Error detection in LED packages

Abstract

Light emitting diode (LED) packages are disclosed, and more particularly, error detection in LED packages is disclosed. The LED packages are arranged for cascade communication as part of a larger LED display. A separate active electronic component is integrated with each LED package to facilitate active matrix addressing from the data stream, check for input error detection codes, and generate new output error detection codes into the data stream. Each electronic component within each LED package is capable of independently changing one or more portions of the data received in the data stream, transmitting the changed data to the next downstream LED package, and generating an output error detection code based on the changed data. When the active electronic component recognizes corrupted data based on the input error detection code, the generated output error detection code may be corrupted intentionally, so that the downstream LED package also recognizes that the corresponding data has been corrupted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to lighting devices including light-emitting diode (LED) packages, and more particularly, to error detection in LED packages. Background Art

[0002] A light-emitting diode (LED) is a solid-state device that converts electrical energy into light and typically includes one or more semiconductor material active layers (or active regions) disposed between oppositely doped n-type and p-type layers. When a bias is applied to the doped layers, holes and electrons are injected into one or more active layers where they recombine to produce emission such as visible light or ultraviolet radiation.

[0003] LEDs have been widely adopted in various lighting scenarios: as a backlight for liquid crystal display (LCD) systems (as a replacement for cold cathode fluorescent lamps), and for direct view LED displays. Applications using LED arrays include vehicle headlights, road lighting, luminaires, and various indoor, outdoor, and special scenarios. Desirable characteristics of LED devices include high lighting efficiency and long life.

[0004] Conventional LCD systems require polarizers and color filters (e.g., red, green, blue), which inherently reduce light utilization efficiency. Direct view LED displays utilize LEDs that emit light on their own without a backlight, polarizers, and color filters, improving light utilization efficiency.

[0005] Large-size multi-color direct-view LED displays (including full-color LED video screens) typically include a large number of individual LED panels, packages, and / or components, providing an image resolution determined by the distance between adjacent pixels or "pixel pitch". Direct-view LED displays typically include three-color displays (with arranged red, green, and blue (RGB) LEDs), as well as two-color displays (with arranged red and green (RG) LEDs). Other colors and combinations of colors can be used. For many LED display systems, it is desirable to form an LED color group for each pixel, such as the primary colors red, green, and blue (RGB) that define the vertices of a triangle (or polygon) on a chromaticity diagram. This polygon defines the so-called color gamut of the display device, the area of which describes all the possible colors that the display device can produce. A larger color gamut describes the ability to produce more colors compared to a display device with a smaller color gamut. Large-size displays for viewing from a distance (such as electronic billboards and stadium displays) typically have a relatively large pixel pitch and usually include discrete LED arrays with multi-color (such as red, green, and blue) LEDs that can be independently operated, thus forming full-color pixels in the view of the audience. For medium-size displays with a relatively small viewing distance, a smaller pixel pitch (such as 3 millimeters or less) is required, and may include a panel with arranged red, green, and blue LED components, which are mounted on a single electronic device attached to a driving printed circuit board that controls the LEDs. The driving printed circuit board is typically densely populated with electronic devices including capacitors, field-effect transistors (FETs), decoders, microcontrollers, etc., for driving the display pixels. As the pixel pitch of higher-resolution displays continues to decrease, the density of such electronic devices on a given panel area increases corresponding to the increasing number of pixels. This tends to increase the complexity and cost of the LED panels for display applications.

[0006] The art continues to seek improved LED array devices with small pixel pitch while overcoming the limitations associated with traditional devices and production methods. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure relates to lighting devices including light-emitting diode (LED) packages, and more particularly, to error detection in LED packages. The disclosed LED packages are arranged for cascaded communication and active matrix addressing as part of a larger LED display such that each LED package can form an LED pixel or a group of LED pixels of the LED display. Separate active electronic components are integrated with each LED package to facilitate active matrix addressing from a data stream, check an input error detection code, and generate a new output error detection code for the data stream. The active electronic components within each LED package are each capable of altering one or more portions of the data received in the data stream, transmitting the altered data to the next downstream LED package, and generating an output error detection code based on the altered data. When the active electronic components identify corrupted data based on the input error detection code, the generated output error detection code can be deliberately corrupted so that the downstream LED packages will also identify that the corresponding data has been corrupted.

[0008] In one aspect, the LED package includes: at least one LED chip; and an active electronic component electrically connected to the at least one LED chip, the active electronic component being configured to: receive a data block and an input error detection code from a communication channel; alter at least a portion of the data block; and generate an output error detection code that replaces the input error detection code, the output error detection code corresponding to at least a portion of the altered data block. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component includes logic for providing the output error detection code as a corrupted output error detection code. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is configured to identify data corruption in the data block and provide the output error detection code as a corrupted output error detection code so that the data corruption can be identified by other components arranged to receive the corrupted output error detection code. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is configured to generate a computed error detection code based on the data block and at least a portion of the altered data block and invert the value of the last bit of the computed error detection code to generate a corrupted output error detection code.

[0009] In a particular embodiment, the input error detection code is an input cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the output error detection code is an output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component includes a CRC decoder configured to receive the input CRC and a CRC encoder configured to generate the output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component includes a first bidirectional communication port and a second bidirectional communication port. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is configured to detect an input signal at the first bidirectional communication port, assign the first bidirectional communication port as an input port, and assign the second bidirectional communication port as an output port.

[0010] The LED package may further include: a base on which at least one LED chip and an active electronic component are mounted; a sealing layer on the base and on portions of the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component; and package bonding pads electrically coupled to the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component.

[0011] In another aspect, an LED package includes: at least one LED chip; and an active electronic component electrically connected to the at least one LED chip, the active electronic component being configured to: receive an input error detection code from a communication channel; generate a corrupted output error detection code; and transmit the corrupted output error detection code along the communication channel or to another communication channel. In a particular embodiment, the input error detection code is an input CRC, and the corrupted output error detection code is a corrupted output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component further includes a CRC encoder, a CRC decoder, and a CRC corruptor that receives a data block from the communication channel and identifies data corruption of the data block to generate a corrupted output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is further configured to change at least a portion of the data block as the data block passes through the active electronic component and return the changed data block to the communication channel or another communication channel to generate a corrupted output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is configured to generate a computed CRC based on the input CRC and at least a portion of the changed data block and invert a value of a last bit of the computed CRC to generate a corrupted output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component includes a first bi-directional communication port and a second bi-directional communication port. The LED package may further include: a base on which at least one LED chip and an active electronic component are mounted; a sealing layer on the base and on portions of the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component; and package bonding pads electrically coupled to the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component.

