Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to a method for driving a display at low power and an electronic device performing the same.

With the developments of mobile communication technologies, an electronic device is easy to carry and is able to freely connect to wired/wireless networks. For example, portable electronic devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), and the like, are able to support various functions, such as Internet connection and multimedia content reproduction, in addition to a call function and a message transmitting/receiving function.

The display of the portable electronic device may be implemented in the form of a touch screen display including a touch sensor. The touch screen display may play a role as an input unit that receives a manipulation from a user, in addition to a role as a visual display unit. Such a touch screen display is known from <CIT> and <CIT>.

The electronic device may output, onto the touch screen display, informative information, such as a clock, a date, and/or notification, even when the electronic device operates in an inactive status (or referred to as a sleep status, a sleep mode, a low power mode). The electronic device may output informative information (see always on display (AOD) content) even in the inactive status for saving power consumption.

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method for providing various pieces of AOD content based on the interaction (e.g., a touch input) with a user, when an electronic device operates in an inactive status (e.g., a sleep status), and an electronic device performing the same.

As described above, according to an embodiment, even if a processor is not involved, multiple pieces of AOD content may be provided in response to a touch of the user. Besides, a variety of effects directly or indirectly understood through the present disclosure may be provided.

In the following description made with respect to the accompanying drawings, similar elements will be assigned with similar reference numerals.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be described with reference to accompanying drawings. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that modification, equivalent, and/or alternative on the various embodiments described herein can be variously made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. With regard to description of drawings, similar elements may be marked by similar reference numerals.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of this disclosure may include various forms of devices. For example, the electronic device may include at least one of, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices (e.g., personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet personal computers (PCs), laptop PCs, desktop PCs, workstations, or servers), portable multimedia devices (e.g., electronic book readers or Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG-<NUM> or MPEG-<NUM>) Audio Layer <NUM> (MP3) players), portable medical devices (e.g., heartbeat measuring devices, blood glucose monitoring devices, blood pressure measuring devices, and body temperature measuring devices), cameras, or wearable devices. The wearable device may include at least one of an accessory type (e.g., watches, rings, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, glasses, contact lens, or head-mounted-devices (HMDs)), a fabric or garment-integrated type (e.g., an electronic apparel), a body-attached type (e.g., a skin pad or tattoos), or a bio-implantable type (e.g., an implantable circuit). According to various embodiments, the electronic device may include at least one of, for example, televisions (TVs), digital versatile disk (DVD) players, audios, audio accessory devices (e.g., speakers, headphones, or headsets), refrigerators, air conditioners, cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, washing machines, air cleaners, set-top boxes, home automation control panels, security control panels, game consoles, electronic dictionaries, electronic keys, camcorders, or electronic picture frames.

In another embodiment, the electronic device may include at least one of navigation devices, satellite navigation system (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)), event data recorders (EDRs) (e.g., black box for a car, a ship, or a plane), vehicle infotainment devices (e.g., head-up display for vehicle), industrial or home robots, drones, automatic teller's machines (ATMs), points of sales (POSs), measuring instruments (e.g., water meters, electricity meters, or gas meters), or internet of things (e.g., light bulbs, sprinkler devices, fire alarms, thermostats, or street lamps). The electronic device according to an embodiment of this disclosure may not be limited to the above-described devices, and may provide functions of a plurality of devices like smartphones which has measurement function of personal biometric information (e.g., heart rate or blood glucose). In this disclosure, the term "user" may refer to a person who uses an electronic device or may refer to a device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device) that uses the electronic device.

<FIG> illustrates an electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, according to an embodiment, an electronic device <NUM> may support an active status allowing a user to concentratedly use the function of the electronic device <NUM> and an inactive status for waiting for the use of the user.

According to an embodiment, in the active status, various hardware modules and/or software modules included in the electronic device <NUM> may sufficiently perform the intrinsic functions thereof. In an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may sufficiently receive power from a battery. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may switch the inactive status to the active status in response to a user manipulation (e.g., pressing of a physical button or a specific touch gesture). The active status may be referred to as various terms such as a wake-up status, an awake status, a wake-up mode, an awake-mode, a general mode, an active mode, or the like, but is not limited to a term used in the present disclosure. The following description will be made by using the term of "wake-up status".

For example, in the active sate, a display <NUM> including a touch screen of the electronic device <NUM> may display various pieces of content (e.g., an image, a video, or the like) required from the user. In addition, the display <NUM> including the touch screen may sense a touch (or a touch gesture) from the user with a higher sensitivity. The display <NUM> including the touch screen may receive an image from a host through a display driver integrated circuit (IC) at a specific frame frequency or frame rate (e.g., <NUM>) to display various pieces of content.

According to an embodiment, in the inactive status, various hardware modules and/or software modules included in the electronic device <NUM> may be deactivated or may perform only limited functions. To this end, the modules may receive limited power from the battery. Accordingly, since information processing or arithmetic operations by the hardware module and/or software module are restricted, battery use time is enhanced. For operation in the inactive status, the processor of the electronic device <NUM> may control the hardware module and/or the software module to perform only the limited functions. The inactive status may be referred to as various terms such as a sleep status, a low power status, a sleep mode, an inactive mode, an idle status, an idle mode, a stand-by status, a stand-by mode, or the like, but the present disclosure is not limited to a term which is used. The following description will be made by using the term of "sleep status" or "low power status".

For example, in the sleep status, the display <NUM> including the touch screen of the electronic device <NUM> may display only limited content (e.g., an image, a text, an icon, or the like). In addition, the display <NUM> including the touch screen may sense the touch (or a touch gesture) from the user with a lower sensitivity. In the sleep status, the display <NUM> including the touch screen may not receive an image from a host during a specific time and may display the limited content through only the operation of the display driving IC (called "Panel Self Refresh").

<FIG> illustrates the electronic device <NUM> operating in the sleep status. For example, the electronic device <NUM> operating in the sleep status may output specified content (e.g., a text/image representing a digital clock, a date, and a battery status; hereinafter, referred to as AOD content) onto the display <NUM> including the touch screen.

According to an embodiment, pixels constituting the AOD content may represent specified color (e.g., white). According to various embodiments, remaining pixels constituting a background other than the AOD content may be set to represent specified color (e.g., black color). For example, when the display <NUM> including the touch screen includes an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, the pixels constituting the background may be turned off.

According to an embodiment, the AOD content may periodically or aperiodically move up, down, left, or right. This is to prevent the burn-in phenomenon of pixels (e.g., OLED pixels) for expressing a text, an image, a GUI object included in the AOD content. According to various embodiments, to prevent the burn-in phenomenon, sub-pixels included in each of pixels constituting the AOD content may alternately emit light.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, in the electronic device <NUM> operating in the sleep status, the display <NUM> including the touch screen may sense the touch, which is made by the user, with limited power consumption. The following description will be made, with reference to accompanying drawings, regarding a method for allowing the electronic device <NUM> operating in the sleep status to provide various pieces of AOD content in response to a touch and the electronic device <NUM> performing the method.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating the electronic device, according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, according to an embodiment, an electronic device <NUM> may include a display panel <NUM>, a display driving IC (DDI) <NUM>, a touch sensor <NUM>, a touch sensor IC <NUM>, a pressure sensor <NUM>, a pressure sensor IC <NUM>, a haptic actuator <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, and a host processor <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may not include some of elements illustrated in <FIG>. In addition, the electronic device <NUM> may further include an element (e.g., an electronic pen panel (e.g., a digitizer) to sense the input from an electronic pen (e.g., a stylus)) which is not illustrated in <FIG>. For example, when the electronic pen panel is included, an integrated circuit (IC) driving the electronic pen panel may operate similarly to the touch sensor IC <NUM>.

