JP6919217B2 - Display systems, display controllers, electro-optics and electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a display system, a display controller, an electro-optic device, an electronic device, and the like.

In display control in a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display device), a processing device such as a CPU transmits image data and a control signal to the display controller, and the display controller performs image processing and timing signal generation, and the image processed image data. The driver (display driver) operates according to the timing signal. For example, an LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) method or a digital RGB method is used for transmitting the image data, but in any case, an error may occur in the image data due to a communication error or the like. For example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose a method of detecting an error by CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) of image data received by a display controller from a processing device.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-35677 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-101691 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-72394

Patent Documents 1 to 3 are methods relating to a display controller that detects an error in image data received from a processing device. Therefore, in the conventional method, when an error occurs in the transfer of image data to the driver, there is not sufficient disclosure about a method for appropriately detecting the error by the driver. Further, the image data is transmitted between the processing device and the display controller, and between the display controller and the driver. Image data errors may occur in any communication, but error detection that considers both is not considered in the conventional method.

According to some aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a display system, a display controller, an electro-optical device, an electronic device, and the like in which an error of image data can be detected by a display controller and a driver, respectively.

In one aspect of the present invention, a display controller that receives first image data from a processing device and controls display timing, and a second image data that is controlled by the display controller and receives the second image data from the display controller. The display controller includes a driver for driving an electro-optical panel, the display controller performs a first error detection on the first image data, and the driver detects a second error on the second image data. Is related to the display system that does.

In one aspect of the present invention, in a display system including a display controller that receives image data from a processing device and a driver that receives image data from the display controller, error detection of the image data by the display controller and image by the driver Performs both data error detection. In this way, it is possible to accurately detect an error in image data, perform flexible error detection according to a device (circuit device), and the like.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the display controller performs the first error detection for the first image data and the first interface unit for receiving the first image data from the processing device. The driver includes the error detection unit 1 and the second interface unit that receives the second image data from the display controller, and performs the second error detection on the second image data. A second error detection unit may be included.

In this way, error detection can be performed in each of the display controller and the driver with an appropriate configuration.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the display controller outputs the result of the first error detection to the processing device, and the driver outputs the result of the second error detection to the display controller or the processing device. It may be output.

In this way, the error detection result can be output to an external device.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the sensitivity of the first error detection by the display controller and the sensitivity of the second error detection by the driver may be different.

In this way, it becomes possible to perform error detection according to the device (circuit device).

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the display area of the first image data in which the display controller detects the first error is displayed on the electro-optic panel, and the driver performs the second error detection. The display area of the image data of 2 on the electro-optic panel may be different from that of the display area.

In this way, it becomes possible to perform error detection according to the device (circuit device).

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the driver set as the master includes a second driver different from the driver, and when the driver is set as the master and the second driver is set as the slave, the driver set as the master is used. The result of the second error detection of the second driver set as the slave may be output.

In this way, when a plurality of drivers are provided, it is possible to aggregate and output the error detection results by the driver set as the master.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the scanning driver for driving the scanning line of the electro-optical panel may be included, and the driver may output an error detection result of the scanning driver.

In this way, the error detection results of the scanning driver can be aggregated and output by the driver (source driver) set in the master.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the display controller may output the second image data to the driver to which dummy data is added so that the calculated value of error detection becomes a fixed value.

In this way, it is not necessary to transmit the expected value for each frame, and it is possible to perform error detection with high accuracy.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the driver may perform the second error detection by detecting whether or not the calculated value of the error detection becomes the fixed value.

In this way, it is not necessary to receive the expected value for each frame, and it is possible to perform error detection with high accuracy.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the display controller receives the expected value of the calculated value of error detection from the processing device, and detects whether or not the calculated value of the error detection becomes the expected value. Therefore, the first error detection may be performed.

In this way, error detection can be performed based on the received expected value.

Another aspect of the present invention includes an interface unit for transmitting image data to the driver and a control unit, and the control unit sets the calculated value to a fixed value in error detection of the image data by the driver. Control is performed to add such dummy data to the image data, and the interface unit is related to a display controller that transmits the image data to which the dummy data is added to the driver.

In another aspect of the present invention, when image data is transmitted from the display controller to the driver, dummy data for fixing the expected value of error detection is added. In this way, the driver can detect the error without receiving the expected value for each frame. That is, it is possible to realize a display controller that allows the driver to easily detect an error and perform it with high accuracy.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to an electro-optic device comprising the display system according to any one of the above and the electro-optic panel.

Other aspects of the invention relate to electronic devices including the display system described in any of the above.

System configuration example. Driver configuration example. Display controller configuration example. Error detection area setting example. An example of connecting multiple drivers, a scanning driver, and a display panel. Output example of error detection results for multiple drivers. Configuration example of an electro-optical device. Configuration example of electronic equipment. Configuration example of a moving body.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The present embodiment described below does not unreasonably limit the content of the present invention described in the claims, and all the configurations described in the present embodiment are indispensable as a means for solving the present invention. Not necessarily.

1. 1. System Configuration Example FIG. 1 is a configuration example of a system including the driver 300 (display system 600) of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a driver 300 (source driver), a scanning driver 400 (gate driver), a display controller 200, a processing device 100, and a display panel 500 (electro-optical panel). The display panel 500 is driven by the driver 300. The driver 300 is connected to the display controller 200. As will be described later in FIG. 2, the driver 300 may be connected to the processing device 100. The display controller 200 is connected to the processing device 100. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which one driver 300 is used, the system (display system 600) according to the present embodiment may include a plurality of drivers 300. An example including a plurality of drivers 300 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

When the system of FIG. 1 is mounted on an automobile or the like, the processing device 100 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Alternatively, when the system is mounted on an electronic device such as an information communication terminal, the processing device 100 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microprocessor.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the driver 300 (data line drive circuit, source driver) of the present embodiment. The driver 300 includes an interface unit (interface) 310, a control unit (control circuit) 330, a drive circuit 340, a power supply circuit 350, and a detection circuit 360. The driver 300 is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit device (IC) or the like.

The interface unit 310 may include a command interface unit 311, a display interface unit 313, and an error output unit 315. The interface unit 310 communicates with the display controller 200 (for example, MPU, CPU, ASIC, etc., in a broad sense, an external processing device). The command interface unit 311 receives a command (control signal, display setting data). The display interface unit 313 receives the image data (display data). The error output unit 315 (error output circuit) outputs based on the error detection result of the error detection unit 333.

As the image data communication method, for example, an LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) method, an RGB serial method, a display port standard transmission method, or the like can be adopted. Further, as a communication method for commands and control signals, an I2C method, a 3-wire or 4-wire serial transmission method, or the like can be adopted. The interface unit 310 is composed of an input / output buffer circuit and a control circuit (for example, a PLL circuit in the LVDS system) that realizes these communication methods.

The control unit 330 includes a drive control unit 331, an error detection unit 333, and a register unit 335. The register unit 335 (register, in a broad sense, a storage unit and a memory) stores commands and control signals input via the interface unit 310. Further, communication of commands and control signals may be realized by, for example, terminal setting (a method of inputting a control signal by inputting a high level or a low level to each terminal). The register unit 335 stores the expected value (in a narrow sense, the expected value of the CRC value) in the error detection of the error detection unit 333. The expected value here may be a fixed value as described later.

The error detection unit 333 performs error detection (first error detection) of the data received by the interface unit 310. Hereinafter, an example in which the error detection unit 333 performs error detection processing by CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) will be described. The error detection method is not limited to CRC, and a method such as a checksum can be adopted. A specific example of the error detection process will be described later.