[0012] In another aspect, an LED package includes: at least one LED chip; and an active electronic component electrically connected to the at least one LED chip, the active electronic component being configured to: receive an input error detection code from a communication channel; generate a calculated error detection code based on the input error detection code; and invert a last bit of the calculated error detection code to generate an output error detection code. In a particular embodiment, the input error detection code is an input cyclic redundancy check (CRC), the calculated error detection code is a calculated CRC, and the output error detection code is an output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is configured to transmit the output CRC to the communication channel or another communication channel. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is configured to receive a data block from the communication channel and identify data corruption of the data block in order to generate the output CRC. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component is further configured to alter at least a portion of the data block that the active electronic component transmits to the communication channel or another communication channel. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component includes a first bi-directional communication port and a second bi-directional communication port. The LED package may further include: a base on which the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component are mounted; a sealing layer over the base and over portions of the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component; and package bonding pads electrically coupled to the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component.

[0013] In another aspect, any of the foregoing aspects, alone or in combination, and / or various individual aspects and features described herein may be combined to obtain additional advantages. Any of the various features and elements disclosed herein may be combined with one or more other disclosed features and elements, unless otherwise indicated herein.

[0014] Those skilled in the art will understand the scope of the present disclosure and will realize other aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The drawings incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 1A is a front top view of a display panel of a representative light emitting diode (LED) display, the panel including a plurality of active LED pixels.

[0017] Figure 1B is Figure 1A a back bottom view of a representative display panel.

[0018] Figure 2Ais a bottom view of an LED package, and in the manufacturing steps where an LED and an active electronic component are mounted on a substrate, the LED package can represent Figure 1A one of the LED pixels in

[0019] Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the Figure 2A section line A-A of

[0020] Figure 2C is Figure 2B a cross-sectional view of the LED package in a subsequent manufacturing step, where a sealing layer and various electrical connections are formed.

[0021] Figure 2D is Figure 2C a simplified top view of the LED package of

[0022] Figure 2E is Figure 2E a simplified bottom view of the LED package of

[0023] Figure 3 a schematic block diagram showing details of an integrated active electronic component and an LED package configured to process error detection codes in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing cascaded communication for an LED package in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5 is a diagram similar to the Figure 4 diagram, and further shows the progression of data bits through multiple LED packages after five clock cycles of cascaded communication. Detailed Description

[0026] The following embodiments represent the necessary information for those skilled in the art to practice these embodiments and show the best mode. After reading the following description with reference to the drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the present disclosure and will recognize these concepts in applications not specifically mentioned herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.

[0027] It should be understood that although terms such as "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] It should be understood that when referring to an element (such as a layer, region, or substrate) being "on" or extending "onto" another element, it can be directly on or directly extend onto the other element, or there can also be intervening elements. In contrast, when referring to an element being "directly" on or "directly" extending "onto" another element, there are no intervening elements. Similarly, it should be understood that when referring to an element (such as a layer, region, or substrate) being "above" or extending "above" another element, it can be directly on or directly extend above the element, or there can also be intervening elements. In contrast, when referring to an element being "directly" on or "directly" extending "above" another element, there are no intervening elements. It should also be understood that when referring to an element being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there can be intervening elements. In contrast, when referring to an element being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements.

[0029] Related terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical", etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element, layer, or region and another element, layer, or region as shown in the figures. It should be understood that these terms, as well as the terms discussed above, are intended to cover different orientations of the device and are not limited to the orientations shown in the figures.

[0030] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that when the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", and / or "including" are used herein, they specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more additional features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should also be understood that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless explicitly so defined herein.

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to schematic illustrations of embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the actual dimensions of layers and elements may vary, and differences from the illustrated shapes are also to be expected due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. For example, regions shown or described as square or rectangular may have rounded corners or curved features, and regions shown as straight lines may have some irregularities. Thus, the regions shown in the figures are schematic, and their shapes are not intended to show the exact shape of device regions and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, for illustrative purposes, the size of a structure or region may be exaggerated relative to other structures or regions, and so, provided to show the overall structure of the current subject matter and may or may not be drawn to scale. Common elements shown herein may use common element numbers between different figures and may not be re-described subsequently.

[0033] The present disclosure relates to lighting devices including light-emitting diode (LED) packages, and more particularly, to error detection in LED packages. LED packages are disclosed that are arranged for cascaded communication and active matrix addressing as part of a larger LED display system such that each LED package can form an LED pixel or a group of LED pixels in an LED display. Separate active electronic components are integrated with each LED package to facilitate active matrix addressing from a communication channel, check an input error detection code, and generate a new output error detection code. The active electronic components within each LED package independently have the ability to alter one or more portions of received data, transmit the altered data to the next downstream LED package or other receiving element, and generate an output error detection code based on the altered data. When the active electronic components identify corrupted data based on an input error detection code, the generated output error detection code may be deliberately corrupted so that downstream LED packages will also identify that the corresponding data has been corrupted.

[0034] As used herein, the terms "data stream" and "communication channel" may sometimes be used interchangeably. However, a "data stream" generally refers to a non-physical representation of data that flows over time through a collection of at least one communication channel and internal circuitry and storage registers within various components (such as controllers and active electronic components). A "communication channel" generally refers to the physical medium through which a data stream is transmitted. For example, a communication channel can include wiring associated with an electronic component, optical fiber, or even air (in the case of radio, light, or sound waves). A given physical channel can also be divided by time or frequency to allow multiple "communication channels" to exist simultaneously within a medium, such as switching to different frequency bands. In certain aspects, a communication channel may manifest as a serial digital communication channel. Certain aspects relate to binary communication channels, i.e., a single wiring that typically can only carry one value at a time, i.e., a high voltage or a low voltage (e.g., digital "0" or "1"), and is controlled by an output register of a previous device.

[0035] This disclosure relates to light-emitting devices including LEDs, LED packages, and associated LED displays, and more particularly, to active control of LEDs in an LED display. An LED display can include an array of LEDs arranged in multiple rows and columns that form LED pixels. A particular LED pixel can include a cluster of LED chips of the same color or multiple colors, such as a pixel including red LED chips, green LED chips, and blue LED chips. In a particular embodiment, an LED package includes multiple LED chips that form at least one LED pixel, and multiple such LED packages can be arranged to form an array of an LED display. Each LED package can include its own active electronic component that is configured to receive a control signal and actively maintain an operating state, such as brightness or gray level, when other LED devices are addressed, or receive a color selection signal for the LED chips within the LED device. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component can include an active circuit that includes one or more of a driver device, a signal conditioning or conversion device, a storage device, a decoder device, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device, a thermal management device, and a detection device, among others. In this regard, each LED pixel in the LED display can be configured to operate in an active matrix addressing mode. The active electronic component can be configured to receive one or more of an analog control signal, an encoded analog control signal, a digital control signal, and / or an encoded digital control signal. In such an arrangement, a string of LED packages each having its own active electronic component can be arranged for serial communication, where each active component receives data from a data stream and transmits the data to the next active electronic component in the string of LED packages.