The display panel <NUM> may receive an image signal from the DDI <NUM>. The display panel <NUM> may display various pieces of content (e.g., a text, an image, a video, an icon, a widget, a symbol, or the like) based on the image signal.

The DDI <NUM> may be electrically connected with the display panel <NUM>. The DDI <NUM> may drive the display panel <NUM> such that the image received from the host processor <NUM> is displayed on the display panel <NUM>. For example, the DDI <NUM> may store image data, which is received from the host processor <NUM>, in a graphic random access memory (GRAM) <NUM> and may provide an image signal corresponding to the image data to the display panel <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the DDI <NUM> may provide an image signal to the display panel <NUM> at a specified frame rate (e.g., <NUM>) in a wake-up status. In this case, the host processor <NUM> may provide image data corresponding to the image signal to the DDI <NUM> at a higher frequency in the wake-up status.

According to an embodiment, the DDI <NUM> may provide an image signal to the display panel <NUM> at a lower frame rate (e.g., <NUM>), based on image data (or partial image data), which is previously stored in the GRAM <NUM>, in the sleep status (Panel Self Refresh operation). In this case, the host processor <NUM> may temporarily operate in the wake-up status at an initial stage to provide image data to the DDI <NUM> and may not be involved in the Panel Self Refresh operation of the DDI <NUM>. In other words, the host processor <NUM> may not provide the image data to the DDI <NUM> during the Panel Self Refresh operation.

In the touch sensor <NUM>, a specified physical quantity (e.g., a voltage, a light quantity, a resistance, the quantity of electric charges, a capacitance, or the like) may be varied by the touch from the user. The touch sensor <NUM> may sense a touch based on the specific physical quantity. According to various embodiments, the touch sensor <NUM> may be referred to as various terms such as a touch panel, a touch circuit, or the like. According to various embodiments, the touch sensor <NUM> may be disposed on a top surface or a bottom surface of the display panel <NUM> or may be implemented as one element by being assembled with the display panel <NUM>. The assembly of the display panel <NUM> and the touch sensor <NUM> may be referred to as "touch screen display".

The touch sensor IC <NUM> may be electrically connected with the touch sensor <NUM> to sense the variation (that is, a touch) of the physical quantity in the touch sensor <NUM> and to detect the touch. The touch sensor IC <NUM> may calculate data (touch data) on the sensed touch. For example, the touch data may include at least one of position (coordinate data (X, Y) of the position at which the touch is made) of the touch on the touch sensor <NUM>, the type of the touch, or the duration of the touch.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device <NUM> operates in the wake-up status, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may provide the touch data to the host processor <NUM>. Meanwhile, when the electronic device <NUM> operates in the sleep status, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may provide the touch data to the DDI <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may include an embedded memory (e.g., a register <NUM> of <FIG>). The memory may store, for example, information on a region in which the touch is recognized in the sleep status, information on the specified touch pattern, or the like. In the sleep status, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may provide the touch data of the detected touch to the DDI <NUM> when the detected touch corresponds to the touch pattern stored in the memory.

According to various embodiments, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may be referred to as a touch controller, a touch IC, a touch screen IC, a touch screen controller IC, or the like. According to an embodiment, in the electronic device <NUM> having no touch sensor IC <NUM>, the host processor <NUM> may perform the function of the touch sensor IC <NUM>. In addition, according to an embodiment, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may be implemented integrally with the DDI <NUM> to be unified as one element. The element may be referred to as a touch display driving IC (TDDI).

The pressure sensor <NUM> may sense pressure (or force) applied by an external object (e.g., a finger or an electronic pen). According to an embodiment, the pressure sensor <NUM> may include a plurality of electrodes (at a transmit stage (Tx) and a receive stage (Rx)) with a dielectric layer interposed between the electrodes. When pressure is applied by the external object, the physical quantity (e.g., capacitance) between the electrodes may be varied.

The pressure sensor IC <NUM> may sense the variation of the physical quantity (e.g., capacitance, or the like) in the pressure sensor <NUM> and may calculate (or detect) a pressure value (Z) based on the variation of the physical quantity. According to various embodiments, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may be referred to as a force touch controller, a force sensor IC, or a pressure panel IC.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device <NUM> operates in the wake-up status, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may provide the detected pressure value to the host processor <NUM>. In contrast, when the electronic device <NUM> operates in the sleep status, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may provide the detected pressure value to the DDI <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may include an embedded memory (e.g., a register <NUM> of <FIG>). For example, the memory may store information on a region in which the pressure of the touch is recognized and information for discretely distinguishing pressure strength of the detected touch, in the sleep status. For example, in the sleep status, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may provide a first pressure value to the DDI <NUM> when the pressure strength of the touch is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. In addition, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may provide a second pressure value to the DDI <NUM> when the pressure strength of the touch is equal to or greater than a second threshold value (first threshold value < second threshold value).

According to various embodiments, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may be implemented integrally with the touch sensor IC <NUM> and/or DDI <NUM> to be unified as one element (e.g., one-chip).

The haptic actuator <NUM> may provide a haptic feedback (e.g., vibration) to the user under the control of the host processor <NUM>. For example, the haptic actuator <NUM> may provide the haptic feedback to the user when the touch (e.g., a touch hovering or a force touch) of the user is detected.

The memory <NUM> may store a command or data associated with the operation of the element included in the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the memory <NUM> may store image data provided to the DDI <NUM>.

The host processor <NUM> may include one of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), or a sensor hub to control a plurality of sensors at low power. For example, the host processor <NUM> may be electrically connected with elements <NUM> to <NUM> included in the electronic device <NUM> to perform arithmetic operations or data processing associated with the control and/or communication of the elements <NUM> to <NUM>.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the host processor <NUM> may provide an image read out of the memory <NUM> or an image created by the host processor <NUM> to the DDI <NUM>. The DDI <NUM> may store the received image in the embedded GRAM <NUM>. The host processor <NUM> may enter a sleep status (or low power status) after storing the image in the GRAM <NUM>. The host processor <NUM> may maintain the sleep status while the touch is detected and the image corresponding to the touch is output onto the display panel.

According to an embodiment, the image stored in the GRAM <NUM> may include a plurality of partial images. For example, the partial images may be concatenated with each other in terms of a data structure to form an image of one frame. In addition, for example, the aspect ratios of the partial images may correspond to (substantially equal to) an aspect ratio of the whole image including the partial images or may correspond to (substantially equal to) an aspect ratio of the display panel (see <FIG>). The image including the partial images may be referred to "a whole image" to distinguish from the term of "partial image".

According to an embodiment, while the host processor <NUM> is operating in a low power status, the DDI <NUM> may selectively output one of the partial images stored in the GRAM <NUM> onto the display panel <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, when the DDI <NUM> receives the touch data of the detected touch from the touch sensor IC <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may selectively output a partial image corresponding to the touch data onto the display panel <NUM> while the low power status of the host processor <NUM> is being maintained.

According to an embodiment, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may provide the touch data of the detected touch to the DDI <NUM> when the detected touch by the touch sensor <NUM> corresponds to a specified touch pattern. For example, the touch pattern may be defined based on at least one of the position of the detected touch on the touch sensor <NUM>, the type of the touch (e.g., a single tap, a double tap, a triple tap, a touch swipe, a long press, a touch gesture, or the like), a touch shape, a touch region, or the duration of the touch. For example, the specified touch pattern may include a double tap in a region occupied by a specific UI object or a long press made for <NUM> seconds at a specific position (or a region).

According to an embodiment, the DDI <NUM> may specify a partial image based on the touch data provided from the touch sensor IC <NUM> and may output the specific partial image onto the display panel <NUM>. For example, the DDI <NUM> may use a data address on the GRAM <NUM> and/or a data size of the partial image to be output to specify the partial image linked to the touch data.