Further, the control unit 330 (drive control unit 331) performs image data processing, timing control, control of each part of the driver 300, and the like based on the image data and commands (control signals) input from the display controller 200. .. In the image data processing, for example, processing for extracting display data of each color component channel from the data transferred from the display controller 200, image processing such as gradation correction, and the like are performed. In timing control, a timing control signal is generated based on the clock signal and image data input from the display controller 200, and the timing control signal is used to determine the drive timing (selection timing) of the scanning line (gate line) of the display panel 500. Controls the drive timing of the data line. The control unit 330 is composed of a logic circuit such as a gate array.

The drive circuit 340 includes a gradation voltage generation circuit, a plurality of D / A conversion circuits, and a plurality of amplifier circuits. The gradation voltage generation circuit outputs a plurality of voltages, and each voltage corresponds to any of a plurality of gradation values. The D / A conversion circuit selects a voltage corresponding to the image data from a plurality of voltages from the gradation voltage generation circuit. The amplifier circuit outputs the data voltage based on the data voltage from the D / A conversion unit. For example, a D / A conversion circuit and an amplifier circuit are provided corresponding to one data line (source line) of the display panel 500, and the amplifier circuit drives the data line. Alternatively, a D / A conversion circuit and an amplifier circuit may be provided corresponding to the two data lines of the display panel 500, and the amplifier circuit drives the two data lines with opposite polarities to drive the dots inversion. May be done. The gradation voltage generation circuit is composed of, for example, a ladder resistor, the D / A conversion circuit is composed of, for example, a switch circuit, and the amplifier circuit is composed of, for example, an operational amplifier and a capacitor.

The power supply circuit 350 generates various voltages based on the power supply voltage supplied from the system power supply (for example, the first power supply voltage VDD and the second power supply voltage VSS), and the voltage is used as the power supply voltage of each part of the driver 300. Supply as. For example, the drive circuit 340 is supplied with the positive and negative power supply voltages of the amplifier circuit (power supply voltages used for the positive electrode drive and negative electrode drive of the dot inversion drive) and the power supply voltage of the gradation voltage generation circuit. Further, a power supply voltage for logic is supplied to the control unit 330. Further, the power supply circuit 350 supplies the common voltage of the display panel 500 to the common electrode of the display panel 500. Further, the power supply circuit 350 supplies the substrate voltage of the semiconductor substrate (P-type substrate) of the driver 300.

The power supply circuit 350 is composed of, for example, a booster circuit (for example, a charge pump type booster circuit), a linear regulator (for example, an LDO (Low Drop-Out) regulator), a switch element for discharge, and the like.

The detection circuit 360 detects whether or not the clock signal for image data transfer supplied from the display controller 200 is stopped, and if the stop is detected, activates the detection signal. Then, in response to the activation of the detection signal, the control unit 330 turns the display panel 500 into a display off state (for example, all black display).

As shown in FIG. 2, the driver 300 according to the present embodiment includes an interface unit 310 for receiving image data, an error detection unit 333 for detecting an error in the received image data, and electro-optics based on the image data. Includes a drive circuit 340 that drives the panel (display panel 500). Then, the driver 300 outputs the error detection result to the external device.

According to the method of the present embodiment, it is possible to detect an error in the image data received by the driver 300 and output the result of the error detection to an external device. By detecting an error in the image data, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate image from being displayed on the display panel 500. In the case of an in-vehicle system, when it is assumed that very important information related to user safety such as display of a warning or the like is displayed, it is possible to prevent the information from being displayed erroneously. Standards such as ISO26262 have been established for vehicle electrical systems. ISO 26262 classifies the importance of risks peculiar to automobiles by ASIL (Automotive Safety Integrity Level). In recent vehicles, a high-resolution electro-optical panel is used to output various information including warning information. Therefore, the importance of the display system is increasing, and it is important to suppress the display of inappropriate information from the viewpoint of the safety function of the vehicle.

At that time, not only the error detection can be performed in the driver 300, but also the error detection result can be output to the external device. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, the external device to be output may be the display controller 200, the processing device 100, or both. That is, the error detection result of the image data in the driver 300 can be easily shared by the external device, and the external device can perform processing (retransmission of the image data, stop of display, etc.) according to the error.

The error detection result may be output to the external device by the interface unit 310. For example, when the interface unit 310 includes the command interface unit 311 and the display interface unit 313, the error detection result is output by the same interface as the transmission / reception of commands, control signals, and image data. By using an interface such as a command to output the error detection result, it is not necessary to provide terminals for error output, and the number of terminals can be suppressed.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, the driver 300 may include an error output terminal TE that outputs an error detection result. Then, the error output unit 315 outputs a signal whose active / inactive (H level / L level) is determined according to the error detection result to the error output terminal TE.

In this way, in the external device, the error detection result of the driver 300 can be acquired by the signal level of the error output terminal TE. Therefore, it is not necessary to store the error detection result in a given area of the register unit 335 of the driver 300 and to read the area of the register unit 335 from the external device side. That is, the external device can easily acquire the error detection result of the driver 300.

The scanning driver 400 outputs a scanning line driving voltage to each scanning line of the display panel 500, and drives (selects) each scanning line. For example, the display panel 500 is a dual gate display panel. In the dual gate display panel, two scanning lines are provided corresponding to one display line in the horizontal scanning direction, and a pixel selected from one of the two scanning lines and a pixel selected from the other (a pixel selected from the other). In these, two adjacent pixels on one display line) share one data line. The scanning driver 400 drives two scanning lines in a time division manner in one horizontal scanning period, and the driver 300 outputs the data voltage of two pixels to the data line in a time division correspondingly. The method of the present invention can be applied not only to the dual gate display panel 500 but also to drive various display panels.

Although detailed description of the configuration of the scanning driver 400 is omitted, a control unit and a power supply circuit may be included as in the driver 300, for example. Alternatively, the scanning driver 400 (drive circuit) may be operated by the control unit 330 of the driver 300 or the power supply circuit 350. For example, the power supply circuit 350 of the driver 300 may supply the positive power supply voltage and the negative power supply voltage of the scanning driver 400.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the display controller 200 (circuit device). The display controller 200 includes interface units 210 and 220 (interface circuit) and control unit 230 (control circuit). The display controller 200 is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit device (IC).

The interface unit 210 communicates between the processing device 100 and the display controller 200. For example, the interface unit 210 receives image data transmitted from the processing device 100 to the control unit 230 and timing control signals (for example, a clock signal, a vertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronization signal, a data enable signal, etc.). As the communication method, the same method as that of the interface unit 310 can be adopted.

Further, writing may be performed from the processing device 100 to the register unit 235 included in the control unit 230. In that case, the interface unit 210 receives the register value written from the processing device 100 to the register unit 235. Alternatively, the interface unit 210 may include the error output unit 215 (error determination information output circuit) and transmit the error determination information (error signal, error detection signal) output by the error output unit 215 to the processing device 100.

The control unit 230 controls each unit of the display controller 200. In particular, the control unit 230 may perform timing control, and based on the timing control signal from the processing device 100, controls each part of the display controller 200 and a control signal (for example, a clock signal, a vertical synchronization signal) transmitted to the driver 300. , Horizontal synchronization signal, data enable signal, etc.).

