Abstract:
A source driver in a display may include a latch capable of latching input data received from a timing controller in a display, a delta-sigma digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the input data stored in the latch to an analog signal by delta-sigma modulation, and an output buffer configured to output a column drive signal by buffering the analog signal received from the delta-sigma digital-to-analog converter. Accordingly, a source driver in a display modulates input data of 10-bit or higher by delta-sigma modulation with high accuracy, and then converts the data to an analog signal. Therefore, although an area occupied by the source driver of embodiments becomes smaller than that occupied by the related art source driver with a high resolution of 10-bits or higher, a display panel can provide an image of high resolution.

Description:
[0001]    The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0136378 (filed on Dec. 30, 2008), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A source driver drives a display panel of a flat panel display (hereinafter called a display). The source driver may use an R-string digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The demand for development of a source driver integrated circuit (IC) is rising according to the ongoing development of video technology. 
         [0003]    In the following description, a display source driver according to a related art is explained with reference to the accompanying drawing.  FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a source driver according to a related art. The source driver may include of a latch  10 , an R-string DAC  20  and an output buffer  30 . 
         [0004]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the source driver receives a plurality of N-bit data  5  from a timing controller (not shown in the drawing). In this case, N is equal to 10, for example. The R-string DAC  20  converts the data received from the latch  10  to an analog signal. In this case, the number of resistors is 2×2N to implement the R-string DAC  20 . If input resolution is increased from 8-bit to 10-bit, an area occupied by the resistors is increased by 4 times. Moreover, a line for connecting the R-string DAC to a core DAC (not shown in the drawing) is increased by 4 times as well. Thus, the implementation of the DAC  20  adopting the R-string structure has limitation in being applied to video technology that requires high resolution. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    Embodiments relate to a display, and more particularly, to a source driver in a display. Embodiments relate to a source driver in a display which occupies less area while maintaining high accuracy. 
         [0006]    Embodiments relate to a source driver in a display which may include a latch capable of latching input data received from a timing controller in a display, a delta-sigma digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the input data stored in the latch to an analog signal by delta-sigma modulation, and an output buffer configured to output a column drive signal by buffering the analog signal received from the delta-sigma digital-to-analog converter. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, embodiments may provide the following advantages. A source driver in a display according to embodiments modulates input data of 10-bit or higher by delta-sigma modulation with high accuracy, and then converts the data to an analog signal. Therefore, although an area occupied by the source driver of embodiments becomes smaller than that occupied by the related art source driver having high resolution of 10-bit or higher, a panel can provide an image of high resolution. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a source driver according to a related art. 
           [0009]    Example  FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram of a source driver in a display according to embodiments. 
           [0010]    Example  FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a delta-sigma DAC shown in example  FIG. 2  according to embodiments. 
           [0011]    Example  FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a modulating unit shown in example  FIG. 3  according to embodiments. 
           [0012]    Example  FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a modulating unit shown in example  FIG. 3  according to embodiments. 
           [0013]    Example  FIG. 6A  and example  FIG. 6B  are graphs for power spectrum density of signals outputted from a modulating unit. 
           [0014]    Example  FIG. 7  is a diagram for circuitry of a core DAC and an analog filter shown in example  FIG. 3  according to embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    A display may include a timing controller, a display panel, a source driver (or a column driver), and a gate driver (or a row driver). The timing controller controls the source driver and the gate driver. The source and gate drivers play a role in driving a display panel. The display panel displays an image according to a scan signal outputted from the gate driver and a data signal outputted from the source driver. The display panel can include one of various display panels usable between the timing controller  300  and a display drive integrated (DDI) circuit. The display panel may include an LCD panel such as a TFT-LCD (TFT Liquid Crystal Display) panel, an STN-LCD panel, a FLCD (ferroelectric LCD) panel and the like, a PDP (plasma display panel), an OLED (Organic Luminescence Electro Display) panel, an FED panel or the like. 
         [0016]    A source driver in a display according to embodiments is explained with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows. Example  FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a source driver in a display according to embodiments. The source driver may include a latch  10 , an R-string DAC  200  and an output buffer  200 . 
         [0017]    The latch and output buffer  10  and  200  shown in example  FIG. 2  may have the same configurations and operations of the related latch and output buffer  10  and  30  shown in  FIG. 1 . In particular, the latch  10  may receive N input data of N bit per pixel (or per column of display panel) from the timing controller, and then store the received data. Therefore, if the number of columns is N, the latch can store N×N input data Dl. 
         [0018]    The delta-sigma DAC  100  may convert the digital input data D 1  stored in the latch  10  to an analog signal AR by delta-sigma modulation. Then the converted analog signal AR may be output to the output buffer  200 . In this case, the delta-sigma DAC  100  processes the stored input data D 1  by N bits each. If N is equal to or greater than 10, N bits of the digital input data D 1  having resolution of N bits or higher may be brought from the latch  10 . In particular, the input data D 1  entering the delta-sigma DAC  100  is already oversampled with high frequency. 
         [0019]    A process for the delta-sigma DAC  100  to convert input data D 1  to an analog signal (A) by N bits according to embodiments is explained with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows. Example  FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a delta-sigma DAC shown in example  FIG. 2  according to embodiments. The delta-sigma DAC  100  may include a modulating unit  310 , a core DAC  350  and an analog filter  380 . 
         [0020]    The modulating unit  310  shown in example  FIG. 3  may receive the input data D 1  stored in the latch  10  and modulate the received data by N bits each. The modulating unit  310  then outputs K-bit digital signal D 2  to the core DAC  350  according to a result of the modulation. In this case, K is smaller than N. 
