacitors C 1  and C 2  formed at both ends of the resistor R. That is, in general, a current balancing circuit is formed of resistors and capacitors. As described above, the external electrodes can be analyzed as equivalent to the capacitors C 1  and C 2 , a current balancing circuit is not separately required. Though not shown in  FIG. 6A , a flat light source having external electrodes can be used. 
   Further, referring to  FIG. 6B , in the external electrode fluorescent lamp, a tube voltage and a tube current are in proportion to each other. Since the external electrode fluorescent lamp has positive resistance characteristics, a separate current balancing circuit is not required like a cold cathode fluorescent lamp that has negative resistance characteristics as shown in  FIG. 6C . 
     FIG. 7  is a graph illustrating deviation in current among lamps of a backlight driving system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 7 , in the backlight driving systems  100  and  200  according to the exemplary embodiments of the invention, when lamp lighting power is transmitted to approximately twelve lamps, a root mean square (RMS) value of the lamp lighting power that is transmitted to each of the lamps is in a range of 7.5 mA to 8 mA. That is, it can be seen that the current balancing is maintained on the basis of the current value of the lamp lighting power that is supplied to each of the lamps. 
   As set forth above, according to exemplary embodiments of the invention, the size and weight of the product can be reduced and the material cost can be significantly reduced because a DC-DC converter is not used when commercial AC power is converted into lamp driving power. Further, since the one-to-one inverter is used in the inverter unit, a high-voltage transformer is changed to a low-voltage transformer, and thus electromagnetic interference is reduced. Further, additional material cost can be reduced because of the change to the low-voltage transformer. In addition, standardization and common use can be applied LCD with all size in inch, and the product size can be more reduced. 
   Further, since an external electrode fluorescent lamp (EEFL) is used instead of a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), and thus a current balancing circuit can be removed, manufacturing costs and the product size can be more reduced. Further, since a flat fluorescent lamp (FFL) that has external electrodes may be used instead of the cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) according to the related art, the same effect may be obtained as when the external electrode fluorescent lamp (EEFL) is used. 
   While the present invention has been shown and described in connection with the exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.