[0036] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an arrangement of LED chips and active electronic components is provided such that LED chips are disposed in close proximity to corresponding active electronic components in a larger LED array. In this manner, individual LED pixels of a larger display can be configured for operation using suitable communication signals, including but not limited to active matrix addressing. Further details regarding the active control of LEDs and corresponding LED pixels are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 815,101, titled "Active Control of Light Emitting Diodes and Light Emitting Diode Displays", published as U.S. 2020 / 0312231 A1, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0037] As used herein, a layer or region of a light-emitting device or package may be considered "transparent" when at least 80% of the emitted radiation incident on the layer or region passes through the layer or region. Further, as used herein, a layer or region of an LED is considered "reflective" or exhibits a "mirror" or "reflector" when at least 80% of the emitted radiation incident on the layer or region is reflected. In certain embodiments, the emitted radiation includes visible light, such as blue and / or green LEDs with or without a light-emitting material. In a particular embodiment, a "light-transmissive" material may be configured to transmit at least 50% of the emitted radiation of a desired wavelength. In a particular embodiment, an initially "light-transmissive" material may be changed to a "light-absorbing" material that transmits less than 50% of the emitted radiation of a desired wavelength by adding one or more light-absorbing materials, such as opaque or non-reflective materials, including gray, dark, or black particles or materials.

[0038] The present disclosure can be used with LED chips having a variety of geometries, such as vertical or lateral geometries. LED chips with a vertical geometry typically include anode and cathode connections on opposite sides of the LED chip. LED chips with a lateral geometry typically include anode and cathode connections on the same side of the LED chip relative to a substrate (e.g., a growth substrate). Particular embodiments disclosed herein relate to the use of flip-chip LED devices, where the light-transmissive substrate represents the exposed light-emitting surface.

[0039] LED packages including one or more LED chips can be arranged in many different applications to provide illumination of an object, surface, or area. In a particular application, clusters of LED chips or LED packages of different colors can be arranged as pixels in an LED display application, including video displays. For example, separate clusters of red, green, and blue LED chips within an LED package can form the LED pixels of a larger LED display. In a particular application, the red, green, and blue LED chips of each pixel can be co-packaged as a multi-LED package, and when an array of such multi-LED packages is arranged together, an LED display is formed. In this regard, each pixel can include a single LED package that includes a red LED chip, a green LED chip, and a blue LED chip. In other embodiments, the red, green, and blue LED chips can be individually packaged or arranged in a chip-on-board configuration. In a particular LED display application, an array of LED pixels can be arranged on panels, which can also be referred to as tiles or LED modules, and an array of such panels is arranged together to form a larger LED display. Depending on the application, each panel of the LED display can include a different number of LED pixels. In a particular application, each panel of the LED display can include an array formed by 64 rows and 64 columns or more of LED pixels. In a particular embodiment, each panel of the LED display can be configured to have a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 LED pixels, or 4K resolution. For applications that desire a higher screen resolution for the LED display period, each panel can include more rows and columns of LED pixels that are spaced closer together. Depending on the desired screen resolution, the pixel pitch can be approximately 3 millimeters (mm), or approximately 2.5 mm, or approximately 1.6 mm, or in the range of approximately 1.5 mm to approximately 3 mm, or in the range of approximately 1.6 mm to approximately 3 mm, or in the range of approximately 1.5 mm to approximately 2.5 mm. Additionally, for fine pitch LED displays with even higher screen resolutions, the pixel pitch can be configured to be less than 1 mm, or less than 0.8 mm, or in the range of approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 1 mm, or approximately 0.7 mm for a particular embodiment.

[0040] In traditional video display applications, LED pixels are typically configured for passive matrix addressing. As used herein, the term "passive" refers to the lack of dedicated drive elements for each LED pixel, sub-pixel, or LED chip. In this manner, passive LED pixels can be configured to be coupled to an interface element that provides an electrical connection to an independent driver or controller shared among multiple LED pixels. For example, conductors arranged orthogonally (e.g., vertically and horizontally) form rows and columns in a grid, where individual LED chips of each LED pixel are defined by each intersection of the rows and columns. By utilizing a shared row anode or shared row cathode matrix arrangement, multiplexing sequencing can be used to allow individual control of each LED chip in the array while using fewer drivers and conductor traces than the number of LED chips in the array, and brightness control can be provided by pulse width modulation (PWM). In this way, the drivers and conductors for the rows or columns are shared among multiple LED pixels, and time division multiplexing is used to address each individual LED pixel. Due to this shared driver configuration, each LED pixel emits light only during its respective communication time. The independent drivers used to control the display are typically arranged away from the pixels of the display, such as on a separate board or module, or on a printed circuit board (PCB) attached or otherwise mounted on the back side of each panel, or within an independent component package mounted on the back side of a common PCB that includes the pixel array on the front side. These common PCBs are typically densely populated with electronic devices, including capacitors, field effect transistors (FETs), decoders, microcontrollers, etc., for driving each pixel on a particular panel. For higher resolution displays, the density of such electronic devices increases corresponding to the increase in the number of pixels on each panel. This can increase the complexity and cost of the LED panel in display applications, as well as increase thermal congestion in areas where the drive electronics are more closely spaced. For passive matrix addressing, LED pixels are typically driven by a sequence of pulse signals. In this regard, the LED pixels may pulse rapidly at a particular frequency, such as 60 Hertz (Hz) or 120 Hz, depending on the display scan rate. Although the video display may not appear to be rapidly pulsing to the human eye, it may be detected by an image capture device, and in some cases, a beat frequency effect can be observed between the video display and other pulsed displays, light sources, or image capture devices.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each LED pixel of an LED display is configured to operate in an active matrix addressing mode. For active matrix addressing, each LED pixel is configured to actively maintain an operating state or otherwise control a driving state, such as brightness or grayscale level, or color selection, when other LED pixels are addressed, thereby allowing each LED pixel to maintain or otherwise independently control its driving state and providing improved viewing and / or image recording by reducing or eliminating effects caused by low-frequency pulse beat frequency effects of the above-described devices (e.g., light sources, other pulsed displays, or image capture devices). Thus, each LED pixel can be configured to maintain its respective operating state using a continuous drive signal, including pulse width modulation, rather than a time division multiplexed signal, which causes an increase in low-frequency components in the drive signal associated with passive matrix addressing. To this end, each LED pixel can include an active electronic chip or active electronic component, which can include a storage device and the ability to change the driving conditions of the LED pixel based on a state stored in the memory of the active electronic component. In a particular embodiment, the continuous drive signal is a constant analog drive current, and in other embodiments, when the brightness level can be controlled by a pulse method (e.g., PWM), the continuous drive signal can refer to a PWM signal that is not interrupted by time division multiplexed scanning of other LED pixels within the array or subarray. In some embodiments, the active electronic component can include an active circuit that includes one or more of a driving device, a signal conditioning or conversion device, a storage device, a decoder device, an ESD protection device, a thermal management device, a detection device, and a voltage and / or current sensing device, a command processing device, and circuitry, etc. In various embodiments, the active electronic component includes an integrated circuit chip, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microcontroller, or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). In a particular embodiment, after the active electronic component is fabricated by incorporating memory elements and logic within the active electronic component, the active electronic component can be configured to be programmable or reprogrammable.

