WO2013065520A1

WO2013065520A1 - Display device

Info

Publication number: WO2013065520A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/077311
Authority: WO
Inventors: 西池　昭仁
Original assignee: ソニー株式会社
Priority date: 2011-11-02
Filing date: 2012-10-23
Publication date: 2013-05-10
Also published as: JP2013097269A

Abstract

A display device includes a drive unit having an interface unit for inputting and outputting a signal, and a plurality of types of display panels each of which is provided separately from the drive unit and is connectable to the drive unit through the interface unit. Each of the plurality of types of display panels has an identification terminal unit for presenting its own identification information. When any of the plurality of types of display panels is connected to the drive unit, the drive unit acquires the identification information of the display panel to be driven on the basis of the signal input/output results with respect to the identification terminal unit of the connected display panel to be driven, and outputs the image signal corresponding to the display panel to be driven to the display panel to be driven on the basis of the acquired input identification information.

Description

Display device

This disclosure relates to a display device in which a display panel and a driving unit thereof are separable from each other.

In a display device, a display panel that performs image display and a drive unit (signal processing unit) that performs signal processing such as generation of an image signal corresponding to the display panel are formed as an integrated display module. For example, the drive unit as described above is disposed on the back surface of the display panel via a flexible printed circuit board (FPC: Flexible printed circuit).

However, in recent years, a display device that can handle the display panel separately from the drive portion (as a separate module) has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a display device, the driving device has an interface unit that connects to the display panel, and when the image signal is written to the display panel, the display panel is temporarily connected to the driving device. Is possible.

JP 2011-138137 A

In the display device that can handle the display panel separately from the driving device (signal processing unit) as described above, image writing to a plurality of types of display panels having different sizes, resolutions (screen resolutions), etc. Realization of a display device that can be performed using one drive device is desired.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a display device that can perform image writing on a plurality of types of display panels using a single drive device.

A display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a driving device having an interface unit that inputs and outputs signals, and each is provided separately from the driving device and can be connected to the driving device via the interface unit. A plurality of types of display panels. Each of the plurality of types of display panels has a terminal portion for identification that presents its own identification information, and when the display device of any of the plurality of types of display panels is connected, the drive device connected Based on the signal input / output result to the identification terminal portion of the target display panel, the identification information of the drive target display panel is acquired, and the image signal corresponding to the drive target display panel is displayed based on the acquired input identification information. Output to the panel.

In the display device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of types of display panels that are provided separately from the driving device and that can be connected to the driving device via the interface unit present their own identification information. Part. The drive device acquires identification information (input identification information) of the drive target display panel based on a signal input / output result for the identification terminal portion of the drive target display panel. Based on this input identification information, an image signal corresponding to the drive target display panel is output to the drive target display panel via the interface unit.

According to the display device of one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of types of display panels that are provided separately from the driving device and connectable via the driving device and its interface unit present their own identification information. It has a terminal part for identification. As a result, the drive device can output an image signal corresponding to the drive target display panel among the plurality of types of display panels to the drive target display panel based on the input identification information. Therefore, it is possible to perform image writing on a plurality of types of display panels using one driving device.

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an appearance configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing the example of a user use of the display apparatus (display panel) shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a pixel drive circuit of the display panel illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a functional block diagram of the drive device shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a terminal portion of the display panel illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the detailed structure of the terminal part for identification of the terminal part shown in FIG. FIGS. 7A to 7D are schematic views illustrating other configuration examples of the identification terminal unit illustrated in FIG. 6. It is a flowchart showing the panel identification process (resolution setting process) in a drive device. (A), (B) is a schematic diagram showing operation | movement from a display panel connection to image data rewriting. (A), (B) is a top view showing the structure of the terminal part for identification which concerns on the modification 1. FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an identification terminal unit and a schematic configuration of an interface unit according to Modification 2. FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an identification terminal unit and a schematic configuration of an interface unit according to Modification 2. FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an identification terminal unit according to Modification 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The description will be given in the following order.
1. 1. Embodiment (example in which an identification terminal portion for presenting binary identification information is provided on a display panel) Modification 1 (Another example of identification terminal part)
3. Modification 2 (Other example of identification terminal part)
4). Modification 3 (Another example of the terminal part for identification)

<Embodiment>
FIG. 1 illustrates an appearance configuration of a display device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The display device 1 can separate a panel portion (

display panels

10A and 10B) that displays image information based on an image signal and a signal processing portion (drive device 20) that generates an image signal for display from each other. It is provided as a separate module. The

display panels

10A and 10B are display panels having different screen resolutions (hereinafter simply referred to as resolutions) (different types).