         [0021]    Example  FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the modulating unit  310  shown in example  FIG. 3  according to embodiments. The modulating unit  310  may include an adding unit  312 , a first quantizing unit  314 , a first subtracting unit  316  and a loop filter  318 . The adding unit  312  adds the N-bit input data brought from the latch  10  to a feedback signal FS and then outputs the added result to the first quantizing unit  314  and the first subtracting unit  316 . 
         [0022]    The first quantizing unit  314  quantizes the result added by the adding unit  312  and then outputs the quantized result to an output D 2  of the modulating unit  310 . The first subtracting unit  316  subtracts the result D 2  quantized by the quantizing unit  314  from the result (D 1 +FS 1 ) added by the adding unit  312  and then outputs the subtracted result (D 1 +FS 1 −D 2 ) to the loop filter  318 . The loop filter  318  filters the result (D 1 +FS 1 −D 2 ) subtracted by the subtracting unit  316  and then outputs the filtered result as a feedback signal FS 1  to the adding unit  312 . In this case, the loop filter  318  plays a role in adjusting an integration factor to enable the modulating unit  310  shown in example  FIG. 4  to play a role as an integrator. 
         [0023]    Example  FIG. 5  is a block diagram of the modulating unit  310  shown in example  FIG. 3  according to embodiments. The modulating unit  310  includes a second subtracting unit  320 , a loop filter  322  and a second quantizing unit  324 . 
         [0024]    The second subtracting unit  320  receives N-bit input data D 1  from the latch  10 , subtracts an output D 2  of the second quantizing unit  324  from the N-bit input data, and then outputs the subtracted result to the loop filter  322 . The loop filter  322  filters the result subtracted by the second subtracting unit  320  and then outputs the filtered result to the second quantizing unit  324 . In this case, the function of the loop filter  322  is identical to that of the former loop filter  318  shown in example  FIG. 4 . In particular, the loop filter  322  plays a role in adjusting an integration factor to enable the modulating unit  310  shown in example  FIG. 5  to play a role as an integrator. The second quantizing unit  324  quantizes the result filtered by the loop filter  322  and then outputs the quantized result as a result D 2  modulated by the modulating unit  310 . 
         [0025]    From the above description, it can be observed that the N-bit input data D 1  is transformed into K-bit data D 2  through the modulating unit  310  [K&lt;N]. In this transforming process, quantization noise generated from the first/second quantizing unit  314 / 324  is shaped by a noise shaping function. Namely, error attributed to quantization can be compensated by the noise shaping. 
         [0026]    Example  FIG. 6A  and example  FIG. 6B  are graphs for power spectrum density of signals outputted from the modulating unit  310 , in which horizontal and vertical axes indicate frequency and power density, respectively. Example  FIG. 6A  shows 1st order power density and example  FIG. 6B  shows 2nd order power density. 
         [0027]    From  FIG. 6A  and example  FIG. 6B , it can be observed that high quantization noise level exists in a high frequency region. This is attributed to the noise shaping property of the modulator of the delta-sigma type. The noise generated from the high frequency band can be removed by the analog filter  380  shown in example  FIG. 3  and a parasitic manual filter of a flat panel display, which are described in the following description. 
         [0028]    The core DAC  350  shown in example  FIG. 3  converts the K-bit digital signal D 2  modulated by the modulating unit  310  to an analog signal AD and then outputs the converted analog signal Ad to the analog filter  380 . The analog filter  380  removes the noise of the analog signal AD outputted from the core DAC  350  and then outputs a noise-free analog signal AR. 
         [0029]    Example  FIG. 7  is a diagram for circuitry of the core DAC  350  and the analog filter  380  shown in example  FIG. 3  according to embodiments, which may include K switching devices  352  to  358 , a capacitor C 0 , 1st to Kth capacitors C 1  to CK, an operation amplifier  360 , a feedback capacitor Cfb, a load capacitor Cload, and a switch  362 . The DAC shown in example  FIG. 7  is a binary capacitor type DAC. Yet, the core DAC  350  shown in example  FIG. 3  can be implemented by any commonly used DAC unlike the DAC shown in example  FIG. 7 . 
         [0030]    The K switching devices  352  to  358  switch between a reference voltage (Vref&lt;n&gt;) and a ground voltage in response to K-bit digital signals (D 2 =S 1  to Sk) modulated by the modulating unit  310 , respectively. The operational amplifier  360  has an output terminal connected to an output of the analog filter  380 , a positive input terminal (or non-inverting input +) connected to a common voltage Vcm and a negative input terminal (or inverting input terminal −) connected to the switching devices  352  to  358 . 
         [0031]    The capacitor C 0  is connected between the negative input terminal (−) of the operational amplifier  360  and the reference voltage Vref&lt;n&gt;. The 1st to Kth capacitors C 1  to CK may be connected to the negative input terminal (−) of the operational amplifier  360  and the K switching devices  352  to  358 , respectively. The feedback capacitor Cfb is connected between the negative input terminal (−) and the output terminal of the operational amplifier  360 . Also, a switching device  362  outputting an analog signal, which is an output of the operational amplifier  360 , to an output terminal OUTS through switching and a load capacitor Cload can be further included. 
         [0032]    As mentioned in the foregoing description, an analog signal for N input data may be outputted to the delta-sigma DAC  100  one by one. Meanwhile, the output buffer  200  buffers N analog signals AR received from the delta-sigma DAC  100  and then outputs the buffered signals as column drive signals to the display panel via an output terminal OUTPUT 1 . 
         [0033]    It will be obvious and apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the embodiments disclosed. Thus, it is intended that the disclosed embodiments cover the obvious and apparent modifications and variations, provided that they are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.