According to various embodiments, the whole image received from the host processor <NUM> may include a plurality of partial images. In this case, the DDI <NUM> may enlarge a partial image specified based on the touch data at a specified magnification and may output the enlarged partial image onto the display panel <NUM>. In addition, according to various embodiments, the aspect ratio of the partial image specified based on the touch data may not be matched with the aspect ratio of the display panel <NUM>. In this case, the DDI <NUM> may adjust the aspect ratio of the specified partial image to the aspect ratio (specified aspect ratio) of the display panel <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the image received from the host processor <NUM> and stored in the GRAM <NUM> may be an image encoded in a specified scheme (e.g., a display stream compression (DSC) determined in a video electronics standards association (VESA)). Since the data size of the image is reduced through the encoding, one or more encoded images may be stored in the GRAM <NUM>. For example, when the data size of the image is reduced to <NUM>/n times the original data size of the image, through the encoding, n pieces of encoded image data may be stored in the GRAM <NUM>. In this case, the DDI <NUM> may specify the partial image by selecting some of the encoded images and may decode the selected images in a decoding scheme corresponding to the encoding scheme. The result image of the decoding may be output onto the display panel <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the DDI <NUM> may adjust the output duration of the partial image specified in the above-described various schemes, based on the touch of the user. For example, when the type of the detected touch is a long press, the DDI <NUM> may output the partial image specified for a time in which the long press is made. For another example, the DDI <NUM> may determine the output duration of the partial image specified based on the pressure value received from the pressure sensor IC <NUM> (see <FIG>).

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of the electronic device including a display driving IC, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, according to an embodiment, an electronic device includes a DDI <NUM>, a source/gate driver <NUM>/<NUM>, a display panel 200d, a touch sensor 200t, a pressure sensor 200p, a touch sensor IC <NUM>, a pressure sensor IC <NUM>, and a processor <NUM>. In the following description made with reference to <FIG>, parts the same as or similar to those of the description made with reference to <FIG> will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may include a display controller <NUM>, an encoder <NUM>, and a transmit (Tx) high speed serial interface (HiSSI) <NUM>.

The display controller <NUM> may temporarily operate in the wake-up status and may create an image or may read an image from the memory. According to an embodiment, the image may be formed by concatenating a plurality of partial images with each other. According to an embodiment, the partial images may have the resolution lower than the resolution of the display panel 200d. In addition, for example, the aspect ratios of the partial images may be equal to the aspect ratio of the whole image or the aspect ratio of the display panel 200d.

The encoder <NUM> may encode image data created by the display controller <NUM> in a specific scheme (e.g., a DSC scheme determined in the VESA). Accordingly, the image created by the display controller <NUM> is compressed and may have a data size which is reduced. For example, the data size of the image created by the display controller <NUM> may be reduced to <NUM>/n times the original size of the image data, through the encoding. According to various embodiments, the encoder <NUM> may be omitted or bypassed. In this case, the image may be transmitted to the DDI <NUM> without encoding or compression.

The processor <NUM> may transmit the image data encoded by the encoder <NUM> to the DDI <NUM> through the Tx HiSSI <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may enter the sleep status after transmitting the image to the DDI <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the DDI <NUM> may include a GRAM <NUM>, a controller <NUM>, an interface module <NUM>, an image processing unit <NUM>, a decoder <NUM>, an up-scaler <NUM>, and a display timing controller (T-con) <NUM>.

The DDI <NUM> may receive an encoded image through the interface module <NUM> from the processor <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the encoded image may be received through an Rx HiSSI <NUM>. When the image is received, the DDI <NUM> and the elements included in the DDI <NUM> may perform following operations referred to as the Panel Self Refresh operation.

The GRAM <NUM> may store at least one image received through the Rx HiSSI <NUM>. The data size of the received image may correspond to, but is not limited to, the storage space of the GRAM <NUM>. The storage space of the GRAM <NUM> may be correspond to, but is not limited to, the data size of one frame image of the display panel 200d. In this case, the data size of the image stored in the GRAM <NUM> may correspond to a data size of one frame image of the display panel 200d. According to an embodiment, when the data size of the image is compressed to <NUM>/n times the original data size of the image by the encoder <NUM> of the processor <NUM>, n pieces of encoded image data may be stored in the GRAM <NUM>.

The controller <NUM> may receive touch data from the touch sensor IC <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may read touch data from the register <NUM> included in the touch sensor IC <NUM>, in response to that an interrupt is received from the touch sensor IC <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may specify at least one partial image of the whole image stored in the GRAM <NUM> based on the touch data. For example, the controller <NUM> may use a data address on the GRAM <NUM> and/or a data size of the partial image to be output to specify the partial image linked to the touch data.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, when the image stored in the GRAM <NUM> is encoded, the controller <NUM> may select a portion of the encoded image. The Panel Self Refresh operation of the controller <NUM> may be implemented in hardware logic or software and may be embedded in the controller <NUM>. The hardware logic or software for performing the Panel Self Refresh may be referred to as "PSR Engine".

The interface module <NUM> may include the Rx HiSSI <NUM>, an Rx LoSSI <NUM>, and an interface controller <NUM> which controls the Rx HiSSI <NUM> and the Rx LoSSI <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the image from the processor <NUM> may be received through the Rx HiSSI <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the touch data from the touch sensor IC <NUM> and/or the pressure value from the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may be received through the Rx LoSSI <NUM>.

The image processing unit <NUM> may improve image quality by correcting an image. The image processing unit <NUM> may include, but is not limited to, a pixel data processing circuit, a pre-processing circuit, a gamma correction circuit, and a gating circuit.

The decoder <NUM> may decode the partial image in a specified scheme when a partial image specified (or selected) by the controller <NUM> is encoded. The decoded partial image may be transmitted to the T-con <NUM>. For example, when the data size is compressed to <NUM>/n times the original data size by the encoder <NUM> of the processor <NUM>, the decoder <NUM> may release the compression of the partial image and may recover the partial image to an original image before encoding.

The up-scaler <NUM> and/or the image processing unit <NUM> may be interposed between the decoder <NUM> and the T-con <NUM>. According to various embodiments, when the image is not encoded by the processor <NUM>, the decoder <NUM> may be omitted or bypassed.

The up-scaler <NUM> may enlarge an image at a specified magnification (e.g., m times). According to an embodiment, the up-scaler <NUM> may enlarge the partial image when the partial image specified by the controller <NUM> is a low-resolution image or needs to be enlarged depending on environment settings. For example, the partial image selected by the controller <NUM> may be enlarged at the specified magnification.

The partial image enlarged by the up-scaler <NUM> may be transmitted to the T-con <NUM>. In this case, the image processing unit <NUM> may be interposed between the up-scaler <NUM> and the T-con <NUM>. According to various embodiments, when the specified partial image needs not be enlarged, the up-scaler <NUM> may be omitted or bypassed.

When the received partial image is transformed to an image signal, the T-con <NUM> may provide the image signal to a source driver <NUM> and a gate driver <NUM> at a specified frame rate (e.g., <NUM> in a wake-up status, <NUM> in a sleep status). Accordingly, the specified partial image may be output onto the display panel 200d.

The source driver <NUM> and the gate driver <NUM> may provide electrical signals to a scan line and a data line of the display panel 200d under the control of the T-con <NUM>.

The display panel 200d may operate pixels of the display panel 200d based on electrical signals provided thereto from the source driver <NUM> and the gate driver <NUM>. Various pieces of content may be provided for the user by light emitted from the pixels. The display panel 200d may have the resolution of, for example, <NUM> x <NUM> or <NUM> x <NUM>.

The touch sensor 200t may be disposed in overlap with the display panel 200d or may be included in the display panel 200d.

