A horizontal drive circuit, a drive circuit and a display screen

Abstract

This application relates to a row driving circuit, a driving circuit, and a display screen for driving a display array, belonging to the field of LED displays. It addresses the problems of insufficient flexibility in row line control and limited refresh rate at high scan numbers in existing technologies. The row driving circuit of this application is configured to sequentially charge or discharge each row line to a predetermined potential according to the control sequence indicated by the row driving signal; wherein the control sequence of each row line indicated by the row driving signal can be arbitrarily configured. Using the row driving circuit of this application, row line scanning is sufficiently flexible, while simultaneously solving the refresh rate limitation problem in existing technologies, thereby improving the display effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of LED displays, specifically to a row driving circuit, a driving circuit, and a display screen. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of LED displays, display is typically achieved through the combined use of row drive circuits and column drive circuits (constant current drive). For example... Figure 1 The LED display screen is an m-row * n-column array. The anodes of the LEDs in each row are connected together and to the row lines, while the cathodes of the LEDs in each column are connected together and to the column lines (in the case of a common anode). The row drive circuit includes multiple output channels, each connected to a corresponding row line. Similarly, the column drive circuit includes multiple output channels, each connected to a corresponding column line. At a given moment, when one of the output channels of the row drive circuit pulls the level of its connected row line high, simultaneously, the output channel of the column drive circuit corresponding to that column line outputs a constant current, thus illuminating the LED in that row and column.

[0003] In existing technology, for one round of charge / discharge control (charging or discharging each of rows 1-m once), in one charge / discharge cycle, the row line level of the first row is first pulled high (common anode for charging, i.e., high potential; common cathode for discharging, i.e., low potential), and then the column drive circuit is controlled to output constant current to control whether each LED in the first row is lit. In the next charge / discharge cycle, the row line level of the second row is pulled high, and the column drive circuit is controlled to output constant current to control whether each LED in the second row is lit. This process is repeated row by row, with the row drive circuit outputting constant current until all m rows have completed the above operation. Then, the second round of charge / discharge control is performed, and this cycle is repeated.

[0004] However, with the aforementioned approach, on the one hand, the order of charge and discharge control is fixed and inflexible between and within each round of charge and discharge control, making it difficult to adjust the display effect; on the other hand, with the popularization of small-pitch LED displays, under high scanning and high precision conditions, it is difficult to improve the refresh rate by using the existing method of controlling adjacent two rows with adjacent charge and discharge cycles, and the display effect will always be less than ideal.

[0005] The aforementioned problems have become urgent issues that need to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a line drive circuit, a drive circuit and a display screen to overcome the problems of inflexible line control and poor display effect in the prior art and improve the display effect of the display screen.

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a row driving circuit for driving a display array, wherein the first end of each row of LED beads in the display array is electrically connected to the row line corresponding to that row, and the row driving circuit is configured to scan each row line according to the control sequence indicated by the row driving signal; wherein the control sequence of each row line indicated by the row driving signal can be arbitrarily configured.

[0008] Optionally, the row number corresponding to the control sequence is a sequence of multiple groups arranged in sequence; The row numbers of each sequence increase sequentially from left to right; Alternatively, the row numbers of each sequence can decrease sequentially from left to right.

[0009] Optionally, the number of groups in the sequentially arranged sequence is greater than or equal to three.

[0010] Optionally, the row driving circuit includes: The first storage unit stores the row line information that will be charged or discharged in the next charge / discharge cycle; The second storage unit stores the row line information that needs to be charged or discharged in the current charge / discharge cycle; The second storage unit obtains row line information from the first storage unit.

[0011] Optionally, when the row line information switching signal arrives, the second storage unit obtains the row line information stored in the first storage unit so that the row driving circuit charges or discharges the corresponding row line to a predetermined potential according to the information.

[0012] Optionally, during the current charge / discharge cycle, the first storage unit receives row line information that will be charged or discharged in the next charge / discharge cycle.

[0013] Optionally, the row line information is an N-bit binary sequence, where each bit of the N-bit binary sequence corresponds to one row line; When the bit corresponding to the row line is a preset value, the row line is charged or discharged.