Further, the control unit 230 may include an image processing unit 231 (image processing circuit), an error detection unit 233 (error detection circuit), and a register unit 235 (register, storage unit). The image processing unit 231 generates various image processing (for example, gradation correction) and data shaping processing (transmission data suitable for the data receiving method of the driver 300) for the image data (display data) from the processing device 100. Processing).

The error detection unit 233 performs error detection (second error detection) on the image data from the processing device 100. A specific example of the error detection process will be described later.

The error output unit 215 outputs error determination information based on the output of the error detection unit 233 (CRC value or comparison result signal of CRC value and expected value). The output of the error determination information is, for example, the output of an error signal to the processing device 100. The error signal here may be, for example, an interrupt request signal (IRQ: Interrupt ReQuest). Alternatively, the error signal may be a signal that simply notifies that an error has been determined (becomes active when an error is determined).

The interface unit 220 of the display controller 200 communicates with the driver 300 (in a narrow sense, the interface unit 310 described above). For example, the interface unit 220 transmits the image data output by the image processing unit 231 to the driver 300, and transmits the control signal (timing control signal) output by the control unit 230 to the driver 300. Further, the interface unit 220 may transmit display setting data (for example, a mode setting signal) for controlling the operation of the driver 300 to the driver 300.

The image processing unit 231 of the control unit 230, the error detection unit 233, the register unit 235, and the error output unit 215 may be used for logic circuits (for example, gate circuits such as AND circuits, or circuits, inverter circuits, flip-flop circuits, and the like. It is composed of a gate array in which functional circuits are arranged). Each part of the image processing unit 231, the error detection unit 233, the register unit 235, and the error output unit 215 represents a functional block, and may be configured as an integrated logic circuit as hardware or as an individual logic circuit. May be done.

Alternatively, each of the above parts may be realized by software. That is, the display controller 200 (circuit device) or the like of the present embodiment may realize a part or most of the processing by a program. In this case, the display controller 200 or the like of the present embodiment is realized by executing the program by a processor such as a CPU. Specifically, a program stored in a non-temporary information storage medium is read, and a processor such as a CPU executes the read program. Here, the information storage medium (medium that can be read by a computer) stores programs, data, and the like, and its function is an optical disk (DVD, CD, etc.), an HDD (hard disk drive), or a memory (card type). It can be realized by memory, ROM, etc.). Then, a processor such as a CPU performs various processes of the present embodiment based on a program (data) stored in the information storage medium. That is, the information storage medium is a program for operating a computer (a device including an operation unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output unit) as each part of the present embodiment (a program for causing the computer to execute the processing of each part). Is memorized. The same applies to the driver 300 in that the functions of each part may be realized by software.

The method of the present embodiment receives the first image data from the processing device 100, the display controller 200 that controls the display timing, and the second image data that is controlled by the display controller 200 and receives the second image data from the display controller. It can be applied to a display system 600 including a driver 300 for driving an electro-optical panel (display panel 500). Then, as described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the display controller 200 performs the first error detection on the first image data, and the driver 300 detects the second error on the second image data. I do. The display controller 200 can convert the data format of the first image data and perform various image processing. Therefore, the second image data represents the data transmitted to the driver 300 after the display controller 200 (image processing unit 231) performs image processing on the first image data.

By doing so, when the display controller 200 and the driver 300 are provided as separate bodies (separate ICs) as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to detect an error in the image data in each case. As described above, since the image data is communicated between the processing device 100 and the display controller 200 and between the display controller 200 and the driver 300 via the interface, an error may occur in each communication. In that respect, by performing both the first error detection and the second error detection, the error detection accuracy can be improved as compared with the case where only one is performed, and inappropriate image data is displayed on the display panel 500. Can be deterred.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the display controller 200 has a first interface unit (interface unit 210) that receives the first image data from the processing device 100, and a first image data. It includes a first error detection unit (error detection unit 233) that performs error detection. Further, the driver 300 has a second interface unit (interface unit 310) that receives the second image data from the display controller 200, and a second error detection unit that detects a second error in the second image data. (Error detection unit 333) is included. By having these configurations, the display controller 200 and the driver 300 can each perform error detection of image data.

Also in this case, the output of the error detection result to the external device is not prevented. For example, the display controller 200 outputs the result of the first error detection to the processing device 100, and the driver 300 outputs the result of the second error detection to the display controller 200 or the processing device 100.

In this way, the results of the first and second error detections can be output to other devices, so that various error handling processes (exception processes) can be performed.

2. Specific Example of Error Detection In the error detection in the present embodiment, specifically, the image data transmitted by the first device to the second device and the image data actually received by the second device match. It is to check whether or not it is (detection of communication error). When CRC is used for error detection, the second device acquires the CRC value calculated from the image data that the first device intends to transmit to the second device as an expected value. The error detection in the second device is a process of determining whether or not the CRC value (calculated value) calculated from the image data actually received by the second device matches the expected value. Various specific methods can be considered. For example, when R, G, B n bits (for example, n = 8) of data are assigned to each pixel, the expected value is the expected value based on the R pixel value and the B pixel. The expected value based on the value and the expected value based on the B pixel value may be acquired, and the calculation of the CRC value and the matching determination with the expected value may be performed for each color of RGB.

If the above error detection is an error detection (second error detection) performed by the error detection unit 333 of the driver 300, the first device is the display controller 200 (or the processing device 100), and the second device is the display controller 200 (or the processing device 100). The device is driver 300. If the error detection is error detection (first error detection) performed by the error detection unit 233 of the display controller 200, the first device is the processing device 100, and the second device is the display controller. It is 200.

Hereinafter, specific examples of the first error detection and the second error detection will be described. However, the process described below is an example of error detection, and various modifications can be performed. For example, the process described as the first error detection may be performed by the second error detection, or the process described as the second error detection may be performed by the first error detection. Further, a plurality of error detections may be combined.

2.1 Example of error detection with a driver First, a specific example of error detection (second error detection) performed by the driver 300 will be described. The driver 300 may perform some kind of image processing (for example, gamma correction) on the image data acquired from the external device, and drive the display panel 500 based on the processed data. In this case, error detection may be performed on the image data before image processing. The information used for error detection (expected value or dummy data for fixing the expected value) is transmitted from an external device, and the information assumes error detection of image data at the time of transmission from the external device. The value. That is, it is natural that the data to be detected for error is the data before image processing.

<Fixed expected value>
As described above, the expected value of error detection (expected value of CRC value) is required for error detection. Since the CRC value changes according to the image data, the expected value usually changes for each frame. Therefore, the display controller 200 may calculate an expected value based on the image data in each frame and transmit the calculated expected value together with the image data to the driver 300.

However, an error (communication error) may occur not only in the image data but also in the expected value. Therefore, it cannot be said that the reliability of the expected value received by the driver 300 in each frame is sufficient, and if an error occurs in the expected value, the driver 300 cannot properly detect the error.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display controller 200 outputs image data (second image data) to which dummy data is added so that the calculated value of error detection becomes a fixed value to the driver 300.

In this case, the interface unit 310 of the driver 300 receives the image data to which dummy data is added so that the calculated value of the error detection becomes a fixed value from the external device (display controller 200), and the error detection unit 333 receives an error. Error detection is performed by detecting whether or not the calculated value of detection is the above fixed value.

In this way, if the driver 300 can acquire the fixed value once, the fixed value can be continuously used over a plurality of frames. Since the occurrence of errors due to communication of expected values can be suppressed, highly accurate error detection becomes possible. This fixed value may be received from the processing device 100 via, for example, the command interface unit 311. Since it is known at the design stage which value the expected value is fixed to, the driver 300 can acquire the fixed value as a control parameter from the processing device 100. However, the modification such as receiving a fixed value from the display controller 200 via the display interface unit 313 or storing it in the register unit 325 at the time of manufacturing the driver 300 is not hindered.