The

display panels

10A and 10B include

display units

11A and 11B and

terminal units

12A and 12B described later. Each of the

display units

11A and 11B includes a non-volatile (memory) display element, for example, an electrophoretic element, or a liquid crystal display element having non-volatile liquid crystal such as cholesteric liquid crystal as a pixel (pixel PXL described later). In the

display panels

10A and 10B, by using such a nonvolatile display element, a voltage corresponding to an image signal is applied (an image signal is written), and once an image is displayed, a voltage is applied thereafter. Even if it does not continue, the image can be continuously displayed. In the present embodiment, the

display panels

10A and 10B and the driving device 20 can be separated from each other. However, when the image signal generated by the driving device 20 is written to the

display panels

10A and 10B, Each

display panel

10A, 10B and the driving device 20 can be temporarily connected.

Thus, for example, when the display panel 10A is connected to the driving device 20, an image signal for certain image information (image information R) is written on the display panel 10A, and the image information R is displayed, as shown in FIG. In addition, even when the display panel 10A is separated from the driving device 20, the image information R can be continuously displayed, and the user 2 can freely carry the display panel 10A with the image information R displayed. . Further, during the display of the image information R, the display panel 10A does not require a power source (or only a small amount), so that power consumption can be reduced compared to the case where a non-volatile (non-memory) display element is used. it can. Such a display panel 10A is suitably used, for example, as so-called electronic paper (e-paper) or electronic book (e-book). When the

display panels

10A and 10B are used, for example, as electronic paper or an electronic book, it is desirable that the

display panels

10A and 10B be made of a thin and flexible material.

FIG. 3 shows a display drive circuit of the display panel 10A (10B). Thus, in the display panel 10A (the same applies to the display panel 10B), a plurality of pixels PXL are provided in a matrix in the display area 110A on the substrate 110. In the peripheral area of the display area 110A, a vertical scanning circuit (Y driver) 112A and a horizontal scanning circuit (X driver) 112B are arranged as drive drivers for each pixel PXL. The vertical scanning circuit 112A selects and drives each pixel PXL according to the vertical scanning signal Df1. The horizontal scanning circuit 112B performs D / A (digital / analog) conversion on the image signal Dp and outputs the D / A converted image signal to each pixel PXL in accordance with the horizontal scanning signal Df2. . The substrate 110 used in the display panel 10A is preferably made of a flexible material such as plastic. However, the vertical scanning circuit 112A and the horizontal scanning circuit 112B may be formed directly on the substrate 110, or may be connected to the substrate 110 by a mounting method such as COF (chip-on-film) or TCP (Tape-carrier-package). May be.

Such display panels

10A and 10B are provided with

terminal portions

12A and 12B that protrude from the peripheral regions of the

display portions

11A and 11B. The

terminal portions

12A and 12B are used for connection to the driving device 20 (specifically, a panel connection terminal 26a provided in the interface portion 26 described later). These

terminal portions

12A and 12B are disposed on a flexible printed circuit board bonded on a panel substrate, for example. The detailed configuration of these

terminal portions

12A and 12B will be described later.

The drive device 20 outputs an image display signal Dout to a connected display panel (drive target display panel) among a plurality of types of display panels (here,

display panels

10A and 10B). Image writing (image rewriting) is performed on the display panel to be driven. The drive device 20 has, for example, a slot (insertion groove) in a part of its casing, and a panel connection terminal 26a in the slot. Accordingly, the display panel 10A (or the display panel 10B) and the driving device 20 are electrically connected by inserting the terminal portion 12A of the display panel 10A or the terminal portion 12B of the display panel 10B into the slot of the driving device 20. . In the present embodiment, the driving device 20 acquires the identification information (identification information Din, input identification information) of the drive target display panel, and generates the image display signal Dout based on the acquired identification information Din. Output.

FIG. 4 shows a functional block configuration of the drive device 20. The drive device 20 includes a control unit 21, a power supply circuit 22, a panel identification unit 23, a storage unit 24, a signal processing unit 25, and an interface unit 26. The control unit 21 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the drive device 20 as a whole, and includes, for example, a microprocessor. The power supply circuit 22 supplies power to each unit based on the control of the control unit 21 and includes, for example, a primary battery or a secondary battery. The storage unit 24 is a frame memory that holds an image signal (image signal D ₀ ) input from the outside. The image signal D ₀ held in the storage unit 24 is output to the signal processing unit 25 under the control of the control unit 21. Here, the panel identification unit 23 is described as a separate block from the control unit 21 and the signal processing unit 25, but this panel identification unit 23 is a part of the control unit 21 or a part of the signal processing unit 25. You may be comprised from.

