Liquid crystal display apparatus

• US 6,297,786 B1
• Filed: 07/14/1998
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tokita, Seiji, Nagakubo, Hideaki, Masumoto, Yoshifumi, Kakuta, Ryohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kovalick, Vincent E.
• Application Number:
  US09/115,451
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 345/94, 345/95, 345/103, 345/112, 345/115, 345/118, 345/204, 345/208, 345/1.1, 348/564
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3625 using active addressing

Abstract

The screen of a liquid crystal panel is divided into two portions. In the divided screens (upper screen and lower screen), the corresponding common electrodes (each for one divided screen) are simultaneously driven. The driving signal (common signal C1) of the upper screen and the driving signal (common signal C2) of the lower screen change in one cycle of four frame periods. More specifically, in the above-mentioned cycle, the common signal C1 changes in a pattern (1→1→1→−1), and the common signal C2 changes in a pattern (1→−1→1→1) in synchronization with each other. Accordingly, upon comparison of the common signals C1 and C2, it appears that the signal having the same waveform is applied to the common electrodes while being out of phase with each other. Thus, a difference of the drive frequency between the upper screen and the lower screen is eliminated. It is thus possible to provide an inexpensive liquid crystal apparatus, which is connected to an existing dual-scan interface, without degrading the display quality.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising:

a liquid crystal panel;

a common-electrode selector that divides a common-electrode group of said liquid crystal panel into two common-electrode groups each having a same number of consecutive common electrodes, sequentially selects one common electrode from one of the common-electrode groups and drives the selected common electrode by use of a first common signal having a predetermined frequency, and sequentially selects one common electrode from the other common-electrode group by use of a second common signal having the frequency of said first common signal but having a phase different from that of the first common signal and in synchronization with the selection and driving by said first common signal; and

a segment electrode selector to drive all segment electrodes every time said common-electrode selector selects one common electrode, said segment-electrode selector having one segment driver for driving all of said segment electrodes,

wherein said first common signal changes in a pattern (1→

1→

1→

−

1) in one cycle of four screens of said liquid crystal panel of scan period and at a change point which is an end point of one screen of scanning, and

said second common signal changes in a pattern (1→

−

1→

1→

1) in one cycle of four screens of said liquid crystal panel of scan period and at the change point which is the end point of one screen of scanning.

2. The liquid crystal display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in said liquid crystal panel, the segment electrodes cross all common electrodes.

3. The liquid crystal display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said segment selector has a segment data processor to generate a drive signal for driving the segment electrodes based on upper-screen segment data and lower-screen segment data, which are a dual-scan interface signal, and

said common-electrode selector has a common data processor to generate said first common signal and said second common signal based on frame data, which is a dual-scan interface signal.