Various methods for generating dummy data can be considered. As an example, the following processes (1) to (3) may be performed. Here, it is assumed that the calculated value of CRC is q bits (the generated polynomial is q + 1 bits).
(1) A bit string A consisting of q '0's is added after the p-bit image data to be error detected to generate a bit string A of p + q bits. (2) The q bits of the above bit string A are targeted. (3) The q-bit CRC value B is used as dummy data (the p + q-bit bit string C obtained by adding the CRC value B to the bit string A is used as image data + dummy data).

In a general CRC operation, the remainder of the error detection target bit string divided by the bit string representing the generated polynomial (strictly speaking, division without carry-up and carry-down, modulo2 operation) is used as the CRC value. That is, by adding the CRC value (remainder) obtained in (2) above to the original bit string A, the remainder of the bit string C after addition is always 0. As a result, the expected value of error detection for the image data (bit string C) to which dummy data is added can be fixed to 0.

Although the fixed value is set to 0 here, it is not limited to this and can be expanded to any number that can be represented by q bits. Further, here, the dummy data has the same number of bits as the length of the CRC value (= length of the generated polynomial-1). For example, in the case of CRC-8 using a 9-bit generation polynomial, the dummy data is 8 bits, and in the case of CRC-16 using a 17-bit generation polynomial, the dummy data is 16 bits. However, the data for fixing the calculated value of error detection may be at least as long as the CRC value, and the use of data having a bit string longer than the CRC value as dummy data is not hindered. For example, the length of the dummy data may be set based on the transfer unit in the interface unit 310 or the processing unit in the driver 300 (control unit 330).

The method of the present embodiment includes an interface unit 220 and a control unit 230 that transmit image data to the driver 300, and the control unit 230 has a fixed calculation value in detecting an error in the image data by the driver 300. Control is performed to add dummy data that becomes a value to the image data, and the interface unit 220 can apply the image data to which the dummy data is added to the display controller 200 that transmits the image data to the driver 300.

<Target image data in the warning information display area>
The error detection of this embodiment does not prevent the entire image data from being targeted. In other words, the error detection unit 333 may perform error detection on the image data of the entire display area of the electro-optical panel (display panel 500). However, in the electro-optic panel, there is often a difference in importance between the information displayed in a given area and the information displayed in another area.

For example, when an abnormality occurs in a system (electronic device, mobile body), warning information for warning the user of the abnormality is provided in a given area of the electro-optical panel (hereinafter referred to as a warning information display area). It may be displayed. In this case, the information displayed in the warning information display area of the electro-optical panel is more important than the information displayed in other areas. That is, the image data in the warning information display area has a higher need for error detection than the image data in other areas. This is because if the error is left unattended, information different from the warning information that should be displayed will be displayed.

Therefore, the error detection unit 333 may detect an error in the image data in the warning information display area in the display area of the electro-optical panel. In this way, error detection can be performed by giving priority to important areas. Further, for the image data in the area other than the warning information display area, it is possible to reduce the frequency of error detection or omit the error detection. That is, it is possible to reduce the processing load by suppressing the display area (the amount of image data) targeted for error detection.

Even when the error detection is limited to the warning information display area, image data corresponding to the entire display area of the electro-optical panel is required for displaying the image on the display panel 500. That is, when performing error detection in the warning information display area, information for specifying the image data corresponding to the warning information display area is required. Therefore, the interface unit 310 acquires the position information for specifying the warning information display area from the external device. This position information is information represented by, for example, the upper left coordinate value and the lower right coordinate value of the rectangular warning information display area.

Further, the display controller 200 adds dummy data to the image data in the warning information display area so that the calculated value for error detection is a fixed value. In this way, the error detection unit 333 of the driver 300 can specify the image data of the warning information display area to be error-detected and the expected value of the calculated value, so that the error detection targeting the warning information display area can be specified. Can be executed properly.

<Target for upper n bits>
When considering reducing the amount of image data to be error detected, a method different from the method of limiting the area may be used. For example, the error detection unit 333 may perform error detection on the upper m bits of the n bits of the image data, and may not perform error detection on the lower nm bits.

The upper and lower parts here represent the MSB side and the LSB side of each pixel value of RGB when paying attention to a given one pixel. For example, when an R pixel value, a G pixel value, and a B pixel value of 8 bits are assigned to one pixel, n = 8, and the high-order m (an integer of 1 or more and 7 or less) bit is 8. Represents the MSB-side m-bits (most significant bit to m-bits) of the R pixel values of the bits, the MSB-side m-bits of the B-pixel values, and the MSB-side m-bits of the G-pixel values.

The bit value on the upper side (MSB side) has a large contribution to each pixel value, and the bit value on the lower side (LSB side) has a small contribution. In the above 8-bit example, if an error occurs in the most significant bit, the pixel value fluctuates by 128, but even if an error occurs in the least significant bit, the pixel value fluctuates only 1. When the pixel value fluctuates only slightly, the variation in the tint of the corresponding pixel is also small. That is, even if an error occurs in the lower bit, the influence on the user's recognition is small.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the target of error detection may be limited to the upper m bits. The area for error detection (the entire display area of the electro-optical panel or the warning information display area as described above) is a total of r × s of vertical r pixels and horizontal s pixels. In the case of pixels, if all bits are targeted, it is necessary to perform error detection for r × s × n bits for each color of RGB. In that respect, by limiting to the upper m bits, the error detection may target the r × s × m (<r × s × n) bits. That is, it is possible to reduce the amount of data to be detected by error and reduce the processing load of error detection. At this time, in order to consider whether it is the upper side or the lower side, it is possible to appropriately set the bit with high importance as the error detection target and exclude the bit with low importance from the error detection.

<Error detection of display setting data>
In the above, an example in which the target of error detection is image data acquired via the display interface unit 313 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the interface unit 310 may include a command interface unit 311 in addition to the display interface unit 313 that receives image data. Then, the command interface unit 311 receives the display setting data from the external device (processing device 100 or display controller 200). The display setting data here is data (parameters) used for the display setting in the driver 300, and includes, for example, data for setting the display timing.

In this case, since the display setting data is also acquired by communication via the interface unit 310, an error (communication error) may occur. Therefore, the error detection unit 333 may perform error detection of the display setting data received by the command interface unit 311.

In this way, it is possible to extend the target of error detection to other than image data. By detecting an error in the display setting data, it is possible to prevent display control from being performed based on inappropriate setting data. For example, it is possible to prevent the display timing from deviating from the original timing.

<Count by error output section>
The error output unit 315 outputs an error detection result based on the detection result of the error detection unit 333. The detection result in the error detection unit 333 is, in a narrow sense, information indicating whether or not the calculated value (CRC value) for error detection matches the expected value. Here, the error output unit 315 is not prevented from outputting an error when the error detection unit 333 determines that the calculated value and the expected value do not match (hereinafter, also referred to as a CRC error).

However, the communication standard allows the occurrence of bit errors at a certain frequency. Since the image data to be the target of error detection is, for example, a bit string of the number of pixels × 24 bits, even if the error detection area is limited to the warning information display area, the amount of data is a certain amount. As a result, the CRC error itself occurs about once every several tens of frames, and if the error output unit 315 outputs an error due to one CRC error, the sensitivity to the error may become excessively high. ..

