Distributed drive circuit, control method, and display device

Abstract

The present invention provides a distributed driving circuit, a control method, and a display device. The circuit includes: a control circuit, a driving circuit array, a control command interface, and a feedback line; the driving circuit array includes: multiple groups of driving circuit groups, and each group of driving circuit groups includes: multiple driving circuits; the control circuit is configured to send control signals and command signals to the driving circuits; the control command interface is configured to output the signals sent by the control circuit for transmission to the driving circuits; the driving circuits are configured to drive the light-emitting elements in response to the control signals, and are further configured to select corresponding alarm modes in response to the command signals and generate feedback data in the alarm modes to the control circuit; the feedback line is configured to transmit the feedback data in the alarm modes generated by the driving circuits back to the control circuit. In the present invention, the driving circuits are no longer just slaves, but are masters in the alarm mode and can actively report to the control circuit, eliminating the need for the control circuit to query one by one, reducing the data processing amount of the control circuit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of display devices, and in particular, to a distributed driving circuit, a control method, and a display device. Background Art

[0002] LEDs are used in many electronic display devices, such as computers, televisions, mobile devices, smart phones, projection systems, billboards, etc.

[0003] A display device may include a large number of LED units, and these LED units may be arranged in an array in a display area. Each LED unit corresponds to a driver, and these drivers correspond to the same control circuit.

[0004] In the prior art, the control circuit and the driver are in a master-slave mode. The control circuit is the master and initiates status readback, and the driver is the slave. To ensure the normal operation of the display device, the control circuit needs to continuously read back the working status of all drivers, and the data processing volume is very large. Moreover, the control circuit needs to read back all drivers, which takes a lot of time. Therefore, in some special cases, it cannot make a quick response, such as rapid adjustment of the VLED voltage, triggering of an LED area short-circuit fault, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a distributed driving circuit, a control method thereof, and a display device to solve the problems of large data processing volume and slow response speed in the prior art.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention is implemented by the following technical solutions:

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a distributed driving circuit is provided, which includes: a control circuit, a driving circuit array, a control command interface, and a readback line; wherein,

[0008] The driving circuit array includes: multiple groups of driving circuit groups, and each group of driving circuit groups includes: a plurality of driving circuits;

[0009] The control circuit is configured to send a control signal and a command signal to the driving circuit;

[0010] The control command interface is disposed on the control circuit, and the control command interface is configured to output the signal sent by the control circuit for transmission to the driving circuit;

[0011] The driving circuit is configured to drive a light-emitting element in response to the control signal, and is further configured to select a corresponding alarm mode in response to the command signal and generate readback data in the alarm mode for the control circuit;

[0012] The read-back line is used to transmit the read-back data generated by the drive circuit in the alarm mode back to the control circuit.

[0013] Preferably, when the drive circuit has an alarm condition in the alarm mode, the read-back data generated in the alarm mode includes: an alarm signal.

[0014] Preferably, the control circuit is further configured to send a query signal to the drive circuit;

[0015] The drive circuit is further configured to generate read-back data in a query mode in response to the query signal;

[0016] The read-back line is further used to transmit the read-back data generated by the drive circuit in the query mode back to the control circuit.

[0017] Preferably, the alarm signal includes: address information of the drive circuit with a fault.

[0018] Preferably, the control circuit is further configured to record the alarm signal and / or report the alarm signal.

[0019] Preferably, the control circuit is further configured to send a processing signal to the drive circuit according to the alarm signal to process the alarm condition of the drive circuit.

[0020] Preferably, it further includes: a serial communication line, and the serial communication line corresponds to each group of drive circuits one by one;

[0021] The control circuit, the serial communication line, and the read-back line form a loop, and each group of drive circuits is connected in series in the serial communication line;

[0022] The read-back data of the drive circuit is transmitted to the read-back line through the serial communication line.

[0023] Preferably, for each group of drive circuits, starting from the second drive circuit, it is further configured to parse the read-back data transmitted by the previous drive circuit, and continue to transmit the parsed read-back data and the read-back data generated by itself.

[0024] Preferably, the number of alarm modes in each drive circuit is multiple.

[0025] Preferably, the alarm mode includes any one or more of: a driving voltage detection mode of a light-emitting element, an open-circuit detection mode of a light-emitting element, a short-circuit detection mode of a light-emitting element, and an overheat detection mode.

