Backlight unit, display apparatus and control method thereof

A backlight unit comprising:

• a light source unit which comprises a plurality of light sources and has division areas which are partitioned in a matrix form and independently driven from one another;
• a drive unit which comprises a multiple-driver which is connected with at least two division areas belonging to different rows which are distant from each other;
• and
• a light source controller which controls the drive unit so that drive power is sequentially supplied to the division areas which are divided in a first direction, in synchronization with a predetermined scanning period, and lighting periods of the division areas are independently changed.

A display apparatus comprising:

• a display panel;
• a light source unit which comprises a light source and has a plurality of division areas arranged in a first matrix form having a plurality of first columns and which are separated and independently driven from each other;
• a drive unit which supplies drive power for the light source unit, wherein the drive unit comprises a plurality of multiple-drivers which are arranged in a second matrix form having a second plurality of columns and are connected with at least two of the division areas which belong to different rows which are distant from each other, wherein each of the second plurality of columns of the plurality of multiple-drivers exclusively drives a different column of the first plurality of columns of the plurality of division areas;
• and
• a light source controller which controls the drive unit so that the drive power is supplied sequentially to the division areas which are divided in a first direction, in synchronization with a scanning period for which one frame of an image signal is displayed, and so that a lighting period of the division areas is changed according to the kind of the image signal which is displayed on the display panel.