The panel identification unit 23 is an arithmetic processing circuit that identifies the type of the drive target display panel connected to the interface unit 26 under the control of the control unit 21 and sets a resolution suitable for the identified drive target display panel. . Specifically, here, the identification information Din is acquired from the interface unit 26, and a predetermined lookup table 23a is referred to based on the identification information Din, so that it is suitable for the type of the display panel to be driven. Set (select) the resolution. In the lookup table 23a, identification information (ID (Identification) information for identifying the type of the display panel) for each type of the plurality of types of display panels assumed to be connected, and each of the plurality of types of display panels are suitable. The resolution is stored in association with each other. In the present embodiment, the identification information of the two types of

display panels

10A and 10B and the resolution suitable for each

display panel

10A and 10B are associated with each other and held in the lookup table 23a. The panel identification unit 23 corresponds to a specific example of “setting unit” of the present disclosure.

The signal processing unit 25, for example, resolution conversion circuit 25a and has a timing controller 25b, the frequency (horizontal scanning frequency and vertical in accordance with the resolution converts the resolution of the image signal D _0, which is held in the storage unit 24 (Scanning frequency) is set. Specifically, the resolution conversion circuit 25a, based on the resolution information Dr1, converted into a resolution suitable for the resolution of the image signal D ₀ to the display panel to be driven. The timing controller 25b sets the frequency according to the resolution after conversion.

The interface unit 26 functions as an interface with each of a plurality of types of display panels. The interface unit 26 has the panel connection terminal 26a described above, and performs signal input / output with respect to the drive target display panel via the panel connection terminal 26a. Specifically, the identification information Din is received as an input signal, and the image display signal Dout is transmitted as an output signal. The interface unit 26 also generates a binary or higher electrical signal and selectively outputs the electrical signal to a drive target display panel via a panel connection terminal 26a. And a voltage detection circuit 26b for detecting the electrical signal and acquiring the identification information. As a result, the interface unit 26 inputs a predetermined electrical signal (V1, V2) to a predetermined terminal of an identification terminal unit 124 (details will be described later) provided in a part of the terminal unit 12A (12B). At the same time, an electrical signal is detected from a predetermined terminal of the identification terminal unit 124 to acquire (generate) identification information Di.

(Detailed configuration of

terminal portions

12A and 12B)
The

terminal portions

12A and 12B provided on the

display panels

10A and 10B are configured in detail as follows. FIG. 5 shows a planar configuration of the terminal portion 12A (the same applies to the terminal portion 12B). Thus, the terminal portion 12A is provided with a plurality of terminal portions for inputting / outputting various signals on, for example, an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 120. For example, the terminal unit 12 </ b> A includes an image signal terminal unit 121, a timing signal terminal unit 122, a power supply terminal unit 123, and an identification terminal unit 124. The image signal terminal unit 121 and the timing signal terminal unit 122 are terminal units for receiving an image display signal Dout (described later) supplied from the driving device 20 at the time of image writing (rewriting).

The identification terminal section 124 is a terminal section provided for identifying the types of a plurality of types of display panels, and can present (express) identification information for each type of display panel. The identification terminal portion 124 is composed of a plurality of terminals, and an electrical connection relationship between these terminals (whether they are electrically connected or not. Hereinafter, “electrical connection relationship” “ The identification information is set according to “connection relation”. Some of the terminals are input terminals for receiving signals from the drive device 20 side, and the other terminals are output terminals for outputting signals to the drive device 20 side.

FIG. 6 shows a detailed configuration of the identification terminal unit 124. The identification terminal unit 124 includes, for example, a plurality of input terminals (here, two

input terminals

124a, 124b) and a plurality of output terminals (here, three

output terminals

124c, 124d, 124e). It is out. In the identification terminal portion 124, the three

output terminals

124c, 124d, and 124e are electrically connected to one of the

input terminals

124a and 124b, respectively. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the

output terminals

124c and 124e are electrically connected to the input terminal 124a, and the output terminal 124d is electrically connected to the input terminal 124b.

Different electric signals V1 and V2 are input to the

input terminals

124a and 124b from the driving device 20 through the interface unit 26 to the identification terminal unit 124 having such an electrical connection relationship. ing. The electrical signals V1 and V2 may be different from each other. For example, one (electric signal V1) corresponds to the reference potential Vcc (for example, + 3V), and the other (electric signal V2) has a ground (GND) potential (for example, 0V). It corresponds to. Since the

output terminals

124c, 124d, and 124e are electrically connected to one of the

input terminals

124a and 124b as described above, a signal corresponding to one of the electrical signals V1 and V2 is output. It has become.