Therefore, the error output unit 315 may count the number of times the CRC error is detected by the error detection unit 333, and output an error when the count value becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. In other words, the error output unit 315 does not immediately make an error when a CRC error occurs once, but outputs an error when it occurs a predetermined number of times. The count value here may be the cumulative number of error occurrences or the number of consecutive error occurrences.

2.2 Example of error detection in the display controller Next, a specific example of error detection (first error detection) performed in the display controller 200 will be described. The display controller 200 can also perform some kind of image processing on the image data acquired from the processing device 100, but the error detection may target the image data before the image processing.

<Flexible setting of error detection area>
The area for error detection is not limited to the entire display area of the display panel 500 or the warning information display area, and can be set more flexibly. In the example of FIG. 4, the first to fourth error detection areas AR1 to AR4 are set for the image (IMG) corresponding to the display area of the display panel 500. Position information is used to identify the error detection areas AR1 to AR4. The position information here is, for example, start points SP1 to SP4 and end points EP1 to EP4 of each error detection region. For example, the coordinates x in the horizontal scanning direction and the coordinates y in the vertical scanning direction are defined with the coordinates of the upper left pixel of the image IMG as the origin. The pixel with the smallest coordinates x and y is the start point, and the pixel with the largest coordinates x and y is the end point.

The number of error detection areas is not limited to four, and one or a plurality of arbitrary error detection areas can be set. Further, in FIG. 4, the error detection areas AR1 to AR4 are not overlapped with each other, but the region is not limited to this, and a part of the error detection areas may be overlapped with each other. Further, the position information for designating the error detection area is not limited to the start point and the end point, and may be any information that can determine the area. For example, the coordinates of the start point of the error detection region, the horizontal width (the number of pixels in the horizontal scanning direction), and the vertical width (the number of pixels in the vertical scanning direction) may be used.

The error detection unit 233 acquires the position information for specifying the error detection area, and performs error detection for the error detection area specified by the position information. The position information may be stored in the register unit 235. In this case, the error detection unit 233 reads the position information from the register unit 235 and performs error detection on the pixel data corresponding to the position information in the image data. The position information is acquired from the processing device 100 via the interface unit 210. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the interface unit 210 of the display controller 200 may include a display interface unit and a command interface unit. The position information may be acquired via the display interface unit or the command interface unit.

The position information stored in the register unit 235 may be a fixed value. In this case, the error detection unit 233 may continue the error detection targeting the error detection areas AR1 to AR4 shown in FIG. 4 over a plurality of frames. Alternatively, it is possible to perform modification such that error detection is performed on the first error detection area AR1 in the first frame, and error detection is performed on the second error detection area AR2 in the second frame. .. That is, when a plurality of position information is stored in the register unit 235, various modifications can be performed in the order and combination of using the plurality of position information.

Further, the position information stored in the register unit 235 may be updated as appropriate. For example, by updating the position information for each frame, it is possible to set the error detection area more flexibly. However, when the position information stored in the register unit 235 is frequently updated, the processing load becomes large because the register writing and reading processing is performed frequently.

In consideration of this point, the position information may be included in the image data. The interface unit 210 (display interface unit) receives the data including the image data and the position information of the error detection area, and the error detection unit 233 is based on the image data of the error detection area specified by the position information. Perform error detection. The position information is the next horizontal blanking interval, which is the period from the display of one horizontal line to the start of the display of the next one line, or after the image for one frame is displayed. It may be transmitted during the vertical blanking interval, which is the period until the display of the image of the frame is started. Alternatively, position information may be added before, after, or in the middle of the image data (display image data). In this way, the position information can be received for each frame by using the interface unit 210 (display interface unit) that receives the image data, so that the error detection area can be flexibly set.

The display area of the image data (first image data) on which the display controller 200 performs error detection (first error detection) and the driver 300 perform error detection (second error detection). The display area of the image data (second image data) on the electro-optical panel may be different.

In this way, the display controller 200 and the driver 300 can flexibly set the area for error detection. For example, as described above, the driver 300 may perform error detection targeting the warning information display area, and the display controller 200 may perform error detection targeting the first to fourth error detection areas AR1 to AR4. It is preferable that the number of areas targeted for error detection by the driver 300 is smaller than the number of areas targeted for error detection by the display controller 200. In this way, the amount of data to be detected by the driver 300 is smaller than the amount of data to be detected by the display controller 200, so that the calculation load on the driver 300 can be reduced. Become. For example, the error detection in the driver 300 is executed for a part of the areas selected from the areas to be error-detected by the display controller 200. Specifically, the error detection unit 333 of the driver 300 performs error detection for one to three areas selected from the error detection areas AR1 to AR4.

In addition, the area for error detection can be variously set by the display controller 200 and the driver 300. Of course, it is not prevented that the display controller 200 and the driver 300 target the same area for error detection.

<Send expected value from external device>
In the first error detection, an example in which the expected value of error detection is a fixed value has been described. However, the expected value may not be fixed and may be a value that fluctuates every frame according to the image data. In this case, the processing device 100 calculates an expected value (CRC value) for error detection based on the image data to be transmitted. The calculation of the expected value is performed for each error detection area, and in the example of FIG. 4, the expected value corresponding to AR1 to AR4 is calculated. In the case of using three expected values of R, G, and B for one error detection area, 12 expected values are calculated as the expected values corresponding to AR1 to AR4.

The display controller 200 receives the expected value of the calculated value for error detection from the processing device 100, and detects whether or not the calculated value for error detection becomes the expected value, thereby detecting an error (first error detection). )I do. Specifically, the expected value is received via the interface unit 210, and the error detection is performed by the error detection unit 233. In the case where the error detection area is set as described above, the error detection unit 233 may perform error detection based on the image data, the position information, and the expected value.

Similar to the position information, the expected value may be acquired via the display interface unit or the command interface unit. Further, the same as the position information is that the expected value may be stored in the register unit 235 or the value acquired via the display interface unit may be directly used.

3. 3. Example of using a plurality of drivers In FIG. 1, an example in which one driver 300 (source driver) is used is shown. However, a plurality of drivers 300 are often provided. For example, it is conceivable that one driver 300 cannot drive all the data lines of the display panel 500 due to the limitation of the IC size and the allowable terminal pitch of the driver 300. In particular, when the number of data lines increases due to the advancement of high definition of the display panel 500, the possibility that a plurality of drivers 300 are required increases.

FIG. 5 shows a connection example of the display panel 500, the driver 300 (source driver), and the scanning driver 400 when a plurality of drivers 300 are used. In the example of FIG. 5, the display panel has 4 × N data lines. Then, four drivers 300 (drivers 300-1 to 300-4) for driving N data lines are provided, and the four drivers 300 drive 4 × N data lines of the display panel 500. Although four drivers 300 are shown in FIG. 5, the number of drivers 300 may be two or three, or five or more.

Further, in the example of FIG. 5, the display panel has 2 × M scanning lines. Then, two scanning drivers 400 (scanning drivers 400-1 to 400-2) for scanning M scanning lines are provided, and the two scanning drivers 400 scan 2 × M scanning lines on the display panel 500. conduct. It should be noted that various modifications can be made to the number of scanning drivers 400.

Each of the drivers 300-1 to 300-4 of the plurality of drivers 300 supplies a data signal to the data line based on the command and the image data from the display controller 200 (or the processing device 100). The data signal here is a signal (analog voltage in a narrow sense) generated based on image data. However, the display control signal (display timing signal, cascade signal) is generated by the driver 300-1 and supplied from the driver 300-1 to the drivers 300-2 to 300-4. The display control signals used by the scanning drivers 400-1 and 400-2 are also supplied from the driver 300-1.