[0014] Optionally, the row driving circuit further includes: Multiple switching units are electrically connected to each row line in a corresponding manner to control the corresponding row line to be charged or discharged to a predetermined potential.

[0015] Optionally, the control order of each row can be adjusted in real time during the display process.

[0016] The second aspect of this application provides a driving circuit, characterized in that it includes a column driving circuit and the row driving circuit described in the first aspect; The multiple output channels of the column driving circuit are electrically connected to the multiple column lines in sequence; wherein, the second end of each column of LED beads in the display array is electrically connected to the column line corresponding to that column. When a row line is charged or discharged, the column driving circuit controls whether to output a constant current to the multiple column lines according to the display data corresponding to each LED in that row.

[0017] A third aspect of this application provides a display screen, which includes a display device and the driving circuit described in the second aspect.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this application are: Compared with existing technologies, this application provides a row driving circuit, a driving circuit, and a display screen. Unlike the fixed method in existing technologies that scans multiple row lines one by one (controlling charging and discharging), this application allows for arbitrary configuration of the control order of multiple row lines. On the one hand, this makes the display process more flexible, and the display effect can be improved by flexibly adjusting the control order; on the other hand, by flexibly adjusting the control order, the refresh rate can be increased from the perspective of the human eye, thereby improving the display effect. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 A common-anode LED display architecture is provided; Figure 2 A row driving circuit is provided in one embodiment of this application; Figure 3 A row driving circuit is provided in another embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solution of this application is described in further detail below with reference to specific embodiments, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to the following description.

[0021] Horizontal drive circuit, used to drive such as Figure 1 The display array shown (m rows * n columns) has the first end of each row of LEDs ( Figure 1 The first end of the LED in the display panel is the anode (or the cathode if it is a common cathode display panel). The second end of each column of LEDs in the display panel is connected to the column line corresponding to that column.

[0022] As described in the background section, for a common-anode display screen, when the row line potential of the i-th row is pulled high, the column driving circuit outputs a constant current through the output channel of the corresponding column line of the j-th column, thus illuminating the LED in the i-th row and j-th column. The duration of illumination of this LED depends on the duration of the constant current output. By controlling the duration of the constant current output, the brightness of the LED can be controlled.

[0023] In existing technology, the row drive circuit charges or discharges the m rows according to a fixed control sequence (when it is a common anode display, as mentioned above, charging the row lines raises their potential so that the subsequent column drive chip can output a constant current to drive the corresponding row LEDs to light up; when it is a common cathode display, discharging the row lines lowers their potential so that the subsequent column drive chip can output a constant current to drive the corresponding row LEDs to light up). Taking a common anode display as an example, the row drive circuit defaults to charging the first row of lines to a preset potential. Then, the column drive circuit outputs a constant current to light up some LEDs in the first row. Next, the row drive circuit charges the second row of lines to a preset potential, and the column drive circuit outputs a constant current to light up some LEDs in the second row, and so on, until the mth row completes the above operation, at which point the first round of charge / discharge control is considered complete. After completing the first round of charge / discharge control, the second round of charge / discharge control continues from the first row, and so on.

[0024] In existing technologies, LED drivers always use the method of controlling adjacent rows with adjacent charge and discharge cycles. This means the order in which rows are charged and discharged is fixed. When performing display tasks, the row driver chip will always execute the charge and discharge sequence row by row. This single, unchangeable control sequence makes the driving method inflexible. If the display effect is poor, or if the user wants to improve the display effect, it cannot be achieved by adjusting the control sequence. For high scan rates, such as in small-pitch display panels, if energy consumption, accuracy, and other performance requirements are needed, the refresh rate will be limited, resulting in a less than ideal display effect.

[0025] Therefore, the first aspect of this application provides a row driving circuit for driving the aforementioned display array. The row driving circuit is configured as follows: Configure (charge or discharge) each row line to a predetermined potential according to the control sequence indicated by the row drive signal; The control sequence of each row line indicated by the row drive signal can be configured arbitrarily.

