Driving chip, controller, backlight unit and signal transmission method

Abstract

The invention discloses a driving chip, a controller, a backlight unit and a signal transmission method, and the driving chip comprises an input / output module and a channel switching module. The input / output module comprises two data line ports for connecting an upper-level device and a lower-level device; the channel switching module is configured to set a data line port connected with an upper-level device as a signal input port and set a data line port connected with a lower-level device as a signal output port after receiving a first channel setting instruction, and the input / output signal port of the driving chip is set, so that the input / output signal port of the driving chip is switched to the signal input port. And the design difficulty and the manufacturing cost of the backlight unit can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a driving chip, a controller, a backlight unit and a signal transmission method. Background Art

[0002] Mini Light Emitting Diode (Mini-LED) backlight unit (BLU) is used in liquid crystal display (LCD) devices to achieve local dimming, which is beneficial to improve the contrast of the display image and reduce energy consumption.

[0003] In the Local Dimming technology, the Mini-LED BLU is divided into multiple dimming areas. The Mini-LED in each dimming area is controlled by the same driver chip, and multiple dimming areas are controlled by multiple driver chips respectively. In the Local Dimming technology, multiple driver chips used to control multiple dimming areas are usually connected in series through a single line. The signal of the series driver chip can only be transmitted in one direction, resulting in complex routing of signal lines on the driver circuit board, difficult routing design, and high cost. Summary of the invention

[0004] The invention provides a driving chip, a controller, a backlight unit and a signal transmission method, which are used to reduce the design difficulty and the production cost.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention provides a driver chip, comprising:

[0006] Input / output module; the input / output module includes two data line ports for connecting the upper-level device and the lower-level device;

[0007] Channel switching module; the channel switching module is configured to, after receiving a first channel setting instruction, set the data line port connected to the upper-level device as a signal input port, and set the data line port connected to the lower-level device as a signal output port.

[0008] In some embodiments, the channel switching module is further configured to, after receiving the second channel selection instruction, set the data line port connected to the previous stage device as the signal output port, and set the data line port connected to the next stage device as the signal input port.

[0009] In some embodiments, the channel switching module is also configured to, after the data line port connected to the previous-level device is set as a signal output port, and the data line port connected to the next-level device is set as a signal input port, and when a preset condition is met, set the data line port connected to the previous-level device as a signal input port, and set the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal output port.

[0010] In some embodiments, the channel switching module is specifically configured to, after setting the data line port connected to the previous-level device as a signal output port and the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal input port, and after a set time period, set the data line port connected to the previous-level device as a signal input port, and set the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal output port.

[0011] In some embodiments, the driver chip further includes: a logic module;

[0012] The input / output module is configured to receive a driving signal input from an upper-level device through a data line port and send the driving signal to the logic module;

[0013] The logic module is configured to parse the driving signal, and when a first channel setting instruction or a second channel selection instruction is parsed out, send the first channel setting instruction or the second channel selection instruction to the channel switching module.

[0014] In some embodiments, the type of the driving signal includes a first channel selection signal and a second channel selection signal; the first channel selection signal carries a first channel setting instruction; the second channel selection signal carries a second channel selection instruction and a target address;

[0015] The input / output module is further configured to, when the type of the driving signal received is a first channel selection signal, transmit the first channel selection signal to the next-stage device connected thereto;

[0016] The input / output module is further configured to, when the driving signal received by the input / output module is the second channel selection signal, transmit the second channel selection signal to the next-stage device connected thereto before the channel switching module sets the data line port connected to the previous-stage device as the signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as the signal output port;

[0017] The input / output module is also configured to obtain the target address in the second channel selection signal and determine whether the target address matches the address of the current driver chip; when the target address matches the address of the current driver chip, the current status data of the current driver chip is transmitted back to the upper-level device connected thereto.

[0018] In some embodiments, the channel switching module is further configured to clear the setting parameters of the signal input port and the signal output port when the driving chip is powered off.