[0042] As used herein, the terms "active electronic chip", "active electronic component", or "active electronic assembly" include any chip or component capable of changing the driving conditions of an LED based on memory or other information stored in the chip or component. As used herein, the terms "active LED pixel" and "intelligent LED pixel" may be used interchangeably and may refer to a device including one or more LED devices or chips forming a pixel and an active electronic component or chip as described above. In a particular embodiment, each LED pixel may include a single LED package configured as an active LED package including a plurality of LED chips and active electronic components as described above. In this way, the number of independent electronic devices required for an LED display can be reduced, such as the independent electronic devices located on the back side of the panel of the LED display as described above. In addition, the total operating power required to operate the LED panel can also be reduced.

[0043] In digital communication and networking, error detection codes are commonly used to detect data errors and / or corrupted data transmitted along a communication channel due to various factors such as channel noise during transmission. Generally, a transmitting device (e.g., a server or a master controller) can incorporate an error detection code into a data stream, and a receiving device is capable of checking for any errors in the received error detection code. During communication, the transmitting device and the receiving device can continuously send and check the error detection code to verify data integrity. A particular type of error detection code is a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). Other types of error detection codes include parity bits and checksums, among others.

[0044] In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, an LED package or an LED pixel is arranged for active matrix addressing and is capable of checking an input error detection code and generating a new output error detection code for output to the same communication channel or an additional communication channel. Each LED package independently is capable of changing one or more portions of the received data and transmitting the changed data to the next downstream LED package or other receiving element. When an LED package changes the data, the LED package generates a new output error detection code corresponding to the changed data. In some cases, an LED package can detect an error in the input error detection code and then generate a new output error detection code that is deliberately corrupted to notify other LED packages of the corrupted data. Since the LED package changes the output error detection code to reflect the changed data, deliberately corrupting the output error detection code may prevent the LED package from inadvertently correcting an error determined by the input error detection code, such that downstream LED packages are unable to determine that the original data has been corrupted. The following embodiments will be discussed based on a CRC scenario; however, the principles discussed apply to any type of error detection code.

[0045] Figure 1A A front top view of a display panel 10 of a representative LED display, the display panel including a plurality of active LED pixels 12. As shown, the plurality of active LED pixels 12 may be arranged in rows and columns to form an array of active LED pixels 12 on the front of the display panel 10. In a particular embodiment, each active LED pixel 12 is configured with active electronic components that include the ability to receive an input signal, store memory based on the input signal, change the drive conditions of the LEDs within the active LED pixel 12 based on data stored in the memory, and update the drive conditions each time the memory is updated by the input signal or other internal components. In a particular embodiment, each active LED pixel 12 includes a separate LED package that includes the active electronic components and a plurality of LED chips.

[0046] Figure 1B is Figure 1A A back bottom view of a representative display panel 10. As shown, the display panel 10 may include additional passive or active components that are configured to receive, process, and distribute signals and power to Figure 1AThe active LED pixel 12. For example, the display panel 10 may include an input signal connector 14 and an output signal connector 16, each of which may be configured as a video source connector, including a Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connector, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector, or a DisplayPort connector, etc. The input and output signal connectors 14, 16 may alternatively be configured as data network connectors such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) or Ethernet, etc. The display panel 10 may include a control element 18, which includes control circuitry, such as semiconductor control elements. The control element 18 may be configured to receive input signals through the input signal connector 14 and output control signals to the active LED pixels. As will be described in more detail later, the active electronic components of each LED pixel are configured to: in response to the control signals received from the control element 18, independently change the driving conditions of each LED chip within the LED pixel. In a particular embodiment, the control element 18 includes an integrated circuit, such as one or more of an ASIC, a microcontroller, a programmable control element, and an FPGA. In a particular embodiment, multiple control elements 18 may be configured on or registered with each display panel 10. A decoder element 20 may be configured to receive, decode, and route signals between the input and output signal connectors 14, 16 and the control element 18. In a particular embodiment, passive components 22, such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors, may be provided to maintain appropriate power and signal levels throughout the system. The display panel 10 may also include other passive or active components 24, which may include additional decoders, resistors, capacitors, or other electronic components or circuits for a video display. In this way, the signal connectors 14 and 16, the control element 18, the decoder element 20, the passive components 22, and the other passive or active components 24 are registered on the display panel 10. In an alternative embodiment, the back of the display panel 10 may include other multiple LED packages forming other LED pixel arrays. In this regard, the display panel 10 may be configured for a dual-sided display application. In such an embodiment, the signal connector 14 and the signal connector 16, the control element 18, the decoder element 20, the passive components 22, and the other passive or active components 24 may be registered in other positions on the display panel 10 rather than the back in the configuration to provide control signals from one or more edges of the display panel 10 or from within the display panel 10 itself.

[0047] Figures 2A to 2EAccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, different manufacturing stages of the LED package 26 are shown, where the LED package 26 includes a plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 and an active electronic component 30. Specific aspects are discussed in the context of three LED chips 28-1 to 28-3. For example, a red LED chip, a green LED chip, and a blue LED chip form an LED pixel of a display. Other aspects may relate to LED packages that include at least one LED chip to any number of LED chips, with the active electronic component 30 housed within a common LED package. The active electronic component 30 may also be referred to as an active electronic chip or an active electronic assembly. Figures 2A to 2E The LED package 26 of Figure 1A is provided as an exemplary form of a single LED pixel 12. In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, it should be appreciated that other LED package structures including one or more LED chips and an active electronic component, as described herein, may also be implemented as individual LED pixels in a larger LED display.