The driver 300 that generates the display control signal (driver 300-1 in the example of FIG. 5) is called the master, and the driver 300 that receives the supply of the display control signal generated by the other driver 300 (drivers 300-2 to 3 in FIG. 5). 300-4) is called a slave. When the driver 300 has a built-in power supply (power supply circuit 350), the driver 300 whose built-in power supply is on is the master and the driver 300 whose built-in power supply is off is the slave. Each driver 300 can set the master / slave based on, for example, a signal input to a given terminal. As for the scanning driver 400, the scanning driver 400-1 may be set as the master and the scanning driver 400-2 may be set as the slave.

When a plurality of drivers 300 are provided, each driver 300 can perform the above-mentioned error detection (second error detection). In this case, each driver may send an error detection result to an external device. However, when the error detection result is output using the error output terminal TE as described above, the number of error input terminals corresponding to the number of drivers 300 is required on the external device side that receives the error detection result.

Therefore, when the driver 300 is set as the master, the interface unit 310 may output the error detection result of the other driver set as the slave to the external device. In other words, the display system 600 includes a second driver different from the driver 300 shown in FIG. 1 and the like, and is set as the master when the driver 300 is set as the master and the second driver is set as the slave. The driver 300 outputs the result of error detection (second error detection) of the second driver set as the slave.

By doing so, the output source of the error detection result can be unified to the driver 300 set as the master, and the error detection result can be easily acquired by the external device. In the case of using the error output terminal TE, one error input terminal may be provided in the external device regardless of the number of drivers 300.

FIG. 6 is a connection example in which the driver 300 set in the master outputs the error detection result of the driver 300 set in the slave. In FIG. 6, the driver 300-1 is set as the master, and the drivers 300-2 to 300-4 are set as the slave. Since the configuration of the driver 300 has been described above with reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of each driver is simplified in FIG. Further, the number of drivers 300 is not limited to four. In addition, the configuration including the plurality of drivers 300 is not limited to FIG. 6, and various modifications such as omitting some of these components or adding other components can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 6, each driver 300 (300-1 to 300-4) includes an error detection unit 333 (333-1 to 333-4) and an error output unit 315 (315-13 to 15-4). .. Here, the error output unit 315 may be an OR circuit that outputs the logical sum of the input signals. The error output unit 315 transfers the logical sum of the signal input to the terminals TI (TI-1 to TI-4) and the output of its own error detection unit 333 to the error output terminal TE (TE-1 to TE-4). Output. In the following, the error detection unit 333 outputs an H level signal when the calculated value and the expected value do not match (when a CRC error is detected), and outputs an L level signal when they match. explain.

A low potential side reference voltage (ground in a narrow sense) is supplied to the terminal TI-4 of the driver 300-4 set as the slave. Therefore, the error output unit 315-4 outputs an H level signal when the output of the error detection unit 333-4 is H level, and outputs an L level signal when the output of the error detection unit 333-4 is L level. That is, the output of the error output terminal TE-4 is a signal indicating the error detection result of the driver 300-4.

The terminal TI-3 of the driver 300-3 set as the slave is connected to the error output terminal TE-4 of the driver 300-4. Therefore, the error output unit 315-3 outputs the logical sum of the error detection results of the error detection units 333-3 and 333-4. That is, when at least one of the outputs of the error detection unit 333-3 and the error detection unit 333-4 is H level, an H level signal is output, and when both are L level, an L level signal is output.

The terminal TI-2 of the driver 300-2 set as the slave is connected to the error output terminal TE-3 of the driver 300-3. Therefore, the error output unit 315-2 outputs the logical sum of the error detection results of the error detection units 333-2-333-4. That is, when at least one output of the error detection unit 333-2-333-4 is H level, an H level signal is output, and when all are L level, an L level signal is output.

The terminal TI-1 of the driver 300-1 set in the master is connected to the error output terminal TE-2 of the driver 300-2. Therefore, the error output unit 315-1 outputs the logical sum of the error detection results of the error detection units 333-1 to 333-4. That is, when at least one output of the error detection units 333-1 to 333-4 is H level, an H level signal is output, and when all are L level, an L level signal is output. The error output terminal TE-1 of the driver 300-1 set as the master is connected to an external device.

In this way, it is possible to output the error detection result of the driver 300 (300-2 to 300-4) set as the slave from the driver 300 (300-1) set as the master.

Although the error output unit 315 is assumed to be a simple OR circuit in FIG. 6, the error output unit 315 is not limited to the simple OR circuit. For example, as described above, the error output unit 315 may count the number of CRC errors. In that case, the error output unit 315 may output the logical sum of the signal whose H level / L level is determined based on the count value and the signal input from the terminal TI, including a counter (not shown) and the like.

Further, the enable / disable of error detection may be set for each driver 300, and in that case, each driver 300 may include an enable / disable setting terminal for error detection. In the driver 300 set to be invalid, the error detection unit 333 becomes inactive, and the output from the error detection unit 333 is fixed to the L level (a signal indicating no error in a broad sense).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the display system 600 includes a scanning driver 400 (gate driver). Since it is not necessary to use the image data in the scanning driver 400, it is not necessary to detect an error in the image data. However, it is conceivable that the scanning driver 400 also detects an error. For example, the scanning driver 400 may sequentially scan the scanning lines and output a signal when the final scanning is completed (when the display control of the image for one frame is completed). Then, the scanning driver 400 outputs an error when the signal is not present. In this way, it is possible to detect an error as to whether or not the display control is properly performed.

When the scanning driver 400 can output the error detection result, if the scanning driver 400 outputs the error detection result to the external device, the number of terminals of the external device increases.

Therefore, the driver 300 may receive the error detection result of the scanning driver 400 from the scanning driver 400 and output the received error detection result. More specifically, the interface unit 310 of the driver 300 outputs an error detection result of the scanning driver that drives the scanning line of the electro-optical panel to an external device. When there are a plurality of drivers 300, the driver that outputs the error detection result of the scanning driver 400 is the driver 300 set as the master. When a plurality of scanning drivers 400 are provided as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the master scanning driver 400-1 receives the error detection result of the slave scanning driver 400-2, and the received error detection is performed. The result and its own error detection result are output to the driver 300 (master driver 300-1).

In this way, the error detection result of the scanning driver 400 can also be aggregated and output to the driver 300.

4. Sensitivity (rate) setting for error detection, etc. As described above, error detection (second error detection) by the driver 300 and error detection (first error detection) by the display controller 200 may be performed. In the present embodiment, a difference may be provided between the two error detections.

Specifically, the sensitivity of the first error detection in the display controller 200 (easiness of detecting an error) and the sensitivity of the second error detection in the driver 300 may be different. The sensitivity of error detection can be set by various methods. For example, the rate (frequency) of error detection may be adjusted. The first error detection is performed once in the f1 (f1 is an integer of 1 or more) frame, and the second error detection is performed once in the f2 (f2 is a positive integer different from f1) frame. If f1 <f2, the first error detection will be performed more frequently than the second error detection, and the sensitivity of the first error detection will be higher than the sensitivity of the second error detection.