The touch sensor IC <NUM> may include the register <NUM> to store data on the touch sensed by the touch sensor 200t. For example, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may calculate the position (X, Y) of the touch and may determine the type of the touch, when sensing the touch by the touch sensor 200t. In addition, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may determine the duration of the touch by sensing the touch down and the touch release of the touch. The position, the type, or the duration of the touch may be included in the touch data and may be provided to the DDI <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, when the touch is detected by the touch sensor 200t, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may write the touch data (the position, the type, or the duration of the touch) of the detected touch to the register <NUM>. When the detected touch corresponds to the specified touch pattern, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may transmit the interrupt to the DDI <NUM>. The DDI <NUM> may read the touch data of the detected touch out of the register <NUM> in response to the interrupt.

The pressure sensor 200p may be disposed on the rear surface of the display panel 200d and/or the touch sensor 200t. Although <FIG> illustrates the pressure sensor 200p in the panel form, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the pressure sensor 200p may be implemented as a module having a specified size and may be disposed on a partial region of the rear surface of the display panel 200d and/or the touch sensor 200t.

The pressure sensor IC <NUM> may include a register <NUM> which is to store the value of the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 200p. For example, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may calculate a pressure value Z when the pressure sensor 200p detects a pressure value equal to or greater than a specified value. The pressure value Z may be provided by the DDI <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may write the detected pressure value to the register <NUM> and may transmit an interrupt to the DDI <NUM>, when the pressure sensor 200p detects the pressure value equal to or greater than the specified value. The DDI <NUM> may read the pressure value out of the register <NUM> in response to the interrupt.

In <FIG>, the encoder <NUM> and the decoder <NUM> corresponding to the encoder <NUM> may be included in the processor <NUM> and the DDI <NUM>, respectively. In addition, <FIG> illustrates the DDI <NUM> including the up-scaler <NUM>. However, according to various embodiments, at least one of the encoder <NUM>, the decoder <NUM>, and the up-scaler <NUM> may be omitted.

<FIG> is a view illustrating an AOD, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> and a GRAM of a DDI included in the electronic device <NUM> are illustrated. A processor of the electronic device <NUM> may operate in a sleep status. The DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may perform a Panel Self Refresh operation.

According to an embodiment, the GRAM of the DDI may store an image <NUM>. The image <NUM> may include a partial image A <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image B <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image C <NUM>-<NUM>, and a partial image D <NUM>-<NUM>. The partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may be concatenated with each other on the GRAM. The aspect ratios of the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may be, for example, equal to the aspect ratio of the whole image <NUM>. In addition, the aspect ratios of the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> and the aspect ratio of the whole image <NUM> may be equal to the aspect ratio of the display panel provided in the electronic device <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may be images independent from each other. For example, each of the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may include an image informative to the user, such as a clock image, a calendar image, a UI object to which a specified operation is allocated, a controller image of a multimedia player, an image on content reproduced through the multimedia player, an image of items registered in a planer, a drawing authored by the user, or an abstract of notification.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may read the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM> serving as AOD content out of the GRAM and may output the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM> onto a display panel. The DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may output the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM> onto a specified region of the display panel, without intervention of the processor.

According to an embodiment, the user may make a touch <NUM> on a screen onto which the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM> is output. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> detects the touch <NUM> by using a touch sensor and determines whether the detected touch <NUM> corresponds to a specified touch pattern. The touch sensor IC provides touch data of the detected touch <NUM> to the DDI when the detected touch <NUM> corresponds to the specified touch pattern. The DDI specifies one of the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM>, the partial image C <NUM>-<NUM>, and the partial image D <NUM>-<NUM>, based on the touch data.

For example, when the touch data of the touch <NUM> is linked to the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM>, the DDI may output the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM> onto the display panel in place of the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM>. For example, when outputting the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM>, the DDI may employ a specified image effect (e.g., a fade in/fade out, or curtain effect) for natural image switching.

According to various embodiments, the type of the detected touch <NUM> may be a long press in which a touch is continuously detected during a specified time or more. In this case, the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may determine output duration of the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM> based on the time in which the long press is made. For example, when the long press is made for <NUM> seconds, the DDI may output the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM> for <NUM> seconds and then may output the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM> again.

According to various embodiments, the pressure sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may calculate the pressure value of the touch <NUM> when the pressure value equal to or greater than a specified value is detected through the touch <NUM> by the pressure sensor. The pressure value of the touch <NUM> may be provided to the DDI. The DDI may determine the output duration of the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM> based on the pressure value of the touch <NUM>. For example, when the pressure value of the touch <NUM> exceeds the first threshold value, the DDI may output the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM> for <NUM> seconds and then may output the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM> again. For another example, when the pressure value of the touch <NUM> exceeds the second threshold value (second threshold value > first threshold value), the DDI may output the partial image B <NUM>-<NUM> for <NUM> seconds and then may output the partial image A <NUM>-<NUM> again.

According to the embodiment described with reference to <FIG>, various pieces of AOD content may be provided in response to the touch of the user without the intervention of the processor of the electronic device <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view illustrating an AOD to which an up-scaler is applied, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> and a GRAM of a DDI included in the electronic device <NUM> are illustrated. A processor of the electronic device <NUM> may operate in a sleep status and the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may perform a Panel Self Refresh operation. In the following description, the parts overlapped with the description made with reference to <FIG> may be omitted.

According to an embodiment, the GRAM of the DDI may store an image <NUM>. The image <NUM> may include a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, and a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. For example, the aspect ratios <NUM>: <NUM> of the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may be equal to the aspect ratio <NUM>: <NUM> of the whole image <NUM>. The aspect ratios <NUM>: <NUM> of the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> and the aspect ratio <NUM>: <NUM> of the whole image <NUM> may be equal to the aspect ratio <NUM>: <NUM> of the display panel provided in the electronic device <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may be images independent from each other. For example, the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may include a controller image of a multi-media player, the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may include a digital clock image, the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may include an image of items registered in a planer, and the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may include an image representing an alarm setting time.

According to an embodiment, the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may read the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> from the GRAM and may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. For example, the DDI may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> to two times in width/two times in length, based on the resolution of the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. The DDI may output an enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> serving as AOD content onto the display panel, without the intervention of the processor.

According to an embodiment, each of the partial images <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>-<NUM> may further include a UI object (e.g., a symbol or an icon) linked to another partial image. For example, referring to the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may include a UI object <NUM> linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> and a UI object 52R linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the user may make a touch <NUM> on a screen of the electronic device <NUM> onto which the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> is output. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> detects the touch <NUM> using the touch sensor and determines whether the detected touch <NUM> corresponds to a touch pattern (an example of a specified touch pattern) representing the selection for the UI object 52R. The touch sensor IC provides touch data of the detected touch <NUM> to the DDI when the detected touch <NUM> represents the selection for the UI object 52R. The DDI selects or specifies the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> based on the touch data.

For example, the DDI may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> to two times in width/two times in length, based on the resolution of the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. The DDI may output an enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> serving as AOD content onto the display panel.

According to various embodiments, the user may touch a UI object <NUM> on a screen of the electronic device <NUM> to which an enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> is output. In this case, the electronic device <NUM> may operate similarly to the case that the UI object 52R is touched. In other words, the touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may detect the touch to the UI object <NUM> by using the touch sensor. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the detected touch corresponds to a touch pattern (an example of a specified touch pattern) representing the selection for the UI object <NUM>. The touch sensor IC may provide the touch data of the detected touch to the DDI. The DDI may select or specify the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> based on the touch data.

According to an embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, the touch to the UI object included in the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may cause another partial image to be enlarged and output. Accordingly, various pieces of AOD content may be provided in response to the touch of the user without the intervention of the processor of the electronic device <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> and a GRAM of the DDI included in the electronic device <NUM> are illustrated. A processor of the electronic device <NUM> may operate in a sleep status. The DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may perform a Panel Self Refresh operation. In the following description, the parts overlapped with the description made with reference to <FIG> and <FIG> may be omitted.