[0048] Figure 2A is a bottom view of the LED package 26 at a particular manufacturing stage, at which the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 and the active electronic component 30 are mounted on a base 32. Specifically, the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 and the active electronic component 30 may be mounted on a first surface 32' of the base 32. A light-transmissive chip attachment material may be disposed between the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 and the base 32 to facilitate the mounting. Each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 may include a corresponding cathode contact 34-1 to 34-3 (e.g., an n-type contact pad) and a corresponding anode contact 36-1 to 36-3 (e.g., a p-type contact pad). In a particular embodiment, the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 includes individual LED chips that generate light of different wavelengths. For example, LED 28-1 may be configured to primarily generate green radiation, LED 28-2 may be configured to primarily generate blue radiation, and LED 28-3 may be configured to primarily generate red radiation. Thus, the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 may include a green LED chip, a blue LED chip, and a red LED chip. In other embodiments, different combinations of colors and numbers of LEDs are possible. In yet another embodiment, each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 may be configured to generate light emissions that are primarily the same as each other. In other embodiments, the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 may include micro-LED structures, where a common active LED structure is divided into a plurality of active LED structure portions to form a plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 that can be independently addressed.

[0049] In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component 30 is configured to receive a signal or signals and independently drive each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component 30 includes a memory element, chip, or component configured to store one or more operating states of one or more of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 received from an external source (such as Figure 1B the control element 18). The active electronic component 30 may also be configured to vary one or more drive conditions of one or more of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 based on one or more stored operating states. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component 30 is configured to independently vary the drive condition of each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 based on the plurality of operating states stored by the memory element. In this regard, the active electronic component 30 may be configured to receive and store one or more operating states and independently drive each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 based on the one or more operating states. The active electronic component 30 may continue to drive and maintain the operating state of each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 until the active electronic component 30 receives refresh or update signals corresponding to updated operating states. In this manner, the active electronic component 30 may be configured to vary the drive conditions of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 based on the operating states temporarily stored in the memory element. Accordingly, the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 may be configured for active matrix addressing as described above.

[0050] To quickly receive one or more operating states of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3, the active electronic component 30 may include a plurality of contact pads 38. In a particular embodiment, a particular contact pad of the plurality of contact pads 38 is configured to receive one or more signals and other contact pads of the plurality of contact pads 38 are configured to send signals to independently drive or address the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3. In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component 30 includes one or more of an integrated circuit chip, ASIC, microcontroller, or FPGA. In a particular embodiment, after the active electronic component 30 is fabricated by incorporating various memory elements and logic within the active electronic component 30, the active electronic component 30 is configured to be programmable or reprogrammable. In this regard, for embodiments in which the active electronic component 30 does not include an FPGA, the active electronic component 30 may be considered programmable.

[0051] The base 32 can be made of a variety of different materials, and the preferred materials are electrically insulating. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, ceramic materials such as alumina or aluminum oxide, AlN, or organic insulators (such as polyimide (PI) and polyphthalimide (PPA)). In other embodiments, the base 32 can include a PCB, glass, sapphire, silicon, epoxy resin, silicone, or any other suitable material. For PCB embodiments, different types of PCBs can be used, such as standard FR-4 PCBs, bismaleimide-triazine (BT) or other related materials, metal core PCBs, or any other type of PCB. In a particular embodiment, the base 32 includes a light-transmissive material such that light emission from the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 can pass through the base 32. In this regard, the light-emitting surface of each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 can be mounted on the base 32. Light-transmissive materials suitable for the base 32 include glass, sapphire, epoxy resin, and silicone. In a particular embodiment where the base 32 is a light-transmissive base, the base 32 can refer to a superstrate. The term "superstrate" herein is used in part to avoid confusion with other substrates that may be part of a semiconductor light-emitting device (such as the growth or carrier substrate of an LED chip) or different bases of the LED package 26. The term "superstrate" is not intended to limit the orientation, position, and / or composition of the structure it describes. In a particular embodiment, the base 32 can include a light-transmissive superstrate, and the LED package 26 may not have other bases. In other embodiments, the base 32 can include a light-transmissive superstrate, and the LED package 26 includes another base, wherein the plurality of LED chips 28-1 to 28-3 are arranged between the base 32 and the additional base.

[0052] Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view of the LED package 26 taken along the Figure 2A section line A-A as shown. As shown, the LED 28-1 and the active electronic component 30 are mounted on separate portions of the first surface 32' of the base 32. Accordingly, the radiation of the LED 28-1 can be configured to pass through the base 32 such that the second surface 32" of the base 32 is configured as the main emission surface of the LED package 26. It is noted that the anode contact 36-1 and the cathode contact 34-1 of the LED 28-1 are arranged on opposite sides of the LED 28-1 with respect to the base 32. In this regard, the light emission from the LED 28-1 can pass through the base 32 and exit from the opposite surface 32" without being affected or absorbed by the anode contact 36-1 and the cathode contact 34-1. In addition, the contact pads 38 of the active electronic component can also be arranged on the first surface 32' in a spaced-apart manner such that all electrical connections are provided in a spaced-apart manner on the main emission surface, i.e., the second surface 32". Figure 2BThe orientation of the cross-sectional view is intended to show that the second surface 32” of the base 32 will be configured as the main light-emitting surface; however, during intermediate manufacturing steps, Figure 2B and the orientation of subsequent cross-sectional manufacturing views can be rotated 180 degrees so that the LEDs 28-1 can be sequentially assembled above the base 32.

[0053] Figure 2C is Figure 2B A cross-sectional view of the LED package 26 in a subsequent manufacturing step, in which a sealing layer 40 and various electrical connections are formed. The sealing layer 40 can be deposited integrally to cover the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 and the active electronic components 30, while the contact pads 38 and the cathodes and the anode contacts 36-1, 34-1 can be accessed through the sealing layer 40. The sealing layer 40 can surround the perimeter or side edges of each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3, and the sealing layer 4 can also cover at least a portion of the bottom surface of each of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3. The sealing layer 40 can surround the perimeter or side edges and the bottom surface of the active electronic components 30. For example, a removal step can be subsequently applied to the sealing layer 40 such that a portion of the sealing layer 40 is removed to form an exposed surface that can access the contact pads 38 and the cathodes and the anode contacts 36-1, 34-1. The removal step can include a planarization process such as grinding, grinding, or polishing.