Alternatively, when the error output unit 215 and the error output unit 315 count the number of CRC errors, the threshold value of the count value may be changed. For example, the error output unit 215 of the display controller 200 outputs an error when the count value becomes C1 or more, and the error output unit 315 of the driver 300 outputs an error when the count value becomes C2 (C2 ≠ C1) or more. Output an error to. The smaller the threshold value, the higher the sensitivity of error detection because the error is output even if the number of CRC error detections is small. If C1 <C2, the number of CRC errors allowed in the first error detection is reduced, so that the sensitivity of the first error detection is higher than the sensitivity of the second error detection.

In this way, the driver 300 and the display controller 200 can flexibly set the sensitivity of error detection. In particular, in the present embodiment, at least one of f1 <f2 and C1 <C2 may be used. In other words, the sensitivity of the first error detection may be higher than the sensitivity of the second error detection. The communication between the processing device 100 and the display controller 200 is faster than the communication between the display controller 200 and the driver 300, and errors are likely to occur. In other words, by increasing the sensitivity of the received data of the display controller 200, which is prone to error, and lowering the sensitivity of the received data of the driver 300, which is less prone to error, it is possible to detect errors appropriately according to the situation. Become.

Further, when a plurality of drivers 300 are used, error detection (second error detection) may be performed in each driver 300. In the present embodiment, a difference may be provided between the error detections in each of the drivers 300.

For example, the error detection unit 333 of the driver 300 performs error detection with a sensitivity different from the error detection sensitivity of another driver driving the electro-optical panel. In this way, it is possible to flexibly set the error detection sensitivity for each driver 300. For example, when important information is displayed in the center of the display area of the display panel 500, the error detection sensitivity of the driver 300 that drives the data line in the center is relatively high, and the data line on the end side is relatively high. The sensitivity of the driver 300 that drives the driver 300 is relatively low. In the example of FIG. 5, the error detection sensitivity of the drivers 300-2 and 300-3 is made higher than that of the drivers 300-1 and 300-4. More specifically, the error detection sensitivity of the driver 300 that drives the data line corresponding to the warning information display area may be relatively increased. To adjust the sensitivity of error detection, the error detection rate (how many frames the error is detected once) may be changed in the error detection unit 333 as described above, or the error output unit 315 counts. You may change the threshold value when performing.

Alternatively, the error detection itself in some drivers 300 may be deactivated. For example, as described above together with FIG. 6, each driver may be able to set the validity / invalidity of error detection by a terminal. Then, the driver 300 corresponding to the area where important information is displayed (for example, the warning information display area) is activated, and the other drivers 300 are inactive. Even with such a method, it is possible to provide a difference in error detection sensitivity among the plurality of drivers 300.

Alternatively, instead of fixing the output of the error detection unit 333, the validity / invalidity of the error output from the driver 300 (error output unit 315) may be set. For example, only the error output of the driver 300 corresponding to the warning information display area may be enabled, and the output of the other driver 300 may be ignored. Even with such a method, it is possible to provide a difference in error detection sensitivity among the plurality of drivers 300.

Further, the control unit 330 of the driver 300 may perform an abnormality detection different from the error detection by the error detection unit 333. For example, the control unit 330 may determine a signal abnormality or a connection abnormality with an external device based on whether or not a clock signal is supplied. The determination of the signal abnormality or the connection abnormality is performed by, for example, the detection circuit 360 shown in FIG.

When a signal abnormality or a connection abnormality is detected, the control unit 330 may control to turn off the display on the display panel 500. For example, the control unit 330 controls to display the entire display area in black. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the display of inappropriate information. From the viewpoint of suppressing the display of inappropriate information, the control unit 330 may turn off the display when an error is detected by the error detection unit 333.

However, when a signal abnormality or a connection abnormality occurs, it is possible that the normal display operation (driving the display panel 500) itself is difficult. On the other hand, the CRC error occurs with a certain frequency as described above. Therefore, when the display is turned off by the control unit 330, a difference may be provided between the signal abnormality or connection abnormality and the error detection by the error detection unit 333.

Specifically, the driver 300 includes a control unit 330 (drive control unit 331) that controls the drive of the drive circuit 340, and the control unit 330 detects signal abnormality or connection abnormality k times (k is a positive integer). When the error is detected, the display is controlled to be turned off, and when the error is detected j times (j is an integer of j> k) by the error detection unit 333, the display is controlled to be turned off.

In this way, it is possible to control the display off after considering the difference in importance (severity) between the signal abnormality or connection abnormality and the error detection. Since normal operation is difficult in a signal abnormality or a connection abnormality as described above, k is set to a sufficiently small value (for example, k = 1). On the other hand, the CRC error can be tolerated a certain number of times. Further, although the control by the control unit 330 of the driver 300 has been described here, it is not hindered that the control unit 230 of the display controller 200 performs the same control.

5. Modification Example In the above, an example in which a terminal for outputting the presence or absence of an error is used as the error output terminal TE has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the driver 300 may include a terminal for reading data for specifying the type of error from an external device (hereinafter, type-specific data) as the error output terminal TE. The external device (display controller 200) identifies the type of error by reading the type identification data stored in the driver 300 via the terminal.

Here, various specific examples of the type-specific data can be considered. For example, in the case where a plurality of drivers 300 are provided, data indicating which driver has detected an error may be used as the type-specific data. Alternatively, when error detection is performed by the scanning driver 400, information indicating whether the error is detected by the driver 300 or the scanning driver 400 may be used as the type identification data. Further, when the driver 300 performs error detection based on CRC error and abnormality detection such as signal abnormality or connection abnormality, information indicating which one is detected may be used as type identification data. Further, when the error detection unit 333 of the driver 300 can count both the cumulative number of CRC errors and the number of continuous occurrences, the type-specific data may be data indicating which count exceeds the threshold value. In addition, the driver 300 of the present embodiment can detect various errors and abnormalities, and data for identifying which of them is detected can be used as type identification data.

6. Electro-optic device, electronic device, mobile body The method of this embodiment can be applied to various devices including the driver 300 (display system 600) described above. For example, the method of this embodiment can be applied to an electro-optical device including a driver 300 (display system 600) and an electro-optic panel (display panel 500). Further, the method of the present embodiment can be applied to an electronic device including a driver 300 (display system 600) or a mobile body.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of an electro-optic device 700 (display device) including the display system 600 of the present embodiment. The electro-optical device 700 includes a display controller 200, a driver 300, and a display panel 500.

The display panel 500 is composed of, for example, a glass substrate and a pixel array (liquid crystal array) formed on the glass substrate. The pixel array includes pixels, data lines, and scanning lines. The driver 300 is mounted on a glass substrate, and the driver 300 and the pixel array are connected by a wiring group formed of transparent electrodes (ITO: Indium Tin Oxide). The display controller 200 is mounted on a circuit board different from the glass substrate, and the circuit board and the glass substrate are connected by a flexible substrate or the like. The electro-optical device 700 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the driver 300 and the display controller 200 may be mounted on a circuit board, and the circuit board and the display panel 500 may be connected by a flexible board or the like. The display panel 500 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD, liquid crystal display), but is not limited thereto. For example, the display panel 500 may be a display (organic EL display, OELD: Organic Electro-Luminescence Display) using an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode).

FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the electronic device 800 including the display system 600 of the present embodiment. Examples of the electronic device of the present embodiment include an in-vehicle display device (for example, a meter panel, etc.), a display, a projector, a television device, an information processing device (computer), a portable information terminal, a car navigation system, a portable game terminal, and a DLP. Various electronic devices equipped with a display device, such as a (Digital Light Processing) device, can be assumed.

