Display unit and electronic device including the same

• US 7,129,936 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2003
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Aoki, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US10/676,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20040066382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11- 13, 345 31- 34, 345/204, 345/904
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/006 Identification G06F11/2289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/02 Details of power systems and of start or stop of display operation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/12 Test circuits or failure detection circuits included in a display system, as permanent part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/904 Display with fail/safe testing feature

Abstract

A display unit of which inspection process to inspect a connector for faulty connection can be automated. The display unit comprises a display section, a display driver IC among a plurality of types of display driver ICs capable of driving and controlling the display section, and an MPU sending a command and display data to the display driver IC. The display driver IC comprises an ID setting circuit and a command decoder decoding the command from the MPU. The MPU reads an ID information so as to control the display driver IC among a plurality of types of display driver ICs according to the corresponding control contents in the storage section among the plurality of types of control contents for a plurality of types of display driver ICs.

Claims

1. A display unit, comprising:

a display section;

a display driver IC among a plurality of types of display driver ICs capable of driving and controlling the display section; and

an MPU sending a command and display data to the display driver IC,

the display driver IC including;

an ID setting circuit; and

a command decoder decoding the command from the MPU,

the MPU having a storage section for storing a plurality of types of control contents for a plurality of types of display driver ICs including the display driver IC,

the MPU sending an ID monitor command to the display driver IC when the MPU reads an ID from the ID setting circuit,

the display driver IC sending ID information from the ID setting circuit to the MPU in accordance with a signal generated by the command decoder decoding the ID monitor command, and

the MPU reading the ID information so as to control the display driver IC among a plurality of types of display driver ICs according to the corresponding control contents in the storage section among the plurality of types of control contents for a plurality of types of display driver ICs including the display driver IC.

2. The display unit according to claim 1, the MPU including an ID storage section which stores the ID from the ID setting circuit.

3. The display unit according to claim 2, the MPU sending the ID monitor command to the display driver IC every time the display unit is switched on, the MPU storing in the ID storage section the ID from the ID setting circuit in the display driver IC.

4. The display unit according to claim 2, the MPU sending the ID monitor command to the display driver IC after every power-on reset, the MPU storing in the ID storage section the ID from the ID setting circuit in the display driver IC.

5. An electronic device including the display unit as defined in claim 1.