[0054] The encapsulation layer 40 can be applied or deposited via a coating or dispensing process. In certain embodiments, the encapsulation layer 40 can include one or more of silicone, epoxy resin, and thermoplastics (such as polycarbonate, aliphatic polyurethane, or polyester, etc.). The encapsulation layer 40 can be configured to modify or control the light output from the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3. For example, the encapsulation layer 40 can include an opaque or non-reflective material, such as an apparent gray, dark, or black material, which can absorb some of the light propagating between the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3, thereby enhancing the contrast between the radiation of the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 through the base 32. In certain embodiments, the encapsulation layer 40 can include light-absorbing particles suspended in a binder such as silicone or epoxy resin. The light-absorbing particles may include at least one of carbon, silicon, pigment, or metal particles or nanoparticles. In certain embodiments, the light-absorbing particles include a predominantly black color, which provides a predominantly black or dark color to the encapsulation layer 40 when suspended in the binder. Depending on the desired application, the encapsulation layer 40 can be configured to be transparent or light-transmissive, or the encapsulation layer 40 can include light-reflective or light-directing materials, such as fused silica, fumed silica, or titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles, to form a predominantly white color for the encapsulation layer 40. Other particles or fillers can be used to enhance the mechanical, thermal, optical, or electrical properties of the encapsulation layer 40. In certain embodiments, the encapsulation layer 40 can include multiple layers having different mechanical, thermal, optical, or electrical properties.

[0055] Various conductive traces 42 and conductive vias 44 can be formed under the LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 and the active electronic components 30. For example, the conductive traces 42 can be formed on the bottom surface of the encapsulation layer 40 and electrically coupled to various contact pads 38 and the cathodes and anode contacts 36-1, 34-1. The conductive traces 42 and conductive vias 44 can form a multi-layer structure that effectively routes conductive paths between the active electronic components 30 and the LEDs 28-1 to 28-3. An additional encapsulation layer 46 can be provided, and some of the specific conductive traces 42 can be coupled to the package bonding pads 48-1 to 48-2 through some of the specific conductive vias 44. In this regard, the package bonding pads 48-1 to 48-2 are configured to receive signals external to the LED package 26. In certain embodiments, the package bonding pads 48-1 to 48-2 are configured to be mounted and bonded to another surface (e.g., the mounting surface of an LED panel that includes electrical traces or other types of signal lines) to receive external signals (e.g., signals from Figure 1B the control element 18).

[0056] Figure 2D is Figure 2C a simplified top view of the LED package 26. Figure 2DShown is a view from the second face 32” of the base 32, and the view represents the main light-emitting face of the LED package 26. A plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 are correspondingly disposed below the base 32 to provide light emission through the base 32 (e.g., a light-transmissive base or a light-transmissive superstrate). The active electronic component 30 is also disposed below the base 32, and all of the previously described electrical connections and conductive paths are correspondingly arranged below the active electronic component 30 and below the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 with respect to the second face 32”. Thus, the light generated from the plurality of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3 can pass through the base 32 and exit from the second face 32”, with reduced loss or absorption to the electrical connections, conductive paths, or other components within the LED package 26.

[0057] Figure 2E is Figure 2E a simplified bottom view of the LED package 26. In operation, Figure 2E the bottom view shown represents the main mounting face 50 of the LED package 26. In this regard, the LED package 26 is configured to be mounted onto an external surface (e.g., the panel of a video display or a PCB) such that the package bonding pads 48-1 to 48-4 are bonded or soldered to electrical communication lines provided on the external surface. In a particular embodiment, at least one of the package bonding pads 48-1 may include an identifier 52, such as a notch, a different shape, or other form of identifier, configured to convey the polarity and mounting orientation of the LED package 26 on the external surface.

[0058] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of an integrated active electronic component 30 and an LED package 54 configured to process error detection codes in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The LED package 54 may be arranged with a structure similar to Figures 2A to 2E the LED package 26, or have an alternative structure. In a particular embodiment, the LED package 54 forms an LED pixel for placement within a larger LED display. In this manner, Figure 3The structures that appear in [the text] may appear in each pixel of the active matrix display. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the active electronic component 30 may include multiple ports, represented by a supply voltage (Vdd), a ground voltage (GND or Vss), and bi-directional communication ports or digital input / output ports (DIO1 and DIO2). By configuring the DIO1 and DIO2 ports as bi-directional communication ports, the active electronic component 30 may advantageously detect an input signal of the communication channel and then assign one of the DIO1 and DIO2 ports as an input port and the other as an output port. This provides flexibility for the display layout, where multiple LED packages 54 are connected together for cascaded communication. For example, multiple LED packages 54 may be arranged in multiple rows, where data travels from package to package along each row and cascades from row to row in a serpentine manner. In addition to the four ports of Vdd, GND, DIO1, and DIO2 on the left side of the schematic diagram, the active electronic component 30 includes four ports on the right side of the schematic diagram that are coupled to LEDs 28-1 to 28-3.

[0059] The individual elements of the active electronic component 30 are described below. However, it should be understood that the active electronic component 30 may include many other components, including memory elements, signal conditioning elements, thermal management, electrostatic discharge elements, clock elements, and oscillators, and so on. In Figure 3 , the control logic 56 is configured to receive input data, execute commands according to a command protocol, provide control signals for the operation of LEDs 28-1 to 28-3, include various voltage levels and / or temperature levels in the output data, and transmit the output data to the next adjacent LED package through the DIO1 and DIO2 ports. The control logic 56 may operate in the digital domain. The control logic 56 may include an input / output buffer 58 ( Figure 3 DIO 0-1 in [the text]), which is electrically coupled to the DIO1 and DIO2 ports, and the DI and DO pins of the input / output buffer 58 may be accessed by the control logic 56. The input / output buffer 58 is configured to assign the input and output configurations of the bi-directional DIO1 and DIO2 ports.