For example, the output signal s1 of the output terminal 124c is the electrical signal V1, the output signal s2 of the output terminal 124d is the electrical signal V2, and the output signal s3 of the output terminal 124e is the electrical signal V1. The combination of the output signals s1 to s3 obtained from the output terminals 124c to 124e in this way is acquired by the drive device 20 as the identification information Di.

Further, in the present embodiment, for example, the output corresponding to the electrical signal V1 is set to “1” and the output corresponding to the electrical signal V2 is set to “0 (zero)” in the output signals s1 to s3 by the interface unit 26. It is replaced ((s1, s2, s3) = (1, 0, 1)). Thereby, the identification information Din is acquired as binary identification information (identification information of 3 bits (bit)) composed of a total of three data arrays. That is, in this example, “101” is acquired as the identification information Din.

FIGS. 7A to 7D show other connection configuration examples (one example) of the identification terminal portion having two

input terminals

124a and 124b and three output terminals 124c to 124e similar to the above. Show. For example, in the example of FIG. 7A, all of the output terminals 124c to 124e are connected to the input terminal 124b, and “000” is acquired as the identification information Din. In the example of FIG. 7B, the output terminal 124e is connected to the input terminal 124a, and the

output terminals

124c and 124d are connected to the input terminal 124b, and “001” is acquired as the identification information Din. Based on the same principle, “010” is acquired in the example of FIG. 7C, and “111” is acquired in the example of FIG. 7D. Thus, in the identification terminal portion 124, various identification information can be set according to the connection relationship between the

input terminals

124a and 124b and the output terminals 124c to 124e. For example, as described above, when two

input terminals

124a and 124b and three output terminals 124c to 124e are used, a total of 8 (= 2 ³ ) types of identification information can be expressed. That is, eight types of display panels can be identified.

Here, the case where there are two input terminals and three output terminals is taken as an example, but the numbers of input terminals and output terminals are not limited to these. For example, the number of output terminals may be two or four or more. That is, when n output terminals (first to nth output terminals) are provided (n is an integer of 2 or more), these n output terminals are connected to one of the two input terminals. By being electrically connected, binary information (n-bit identification information) composed of n data arrays can be set. In addition, there are 2 ⁿ types of display panels that can be identified. Further, the number of input terminals may be set to 3 or more, and different electrical signals (three values or more) may be input to each input terminal.

(Function, effect)
In the display device 1 of the present embodiment, the image rewriting operation of the display panel 10A (or 10B) is performed as follows.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the driving process (panel identification, image rewriting process) by the driving device 20. FIGS. 9A and 9B schematically show such a driving process. In the driving device 20, when any one of a plurality of types of display panels (display panels 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B) is connected via the interface unit 26, the drive target display panel Identification information Din is automatically acquired (step S1). Next, panel identification (resolution setting) is performed based on the acquired identification information Din (step S2). In this panel identification step, it is determined which of the

display panels

10A and 10B is the drive target display panel, and a resolution suitable for the drive target display panel is set. The image display signal Dout is generated based on the resolution thus set (step S3), and the image display signal Dout is output to the drive target display panel (step S4). Hereinafter, specific processing operations in steps S1 to S4 will be described.

(Acquisition of identification information Din: step S1)
First, when a drive target display panel is connected to the drive device 20 via the interface unit 26 (specifically, the panel connection terminal 26a), the interface unit 26 acquires identification information Din from the drive target display panel. At this time, the interface unit 26 first performs the following operation on the identification terminal unit 124 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) that constitutes a part of the terminal unit (terminal unit 12A or terminal unit 12B) of the display panel to be driven. The signal input operation and the signal read operation are performed. That is, the interface unit 26 inputs the electric signal V1 to the input terminal 124a of the identification terminal unit 124 and the electric signal V2 to the input terminal 124b. In the identification terminal portion 124, since the output terminals 124c to 124e are electrically connected to one of the

input terminals

124a and 124b, one of the electrical signals V1 and V2 is output from the output terminals 124c to 124e. Output as output signals s1 to s3 (the interface unit 26 reads the output signals s1 to s3).

In the output signals s1 to s3 read in this way, the interface unit 26 performs a process of replacing the electric signal V1 with “1” and the electric signal V2 with “0” as described above. Thereby, identification information Din having a predetermined number of bits (here, 3 bits) is acquired. In this way, the identification information Din of the drive target display panel is automatically acquired. The acquired identification information Din is output to the panel identification unit 23.