[0026] It should be noted that for common-anode displays, the row line potential needs to be pulled high, i.e., charged to a preset high level. At this point, a constant current is output through the column drive circuit's output channel to illuminate the LEDs. For common-cathode displays, the row line potential needs to be pulled low, i.e., discharged to a preset low level. At this point, a constant current is output through the column drive circuit's output channel to illuminate the LEDs. In this embodiment, for different displays (common-cathode or common-anode), the row line potential is configured to an appropriate level in each charge / discharge cycle to ensure normal LED illumination. If the display is determined, the charging or discharging sequence is determined accordingly: common-anode for charging, common-cathode for discharging. Therefore, the charging and discharging cycles in this application are used to configure the LED anode (common-anode) or cathode (common-cathode) to an appropriate potential to coordinate with the constant current of the column drive, illuminating the LEDs and achieving display. This differs from pre-charging used for image cancellation, decoupling, etc. This application does not consider this type of pre-charging. The control sequence refers to the sequential charging or discharging of the row lines corresponding to this sequence to a predetermined level during each charge / discharge cycle. Taking common anode as an example, if the control sequence is 1, 3, 2, then firstly, the row 1 is charged to a high level through the output channel corresponding to the first row of the row drive circuit. With the cooperation of the column drive, the first row is displayed, and then the output channel is disconnected. Next, the second row is charged to a high level, and with the cooperation of the column drive, the second row is displayed. Then, the third row is charged to a high level, and with the cooperation of the column drive, the third row is displayed. It should be noted that the charging and discharging of the row lines according to the control sequence in this application refers to configuring the row lines (common anode for charging, common cathode for discharging) to a predetermined potential according to the control sequence for different displays, so that the subsequent column drive circuit can control the display of that row according to the corresponding display data. That is, it refers to charging or discharging through the aforementioned row output channel, not the aforementioned process of disconnecting the row output channel.

[0027] In this application, the control sequence of the horizontal lines can be arbitrarily configured, which is different from the existing technology where the control sequence (charging and discharging sequence) of the horizontal lines by the horizontal drive circuit is single, fixed, and cannot be modified.

[0028] The control sequence of this application can be configured through a port set in the row drive circuit, or through a configuration module set within the row drive circuit. The control sequence can be configured according to a certain pattern, or it can be randomly configured for each row line to be controlled for charging or discharging. For example, in the i-th round of charge / discharge control (one round refers to charging or discharging each of rows 1-m once, so that each of rows 1-m is scanned / displayed once, i.e., one round includes m charge / discharge controls), the control sequence is randomly assigned (e.g., in the first charge / discharge control, a row is randomly assigned, such as row 3; in the second, a row is randomly selected from the remaining unselected rows, and so on). In the (i+1)-th round of charge / discharge control, the control sequence is still randomly assigned in the same way. This means that in one round of charge / discharge control, the order of charging or discharging each of rows 1-m once is random, and in the next round of charge / discharge control, the order of charging or discharging each of these rows 1-m once is also random, and it is not necessarily consistent with the control sequence of the previous round. Of course, it is also possible to randomly assign the control sequence during the first round of charge and discharge control, and then use the sequence from the first round in each subsequent round of charge and discharge control.

[0029] The row drive circuit of this application can adjust the control sequence in real time during the display process; that is, the control sequence of each row line can be adjusted in real time during each round of charge and discharge control; as mentioned above, each round of charge and discharge control refers to configuring each row line (common anode for charging, common cathode for discharging) to a predetermined level once.

[0030] In some implementations, when scanning each row, the first order can be used to charge or discharge rows 1-m during a certain round of charge / discharge control. When performing the next round of charge / discharge control (or a round of charge / discharge control after multiple rounds of charge / discharge control), the control order can be adjusted according to the display effect (for example, if the display effect is not good, another set of control order can be configured, or another set of control order can be randomly given), and the second order can be used for that round of charge / discharge control. This process is repeated until the most suitable control order is found.

[0031] To reiterate, controlling the charging and discharging of a row line refers to configuring (charging or discharging) the potential of that row line to a predetermined potential. For a common anode display, this means charging (pulling up) the row line to a high potential; for a common cathode display, this means discharging (pulling down) the row line to a low potential.