[0060] In a particular embodiment, the active electronic component 30 can be configured to provide a forward bias state and a reverse bias state to LEDs 28-1 through 28-3. To this end, the control logic 56 can include a reverse bias control output signal that, in conjunction with an appropriate active component, is configured to supply a voltage level close to Vdd or close to GND to LEDs 28-1 through 28-3. Since the term "reverse bias" implies that a high level output by the control logic 56 creates a reverse bias condition, the output signal can simply be coupled to an inverter 60 provided in a driver 62 of the active electronic component 30. Thus, LEDs 28-1 through 28-3 can be forward biased or reverse biased depending on the particular operating state and / or command received by the control logic 56. The inverter 60 or inverter logic element may have sufficient output characteristics to drive LEDs 28-1 through 28-3. The driver 62 can be substantially an analog interface of the active electronic component 30 electrically coupled to the control logic 56. The driver 62 can include controllable current sources 64-1 through 64-3, which can also be configured as LED pull-down drivers. Pull-up resistors R1 through R3 can be incorporated to provide a path to V dd for each of LEDs 28-1 through 28-3, which aids in voltage measurement when LEDs 28-1 through 28-3 are configured for reverse bias. Each of the current sources 64-1 through 64-3 can be electrically coupled to digital output signals LED1 through LED3 of the control logic 56. The output signals LED1 through LED3 can be provided along multiple wirings coupled to each of the current sources 64-1 through 64-3 for current selection purposes. The output signals LED1 through LED3 can embody the PWM output of the control logic 56 for controlling the operation of LEDs 28-1 through 28-3. The driver 62 can also include a multiplexer 66 electrically coupled to an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter and an ADC selector of the control logic 56. Additionally, the driver 62 can include an on-chip temperature sensor provided through the multiplexer 66. In a particular embodiment, the temperature sensor provides thermal compensation for LEDs 28-1 through 28-3 and / or enables thermal shutdown through a thermal compensation curve.

[0061] As Figure 3As shown, the control logic 56 may include: a command decoder 68 configured to decode a data block received from a communication channel, and a CRC encoder 70 and a CRC decoder 72. The CRC decoder 72 allows the active electronic component to check the input error detection code (e.g., CRC) received from the communication channel, and the CRC encoder 70 is configured to generate a new output CRC for output to the same communication channel and / or other communication channels. In a specific embodiment, the LED package 54 is capable of changing one or more parts of the received data and transmitting the changed data to the next downstream LED package or other receiving element (e.g., a controller). When the LED package 54 changes the data, the active electronic component 30 generates a new CRC through the CRC encoder 70 corresponding to the changed data. In the case where the active electronic component 30 detects an error in the input CRC, the CRC encoder 70 will generate the correct code for the new data. However, in the case where the received data is corrupted, it may be desirable to propagate the corrupted CRC to the output so that the downstream device will also understand that the data is corrupted. The active electronic component 30 can generate a corrupted CRC that is intentionally corrupted by the CRC corruptor 73 to notify other LED packages and other receiving elements that the data is corrupted. CRC corruptor 73 can be one of many common logic elements that generates a code that is guaranteed to be different from the correct code. One such example is a logic circuit designed to simply invert the last bit of the correct CRC code. Although Figure 3 The contents of the active electronic component 30 are arranged to decode and encode the CRC, but the same principles apply to any type of error detection code, so that the CRC encoder 70 and CRC decoder 72 may be referred to as an encoder and a decoder, respectively.

[0062] Figure 4 FIG. 7 is a block diagram 74 showing cascade communication for LED packages 76 according to the principles of the present disclosure. The LED packages 76 may be arranged as Figure 1A Any of the pixels in the display shown previously Figures 2A to 2E and Figure 3 The LED package described in the figure. The input communication is received by the LED package 76 from the data stream 78 of the communication channel and transferred from the input register 80 to the output register 82, which are boxes shown in the figure inside the LED package 76. The input and output registers 80, 82 represent memory locations within the active electronic component 30. The data stream can include data blocks of any length, where the bits are represented by the number 1, 2, 3, 4...n, followed by a CRC. The data block can include a command code, which is sent by the active electronic component 30 (e.g., Figure 3is processed by the command decoder 68) to control the operation of the active electronic component 30 and / or to control the operation of the LEDs within the LED package 76. In Figure 4 although the CRC can have other lengths, the CRC is shown as an 8-bit CRC, depending specifically on the particular implementation. In yet another embodiment, the disclosed principles apply to any type of error detection code for a following data block, the purpose of which is to at least partially verify the previous data.

[0063] In operation, each data bit of the data block and the CRC code are sequentially received and held by the input register 80 in one clock cycle and then transferred to the output register 82 in each clock cycle. In some instances, the bit data transferred to the output register 82 is changed or modified based on the operation of the LED package 76. For example, a command code for operating a particular LED package 76 within the data block can be received and executed, and the corresponding command code transferred to the output register 82 can be changed to a code corresponding to the information intended to be transmitted back to the main controller for processing. In one such case, the LED package 76 receives brightness data and replaces it with temperature data to pass back to the controller. When the data is changed by the LED package 76, Figure 3 the CRC encoder 70 within can provide an updated CRC code to the output register 82 for transmission to the next LED package or receiving element. Other portions of the data block can correspond to command codes for LED packages downstream of the LED package 76 for Figure 4 and can pass through the LED package 76 without modification.

[0064] When bit data is received in the input register 80, the bit data can be decoded by the CRC decoder 72 within Figure 3 and the expected CRC value can be calculated. The calculated CRC value can then be compared with the received CRC bit data to verify the data or identify corrupted data. If corrupted data is identified and the LED package 76 has not changed any data, the downstream LED package may also be able to detect the corrupted data. However, if the LED package 76 has changed the data as described above, then the newly generated CRC code may inadvertently correct the defective CRC received from the data stream after taking into account the changed data, and the downstream LED package may not be able to identify the corrupted data. In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the LED package 76 and the incorporated active electronic component 30 are configured with a CRC corruptor 73 to deliberately generate a corrupted CRC code when the LED package 76 identifies a data error and the LED package 76 changes the data. In this way, the LED package 76 can be configured to notify downstream LED packages of corrupted data even when the data has changed.