(Panel identification / resolution setting: step S2)
Subsequently, the panel identification unit 23 determines whether the drive target display panel is the

display panel

10A or 10B based on the input identification information Din, and sets a resolution suitable for the drive target display panel. Specifically, referring to a look-up table 23a predetermined in the panel identification unit 23, it is determined which of the

display panels

10A and 10B the identification information Din specifies, and the identification information is included in the identification information. Read the information of the associated resolution.

For example, when “101” is assigned as the identification information Da specifying the display panel 10A and “010” is assigned as the identification information Db specifying the display panel 10B, the input identification information Din indicates “101”. If it is, it determines with a drive object display panel being the display panel 10A. Then, the resolution associated with the identification information Da (display panel 10A) is read, and this is set (selected) as the resolution of the drive target display panel. Alternatively, if the input identification information Din indicates “010”, it is determined that the display panel to be driven is the display panel 10B. Then, the resolution associated with the identification information Db (display panel 10B) is read, and this is set (selected) as the resolution of the display panel to be driven.

The resolution information Dr of the drive target display panel set in this way is output to the signal processing unit 25.

(Generation of Image Display Signal Dout: Step S3)
Next, the signal processing unit 25 generates an output image display signal Dout based on the input resolution information Dr. Specifically, the resolution conversion circuit 25a is, the resolution of the image signal D ₀ inputted from the storage unit 24, based on the resolution information Dr, into a resolution suitable for driving object display panel. The timing controller 25b sets a frequency according to the converted resolution and generates a timing signal Df (horizontal scanning signal Df1, vertical scanning signal Df2) suitable for the display panel to be driven. In addition to the resolution conversion and frequency setting, the signal processing unit 25 may perform various signal processes such as a γ correction process and a gradation correction process. The image signal Dp and the timing signal Df (Df1, Df2) generated corresponding to the drive target display panel in this way are output to the interface unit 26 as the image display signal Dout.

(Output of image display signal Dout: step S4)
Thereafter, the interface unit 26 outputs the image display signal Dout input from the signal processing unit 25 to the drive target display panel via the panel connection terminal 26a. At this time, the image signal Dp of the image display signal Dout is supplied to the horizontal scanning circuit 112B of the drive target display panel via the image signal terminal portion 121 of the terminal portion 12A (or the terminal portion 12B). On the other hand, among the timing signals Df, the vertical scanning signal Df1 is supplied to the vertical scanning circuit 112A via the timing signal terminal unit 122, and the horizontal scanning signal Df2 is supplied to the horizontal scanning circuit via the timing signal terminal unit 122. 112B. The image display signal Dout includes a display power supply output from the power supply circuit 22 in addition to the image signal Dp and the timing signal Df. This display power is supplied to the drive target display panel via the power terminal 123.

(Image writing (rewriting) operation)
As described above, when the image display signal Dout is output to the drive target display panel, the drive target display panel displays the image display signal Dout on the display unit 11A (or the display unit 11B). Image information is displayed. Specifically, in the display panel to be driven, the vertical scanning circuit 112A sequentially supplies a scanning signal to the scanning line WSL connected to each pixel PXL according to the vertical scanning signal Df1, and the horizontal scanning circuit 112B performs horizontal scanning. In accordance with the signal Df2, the image signal Dp is supplied to a predetermined signal line DTL. As a result, the pixel PXL located at the intersection of the signal line DTL supplied with the image signal Dp and the scanning line WSL supplied with the scanning signal is selected, and the drive voltage is applied to the pixel PXL. In this way, the image is written (rewritten) to the drive target display panel.

Through such panel identification (resolution setting) operation, image signal generation operation, and image signal output operation of the drive device 20, the user of the display device 1 writes (rewrites) the resolution of the drive target display panel (use target display panel). ), It is possible to automatically write an image by simply connecting to the driving device 20 without setting each time.

For example, when the user writes (rewrites) an image on the display panel 10A that is displaying the image information R1a, the display panel 10A is inserted into the slot of the driving device 20 as shown in FIG. It is only necessary to insert it into the (panel connection terminal 26a). As a result, the drive device 20 automatically performs the drive processing (panel identification / resolution setting processing) as described above, and new image information R2a is written on the display panel 10A (from image information R1a to image information R2a). ). That is, in the display panel 10A, it is possible to write (rewrite) the image information R2a according to the resolution. Similarly, when the user writes (rewrites) an image on the display panel 10B displaying the image information R1b, the display panel 10B is displayed on the drive device 20 as shown in FIG. 9B. The image information R2b can be written (rewritten) in accordance with the resolution of the display panel 10B simply by being inserted into the slot (panel connection terminal 26a).

