# US 9,437,154 B2 · Display device, and method for driving display device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,437,154 B2 - Document ID: US9437154B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/009,962 - Filed: 2012-04-05 - Published: 2014-01-30 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-08 - Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Jun Nakata; Masaki Uehata; Kohji Saitoh; Masami Ozaki; Toshihiro Yanagi - Inventors: Jun Nakata; Masaki Uehata; Kohji Saitoh; Masami Ozaki; Toshihiro Yanagi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437154B2 ## CPC - G09G 3/3696: {Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers} - G09G 3/3688: {suitable for active matrices only} - G09G 2330/02: Details of power systems and of start or stop of display operation - G09G 2330/04: Display protection - G09G 2330/045: Protection against panel overheating - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) ## Abstract Provided for each data signal line drive circuit (6a, 6b, 6c) are: a voltage generation circuit (61a, 61b, 61c) that generates a drive voltage in accordance with an external voltage; and a voltage determination circuit (63a, 63b, 63c) which determines whether or not a voltage level of at least either the external voltage or the drive voltage falls within a range of allowable voltages, in a case where the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, operation of the voltage generation circuits (61a, 61b, 61c) being stopped. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A display device including a plurality of data signal line drive circuits, comprising: voltage generating circuits, provided for each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, that generate, in accordance with an external voltage inputted from an outside source, drive voltages that are needed to drive the data signal line drive circuit; and voltage determining circuits, provided for each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, that determine whether or not a voltage level of at least either the external voltage or the drive voltages fall within a predetermined range of allowable voltages, wherein in a case where it has been determined, in at least one of the plurality of voltage determining circuits, that the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits is stopped such that none of the voltage generating circuits generate the drive voltages, wherein: each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits further comprises safety control circuits that control how the voltage generating circuits are driven; and upon receiving, from the voltage determining circuits, a result of determination indicating that the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, the safety control circuits cause operation of the voltage generating circuit corresponding to the data signal line drive circuit in which that safety control circuit is provided to be stopped, further comprising a timing controller that outputs a control signal for driving each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, wherein upon receiving the result of determination from the voltage determining circuits, the timing controller outputs, to each of the safety control circuits of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, stop signal information for stopping the operation of the voltage generating circuits; and upon receiving the stop signal information from the timing controller, each of the safety control circuits of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits causes the operation of the voltage generating circuit corresponding to the data signal line drive circuit in which that safety control circuit is provided to be stopped. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the voltage determining circuits determine whether or not a voltage level of at least either the external voltage or the drive voltages fall below a lower-limit voltage level serving as a lower limit of the range of allowable voltages; and in a case where it has been determined, in at least one of the plurality of voltage determining circuits, that the voltage level falls below the lower-limit voltage level, operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits is stopped. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the voltage determining circuits determine whether or not a voltage level of at least either the external voltage or the drive voltage exceeds an upper-limit voltage level serving as an upper limit of the range of allowable voltages; and in a case where it has been determined, in at least one of the plurality of voltage determining circuits, that the voltage level exceeds the upper-limit voltage level, operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits is stopped. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a timing controller that outputs a control signal for driving each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, wherein in accordance with the result of determination, the timing controller outputs, to each of the safety control circuits of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, stop signal information for stopping the operation of the voltage generating circuits. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The display device as set forth in claim 4, wherein: upon receiving the result of determination from the voltage determining circuits, the safety control circuits further transmit, to the timing controller, stop-starting information for starting a stopping process of stopping the operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits; and upon receiving the stop-starting information from the safety control circuits, the timing controller outputs stop signal information for stopping the operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The display device as set forth in claim 4, wherein whereas that one of the safety control circuits which has received the result of determination from the voltage determining circuits causes the operation of the voltage generating circuit corresponding to the data signal line drive circuit in which that safety control circuit is provided to be stopped, that one of the safety control circuits which has received the stop signal information from the timing controller causes the operation of one of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to the data signal line drive circuit in which that safety control circuit is provided to be stopped. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein upon receiving the stop-starting information from at least one of the safety control circuits of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, each of the safety control circuits of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits causes the operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to the data signal line drive circuit in which that safety control circuits are provided to be stopped. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least either the voltage determining circuits or the voltage generating circuits are provided inside or outside of the data signal line drive circuits. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein: each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits includes an amplifier circuit which receives the drive voltage and which supplies a data signal to its corresponding data signal line; and in case where the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, operation of the amplifier circuits in all of the data signal line drive circuits is further stopped. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the range of allowable voltages is set separately for the external voltage and the drive voltage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1 wherein in a case where it has been determined by the voltage determining circuits that the voltage level of at least either the external voltage or the drive voltage continues to be out of the range of allowable voltages for a predetermined period of time, the operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits continues to be stopped. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a display panel including data signal lines, scan signal lines, pixel electrodes, and transistors each connected to its corresponding one of the data signal lines, its corresponding one of the scan signal lines, and its corresponding one of the pixel electrodes, wherein each of the transistors has its semiconductor layer made with an oxide semiconductor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The display device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the oxide semiconductor is IGZO. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a display panel, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display panel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The display device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a display panel, wherein the display panel is an organic electroluminescent display panel. ### Claim 16 A display device including a plurality of data signal line drive circuits, comprising: voltage generating circuits, provided for each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, that generate, in accordance with an external voltage inputted from an outside source, drive voltages that are needed to drive the data signal line drive circuit; and voltage determining circuits, provided for each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, that determine whether or not a voltage level of at least either the external voltage or the drive voltages fall within a predetermined range of allowable voltages, wherein in a case where it has been determined, in at least one of the plurality of voltage determining circuits, that the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits is stopped such that none of the voltage generating circuits generate the drive voltages, wherein: each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits further comprises safety control circuits that control how the voltage generating circuits are driven; and upon receiving, from the voltage determining circuits, a result of determination indicating that the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, the safety control circuits cause operation of the voltage generating circuit corresponding to the data signal line drive circuit in which that safety control circuit is provided to be stopped, wherein: in a case where in at least one of the data signal line drive circuits the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, the voltage determining circuits corresponding to that data signal line drive circuit transmits the result of determination to the safety control circuits of that data signal line drive circuit; and upon receiving the result of determination from the voltage generating circuits, the safety control circuits further transmit, to the safety control circuits of all of the other data signal line drive circuits, stop-starting information for starting a stopping process of stopping the operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to those data signal line drive circuits. ### Claim 17 A display device including a plurality of data signal line drive circuits, comprising: voltage generating circuits, provided for each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, that generate, in accordance with an external voltage inputted from an outside source, drive voltages that are needed to drive the data signal line drive circuit; and voltage determining circuits, provided for each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits, that determine whether or not a voltage level of at least either the external voltage or the drive voltages fall within a predetermined range of allowable voltages, wherein in a case where it has been determined, in at least one of the plurality of voltage determining circuits, that the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, operation of the voltage generating circuits corresponding to all of the data signal line drive circuits is stopped such that none of the voltage generating circuits generate the drive voltages, wherein: each of the plurality of data signal line drive circuits further comprises safety control circuits that control how the voltage generating circuits are driven; and upon receiving, from the voltage determining circuits, a result of determination indicating that the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, the safety control circuits cause operation of the voltage generating circuit corresponding to the data signal line drive circuit in which that safety control circuit is provided to be stopped, wherein in a case where in at least one of the data signal line drive circuits the voltage level does not fall within the range of allowable voltages, the voltage determining circuit corresponding to that data signal line drive circuit transmits the result of determination to the safety control circuit of that data signal line drive circuit and to the safety control circuits of all of the other data signal line drive circuits.