[0065] Figure 5 FIG. 84 is similar to FIG. 74 and further shows the process of data bits passing through multiple LED packages 76-1 to 76-3 after five clock cycles of cascaded communication. As shown, according to the clock cycles, the bit positions of the data block and the CRC can be shifted sequentially through the input registers 80 and output registers 82 of the multiple LED packages 76-1 to 76-3, changing from left to right. In this way, the first bit position of the data block (i.e., "1") may have been held by the input register 80 of the third LED package 76-3, while bit positions "2" and "3" are in the second LED package 76-2, bit positions "4" and "5" are in the first LED package 76-1, and the remaining bit positions have not been received by the LED packages 76-1 to 76-3. In Figure 5 it, the superimposed boxes are shown above the input register 80 and output register 82, representing the data block and its corresponding bit positions that are now distributed among the multiple LED packages. The numbers in the input register 80 and output register 82 represent the bit positions of the first data block at this time point (the fifth clock cycle). During operation, the active electronic component 30 of the first LED package 76-1 cannot determine the validity of the data block until the last bit position of the CRC code has been processed after n+8 clock cycles. Meanwhile, other bits of the CRC code may have passed through the second and third LED packages 76-2, 76-3, which will include the first few bits of the corrected CRC code generated by the CRC encoder 70. For example, 7 out of the 8 bit positions of an 8-bit CRC code will have left the LED package 76-1 before the eighth and last bit position of the data is confirmed to be corrupted. In a particular embodiment, after receiving the last bit position of the CRC code and identifying the corrupted data, the first LED package 76-1 can deliberately corrupt the last bit position when transferring the last bit position (i.e., Figure 5 the "8" bit of the CRC in

[0066] to the output register 82. One way to deliberately corrupt the last bit position of the CRC is to apply a bit inversion or reverse the value of the last bit position (i.e., change from 1 to 0, or vice versa). Thus, each downstream LED package 76-2, 76-3 can correctly identify the corrupted data even if the first LED package 76-1 has changed the specific data and generated an updated CRC code. In this case, the receiving LED package 76-2 will receive the data block with the correct CRC, but its last bit is inverted, thus marking the data as corrupted. Accordingly, the downstream LED packages 76-2, 76-3 can also be configured to independently change the data, generate an updated CRC code, and deliberately corrupt the generated CRC code if necessary.

[0066] As described above for Figure 5The described example embodiments illustrate an implementation where the data stream of the communication channel is delayed by two clock cycles for each of the LED packages 76-1 through 76-3. Other embodiments with different delays are contemplated. For example, the LED packages 76-1 through 76-3 can receive a larger portion of a data block (e.g., an entire 8-bit byte), can make a decision, and then can transmit the larger data block to the next receiving element or a downstream LED package after receiving the first portion. In this way, other embodiments of the CRC scrambler 73 are contemplated because there are a variety of known methods in the art for generating a code different from a given code.

[0067] It should be appreciated that any of the above aspects, and / or the various individual aspects and features described herein, can be combined to obtain additional advantages. Any of the various embodiments disclosed herein can be combined with one or more other embodiments disclosed herein, unless expressly stated to the contrary herein.

[0068] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the presently disclosed preferred embodiments. All such improvements and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure and the subsequent claims.

Claims

1. An LED (light emitting diode) package, comprising: at least one LED chip; and an active electronic component electrically connected to the at least one LED chip, the active electronic component being configured to: receive a data block and an input error detection code from a communication channel; alter at least a portion of the data block; and generate an output error detection code that replaces the input error detection code, the output error detection code corresponding to at least a portion of the altered data block.

2. The LED package according to claim 1, wherein the active electronic component includes logic for providing the output error detection code as a corrupted output error detection code.

3. The LED package according to claim 1, wherein the active electronic component is configured to identify data corruption in the data block and provide the output error detection code as a corrupted output error detection code for other components arranged to receive the corrupted output error detection code to identify the data corruption.

4. The LED package according to claim 3, wherein the active electronic component is configured to generate a calculated error detection code based on the data block and at least a portion of the altered data block and invert a value of a last bit of the calculated error detection code to generate the corrupted output error detection code.

5. The LED package according to claim 1, wherein the input error detection code is an input cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the output error detection code is an output CRC.

6. The LED package according to claim 5, wherein the active electronic component includes a CRC decoder and a CRC encoder, the CRC decoder being configured to receive the input CRC, and the CRC encoder being configured to generate the output CRC.

7. The LED package according to claim 1, wherein the active electronic component includes a first bi-directional communication port and a second bi-directional communication port.

8. The LED package according to claim 7, wherein the active electronic component is configured to detect an input signal at the first bi-directional communication port, assign the first bi-directional communication port as an input port, and assign the second bi-directional communication port as an output port.

9. The LED package according to claim 1, further comprising: a base on which the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component are mounted; a sealing layer on the base and on portions of the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component; and package bonding pads electrically coupled to the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component.

10. An LED (light emitting diode) package, comprising: at least one LED chip; and an active electronic component electrically connected to the at least one LED chip, the active electronic component being configured to: receive an input error detection code from a communication channel; generate a corrupted output error detection code; and Transmit the damaged output error detection code along the communication channel or transmit the damaged output error detection code to another communication channel.

11. The LED package according to claim 10, wherein, the input error detection code is an input cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the damaged output error detection code is a damaged output CRC.

12. The LED package according to claim 11, wherein, the active electronic component further includes a CRC encoder, a CRC decoder, and a CRC corruptor, the CRC corruptor receives a data block from the communication channel, and identifies data corruption of the data block to generate the damaged output CRC.

13. The LED package according to claim 12, wherein, the active electronic component is further configured to change at least a part of the data block when the data block passes through the active electronic component, and return the changed data block to the communication channel or another communication channel to generate the damaged output CRC.

14. The LED package according to claim 13, wherein, the active electronic component is configured to generate a calculated CRC based on the input CRC and at least a part of the changed data block, and invert the value of the last bit of the calculated CRC to generate the damaged output CRC.

15. The LED package according to claim 10, wherein, the active electronic component includes a first bidirectional communication port and a second bidirectional communication port.

16. The LED package according to claim 10, further comprising: a base, on which the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component are mounted; a sealing layer on the base and on parts of the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component; and package bonding pads electrically coupled to the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component.

17. A light emitting diode (LED) package, comprising: at least one LED chip; and an active electronic component electrically connected to the at least one LED chip, the active electronic component being configured to: receive an input error detection code from a communication channel; generate a calculated error detection code based on the input error detection code; and invert the last bit of the calculated error detection code to generate an output error detection code.

18. The LED package according to claim 17, wherein, the input error detection code is an input cyclic redundancy check (CRC), the calculated error detection code is a calculated CRC, and the output error detection code is an output CRC.

19. The LED package according to claim 18, wherein, the active electronic component is configured to transmit the output CRC to the communication channel or another communication channel.

20. The LED package according to claim 18, wherein, the active electronic component is configured to receive a data block from the communication channel, and identify data corruption of the data block to generate the output CRC.

21. The LED package according to claim 20, Wherein, the active electronic component is further configured to alter at least a portion of the data block that the active electronic component transmits to the communication channel or another communication channel.

22. The LED package according to claim 17, wherein, the active electronic component includes a first bidirectional communication port and a second bidirectional communication port.

23. The LED package according to claim 17, further comprising: a base, on which the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component are mounted; a sealing layer on the base and on portions of the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component; and package bonding pads electrically coupled to the at least one LED chip and the active electronic component.

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