[0032] In some implementations, the row number corresponding to the control sequence is a sequence of multiple groups arranged sequentially; The row numbers of each sequence group increase sequentially from left to right; or, the row numbers of each sequence group decrease sequentially from left to right.

[0033] Assume the sequence numbers of rows 1 through m are 1-m. If charging starts from row 1 and proceeds sequentially to row m, the row number corresponding to the control sequence indicated by the row drive signal is 1, 2, 3, ..., m, which is an increasing sequence.

[0034] In this embodiment, the row line numbers corresponding to the control sequence include multiple sets of sequentially arranged sequences. Taking 9 rows as an example, the row line numbers of each sequence may increase from left to right, such as the three sets of sequences 159, 238, and 467. Using this scheme, although each row is only charged or discharged once (displayed / scanned once) in one round of charge / discharge control, the screen is refreshed three times from top to bottom (159, 238, 467). To the human eye, this appears as if the screen has been refreshed three times, thus improving the display effect. Therefore, the control sequence can be configured according to this pattern. Of course, the specific number of scan line sequences and the number of numbers included in each sequence can still be adjusted in real time during the display process, as mentioned earlier. For example, initially using the three sets of sequences 159, 238, and 467, after multiple rounds of charge / discharge, the sequence can be adjusted to 139, 258, and 467 based on the display effect.

[0035] Optionally, when performing a round of charge and discharge control on the row lines of rows 1-m, the sequence of the corresponding row line numbers is greater than or equal to two. Preferably, when performing a round of charge and discharge control on the row lines of rows 1-m, the sequence of the corresponding row line numbers is greater than or equal to three. This ensures that when the LED display is on, the human eye perceives the image refreshed at least three times, which will significantly improve the display effect.

[0036] Optionally, such as Figure 2 The line drive circuit 1 includes: The first storage unit 11 stores the row line information that will be charged or discharged in the next charge / discharge cycle; The second storage unit 12 stores the row line information that needs to be charged or discharged in the current charge / discharge cycle; The second storage unit 12 obtains the row line information from the first storage unit 11.

[0037] In this application, the charge / discharge cycle refers to the charging or discharging of a row, or more precisely, the display of a row. In one charge / discharge cycle (common anode is the charging cycle, common cathode is the discharging cycle), the row line is configured to a predetermined potential, and the display of a row is completed through column driving.

[0038] Optionally, when the row line information switching signal arrives, the second storage unit 12 obtains the row line information stored in the first storage unit 11 so that the row driving circuit 1 configures (charges or discharges) the corresponding row line to a predetermined potential according to the information.

[0039] That is, at the end of the previous charge and discharge cycle (after the previous charge and discharge cycle ends), once the second storage unit 12 receives the row line information switching signal, it will obtain the row line information stored in the first storage unit 11 for charging or discharging the row line corresponding to the row line information in the next charge and discharge cycle. The row line information switching signal can be, for example, a high-level signal, a pulse signal, etc.

[0040] Taking the row line information stored in the first storage unit 11 as 3 and the row line information stored in the second storage unit 12 as 2 as an example, when the row line information switching signal arrives, the second storage unit 12 obtains the row line information 3 from the first storage unit 11. In the new charging and discharging cycle, the row driving circuit will pull the row line level of the third row to a preset potential.

[0041] Optionally, during the current charge / discharge cycle, the first storage unit 11 receives row line information that will be charged or discharged in the next charge / discharge cycle.

[0042] That is, after the second storage unit 12 obtains the row line information stored in the first storage unit 11, the row line information stored in the first storage unit 11 will be refreshed, and the row line information required for the next charge and discharge cycle will be re-stored. The first storage unit 11 can receive new row line information by being triggered by the rising or falling edge of the clock signal.

[0043] Taking the above example, after the second storage unit 12 obtains the row line information 3 from the first storage unit 11, the first storage unit 11 obtains the row line information for the next charge / discharge cycle from an external source. This external source can be data obtained through the aforementioned port or data obtained through the aforementioned configuration module.

[0044] Optionally, the row line information is an N-bit binary sequence, where each bit of the N-bit binary sequence corresponds to a row line; when the bit corresponding to the row line is a preset value, the row line is charged or discharged.