According to an embodiment, the GRAM of the DDI may store an image <NUM>. The image <NUM> may include a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, and a partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. According to an embodiment, the partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may be images independent from each other.

According to an embodiment, the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may read the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> including a digital clock from the GRAM and may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. For example, the DDI may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> to three times in width/three times in length, based on the resolution of the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. The DDI may output an enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> serving as AOD content onto the display panel, without the intervention of the processor.

According to an embodiment, the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may further include UI objects (e.g., arrow symbols) linked to mutual different partial images. For example, referring to the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> may include an arrow symbol 61TL linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, an arrow symbol 61T linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, an arrow symbol 61TR lined to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, an arrow symbol <NUM> linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, an arrow symbol 61R linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, an arrow symbol 61BL linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, an arrow symbol 61B linked to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>, and an arrow symbol 61BR lined to the partial image <NUM>-<NUM>.

According to an embodiment, a user may make a touch <NUM> on the screen of the electronic device <NUM> to which the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> is output. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may detect the touch <NUM> by using the touch sensor. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the detected touch <NUM> corresponds to a touch pattern (an example of the specified touch pattern) representing the selection for the arrow symbol 61TR. The touch sensor IC may provide touch data of the detected touch <NUM> to the DDI when the detected touch <NUM> represents the selection for the UI object 61TR. The DDI may select or specify the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> based on the touch data.

For example, the DDI may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> to three times in width/three times in length, based on the resolution of the selected partial image <NUM>-<NUM>. The DDI may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> as AOD content onto the display panel.

According to an embodiment, the type of the detected touch <NUM> may be a long press. In this case, the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may determine the output duration of the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> based on the time that the long press is made. For example, when the long press is made for <NUM> seconds, the DDI may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> during <NUM> seconds and then may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> again.

According to still another embodiment, the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may determine the output time of the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> based on the pressure value of the touch <NUM>. For example, when the pressure value of the touch <NUM> exceeds the first threshold value, the DDI may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> for <NUM> seconds and then may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> again. For another example, when the pressure value of the touch <NUM> exceeds the second threshold value (second threshold value > first threshold value), the DDI may output the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> for <NUM> seconds and then may output the partial image <NUM>-<NUM> again.

For another example, when the pressure value of the touch <NUM> exceeds the first threshold value, the DDI may continuously output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> during the time that the pressure value exceeds the first threshold value. The DDI may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-<NUM> again when the pressure value of the touch <NUM> decreases to the first threshold or less.

According to an embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, when the touch of the arrow symbol 61TR may be a long press or a force touch (a touch having a specified pressure or more), an extended user experience may be provided.

<FIG> is a view illustrating an AOD using a sub-partial image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to an embodiment, the GRAM of the DDI may store an image <NUM>. The image <NUM> may include a partial image A <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image B <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image C <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image D <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image E <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image F <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image G <NUM>-<NUM>, a partial image H <NUM>-<NUM>, and a partial image I <NUM>-<NUM>. Remaining images other than the partial image C <NUM>-<NUM> among the partial images A <NUM>-<NUM> to the partial images I <NUM>-<NUM> may be independent from each other.

According to an embodiment, the partial image C <NUM>-<NUM> may include a first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM>, a second sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM>, and a third sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM>. The sub-partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> may be independent from each other. The DDI may handle the sub-partial images <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> identically to the partial images.

According to an embodiment, the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may read the partial image E <NUM>-<NUM> of the whole image <NUM> from the GRAM and may enlarge the partial image E <NUM>-<NUM>. For example, the DDI may enlarge the partial image E <NUM>-<NUM> to three times in width/three times in length, based on the partial image E <NUM>-<NUM>. The DDI may output an enlarged partial image E <NUM>-<NUM> serving as AOD content onto the display panel, without the intervention of the processor.

According to an embodiment, the user may make a touch <NUM> on the screen of the electronic device <NUM> onto which the enlarged partial image E <NUM>-<NUM> is output. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may detect the touch <NUM> by using the touch sensor. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the detected touch <NUM> corresponds to a touch pattern (an example of a specified touch pattern) representing the first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM>. When the detected touch <NUM> represents the selection for the touch pattern representing the first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM>, the touch sensor IC may provide the touch data of the detected touch <NUM> to the DDI. The DDI may select or specify the partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM> based on the touch data.

For example, the DDI may enlarge the first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM> to three times in width/three times in length, based on the resolution of the selected partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM>. The DDI may output the enlarged first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM> serving as AOD content onto the display panel.

According to an embodiment, the DDI may output the enlarged first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM> on the enlarged partial image E <NUM>-<NUM> which has been previously displayed such that the first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM> is overlapped with the partial image E <NUM>-<NUM>. Accordingly, the enlarged first sub-partial image C-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM> may be overlaid on the enlarged partial image E <NUM>-<NUM>. The DDI may use a hardware compositor (HWC) to output the images <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> by combining the images <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> with each other.

According to an embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, differently from <FIG>, two pieces of AOD content may be overlaid with each other without being exchanged with each other and thus may be simultaneously output. Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> may provide an extended user experience.

<FIG> is a view illustrating an AOD to which a decoder is applied, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> and a GRAM of a DDI included in the electronic device <NUM> are illustrated. The processor of the electronic device <NUM> may operate in a sleep status. The DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may perform a Panel Self Refresh operation. In the following description, the parts overlapped with the description made with reference to <FIG> may be omitted.

According to an embodiment, the GRAM of the DDI may store an image 80E encoded by the processor. The encoded image 80E may include an encoded first image <NUM>-1E, an encoded second image <NUM>-2E, an encoded third image <NUM>-3E, and an encoded fourth image <NUM>-4E. The encoded images <NUM>-1E to <NUM>-4E may be obtained by encoding a whole image including a plurality of partial images.

According to an embodiment, the DDI of the electronic device <NUM> may read a part <NUM>-41E of the fourth image <NUM>-4E out of the GRAM. The DDI may decode the part <NUM>-41E without the intervention of the processor and may create the partial image <NUM>-41D including a digital clock.

For example, the DDI may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-41D to two times in width/two times in length, based on the resolution of the partial image <NUM>-41D. The DDI may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-41DM serving as the AOD content onto the display panel, without the intervention of the processor.

According to an embodiment, the partial image <NUM>-41D may further include an arrow symbol linked to another (encoded) partial image. For example, referring to the enlarged partial image <NUM>-41DM, the enlarged partial image <NUM>-41DM may include an arrow symbol <NUM> linked to the encoded partial image <NUM>-42E and an arrow symbol 81R linked to another encoded partial image.

According to an embodiment, a user may make a touch <NUM> on a screen of the electronic device <NUM> to which the enlarged partial image <NUM>-41DM is output. The touch sensor IC of the electronic device <NUM> may detect the touch <NUM> using the touch sensor and may determine whether the detected touch <NUM> corresponds to a touch pattern (an example of a specified touch pattern) representing the selection for the arrow symbol <NUM>. The touch sensor IC may provide touch data of the detected touch <NUM> to the DDI when the detected touch <NUM> represents the selection for the arrow symbol <NUM>. The DDI may select or specify the encoded partial image <NUM>-42E based on the touch data.

The DDI may read the encoded partial image <NUM>-42E from the GRAM. The DDI may create a partial image <NUM>-42D including a controller image of a multimedia player by decoding the encoded partial image <NUM>-42E, without the intervention of the processor.

According to an embodiment, the DDI may enlarge the partial image <NUM>-42D to two times in width/two times in length, based on the resolution of the partial image <NUM>-42D. The DDI may output the enlarged partial image <NUM>-42DM serving as AOD content onto the display panel, without the intervention of the processor.