The electronic device 800 includes a CPU 810 (processing device 100), a display controller 200, a driver 300, a display panel 500, a storage unit 820 (memory), an operation unit 830 (operation device), and a communication unit 840 (communication circuit, communication device). ..

The operation unit 830 is a user interface that receives various operations from the user. For example, it is composed of a button, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel attached to the display panel 500, and the like. The communication unit 840 is a data interface that communicates (transmits, receives) image data and control data. For example, it is a wired communication interface such as USB, or a wireless communication interface such as a wireless LAN. The storage unit 820 stores the image data input from the communication unit 840. Alternatively, the storage unit 820 functions as a working memory of the CPU 810. The CPU 810 performs control processing and various data processing of each part of the electronic device 800. The display controller 200 controls the driver 300. For example, the display controller 200 converts the image data transferred from the communication unit 840 or the storage unit 820 via the CPU 810 into a format that can be accepted by the driver 300, and outputs the converted image data to the driver 300. The driver 300 drives the display panel 500 based on the image data transferred from the display controller 200.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of a mobile body including the display system 600 of the present embodiment. As the moving body of the present embodiment, for example, various moving bodies such as a car, an airplane, a motorcycle, a ship, or a robot (running robot, walking robot) can be assumed. A moving body is a device / device that is provided with, for example, a drive mechanism such as an engine or a motor, a steering mechanism such as a steering wheel or a rudder, and various electronic devices, and moves on the ground, in the sky, or on the sea.

FIG. 9 schematically shows an automobile 900 as a specific example of a moving body. The automobile 900 incorporates a display device 910 (electro-optical device 700) having a display system 600 (display controller 200, driver 300) and an ECU 920 (processing device 100) that controls each part of the automobile 900. The ECU 920 generates an image (image data) that presents information such as vehicle speed, remaining fuel amount, mileage, and settings of various devices (for example, an air conditioner) to the user, and transmits the image to the display device 910 for display. It is displayed on the panel 500.

Although the present embodiment has been described in detail as described above, those skilled in the art will easily understand that many modifications that do not substantially deviate from the novel matters and effects of the present invention are possible. Therefore, all such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, a term described at least once in a specification or drawing with a different term in a broader or synonymous manner may be replaced by that different term anywhere in the specification or drawing. All combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention. Further, the configuration / operation of the processing device, the display controller, the driver, the electro-optical device, the electronic device, the moving body, and the like are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications can be performed.

TE ... error output terminal, TI ... terminal, W1, W2 ... wiring, 100 ... processing device,
200 ... Display controller, 210 ... Interface unit, 215 ... Error output unit,
220 ... interface unit, 230 ... control unit, 231 ... image processing unit,
233 ... Error detection unit, 235 ... Register unit,
300 (300-1 to 300-4) ... Driver, 310 ... Interface section,
311 ... Command interface unit, 313 ... Display interface unit,
315 (315-1 to 315-4) ... error output unit, 330 ... control unit,
331 ... Drive control unit, 333 (333-1,333-4) ... Error detection unit,
335 ... Register part, 340 ... Drive circuit, 350 ... Power supply circuit, 360 ... Detection circuit,
400 (400-1,400-2) ... scanning driver, 500 ... display panel,
600 ... Display system, 700 ... Electro-optical device, 800 ... Electronic equipment, 810 ... CPU,
820 ... storage unit, 830 ... operation unit, 840 ... communication unit, 900 ... automobile,
910 ... Display device, 920 ... ECU

Claims (13)

A display controller that receives the first image data from the processing device and controls the display timing,
A driver that is controlled by the display controller and receives the second image data from the display controller to drive the electro-optical panel.
Including
The display controller is
Based on the error detection for the first image data in each frame of the plurality of frames, the first error detection is performed.
The driver
Based on the error detection for the second image data in each frame of the plurality of frames, the second error detection is performed.
A display system characterized in that the sensitivity of the first error detection by the display controller and the sensitivity of the second error detection by the driver are different. In claim 1,
The display controller is
The first number of times an error is detected in the error detection for the first image data is counted, and when the first number of times becomes equal to or higher than the first threshold value, the error is detected in the first error detection.
The driver
The second number of times an error is detected in the error detection for the second image data is counted, and when the second number of times becomes equal to or higher than a second threshold value different from the first threshold value, the second error A display system characterized by detecting an error in detection. A display controller that receives the first image data from the processing device and controls the display timing,
A driver that is controlled by the display controller and receives the second image data from the display controller to drive the electro-optical panel.
Including
The display controller is
When f1 is an integer of 1 or more, the first error detection for the first image data is performed once in the f1 frame.
The driver
when f2 of the integer of 1 or more, the display system characterized in that said second error detection for the second image data, intends once row different f2 frame and the f1 frame. A display controller that receives the first image data from the processing device and controls the display timing,
A driver that is controlled by the display controller and receives the second image data from the display controller to drive the electro-optical panel.
Including
The display controller is
The first error detection for the first image data is performed, and
The driver
The second error detection for the second image data is performed, and the second error is detected.
The display area of the first image data in which the display controller performs the first error detection on the electro-optical panel, and
A display system characterized in that the display area of the second image data in which the driver performs the second error detection is different from the display area of the electro-optical panel. A display controller that receives the first image data from the processing device and controls the display timing,
A driver that is controlled by the display controller and receives the second image data from the display controller to drive the electro-optical panel.
Including
The display controller is
The first error detection of the first image data is performed, the second image data of the first frame to which the first dummy data is added, and the second of the second frame to which the second dummy data is added. The image data of 2 is output to the driver,
The first dummy data and the second dummy data are
The second calculated value of error detection from the second image data of the second frame by the same calculation as the calculation when the first calculated value of error detection is obtained from the second image data of the first frame. Is the data such that the first calculated value and the second calculated value are fixed values when
The driver
A display system characterized by performing a second error detection on the second image data. In claim 5,
The driver
A display system characterized in that the second error detection is performed by detecting whether or not the first calculated value and the second calculated value are fixed values. In any of claims 1 to 6,
The display controller is
A first interface unit that receives the first image data from the processing device, and
Includes a first error detection unit that performs the first error detection for the first image data.
The driver
A second interface unit that receives the second image data from the display controller, and
A display system including a second error detection unit that performs the second error detection on the second image data. In any of claims 1 to 7,
The display controller is
The result of the first error detection is output to the processing device, and the result is output.
The driver
A display system characterized in that the result of the second error detection is output to the display controller or the processing device. In any of claims 1 to 8,
Including a second driver different from the above driver
When the driver is set as the master and the second driver is set as the slave
The display system, wherein the driver set as the master outputs the result of the second error detection of the second driver set as the slave. In any of claims 1 to 9,
Includes a scanning driver that drives the scanning lines of the electro-optical panel.
The driver
A display system characterized by outputting an error detection result of the scanning driver. An interface that sends image data to the driver,
Control unit and
Including
The control unit
Control of adding the first dummy data to the image data of the first frame and control of adding the second dummy data to the image data of the second frame are performed.
The first dummy data and the second dummy data are
In the driver, the second calculated value of error detection is obtained from the image data of the second frame by the same calculation as when the first calculated value of error detection is obtained from the image data of the first frame. When the data is obtained, the data is such that the first calculated value and the second calculated value become fixed values.
The interface unit
A display controller characterized in that the image data to which the dummy data is added is transmitted to the driver. The display system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
With the electro-optic panel
An electro-optic device comprising. An electronic device comprising the display system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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