[0045] For example, when m=4, 0001 indicates scanning the first row, 0010 indicates scanning the second row, 0100 indicates scanning the third row, and 1000 indicates scanning the fourth row.

[0046] Optionally, such as Figure 3 The row drive circuit 1 also includes multiple switching units 2, which are electrically connected to each row line in a one-to-one correspondence, so as to control the corresponding row line to be charged or discharged to a predetermined potential.

[0047] For example, for m rows, m switching units 2 are configured, and the switching units 2 can be selected as NMOS transistors or PMOS transistors. The driving unit 2 controls the corresponding switching unit 2 to be turned on according to the row line information stored in the second storage unit 12, such as 0001, thereby charging or discharging the corresponding row line to a predetermined potential.

[0048] Here, one switching unit 2 corresponds to one output channel of the aforementioned row drive circuit.

[0049] A second aspect of this application provides a driving circuit comprising a column driving circuit (constant current driving circuit) and the aforementioned row driving circuit 1. The column driving circuit includes multiple constant current output channels, each electrically connected to a corresponding column line. The second terminal of each column of LEDs in the display array is electrically connected to the column line corresponding to that column. When charging or discharging a row line, the column driving circuit controls whether to output a constant current to the multiple column lines based on the display data corresponding to each LED in that row.

[0050] Here, the driving circuit includes a column driving circuit and a row driving circuit 1, which work together to realize the display of the LED screen. It should be noted that the column driving circuit and the row driving circuit can be integrated into a single chip.

[0051] A third aspect of this application provides a display screen, which includes a display device and the aforementioned driving circuit.

[0052] In summary, this application provides a row driving circuit, a driving circuit, and a display screen, which improves display flexibility and increases refresh rate by arbitrarily configuring the row control order, thereby significantly improving the display effect.

[0053] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the forms disclosed herein and should not be construed as excluding other embodiments. It can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be altered within the scope of the concept described herein through the above teachings or the technology or knowledge in related fields. Modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the spirit and scope of this application should be protected within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A row driving circuit for driving a display array, wherein the first terminal of each row of LED beads in the display array is electrically connected to the corresponding row line, characterized in that, The row drive circuit is configured as follows: In each scan, each row line is charged or discharged to a predetermined potential according to the control sequence indicated by the row drive signal. During the display process, the number of groups of the row line numbers configured to correspond to the control sequence and the number of each group of sequences can be adjusted according to the display effect. The row line numbers of each group of sequences increase sequentially from left to right; or the row line numbers of each group of sequences decrease sequentially from left to right.

2. The row driving circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The row number corresponding to the control sequence is configured such that the number of groups in the sequence is greater than or equal to three.

3. A row driving circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: The first storage unit stores the row line information that will be charged or discharged in the next charge / discharge cycle; The second storage unit stores the row line information that needs to be charged or discharged in the current charge / discharge cycle; The second storage unit obtains row line information from the first storage unit.

4. A row driving circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the row line information switching signal arrives, the second storage unit obtains the row line information stored in the first storage unit so that the row driving circuit charges or discharges the corresponding row line to a predetermined potential according to the information.

5. A row driving circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that, During the current charge / discharge cycle, the first storage unit receives row line information that will be charged or discharged in the next charge / discharge cycle.

6. A row driving circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that, The row line information is an N-bit binary sequence, where each bit of the N-bit binary sequence corresponds to a row line; when the bit corresponding to the row line is a preset value, the row line is charged or discharged.

7. A row driving circuit according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The control order of each row can be adjusted in real time during the display process.

8. A driving circuit, characterized in that, Includes column driving circuit and row driving circuit as described in any one of claims 1-7; The multiple output channels of the column driving circuit are electrically connected to the multiple column lines in sequence; wherein, the second end of each column of LED beads in the display array is electrically connected to the column line corresponding to that column. When a row line is charged or discharged, the column driving circuit controls whether to output a constant current to the multiple column lines according to the display data corresponding to each LED in that row.

9. A display screen, characterized in that, It includes a display device and the driving circuit as described in claim 8.

Images