According to an embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, the GRAM may include four encoded whole images and the total <NUM> partial images. Therefore, the DDI may provide more various pieces of AOD content to the user without the intervention of the processor. In addition, partial images stored in the GRAM are increased through encoding/decoding, thereby decreasing the number of times that the processor switches to the wake-up status to write an image into the GRAM.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving a display, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, according to an embodiment, the method of driving the display may include operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>. Operation <NUM> to operation <NUM> may be performed by the electronic device <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. Hereinafter, reference numerals of <FIG> will be used in the following description on operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may receive an image including a plurality of partial images from the host processor <NUM> (host). The image may be stored in the GRAM <NUM>.

For example, the partial images may be concatenated with each other in terms of a data structure to form an image of one frame. In addition, for example, the aspect ratios of the partial images may correspond to (substantially equal to) an aspect ratio of the whole image including the partial images or may correspond to (substantially equal to) an aspect ratio of the display panel.

In operation <NUM>, the host processor <NUM> may enter a low power status (sleep status) after storing the image in the GRAM <NUM>. The host processor <NUM> may maintain the low power status during operations <NUM> to <NUM>. However, when storing a new image in the GRAM <NUM> at a specified cycle, or when a physical button is pressed by the user, the host processor <NUM> may switch to the wake-up status.

According to an embodiment, the host processor <NUM> may control the DDI <NUM>, the touch sensor IC <NUM>, and the pressure sensor IC <NUM> to operate under low power, when entering the low power status. For example, the DDI <NUM> may provide an image signal to the display panel 200p at a lower frequency or may bypass at least some image filters. For another example, to detect the touch under low power, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may reduce a touch scan frequency of the touch sensor <NUM>, may prolong a response time to recognize the touch, or may bypass a noise filter for processing the touch data.

According to an embodiment, in operation <NUM>, while the host processor <NUM> is operating under the low power status after entering the low power status, the DDI <NUM> may selectively output one of a plurality of partial images stored in the GRAM <NUM> to the display panel <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may determine whether the touch is sensed by the touch sensor <NUM>. The touch sensor IC <NUM> may perform operation <NUM> when the touch is sensed. When the touch is not sensed, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may repeat operation <NUM> until the touch is sensed.

In operation <NUM>, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may detect the touch sensed in operation <NUM> and may create or calculate the touch data of the touch. For example, the touch data may include at least one of the position (coordinate data (X, Y) of a position that the touch is made) of the touch on the touch sensor <NUM>, the type of the touch, or the duration of the touch. The created touch data may be, for example, stored or written into the register included in the touch sensor IC <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the touch sensed in operation <NUM> may have specific pressure. When a pressure value equal to or greater than a specified value is detected by the pressure sensor <NUM>, the pressure sensor IC <NUM> may detect or calculate the pressure value Z of the touch. For example, the pressure value Z may be stored or written in the register included in the pressure sensor IC <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may determine whether the touch detected in operation <NUM> corresponds to the specified touch pattern. For example, the specified touch pattern may be defined based on at least one of the position of the detected touch on the touch sensor <NUM>, the type of the touch (e.g., a single tap, a double tap, a triple tap, a touch swipe, a long press or the like), or the duration of the touch. For example, the specified touch pattern may include a double tap in a region occupied by a specific UI object or a long press made for <NUM> seconds or more at a specific position (or a region). The touch sensor IC <NUM> may proceed to operation <NUM> when the touch detected in operation <NUM> corresponds to a specified touch pattern. Otherwise, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may return to operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may receive the touch data of the touch, which is detected in operation <NUM>, from the touch sensor IC <NUM>. For example, when the touch detected in operation <NUM> corresponds to the specified touch pattern, the touch sensor IC <NUM> may transmit an interrupt to the DDI <NUM>. The DDI <NUM> may read the touch data of the detected touch out of the register <NUM> of the touch sensor IC <NUM> in response to the interrupt.

In operation <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may specify or select a partial image based on the touch data received from the touch sensor IC <NUM>. For example, when the DDI <NUM> receives the touch data from the touch sensor IC <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may selectively output the partial image corresponding to the touch data to the display panel <NUM>. While the DDI <NUM> is outputting the partial image corresponding to the touch data, the low power status of the host processor <NUM> may be continuously maintained. The DDI <NUM> may select a partial image previously linked to the touch data.

In operation <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may decode a partial image specified in operation <NUM>. Operation <NUM> may be performed when the image received in operation <NUM> is encoded. Accordingly, when the image received in operation <NUM> is not encoded, operation <NUM> may be omitted.

In operation <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may enlarge the partial image (or an image decoded in operation <NUM>) specified in operation <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the DDI <NUM> may enlarge the partial image specified in operation <NUM> at a specified magnification based on the resolution of the partial image specified in operation <NUM> and the resolution of the display panel <NUM>. According to various embodiments, operation <NUM> may be omitted. In this case, the specified partial image may be displayed on a specified partial region of the display panel <NUM> (see <FIG>).

In operation <NUM>, the DDI <NUM> may output the image to the display panel <NUM>. For example, the image output to the display panel <NUM> may be the partial image specified in operation <NUM> or an enlarged image of the partial image.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the touch sensor and/or the pressure sensor may operate in association with that the AOD content is provided. Accordingly, always on touch (AOT) and/or always on force (AOF) may be implemented together with the AOD.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device <NUM> in a network environment <NUM>, according to various embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, under the network environment <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) may communicate with an electronic device <NUM> through local wireless communication <NUM> or may communication with an electronic device <NUM> or a server <NUM> through a network <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may communicate with the electronic device <NUM> through the server <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include a bus <NUM>, a processor <NUM> (e.g., the host processor <NUM>), a memory <NUM>, an input device <NUM> (e.g., a micro-phone or a mouse), a display device <NUM> (e.g., the display panel <NUM>, the touch sensor <NUM>, the pressure sensor <NUM>), an audio module <NUM>, a sensor module <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, a haptic module <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a power management module <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, a communication module <NUM>, and a subscriber identification module <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may not include at least one (e.g., the display device <NUM> or the camera module <NUM>) of the above-described elements or may further include other element(s).

The bus <NUM> may interconnect the above-described elements <NUM> to <NUM> and may include a circuit for conveying signals (e.g., a control message or data) between the above-described elements.

The processor <NUM> may include one or more of a CPU, an AP, a GPU, an image signal processor (ISP) of a camera or a communication processor (CP). According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may be implemented with a system on chip (SoC) or a system in package (SiP). For example, the processor <NUM> may drive an operating system (OS) or an application to control at least one of another element (e.g., hardware or software element) connected to the processor <NUM> and may process and compute various data. The processor <NUM> may load a command or data, which is received from at least one of other elements (e.g., the communication module <NUM>), into a volatile memory <NUM> to process the command or data and may store the result data into a nonvolatile memory <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> may include, for example, the volatile memory <NUM> or the nonvolatile memory <NUM>. The volatile memory <NUM> may include, for example, a random access memory (RAM) (e.g., a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), or a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)). The nonvolatile memory <NUM> may include, for example, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an one time PROM (OTPROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD). In addition, the nonvolatile memory <NUM> may be configured in the form of an internal memory <NUM> or the form of an external memory <NUM> which is available through connection only if necessary, according to the connection with the electronic device <NUM>. The external memory <NUM> may further include a flash drive such as compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro secure digital (Micro-SD), mini secure digital (Mini-SD), extreme digital (xD), a multimedia card (MMC), or a memory stick. The external memory <NUM> may be operatively or physically connected with the electronic device <NUM> in a wired manner (e.g., a cable or a universal serial bus (USB)) or a wireless (e.g., Bluetooth) manner.

For example, the memory <NUM> may store, for example, at least one different software element, such as a command or data associated with the program <NUM>, of the electronic device <NUM>. The program <NUM> may include, for example, a kernel <NUM>, a library <NUM>, an application framework <NUM> or an application program (interchangeably, "application") <NUM>.

