TIMING CONTROLLER AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20190237041A1
• Filed: 01/10/2019
• Published: 08/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Original Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Inventors: Tzeng, Syang-Yun, Kuei, Cheng-Kai, Hsu, Chin-Hung
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/06 Handling electromagnetic interferences [EMI], covering emitted as well as received electromagnetic radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/08 Details of image data interface between the display device controller and the data line driver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/14 Use of low voltage differential signaling [LVDS] for display data communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/008 Clock recovery

Abstract

A timing controller and an operation method thereof are provided. The timing controller includes a transmitter circuit and a control circuit. The control circuit ends a normal mode to enter a swing boost mode when a lock signal fed back by a source driving circuit indicates that quality of data signal is deteriorated in the normal mode. In the swing boost mode, the control circuit controls the transmitter circuit to boost the swing of the data signal from a normal level to a high level. The control circuit ends the swing boost mode and enters a clock training mode when the source driving circuit causes loss of lock to the data signal in the swing boost mode. In the clock training mode, the control circuit controls the transmitter circuit to employ a clock training data string as the data signal to transmit to the source driving circuit.

Claims

1. A timing controller, comprising:

a transmitter circuit, transmitting a data signal to a source driving circuit; and

a control circuit, controlling the transmitter circuit to adjust a swing of the data signal, wherein

in a condition that the control circuit is operated in a normal mode, the control circuit ends the normal mode to enter a swing boost mode when a lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that quality of the data signal is deteriorated,

the control circuit controls the transmitter circuit to boost the swing of the data signal from a normal level to a high level in the swing boost mode,

in a condition that the control circuit is operated in the swing boost mode, the control circuit enters a clock training mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal has loss of lock, and

the control circuit controls the transmitter circuit to employ a clock training data string as the data signal to transmit to the source driving circuit in the clock training mode.

2. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter circuit continues to employ a pixel data string as the data signal to transmit to the source driving circuit in an initial stage of the swing boost mode.

3. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter circuit continues to employ the clock training data string as the data signal to transmit to the source driving circuit in an initial stage of the swing boost mode.

4. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein in the condition that the control circuit is operated in the clock training mode, the control circuit ends the clock training mode and enters the normal mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked.

5. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein

in the condition that the control circuit is operated in the swing boost mode, the control circuit keeps being operated in the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked until entering a vertical blanking period;

the control circuit ends the swing boost mode to enter a swing recovery mode in the vertical blanking period;

the control circuit controls the transmitter circuit to drop the swing of the data signal from the high level down to the normal level in the swing recovery mode; and

in a condition that the control circuit is operated in the swing recovery mode, the control circuit ends the swing recovery mode and enters the normal mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked.

6. The timing controller according to claim 5, wherein in the condition that the control circuit is operated in the swing recovery mode, the control circuit ends the swing recovery mode and enters the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the quality of the data signal is deteriorated.

7. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein

in the condition that the control circuit is operated in the swing boost mode, the control circuit keeps being operated in the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked until a noise preventing period ends;

the control circuit ends the swing boost mode to enter a swing recovery mode when the noise preventing period ends;

the control circuit controls the transmitter circuit to drop the swing of the data signal from the high level down to the normal level in the swing recovery mode; and

in a condition that the control circuit is operated in the swing recovery mode, the control circuit ends the swing recovery mode and enters the normal mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked.

8. The timing controller according to claim 1, wherein

in the condition that the control circuit is operated in the swing boost mode, the control circuit keeps being operated in the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked until the timing controller is powered off.

9. An operation method of a timing controller, comprising:

transmitting a data signal to a source driving circuit by a transmitter circuit;

in a condition that the timing controller is operated in a normal mode, ending the normal mode to enter a swing boost mode when a lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the quality of the data signal is deteriorated;

boosting a swing of the data signal from a normal level to a high level by the transmitter circuit in the swing boost mode;

in a condition that the timing controller is operated in the swing boost mode, entering a clock training mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal has loss of lock; and

employing a clock training data string as the data signal to transmit to the source driving circuit by the transmitter circuit in the clock training mode.

10. The operation method according to claim 9, further comprising:

continuing to employ a pixel data string as the data signal to transmit to the source driving circuit by the transmitter circuit in an initial stage of the swing boost mode.

11. The operation method according to claim 9, further comprising:

continuing to employ the clock training data string as the data signal to transmit to the source driving circuit by the transmitter circuit in an initial stage of the swing boost mode.

12. The operation method according to claim 9, further comprising:

in a condition that the timing controller is operated in the clock training mode, ending the clock training mode to enter the normal mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked.

13. The operation method according to claim 9, further comprising:

in the condition that the timing controller is operated in the swing boost mode, keeping the timing controller operated in the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked until entering a vertical blanking period;

ending the swing boost mode to enter a swing recovery mode in the vertical blank period;

reducing the swing of the data signal from the high level to the normal level by the transmitter circuit in the swing recovery mode; and

in a condition that the timing controller is operated in the swing recovery mode, ending the swing recovery mode and entering the normal mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked.

14. The operation method according to claim 13, further comprising:

in the condition that the timing controller is operated in the swing recovery mode, ending the swing recovery mode and entering the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the quality of the data signal is deteriorated.

15. The operation method according to claim 9, further comprising:

in the condition that the timing controller is operated in the swing boost mode, keeping the timing controller operated in the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked until a noise preventing period ends;

ending the swing boost mode to enter a swing recovery mode when the noise preventing period ends;

reducing the swing of the data signal from the high level to the normal level by the transmitter circuit in the swing recovery mode; and

in a condition that the timing controller is operated in the swing recovery mode, ending the swing recovery mode and entering the normal mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked.

16. The operation method according to claim 9, further comprising:

in the condition that the timing controller is operated in the swing boost mode, keeping the timing controller operated in the swing boost mode when the lock signal fed back by the source driving circuit indicates that the data signal is locked until the timing controller is powered off.