As described above, in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of types of display panels (

display panels

10A and 10B) can be connected via the driving device 20 and the interface unit 26, and signal input / output results are obtained. Accordingly, it has an identification terminal portion 124 that presents its own identification information. The drive device 20 acquires the identification information Din based on the signal input / output result for the identification terminal portion 124 of the drive target display panel of the

display panels

10A and 10B, so that an image corresponding to the drive target display panel is obtained. The signal Dp can be output to the drive target display panel. Therefore, it is possible to perform image writing on a plurality of types of display panels using one driving device 20.

In the present embodiment, when the image is written (rewritten), the resolution of the drive target display panel can be automatically recognized without setting by the user. Therefore, the burden on the user at the time of use can be reduced, and usability can be improved.

Alternatively, as a method of acquiring the resolution information of the display panel, in addition to user settings (external input), the resolution information is previously stored in the memory of the display panel, and this resolution information is read out when writing the image. To send to the drive equipment side. In such a technique, a memory for holding resolution information is provided on the display panel. However, in the present embodiment, such a memory is unnecessary, which leads to cost reduction and IC mounting area reduction.

In addition, in this embodiment, each of the

display panels

10A and 10B is provided with an identification terminal portion 124, and the connection between the

input terminal portions

124a and 124b and the output terminal portions 124c to 124e in the identification terminal portion 124 is provided. Panel identification is performed using the relationship. Here, as a technique for acquiring the identification information, for example, there is a technique in which the identification information is stored in advance in a memory of the display panel, and the identification information is read out and sent to the driving device side when the image is written. In such a method, a memory for holding identification information is provided. However, in the present embodiment, such a memory is unnecessary, which leads to cost reduction and IC mounting area reduction as described above.

Further, in this embodiment, since the display panel 10A (10B) uses a non-volatile display element, there is no need to provide a memory IC in the display panel 10A (10B). It leads to area reduction.

In the above embodiment, two types of

display panels

10A and 10B have been described as examples of a plurality of types of display panels. However, the types of display panels that can be identified in the above embodiment are the two types. It is not limited to. As described above, eight types of identification can be performed in the example shown in FIG. 6 in accordance with the electrical connection relationship of the identification terminal portion, and more types of display panels can be identified by increasing the number of terminals. Is possible.

Next, modified examples (modified examples 1 and 2) of the above embodiment will be described. In the following, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

<Modification 1>
10A and 10B show a planar configuration of the identification terminal portion (identification terminal portion 125) according to the first modification. The identification terminal unit 125 includes one input terminal 125a and one output terminal 125b, and is identified according to the electrical connection relationship (connection state) of the input terminal 125a and the output terminal 125b. Information is presented. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10A, the input terminal 125a and the output terminal 125b are electrically connected to each other (C1 in the figure), and an electric signal input to the input terminal 125a. It is assumed that V3 can output from the output terminal 125b. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10B, the input terminal 125a and the output terminal 125b are electrically disconnected from each other (C2 in the figure), and an electric signal V3 (input to the input terminal 125a) For example, AC voltage is not output from the output terminal 125b.

In this modification, with the above configuration, a total of two types of electrical signals are obtained as output signals for the input signal to the identification terminal unit 125, and each output signal is output to the interface unit 26 as identification information Din. . That is, in this modified example, two types of identification information can be set using one input terminal 125a and one output terminal 125b, and thereby two types of display panels can be identified.

As described above, when the types of display panels to be identified are limited to two, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of input terminals and a plurality of output terminals as in the above embodiment. Two types of display panels can be identified with a simpler configuration.

<Modification 2>
FIGS. 11 and 12 show the planar configuration of the identification terminal section (identification terminal section 126) according to the second modification, together with the schematic configuration of the interface section 26 of the drive device 20. In each figure, the connection state between the identification terminal portion 126 and the panel connection terminal 26a is replaced with a switch SW1. In this modification, the identification terminal portion 126 on the panel side includes a terminal 126a connected in advance to a reference potential (for example, the potential Vcc) and a detection terminal 126b, and the terminal 126a and the detection terminal 126b are connected to each other. Identification information is presented according to the connection state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the terminal 126a and the detection terminal 126b are electrically connected to each other (C1 in the figure), and the potential Vcc is supplied from the detection terminal 126b to the voltage detection circuit of the drive device 20. It is set as the structure which can be detected in 26b. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, the terminal 126a and the detection terminal 126b are electrically disconnected from each other (C2 in the figure), and the potential Vcc is not detected by the voltage detection circuit 26b of the drive device 20. And In this case, the voltage detection circuit 26b detects the ground potential.