The input device <NUM> may include a microphone, a mouse, or a keyboard. According to an embodiment, the keyboard may include a keyboard physically connected or a virtual keyboard displayed through the display <NUM>.

The display <NUM> may include a display, a hologram device or a projector, and a control circuit to control a relevant device. The display (e.g., the display panel <NUM>) may include, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) display, or an electronic paper display. According to an embodiment, the display may be flexibly, transparently, or wearably implemented. The display may include a touch circuitry (e.g., the touch sensor <NUM>), which is able to detect a user's input such as a gesture input, a proximity input, or a hovering input or a pressure sensor (interchangeably, a force sensor) (e.g., the pressure sensor <NUM>) which is able to measure the intensity of the pressure by the touch. The touch circuit or the pressure sensor may be implemented integrally with the display or may be implemented with at least one sensor separately from the display. The hologram device may show a stereoscopic image in a space using interference of light. The projector may project light onto a screen to display an image. The screen may be located inside or outside the electronic device <NUM>.

The audio module <NUM> may convert, for example, from a sound into an electrical signal or from an electrical signal into the sound. According to an embodiment, the audio module <NUM> may acquire sound through the input device <NUM> (e.g., a microphone) or may output sound through an output device (not illustrated) (e.g., a speaker or a receiver) included in the electronic device <NUM>, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., a wireless speaker or a wireless headphone)) or an electronic device <NUM> (e.g., a wired speaker or a wired headphone) connected with the electronic device <NUM>.

The sensor module <NUM> may measure or detect, for example, an internal operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device <NUM> or an external environment status (e.g., an altitude, a humidity, or brightness) to generate an electrical signal or a data value corresponding to the information of the measured status or the detected status. The sensor module <NUM> may include, for example, at least one of a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor (e.g., a red, green, blue (RGB) sensor), an infrared sensor, a biometric sensor (e.g., an iris sensor, a fingerprint senor, a heartbeat rate monitoring (HRM) sensor, an e-nose sensor, an electromyography (EMG) sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor), a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, or an UV sensor. The sensor module <NUM> may further include a control circuit for controlling at least one or more sensors included therein. According to an embodiment, the sensor module <NUM> may be controlled by using the processor <NUM> or a processor (e.g., a sensor hub) separate from the processor <NUM>. In the case that the separate processor (e.g., a sensor hub) is used, while the processor <NUM> is in a sleep status, the separate processor may operate without awakening the processor <NUM> to control at least a portion of the operation or the status of the sensor module <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the interface <NUM> may include a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB), an optical interface, a recommended standard <NUM> (RS-<NUM>), a D-subminiature (D-sub), a mobile high-definition link (MHL) interface, a SD card/MMC(multi-media card) interface, or an audio interface. A connector <NUM> may physically connect the electronic device <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the connector <NUM> may include, for example, an USB connector, an SD card/MMC connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module <NUM> may convert an electrical signal into mechanical stimulation (e.g., vibration or motion) or into electrical stimulation. For example, the haptic module <NUM> may apply tactile or kinesthetic stimulation to a user.

The camera module <NUM> may capture, for example, a still image and a moving picture. According to an embodiment, the camera module <NUM> may include at least one lens (e.g., a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens, or a front lens and a rear lens), an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash (e.g., a light emitting diode or a xenon lamp).

The power management module <NUM>, which is to manage the power of the electronic device <NUM>, may constitute at least a portion of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery <NUM> may include a primary cell, a secondary cell, or a fuel cell and may be recharged by an external power source to supply power at least one element of the electronic device <NUM>.

The communication module <NUM> may establish a communication channel between the electronic device <NUM> and an external device (e.g., the first external electronic device <NUM>, the second external electronic device <NUM>, or the server <NUM>). The communication module <NUM> may support wired communication or wireless communication through the established communication channel. According to an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may include a wireless communication module <NUM> or a wired communication module <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may communicate with the external device through a first network <NUM> (e.g. a wireless local area network such as Bluetooth or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network <NUM> (e.g., a wireless wide area network such as a cellular network) through a relevant module among the wireless communication module <NUM> or the wired communication module <NUM>.

The wireless communication module <NUM> may support, for example, cellular communication, local wireless communication, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication. The cellular communication may include, for example, long-term evolution (LTE), LTE Advance (LTE-A), code division multiple access (CMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), or global system for mobile communications (GSM). The local wireless communication may include wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), WiFi Direct, light fidelity (Li-Fi), Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Zigbee, near field communication (NFC), magnetic secure transmission (MST), radio frequency (RF), or a body area network (BAN). The GNSS may include at least one of a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (Glonass), Beidou Navigation Satellite System (Beidou), the European global satellite-based navigation system (Galileo), or the like. In the present disclosure, "GPS" and "GNSS" may be interchangeably used.

According to an embodiment, when the wireless communication module <NUM> supports cellar communication, the wireless communication module <NUM> may, for example, identify or authenticate the electronic device <NUM> within a communication network using the subscriber identification module (e.g., a SIM card) <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module <NUM> may include a communication processor (CP) separate from the processor <NUM> (e.g., an application processor (AP)). In this case, the communication processor may perform at least a portion of functions associated with at least one of elements <NUM> to <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> in substitute for the processor <NUM> when the processor <NUM> is in an inactive (sleep) status, and together with the processor <NUM> when the processor <NUM> is in an active status. According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module <NUM> may include a plurality of communication modules, each supporting only a relevant communication scheme among cellular communication, local wireless communication, or a GNSS communication.

The wired communication module <NUM> may include, for example, include a local area network (LAN) service, a power line communication, or a plain old telephone service (POTS).

For example, the first network <NUM> may employ, for example, Wi-Fi direct or Bluetooth for transmitting or receiving commands or data through wireless direct connection between the electronic device <NUM> and the first external electronic device <NUM>. The second network <NUM> may include a telecommunication network (e.g., a computer network such as a LAN or a WAN, the Internet or a telephone network) for transmitting or receiving commands or data between the electronic device <NUM> and the second electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the commands or the data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device <NUM> and the second external electronic device <NUM> through the server <NUM> connected with the second network <NUM>. Each of the first and second external electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> may be a device of which the type is different from or the same as that of the electronic device <NUM>. According to various embodiments, all or a part of operations that the electronic device <NUM> will perform may be executed by another or a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> or the server <NUM>). According to an embodiment, in the case that the electronic device <NUM> executes any function or service automatically or in response to a request, the electronic device <NUM> may not perform the function or the service internally, but may alternatively or additionally transmit requests for at least a part of a function associated with the electronic device <NUM> to any other device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> or <NUM> or the server <NUM>). The other electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> or <NUM> or the server <NUM>) may execute the requested function or additional function and may transmit the execution result to the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may provide the requested function or service using the received result or may additionally process the received result to provide the requested function or service. To this end, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing may be used.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include a touch sensor, a touch sensor integrated circuit (IC) which detects a touch through the touch sensor, a display panel, a host processor, and a display driving integrated circuit (IC) which drives the display panel such that an image received from the host processor is displayed on the display panel. The display driving IC may receive an image including a plurality of partial images from the host processor and may store the image in a graphic random access memory (GRAM), and the host processor may be driven to selectively output one of the plurality of partial images in a low power status, and to selectively output, onto the display panel, a partial image corresponding to touch data of the detected touch while maintaining the host processor in the low power status, when the touch data is provided from the touch sensor IC.

According to an embodiment, the host processor may include one of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), or an application processor (AP).

According to an embodiment, the host processor may be configured to enter a low power status after providing the image to the display driving IC.

According to an embodiment, the plurality of partial images may be concatenated with each other to form one frame image.

According to an embodiment, aspect ratios of the plurality of partial images may correspond to an aspect ratio of the image or an aspect ratio of the display panel.

