Patent ID: 8487924

Claim:
An apparatus for driving a display panel comprising: a display panel; a DC-DC converter for raising a constant voltage supplied from a power source unit to a drive voltage of the display panel and outputting the raised voltage; a low-dropout (LDO) regulator for dropping an output voltage of the DC-DC converter and supplying the dropped output voltage to the display panel; a black data period short-circuit detecting unit which is enabled during a black data period in which current should not flow through the display panel, detects a short circuit by detecting a short-circuit current applied to the display panel through the LDO regulator, and outputs a short-circuit detection signal to the DC-DC converter according to the short-circuit detection result, thereby controlling the output voltage of the DC-DC converter; and a image data period short-circuit detecting unit which is enabled during an image data period in which image data is applied to the display panel, detects a short circuit by detecting whether or not a drive current applied to the display panel through the LDO regulator exceeds a maximum drive current, and outputs a short-circuit detection signal to the DC-DC converter according to the short-circuit detection result, thereby controlling the output voltage of the DC-DC converter.