Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Plural physical display element control system – Display elements arranged in matrix
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-08
2003-12-16
Hjerpe, Richard (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Plural physical display element control system
Display elements arranged in matrix
C245S004000, C245S004000, C330S00100A, C330S251000, C330S252000, C330S253000, C330S288000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06664941
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an amplifier circuit for driving a capacitive load according to an input signal voltage varying at, for example, specific intervals of time and a liquid-crystal display unit using the amplifier circuit, and more particularly to a small-size, low-power-consumption amplifier circuit suitable for integration.
A liquid-crystal display unit is generally comprises a liquid-crystal display panel, a liquid-crystal display driving circuit for driving the liquid-crystal display panel by supplying image signals to the signal lines, and a scanning line selector circuit for selectively driving the scanning lines. In the liquid-crystal display panel, liquid-crystal cells are arrange din a matrix. Also in the panel, signal lines to which image signals are supplied and scanning lines are provided in such a manner that the former intersect the latter.
An amplifier circuit in a voltage follower configuration was used in the signal-line driving circuit of the liquid-crystal display drive circuit in the liquid-crystal display unit. Since the gain A of the amplifier circuit is finite, the error difference between the input and output of the voltage follower configuration is expressed by 1/A of the input voltage. To decrease the difference, an amplifier circuit in a two-stage configuration was used. Specifically, the amplifier circuit includes an input amplifier stage and an output amplifier stage with a phase compensation capacitor Cf.
With this configuration, when a load capacitor connected to the output amplification stage is large, the phase compensation capacitance has to be made as large as, for example, 3 to 5 pF, to operate the amplifier circuit stably with less power consumption. In addition, the transconductance at the second amplification stage has to be made high by making the bias current larger. As a result, when a drive circuit including, for example, 300 units of the amplifier circuit is integrated, a total of 900 to 1500 pF is required because a phase compensation capacitor Cf of 3 to 5 pF is needed for each amplifier circuit. This causes the problem of making the chip area very large. Another problem is that the drawn current is increased to make the operation stable.
As described above, in the case of amplifier circuits connected to large capacitive loads, the conventional method of stabilizing the amplifier circuits by phase compensation capacitances had disadvantages in that the sum total of phase compensation capacitances needed in integrating amplifier circuits became very large and therefore the chip area increased, leading to a rise in cost. Another problem was that the drawn current increased.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an amplifier circuit which not only reduces the chip area by either eliminating a phase compensation capacitance for stabilization or decreasing the capacitance considerably and operates stably but also decreases the drawn current.
According to the present invention, there is provided an amplifier circuit comprising: a plurality of amplification stages which are cascade-connected between a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal to which a capacitive load is connected and which includes at least an input amplification stage and an output amplification stage; and a resistor circuit including at least a resistor inserted between the output terminal of the output amplification stage and the signal output terminal.
The resistor circuit includes a plurality of resistors. At least one selected from the resistors is connected between the output amplification stage and the signal output terminal. Alternatively, the resistor circuit includes a plurality of resistors and switches. The resistance of the resistor circuit is set by the turning on and off of the switches. Furthermore, the resistor circuit may be comprised of the on resistance of a field-effect transistor.
In the invention, there is provided a feedback loop for applying feedback from the output terminal of the output amplification stage to the input terminal of the input amplification stage. The amplifier circuit is constructed in voltage follower configuration.
With the amplifier circuit of the above configuration, it is desirable that the frequency of a second pole appearing in an open loop frequency characteristic of the amplifier circuit should be lower than the frequency (unity gain frequency) at which the gain of the amplifier circuit is 1 and the frequency of a first zero point appearing in the open loop frequency characteristic should be set lower than the frequency at which the gain of the amplifier circuit is 1.
Furthermore, a capacitance (phase compensation capacitance) may be provided between the input and output terminals of the output amplification stage to stabilize the operation when, for example, the signal output terminal is disconnected from the capacitive load in the input offset voltage mode and the load capacitor becomes smaller equivalently.
With an amplifier circuit of the present invention, the resistive component of the resistor circuit forms a first zero with the capacitive component of the capacitive load inserted between the output terminal of the output amplification stage and the signal output terminal in the open loop frequency characteristic of the amplifier circuit. The advance of the phase at the zero point compensates for a delay in the phase caused by the pole at the output amplification stage. Specifically, because the phase margin, a difference of −180° from the phase in which the gain is 1, can be made large, a phase compensation capacitance for stabilizing the operation of the amplifier circuit is not necessary. Even when a phase compensation capacitance is needed, it value may be very small. This helps not only decrease the chip area needed to form a phase compensation capacitance but also reduce the drawn current.
In the amplifier circuit of the invention, when an input signal voltage changing at specific intervals of time is inputted to the signal input terminal, it is desirable that the time constant determined by the resistor circuit and the capacitive component of the capacitive load should be set at more than zero and not more than ⅕ of the specific interval. In this case, the resistance of the resistor circuit should be more than zero and not more than 50 k&OHgr;.
The amplifier circuit of the invention may further comprises a control section for sensing that the input signal voltage inputted to the signal input terminal has changed to a specific polarity and controlling a bias current to the output amplification stage.
The present invention may be applied to a two-input amplifier circuit including a positive-side amplifier circuit and a negative-side amplifier circuit to which a first and a second input signal changing to the positive side and negative side with respect to a specific common voltage are inputted.
According to a preferred mode of the two-input amplifier circuit, the positive-side amplifier circuit comprises a first differential transistor pair to which the first input signal is inputted, a first current source for supplying a tail current to the first differential transistor pair, a first current mirror circuit whose current input terminal and current output terminal are connected to the two output terminals of the first differential transistor pair, and a first switch provided between the two output terminals of the first differential transistor pair, and the negative-side amplifier circuit comprises a second differential transistor pair to which the second input signal is inputted, a second current source for supplying a tail current to the second differential transistor pair, a second current mirror circuit whose current input terminal and current output terminal are connected to the two output terminals of the second differential transistor pair, and a second switch provided between the two output terminals of the second differential transistor pair, wherein the first switch is brought into the off state and
Itakura Tetsuro
Shima Takeshi
Dinh Duc Q
Hjerpe Richard
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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