Instead of inputting an electrical signal for panel identification from the driving device 20 side to the identification terminal portion 126 as in this modification, a part of the identification terminal portion 126 (terminal 126a) is set to a predetermined potential in advance. The identification information may be obtained based on the connection state between the terminal 126a and the detection terminal 126b.

In the second modification, one detection terminal 126b is provided, but a plurality of detection terminals 126b may be provided. Also in this case, three or more types of identification information as described in the above embodiment can be obtained in accordance with the connection states of the plurality of detection terminals 126b and the terminals 126a.

<Modification 3>
FIG. 13 illustrates a layout example of the identification terminal unit according to the third modification. In the above embodiment, the terminal portion 12A (12B) including the identification terminal portion 124 is provided on the flexible printed circuit board connected to the peripheral area of the display panel 10A (10B). The display panel 10A (10B) may be provided on the substrate 110. For example, in this modification, a pixel area 110A including a plurality of pixels (PXL) is formed on the substrate 110 as described above, and a driver IC 112 (vertical scanning circuit 112A, horizontal scanning circuit 112B) is formed in the peripheral area. It is arranged. The identification terminal portion 124 is provided in the peripheral region of the pixel area 110A. The display terminal portion 113 (the above-described pixel signal terminal portion 121, timing signal terminal portion 122, and display power supply terminal portion 123) is also formed on the substrate 110 together with the driver IC 112. The flexible printed circuit board FPC is bonded to each of the identification terminal section 124 and the display terminal section 113 and bonded thereto, and the flexible printed circuit board FPC is connected to the interface section 26 of the driving device 20. It has become. In this manner, the identification terminal portion 124 may be provided directly on the substrate 110 of the display panel 10A (10B).

As described above, the embodiments and modifications have been described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment and the like, an example in which the display panel includes a nonvolatile display element has been described. However, instead of such a nonvolatile display element, a non-memory display element and a display state thereof are maintained. It is good also as a structure which has a small-scale power supply.

In the above-described embodiments and the like, the case where the resolution is set by panel identification in the panel identification unit of the driving device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such resolution, and the display image on the drive target display panel is monochrome or color. May be determined, or this determination and resolution setting may be used in combination. When discriminating between a monochrome image and a color image, for example, the panel identification unit 23 may hold information about whether the image is a monochrome image or a color image in association with the identification information of each display panel. Then, the determination result may be output to the signal processing unit 25, and the signal processing unit 25 may perform signal processing according to the determination result.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment and the like, the case where the display panel is a flexible electronic paper is exemplified, but the display panel of the present disclosure may not necessarily have flexibility and may be rigid. . However, the present disclosure is particularly useful in a flexible display configured using, for example, a plastic substrate.

Note that the display device of the present disclosure may be configured as described in the following (1) to (13).
(1) A driving device having an interface unit for inputting / outputting signals, and a plurality of types of display panels each provided separately from the driving device and connectable to the driving device via the interface unit; Each of the plurality of types of display panels has a terminal portion for identification that presents its own identification information, and the drive device is connected when any one of the plurality of types of display panels is connected. The identification information of the drive target display panel is acquired based on the signal input / output result to the identification terminal portion of the connected drive target display panel, and the drive target display panel is acquired based on the acquired input identification information. A display device for outputting a corresponding image signal to the drive target display panel.
(2) The display device according to (1), wherein the display panel includes a nonvolatile display element.
(3) The identification terminal unit includes one or more input terminals for signal input from the interface unit, and one or more output terminals for signal output to the interface unit, The display device according to (1) or (2), wherein identification information for each type of the display panel is set in accordance with an electrical connection relationship between the input terminal and each output terminal.
(4) The identification terminal section includes a plurality of input terminals and first to n-th output terminals (n is an integer of 2 or more) as a plurality of output terminals. The display device according to (3), wherein each of the first to n-th output terminals is electrically connected to one of the plurality of input terminals for each type.
(5) The interface unit inputs the different electrical signals to each of the plurality of input terminals, so that the input identification is performed based on a combination of the output signals of the first to nth output terminals. The display device according to any one of (1) to (4), which acquires information.
(6) The identification terminal portion has two input terminals, and the interface portion has a first electric signal at one input terminal of the two input terminals and a second at the other input terminal. When each of the output signals of the first to n-th output terminals corresponds to the first electric signal, it corresponds to “1” and corresponds to the second electric signal. In the case, the display device according to (5), wherein the input identification information is acquired as an n-bit signal by replacing each with “0”.
(7) When the display panel is of two types, the identification terminal unit has one input terminal and one output terminal, respectively, and in the identification terminal unit of one type of display panel, The input terminal and the output terminal are electrically connected, and in the identification terminal portion of the other type of display panel, the input terminal and the output terminal are electrically disconnected. The display device according to any one of 1) to (3).
(8) The identification terminal portion includes a terminal that is connected in advance to a predetermined potential, and one or a plurality of detection terminals that can be electrically connected to the interface portion, and the terminal and each detection terminal. The display device according to (1) or (2), wherein identification information for each type of the display panel is set in accordance with an electrical connection relationship with the display panel.
(9) The drive device sets, based on the input identification information, a setting unit that sets a resolution corresponding to the drive target display panel, a resolution of an image signal held in advance or an externally input image signal, (1) to (1) further comprising: a signal processing unit that generates an image signal corresponding to the display panel to be driven by converting to the resolution set by the setting unit, and outputs the generated image signal to the interface unit. The display device according to any one of (8).
(10) The setting unit includes a lookup table that holds identification information for each type of the display panel and each resolution in association with each other, and corresponds to the input identification information with reference to the lookup table. The display device according to (9), wherein the resolution is set.
(11) The display device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the identification terminal portion is provided on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) connected to the display panel.
(12) The display device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the identification terminal portion is provided on a substrate constituting a part of the display panel.
(13) The display device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the display panel is electronic paper.