[0026] According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a distributed drive circuit, which includes:

[0027] The control circuit sends command signals to each group of drive circuits;

[0028] Each drive circuit in the drive circuit group responds to the command signal to select a corresponding alarm mode, and generates read-back data in the alarm mode to the control circuit;

[0029] The control circuit receives the read-back data in the alarm mode.

[0030] Preferably, when the read-back data in the alarm mode received by the control circuit includes an alarm signal, it further includes:

[0031] The control circuit sends a query signal to the drive circuit group;

[0032] Each drive circuit in the drive circuit group generates read-back data in the query mode in response to the query signal;

[0033] The control circuit receives the read-back data in the query mode.

[0034] Preferably, when the read-back data in the alarm mode generated by the drive circuit to the control circuit includes an alarm signal, the alarm signal includes: address information of the drive circuit with a fault.

[0035] Preferably, the control circuit judges the alarm signal:

[0036] When the alarm signal is a first type of signal, the control circuit records and / or reports the alarm signal;

[0037] When the alarm signal is a second type of signal, the control circuit sends a processing signal to the drive circuit to process the alarm condition of the drive circuit.

[0038] According to the third aspect of the present invention, a display device is provided, which includes: a light-emitting element area array, a distributed drive circuit; wherein,

[0039] The light-emitting element area array includes: multiple groups of light-emitting element areas, and each group of the light-emitting element areas includes: multiple light-emitting element zones;

[0040] The light-emitting element zones correspond to the drive circuits one by one;

[0041] The distributed drive circuit is the distributed drive circuit described in any one of the above.

[0042] The distributed drive circuit, control method, and display device provided by the present invention are such that the drive circuit is no longer just a slave. The control circuit can send command signals to it and configure it into a corresponding alarm mode. At this time, the drive circuit becomes the master, and it can notify the control circuit through an interrupt method. In this way, the control circuit no longer needs to continuously perform active readbacks on the drive circuit, reducing the data processing volume of the control circuit.

[0043] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the alarm signal further includes: the address information of the drive circuit where a fault occurs. The control circuit can know which specific drive circuit or the corresponding light-emitting element has a fault through the readback data in the alarm mode, without having to query each drive circuit one by one, saving time and further reducing its data processing volume.

[0044] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the control circuit is further configured to send a processing signal to the drive circuit according to the alarm signal to handle the alarm situation that occurs in the drive circuit; in this way, for problems that it can solve by itself, it can be solved by sending a processing signal without having to report, saving the maintenance time.

[0045] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the alarm modes in the drive circuit can include multiple types. The control circuit can configure it into any one of the modes according to needs, or can alternately configure it into various modes, further reducing the data processing volume of the control circuit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0047] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the distributed drive circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the drive circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 3 Circuit diagram of the display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Description of the reference numerals:

[0051] 1 - Control circuit,

[0052] 11 - Control command interface;

[0053] 2 - Drive circuit,

[0054] 21 - Light-emitting element drive voltage detection mode,

[0055] 22 - Light-emitting element open-circuit detection mode,

[0056] 23 - Light-emitting element short-circuit detection mode,

[0057] 24 - Overheat detection mode;

[0058] 25 - Multiplexer,

[0059] 26 - Internal control circuit,

[0060] 27 - Communication line;

[0061] 3 - Read-back line,

[0062] 4 - Serial communication line,

[0063] 5 - Light-emitting element zone. Detailed implementation manners

[0064] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0065] In the description of the specification of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper part", "lower part", "upper end", "lower end", "lower surface", "upper surface", etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0066] In the description of the specification of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0067] In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is a plurality, such as two, three, four, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0068] In the description of the specification of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communication with each other; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components or the interaction relationship between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0069] The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. These several specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

[0070] In one embodiment, a distributed drive circuit is provided, which includes: a control circuit 1, a drive circuit array, a control command interface 11, and a read-back line 3. Please refer to Figure 1 . Among them, the drive circuit array includes: multiple groups of drive circuit groups, and each group of drive circuit groups includes: multiple drive circuits 2. The control circuit 1 is used to send control signals and command signals to the drive circuit 2. The control command interface 11 is arranged on the control circuit 1, and the control command interface 11 is used to output the signals sent by the control circuit 1 for transmission to the drive circuit. The drive circuit 2 is used to drive the light-emitting element in response to the control signal, and is also used to select the corresponding alarm mode in response to the command signal. When the drive circuit is in the alarm mode, it is no longer a slave machine but becomes a master machine, and can actively generate read-back data in the alarm mode to the control circuit. At this time, the control circuit 1 no longer needs to query each drive circuit one by one. The read-back line 3 is used to transmit the read-back data generated by the drive circuit 2 in the alarm mode back to the control circuit 1.