According to an embodiment, a storage space of the GRAM may correspond to a data size of one frame image of the display panel.

According to an embodiment, a data size of the image stored in the GRAM may correspond to a data size of one frame image of the display panel.

According to an embodiment, the display driving IC may be configured to output, onto the display panel, the partial image corresponding to the touch data by enlarging the partial image corresponding to the touch data at a specified magnification or by adjusting an aspect ratio of the partial image to a specified aspect ratio.

According to an embodiment, the image received from the host processor may include images encoded in a specified scheme, and the GRAM may store at least one of the encoded images. The display driving IC may specify the partial image corresponding to the touch data by selecting some of the encoded images, the selected some of the encoded image may be decoded in a scheme corresponding to the specified scheme, and the decoded result image may be output to the display panel.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a pressure sensor to sense pressure of the touch, and a pressure sensor IC to detect a pressure value of the sensed pressure. The display driving IC may determine output duration of the partial image corresponding to the touch data based on the detected pressure value.

According to an embodiment, the touch sensor IC may provide the touch data of the detected touch to the display driving IC when the detected touch corresponds to a specified touch pattern, and the specified touch pattern may be specified based on at least one of a position of the touch on the touch sensor, a type of the touch, or duration of the touch.

According to an embodiment, the type of the detected touch may include a single tap, a double tap, a triple tap, a touch swipe, a long press, or a touch gesture.

According to an embodiment, the type of the detected touch may be a long press in which the touch is continuously detected for a specified time. In this case, the display driving IC may output the partial image corresponding to the touch data for a time in which the long press is made.

According to an embodiment, the touch sensor IC may include a register to store the touch data, and the touch sensor IC may transmit a specified interrupt to the display driving IC when the detected touch corresponds to the specified touch pattern. The display driving IC may read the touch data from the register in response to the specified interrupt.

According to an embodiment, the partial images may at least include a first partial image including a first user interface (UI) object, and a second partial image linked to the first UI object. The specified touch pattern may include a first touch pattern representing selection for the first UI object. The display driving IC may output the first partial image onto the display panel. The touch sensor IC may provide the touch data of the detected touch to the display driving IC when the detected touch corresponds to the first touch pattern. The display driving IC may select the second partial image based on the touch data of the detected touch and to output the second partial image onto the display panel.

According to an embodiment, the second partial image may be output in place of the first partial image.

According to an embodiment, the display driving IC may employ a specified image effect when outputting the second partial image.

According to an embodiment, the second partial image may be overlaid on the first partial image.

According to an embodiment, the first partial image may further include a second UI object. Multiple pieces of partial image data may further include a third partial image linked to the second UI object. The specified touch pattern may further include a second touch pattern representing the selection for the second UI object. When the detected touch corresponds to the second touch pattern, the touch data of the detected touch is provided to the display driving IC. The display driving IC may select a third partial image based on the touch data of the detected touch and may output the third partial image to the display panel.

According to an embodiment, the partial images may include at least one of a clock image, a calendar image, a UI object to which a specific operation is allocated, a controller image of a multimedia player, an image of items registered in a planer, a drawing authored by the user, or an abstract of notification.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include a touch sensor, a touch sensor IC to detect a touch through the touch sensor, a display panel, and a display driving integrated circuit (IC) which drives the display panel and may include a graphic RAM (GRAM) to store an image received from the host processor. The image may include a plurality of partial images. The touch sensor IC may provide the touch data of the detected touch to the display driving IC when the detected touch corresponds to the specified touch pattern. The display driving IC may specify a partial image based on the touch data and may output the specific partial image to the display panel.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure and terms used herein are not intended to limit the technologies described in the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the embodiments and the terms include modification, equivalent, and/or alternative on the corresponding embodiments described herein. With regard to description of drawings, similar elements may be marked by similar reference numerals. The terms of a singular form may include plural forms unless otherwise specified. In the disclosure disclosed herein, the expressions "A or B", "at least one of A and/or B", "at least one of A and/or B", "A, B, or C", or "at least one of A, B, and/or C", and the like used herein may include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as "first," or "second," and the like, may express their elements regardless of their priority or importance and may be used to distinguish one element from another element but is not limited to these components. When an (e.g., first) element is referred to as being "(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to" or "connected to" another (e.g., second) element, it may be directly coupled with/to or connected to the other element or an intervening element (e.g., a third element) may be present.

According to the situation, the expression "adapted to or configured to" used herein may be interchangeably used as, for example, the expression "suitable for", "having the capacity to", "changed to", "made to", "capable of" or "designed to" in hardware or software. The expression "a device configured to" may mean that the device is "capable of" operating together with another device or other components. For example, a "processor configured to (or set to) perform A, B, and C" may mean a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing corresponding operations or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor) which performs corresponding operations by executing one or more software programs which are stored in a memory device (e.g., the memory <NUM>).

The term "module" used herein may include a unit, which is implemented with hardware, software, or firmware, and may be interchangeably used with the terms "logic", "logical block", "component", "circuit", or the like. The "module" may be a minimum unit of an integrated component or a part thereof or may be a minimum unit for performing one or more functions or a part thereof. The "module" may be implemented mechanically or electronically and may include, for example, an application-specific IC (ASIC) chip, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and a programmable-logic device for performing some operations, which are known or will be developed.

According to various embodiments, at least a part of an apparatus (e.g., modules or functions thereof) or a method (e.g., operations) may be, for example, implemented by instructions stored in a computer-readable storage media (e.g., the memory <NUM>) in the form of a program module. The instruction, when executed by a processor (e.g., a processor <NUM>), may cause the processor to perform a function corresponding to the instruction. The computer-readable recording medium may include a hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic media (e.g., a magnetic tape), an optical media (e.g., a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) and a digital versatile disc (DVD), a magneto-optical media (e.g., a floptical disk)), an embedded memory, and the like. The one or more instructions may contain a code made by a compiler or a code executable by an interpreter.

Each element (e.g., a module or a program module) according to various embodiments may be composed of single entity or a plurality of entities, a part of the above-described sub-elements may be omitted or may further include other sub-elements. Alternatively or additionally, after being integrated in one entity, some elements (e.g., a module or a program module) may identically or similarly perform the function executed by each corresponding element before integration. According to various embodiments, operations executed by modules, program modules, or other elements may be executed by a successive method, a parallel method, a repeated method, or a heuristic method, or at least one part of operations may be executed in different sequences or omitted. Alternatively, other operations may be added.

Claim 1:
An electronic device comprising:
a touch sensor (<NUM>);
a touch sensor integrated circuit, IC, (<NUM>) configured to detect a touch through the touch sensor;
a display panel (<NUM>); and
a display driving integrated circuit, IC, (<NUM>) configured to drive the display panel and include a graphic random access memory, GRAM, (<NUM>), the GRAM being configured to store an image received from a host processor (<NUM>),
wherein the image (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, 80E) includes a plurality of partial images (A40-<NUM> to D40-<NUM>, B50-<NUM> to D50-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-1E to <NUM>-4E), and
wherein the touch sensor integrated circuit is configured to:
provide the touch data of the detected touch to the display driving IC when the detected touch corresponds to a specified touch pattern,
wherein the display driving integrated circuit is configured to:
specify a partial image based on the touch data; and
output the specific partial image to the display panel,
wherein the specific partial image comprises a user interface, UI, object linked to another partial image, the touch sensor is further configured to detect a specified touch pattern selecting the UI object, the touch sensor integrated circuit is further configured to provide touch data of the detected specified touch pattern to the display driving integrated circuit, and the display driving integrated circuit is further configured to switch the partial image to the another partial image linked to the UI object in response to receiving data of the detected specified touch pattern from the touch sensor integrated circuit while the host processor operates in a sleep status.