This application claims priority on the basis of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-241514 filed on November 2, 2011 at the Japan Patent Office. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated by reference. Incorporated into.

Those skilled in the art will envision various modifications, combinations, subcombinations, and changes, depending on design requirements and other factors, which are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It is understood that

Claims

A driving device having an interface unit for inputting and outputting signals;
Each is provided separately from the drive device, and includes a plurality of types of display panels that can be connected to the drive device via the interface unit,
Each of the plurality of types of display panels has a terminal part for identification that presents its own identification information,
The drive device is
When any one of the plurality of types of display panels is connected, identification information of the drive target display panel is obtained based on a signal input / output result to the identification terminal portion of the connected drive target display panel. Acquired,
A display device that outputs an image signal corresponding to the drive target display panel to the drive target display panel based on the acquired input identification information.
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display panel includes a nonvolatile display element.
The identification terminal unit has one or more input terminals for signal input from the interface unit, and one or more output terminals for signal output to the interface unit,
The display device according to claim 2, wherein identification information for each type of the display panel is set according to an electrical connection relationship between each input terminal and each output terminal.
The identification terminal portion has a plurality of input terminals and first to n-th (n is an integer of 2 or more) output terminals as a plurality of output terminals.
The display device according to claim 3, wherein the first to nth output terminals are electrically connected to any one of the plurality of input terminals for each type of the display panel.
The interface unit obtains the input identification information based on a combination of output signals of the first to n-th output terminals by inputting different electrical signals to each of the plurality of input terminals. The display device according to claim 2.
The identification terminal portion has two input terminals,
The interface unit is
Applying a first electrical signal to one input terminal of the two input terminals and a second electrical signal to the other input terminal;
Each of the output signals of the first to n-th output terminals is set to “1” when corresponding to the first electric signal, and is set to “0” when corresponding to the second electric signal. The display device according to claim 5, wherein the input identification information is acquired as a signal of n bits.
When the display panel is of two types,
The identification terminal portion has one input terminal and one output terminal, respectively.
In the identification terminal portion of one type of display panel, the input terminal and the output terminal are electrically connected,
The display device according to claim 3, wherein the input terminal and the output terminal are electrically disconnected in the identification terminal portion of the other type of display panel.
The identification terminal unit has a terminal connected in advance to a predetermined potential, and one or a plurality of detection terminals that can be electrically connected to the interface unit,
The display device according to claim 2, wherein identification information for each type of the display panel is set in accordance with an electrical connection relationship between the terminal and each detection terminal.
The drive device is
A setting unit for setting a resolution corresponding to the drive target display panel based on the input identification information;
By converting the resolution of the image signal held in advance or the image signal input from the outside to the resolution set by the setting unit, an image signal corresponding to the drive target display panel is generated, and the generated image signal is The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a signal processing unit that outputs to the interface unit.
The setting unit
A lookup table that holds identification information for each type of the display panel and each resolution in association with each other;
The display device according to claim 9, wherein a resolution corresponding to the input identification information is set with reference to the lookup table.
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the identification terminal portion is provided on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) connected to the display panel.
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the identification terminal portion is provided on a substrate constituting a part of the display panel.
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display panel is electronic paper.