[0071] In one embodiment, when the drive circuit has an alarm condition in the alarm mode, the read-back data generated in the alarm mode includes: an alarm signal.

[0072] In one embodiment, when the control circuit receives the alarm signal, the control circuit is further used to send a query signal corresponding to the alarm mode to the drive circuits of the group of drive circuit groups to confirm which drive circuit or the light-emitting element corresponding to the drive circuit has a fault. The drive circuit is further used to generate read-back data in the query mode in response to the query signal; the read-back line is further used to transmit the read-back data generated by the drive circuit in the query mode back to the control circuit.

[0073] In one embodiment, the alarm signal further includes: the address information of the drive circuit with a fault, that is, the drive circuit attaches the address information to the generated alarm signal. At this time, after the control circuit receives the alarm signal, it can know which drive circuit or the light-emitting element corresponding to the drive circuit has a fault specifically, and there is no need to query each drive circuit one by one.

[0074] In one embodiment, the control circuit is further configured to record the alarm signal and / or report the alarm signal, so that the upper level can timely know the fault information and perform maintenance in time.

[0075] In one embodiment, the control circuit knows which specific drive circuit or the light-emitting element corresponding to the drive circuit has a fault by querying each drive circuit in the set of drive circuits for the alarm one by one or by obtaining the alarm signal with address information, and reports the specific information, so that the maintenance is more accurate.

[0076] In different embodiments, the control circuit may also not know which specific drive circuit or the light-emitting element corresponding to the drive circuit has a fault, but only report which set of drive circuits has a fault, and then query which specific drive circuit or the light-emitting element corresponding to the drive circuit has a fault during maintenance.

[0077] In one embodiment, when the alarm condition is a state that can be solved by circuit control, the control circuit is further configured to send a processing signal to the drive circuit according to the alarm signal to process the alarm condition of the drive circuit, which can be solved by itself without reporting, making it more intelligent and saving workload. For example, when the alarm condition is overheating, the control circuit can send a processing signal to perform a current reduction process on the drive circuit with the alarm condition.

[0078] In one embodiment, for the convenience of the transmission of the read-back data, the distributed drive circuit further includes: serial communication lines 4 (Comm1,... CommM), and the serial communication lines 4 correspond to the sets of drive circuits one by one. Please refer to Figure 1 . The control circuit 1, the serial communication lines 4, and the read-back lines 3 form a loop, and the drive circuits 2 of each group are connected in series in the serial communication lines 4. The read-back data of the drive circuit is transmitted to the read-back line through the serial communication line, and then transmitted back to the control circuit through the read-back line.

[0079] In one embodiment, the drive circuits starting from the second one in each set of drive circuits are further configured to parse the read-back data transmitted from the previous drive circuit, and continue to transmit the parsed read-back data and the read-back data generated by itself. The parsing of the read-back data can be realized by the internal control circuit 26. Please refer to Figure 2 .

[0080] Among them, the drive circuit 2 includes a serial communication line (command) input pin and a serial communication line (command) output pin. The serial communication line input pin is used for introducing the serial communication line, and the serial communication line output pin is used for leading out the serial communication line. The serial communication line input pin is connected to an input end of the internal control circuit 26, and the output end of the internal control circuit 26 is connected to the serial communication line output pin.

[0081] In different embodiments, the parsing of the read-back data can also be implemented in a programmatic manner.

[0082] In one embodiment, the number of alarm modes in each driving circuit is multiple. The control circuit can configure each group of driving circuit groups into one of the alarm modes according to needs, or can configure the alarm modes of each group of driving circuit groups in a round-robin manner. For example, when there are three alarm modes: the first alarm mode, the second alarm mode, and the third alarm mode, the control circuit can control the driving circuit to cycle among the three modes. At the same time, the rows of driving circuit groups in the driving circuit array can be configured into the same alarm mode or different alarm modes.

