Apparatus and method of driving the various LCD in a computer system

• US 20040036697A1
• Filed: 07/30/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Woo, Jong Hyun, Kim, Se Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 7,253,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/617
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for driving a plurality of displays in a computer system. The apparatus can include a checking circuit for checking inherent control information of the displays, and an output circuit for confirming a brightness control information corresponding to the inherent control information of the checked display among preset brightness control information to output an information to control the display at a brightness of the corresponding display. A conversion circuit can supply an information to drive a corresponding display based on the output information of the output circuit.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

checking means for identifying vendor display type of an installed display; and

brightness control means for matching brightness control information corresponding to the vendor display type of the installed display among preset brightness control information for each of the plurality of display types, wherein the brightness control information is used to control the brightness of the installed display.

2. An apparatus for driving a plurality of displays, comprising:

checking means for checking inherent control information of at least one of the displays;

output means for confirming a brightness control information corresponding to the inherent control information of the at least one checked display among preset brightness control information for each of the plurality of displays to output information to control brightness of the at least one checked display; and

conversion means for supplying an information to drive the at least one display based on the output information of the output means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for identifying power modes used in a system or the at least one checked display and outputting signals corresponding to the identified power modes.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising memory means for storing the inherent control information of the displays.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

input means for varying the brightness of the display; and

input means-control means for outputting a corresponding signal to the input information of the input means, wherein the output information of the output means is a voltage signal or a pulse width modulation signal.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the memory means, the output means and the input means-control means are made in the form of one chip.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the output means is one of a system BIOS and a microcomputer.

8. A method for driving a plurality of displays, the method comprising:

confirming inherent control information of a display intended to use;

retrieving the brightness control information corresponding to the confirmed display among one or more prescribed brightness control informations; and

variably controlling the brightness of the corresponding display by using the retrieved brightness control information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the one or more brightness control information is stored in advance to correspond to the inherent control information of the displays.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the one or more brightness control information is stored to be identified depending on supply sources of power.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the output of the brightness control information comprises at least one of voltage signal and PWM (pulse width modulation) signal, wherein the supply sources of power include an adaptor and a battery, and wherein the displays are LCDs.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the brightness of the corresponding display is controlled by variably outputting a driving current of the display according to output information of the brightness control information.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the confirming inherent control information comprises when the display is equipped, checking an identification information of the confirmed display and providing the checked identification information to a system BIOS, and wherein the retrieved brightness control information comprises brightness control values depending on kinds of displays (LCDs) stored in a memory at a system BIOS, and wherein the variably controlling comprises generating the retrieved brightness control information using at least one of the identification information and the brightness control values.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the confirming and retrieving comprises:

storing brightness information for a specific display in a memory;

storing in the memory one or more correcting coefficients for respective displays corresponding to the brightness information for the specific display; and

applying the correcting coefficient for the confirmed display using the brightness information to output the brightness control information.

15. A method for driving a plurality of displays, the method comprising:

generating brightness control information suitable for one or more display characteristics of each of the plurality of displays;

storing the generated brightness control information correlated with a self-information of a corresponding display,

checking a power source in use to set the generated brightness control information according to the checked power source;

identifying kinds of the displays based on the self-information of at least one display in use;

outputting the brightness control information of the corresponding display based on the self-information about the kinds of the at least one identified display in use and the information about the checked power source; and

controlling the brightness of the at least one display in use based on the outputted brightness control information.

16. A method for driving a plurality of displays, the method comprising:

interfacing with a display intended to use to confirm an inherent information of the corresponding display;

correcting brightness control information, which is stored in advance, based on the confirmed inherent information of the display; and

variably controlling the brightness of the corresponding display based on the corrected brightness control information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the correcting step of the brightness control information is performed at different correcting values according to supply sources of power coupled for use.

18. A method for driving a plurality of displays, the method comprising:

storing brightness control information for a specific display in a memory;

storing in the memory one or more correcting coefficients for respective displays corresponding to the brightness control information for the specific display;

when a display is equipped, identifying a corresponding display by using inherent information of each display of the plurality of displays, and applying the correcting coefficient for the identified display using the brightness control information to output brightness information; and

controlling brightness of the equipped display by using the brightness information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the specific brightness control information includes brightness information of one or more display types.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the specific brightness control information is for a generalized display type or generic display type, and wherein the displays are LCDs.

21. A computer system, comprising:

a display device;

a controller configured to determine brightness control information corresponding to a display type of the display device among preset brightness control information for each of a plurality of display types for driving the display device.

22. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the display type is manufacturing vendor.