Electronic device, display device, and driving method thereof

A method of driving a display device, the method comprising:

• receiving an image signal corresponding to a first display area and a second display area of a display panel, a multi-frequency enable signal indicating a multi-frequency mode, a driving frequency signal indicating a frequency of the second display area, and a start location signal indicating a start location of the second display area, for each of a previous frame and a current frame;
• while the multi-frequency enable signal indicates the multi-frequency mode, comparing the driving frequency signal of the current frame with the driving frequency signal of the previous frame and comparing the start location signal of the current frame with the start location signal of the previous frame;
• based on determining the driving frequency signal of the current frame is different from the driving frequency signal of the previous frame or determining the start location signal of the current frame is different from the start location signal of the previous frame, during at least one frame, driving the first display area and the second display area by using a base frequency;
• and
• driving the first display area by using a first driving frequency and driving the second display area by using a second driving frequency corresponding to the driving frequency signal of the current frame.

An electronic device comprising:

• a processor configured to provide an image signal, a multi-frequency enable signal, and a driving frequency signal;
• and
• a display device configured to receive the image signal, the multi-frequency enable signal, and the driving frequency signal and to display an image,
• wherein the display device includes:
• a display panel including a first display area and a second display area;
• and
• a driving controller configured to receive the image signal, the multi-frequency enable signal, and the driving frequency signal and to output an image data signal to be provided to the display panel,
• wherein, during a multi-frequency mode, the driving controller drives the first display area by using a first driving frequency and drives the second display area by using a second driving frequency different from the first driving frequency,
• wherein, while the multi-frequency enable signal indicates the multi-frequency mode, when the second driving frequency corresponding to the driving frequency signal changes from a first frequency to a second frequency, the driving controller is configured to:
• drive the first display area and the second display area during at least one frame by using a base frequency;
• then drive the first display area and the second display area during at least one second frame by using an intermediate frequency between the base frequency and the second frequency;
• and
• during at least one third frame, drive the first display area by using the first driving frequency and drive the second display area by using the second frequency.

An electronic device comprising:

• a processor configured to provide an image signal, a multi-frequency enable signal, a driving frequency signal, and a start location signal;
• and
• a display device configured to receive the image signal, the multi-frequency enable signal, the driving frequency signal, and the start location signal and to display an image,
• wherein the display device includes:
• a display panel;
• and
• a driving controller configured to divide and drive the display panel into a first display area and a second display area in response to the start location signal while the multi-frequency enable signal indicates a multi-frequency mode,
• wherein the start location signal indicates a start location of the second display area of the display panel, and
• wherein, in response to the driving frequency signal, the driving controller drives the first display area by using a first driving frequency and drives the second display area by using a second driving frequency different from the first driving frequency.