[0083] In one embodiment, the alarm mode can include any one or more of: the driving voltage detection mode of the light-emitting element, the open-circuit detection mode of the light-emitting element, the short-circuit detection mode of the light-emitting element, the overheat detection mode, etc.

[0084] It should be noted that the alarm modes in the above embodiments are only examples, and in different situations, other alarm mode designs can be made according to actual needs.

[0085] The alarm modes include: the driving voltage detection mode 21 of the light-emitting element, the open-circuit detection mode 22 of the light-emitting element, the short-circuit detection mode 23 of the light-emitting element, the overheat detection mode 24. Please refer to Figure 2 ... In this embodiment, the control command interface 11 sends command signals to the multiplexer 25 through the Dim lines (Dim1,..., DimM), and the multiplexer 25 selects the corresponding alarm mode according to the command signals.

[0086] In different embodiments, the selection of the alarm mode can also be implemented in a programmatic manner.

[0087] In one embodiment, when the driving circuit 2 includes an internal control circuit 26, the multiplexer 25 is connected to an input end of the internal control circuit 26. Please refer to Figure 2 ...

[0088] In one embodiment, when the control circuit 1 sends a query signal to the driving circuit, the multiplexer 25 can also be selected as the communication line 27. Please refer to Figure 2 ... At this time, the driving circuit 2 is only a traditional communication line and is a slave device.

[0089] In one embodiment, a control method for a distributed driving circuit is further provided, which includes:

[0090] Sending command signals from the control circuit to each group of driving circuit groups;

[0091] Each driving circuit in the driving circuit group selects a corresponding alarm mode in response to a command signal and generates read-back data in the alarm mode for the control circuit;

[0092] The control circuit receives the read-back data in the alarm mode.

[0093] In one embodiment, when the read-back data in the alarm mode received by the control circuit includes an alarm signal, it further includes:

[0094] The control circuit sends a query signal to the driving circuit group;

[0095] Each driving circuit in the driving circuit group generates read-back data in the query mode in response to the query signal;

[0096] The control circuit receives the read-back data in the query mode.

[0097] In one embodiment, when the read-back data in the alarm mode generated by the driving circuit for the control circuit includes an alarm signal, the alarm signal includes: the address information of the driving circuit with a fault.

[0098] In one embodiment, the control circuit judges the alarm signal:

[0099] When the alarm signal is a first type of signal, such as physical faults like short circuit and open circuit, which the control circuit cannot solve by itself, the control circuit records and / or reports the alarm signal;

[0100] When the alarm signal is a second type of signal, such as logical faults like overheat, which the control circuit can solve by itself, the control circuit sends a processing signal to the driving circuit to process the alarm condition of the driving circuit. For example, when an overheat alarm occurs, the control circuit can send a current reduction signal to the driving circuit with the overheat alarm, that is, the overheat condition of the driving circuit can be processed.

[0101] In one embodiment, a display device is further provided. Please refer to Figure 3 , which includes: a light-emitting element area array, a distributed driving circuit; wherein, the light-emitting element area array includes: multiple groups of light-emitting element areas, and each group of light-emitting element areas includes: multiple light-emitting element zones; the light-emitting element zones correspond to the driving circuits one by one; the distributed driving circuit is the distributed driving circuit described in any of the above embodiments, and the driving circuit drives the corresponding light-emitting element zone in response to the control signal of the control circuit to control whether it emits light and / or the brightness of the emitted light.

[0102] In one embodiment, taking the light-emitting diode as an example of the light-emitting element, the light-emitting element zone 5 is a light-emitting diode zone (LEDZone). Please refer to Figure 3 .

[0103] The display device may further include: VLED lines (e.g., VLED_1...VLED_M), power communication lines Pwr (e.g., Pwr1...PwrM), and a ground line Gnd. The VLED lines are used to supply power to the light-emitting diode zone, the power ionization communication line Pwr is used to supply power to the drive circuit, and the Gnd line provides a grounding path for the light-emitting diode zone and the drive circuit 2.

[0104] In the description of this specification, the descriptions with reference to terms such as "an embodiment", "an example", "specific implementation process", "an illustration", etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0105] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A distributed drive circuit, characterized in that, Comprising: A control circuit, a driving circuit array, a control command interface, and a feedback line; wherein, The driving circuit array includes: multiple groups of driving circuit groups, and each group of driving circuit groups includes: multiple driving circuits; The control circuit is used to send control signals and command signals to the driving circuits; The control command interface is arranged on the control circuit, and the control command interface is used to output the signals sent by the control circuit for transmission to the driving circuits; The driving circuit is used to drive a light-emitting element in response to the control signal, and is also used to select a corresponding alarm mode in response to the command signal and report the status data in the alarm mode to the control circuit; wherein, the status data in the alarm mode refers to an interrupt signal generated when the driving circuit has an alarm condition in the alarm mode; in the alarm mode, the control circuit no longer actively reads the driving circuit all the time, and the driving circuit becomes the host, and the driving circuit notifies the control circuit by an interrupt method; The feedback line is used to transmit the status data in the alarm mode reported by the driving circuit back to the control circuit.

2. The distributed drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein When the driving circuit has an alarm condition in the alarm mode, the status data reported in the alarm mode further includes: an alarm signal.

3. The distributed drive circuit according to claim 2, wherein The control circuit is further used to send a query signal to the driving circuit; The driving circuit is further used to generate feedback data in a query mode in response to the query signal; The feedback line is further used to transmit the feedback data in the query mode generated by the driving circuit back to the control circuit.

4. The distributed drive circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that The alarm signal includes: the address information of the driving circuit with a fault.

5. The distributed drive circuit according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The control circuit is further used to record the alarm signal and / or report the alarm signal.

6. The distributed drive circuit according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that The control circuit is further used to send a processing signal to the driving circuit according to the alarm signal to process the alarm condition occurring in the driving circuit.

7. The distributed drive circuit according to claim 4, wherein Further comprising: Serial communication lines, and the serial communication lines correspond to the driving circuit groups one by one; The control circuit, the serial communication lines, and the feedback line form a loop, and each group of driving circuits is connected in series in the serial communication lines; The feedback data of the driving circuit is transmitted to the feedback line through the serial communication lines.

8. The distributed drive circuit according to claim 7, characterized in that The driving circuits starting from the second one in each group of driving circuit groups are further used to analyze the feedback data transmitted by the previous driving circuit, and continue to transmit the analyzed feedback data and the feedback data generated by itself.

9. The distributed drive circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 7, and 8, characterized in that The number of alarm modes in each driving circuit is multiple.

10. The distributed drive circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 7, and 8, characterized in that The alarm modes include: any one or more of a light-emitting element driving voltage detection mode, a light-emitting element open-circuit detection mode, a light-emitting element short-circuit detection mode, and an overheat detection mode.

11. A control method for a distributed drive circuit, characterized in that, For a control method of a distributed driving circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 10; The control method includes: Sending a command signal from the control circuit to each group of driving circuit groups; Each drive circuit in the drive circuit group selects a corresponding alarm mode in response to the command signal and reports the status data in the alarm mode to the control circuit; wherein, the status data in the alarm mode refers to the interrupt signal generated when the drive circuit has an alarm condition in the alarm mode; in the alarm mode, the control circuit no longer actively reads back the drive circuit all the time, and the drive circuit becomes the host, and the drive circuit notifies the control circuit by means of interruption; The control circuit receives the status data in the alarm mode.

12. The control method of the distributed drive circuit according to claim 11, characterized in that, When the read-back data in the alarm mode received by the control circuit includes an alarm signal, it further includes: The control circuit sends a query signal to the drive circuit group; Each drive circuit in the drive circuit group generates read-back data in the query mode in response to the query signal; The control circuit receives the read-back data in the query mode.

13. The control method of the distributed drive circuit according to claim 11, wherein When the read-back data in the alarm mode generated by the drive circuit to the control circuit includes an alarm signal, the alarm signal includes: the address information of the drive circuit with a fault.

14. The control method of the distributed drive circuit according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The control circuit judges the alarm signal: When the alarm signal is a first type of signal, the control circuit records and / or reports the alarm signal; When the alarm signal is a second type of signal, the control circuit sends a processing signal to the drive circuit to process the alarm condition that occurs in the drive circuit.

15. A display device, characterized in that, It includes: An array of light-emitting element regions, a distributed drive circuit; wherein, The array of light-emitting element regions includes: multiple groups of light-emitting element regions, and each group of light-emitting element regions includes: multiple light-emitting element zones; The light-emitting element zones correspond to the drive circuits one by one; The distributed drive circuit is the distributed drive circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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