[0019] In a second aspect of the present invention, a signal transmission method is provided, which is applied to any of the above-mentioned driver chips, and the signal transmission method comprises:

[0020] Receiving a first channel selection signal input from a previous device through a data line port;

[0021] According to the first channel selection signal, the data line port connected to the upper-stage device is set as a signal input port, and the data line port connected to the lower-stage device is set as a signal output port.

[0022] In some embodiments, the signal transmission method further includes:

[0023] Receive a second channel selection signal input from a previous device through a data line port;

[0024] According to the second channel selection signal, the data line port connected to the upper-stage device is set as a signal output port, and the data line port connected to the lower-stage device is set as a signal input port.

[0025] In some embodiments, after the data line port connected to the previous stage device is set as the signal output port and the data line port connected to the next stage device is set as the signal input port according to the second channel selection signal, the method further includes:

[0026] When the preset conditions are met, the data line port connected to the upper-level device is set as the signal input port, and the data line port connected to the lower-level device is set as the signal output port.

[0027] In some embodiments, when a preset condition is met, the data line port connected to the upper-level device is set as a signal input port, and the data line port connected to the lower-level device is set as a signal output port, specifically including:

[0028] After the data line port connected to the previous level device is set as the signal output port, and the data line port connected to the next level device is set as the signal input port, and after a set time period, the data line port connected to the previous level device is set as the signal input port, and the data line port connected to the next level device is set as the signal output port.

[0029] In some embodiments, the set time length set in the current driver chip is smaller than the set time length set in the previous level driver chip to which the current driver chip is connected.

[0030] In some embodiments, after setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port, and before setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port, the method further includes:

[0031] extracting the target address carried in the second channel selection signal;

[0032] Determine whether the target address matches the address of this driver chip;

[0033] When the target address matches the address of the driver chip, the current status data of the driver chip is transmitted back to the upper-level device connected to it through the data line port.

[0034] In some embodiments, after setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port, and before setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port, the method further includes:

[0035] Receive display data transmitted by the upper-level device through the data line port;

[0036] Extract the part of the display data corresponding to the driver chip;

[0037] The display data is transmitted to the next-level device through the data line port.

[0038] In some embodiments, when the driver chip is powered off, the setting parameters of the signal input port and the signal output port are cleared.

[0039] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a controller is provided, which is configured to send a first channel selection signal to a driver chip through a data line port of the driver chip in response to a first control instruction; the first channel selection signal is used to instruct the driver chip to set the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal input port, and to set the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal output port.

[0040] In some embodiments, the controller is also configured to, in response to a second control instruction, send a second channel selection signal to the driver chip through the data line port of the driver chip; the second channel selection signal is used to instruct the driver chip to set the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal output port, and to set the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal input port.

[0041] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a signal transmission method, which is applied to any of the above-mentioned controllers, wherein the controller is connected in series with a plurality of the above-mentioned driver chips, and the signal transmission method comprises:

[0042] In response to the first control instruction, a first channel selection signal is sent to the driving chip.

[0043] In some embodiments, the signal transmission method further includes:

[0044] In response to the second control instruction, a second channel selection signal is sent to the driving chip.

[0045] In some embodiments, after the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as the signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as the signal output port, and before the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as the signal output port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as the signal input port, the method further includes:

[0046] Sending display data to the driver chip through the data line port of the driver chip;

[0047] After the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as the signal output port and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal input port, and before the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as the signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal output port, the method further includes:

[0048] The status data sent back by the driver chip is received through the data line port of the driver chip.

[0049] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a backlight unit, comprising a plurality of driver chips according to any one of the above items and a controller according to any one of the above items, wherein the plurality of driver chips and the controller are connected in series via a data line port.

[0050] In some embodiments, a plurality of driver chips connected in series with the same controller are arranged in an array; along the column direction of the driver chips, two driver chips located at the same end of two adjacent columns of driver chips are connected via a data line port.

[0051] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0052] The present invention provides a driver chip, a controller, a backlight unit and a signal transmission method. The driver chip includes an input / output module and a channel switching module. The input / output module includes two data line ports for connecting an upper-level device and a lower-level device; the channel switching module is configured to, after receiving a first channel setting instruction, set the data line port connected to the upper-level device as a signal input port, and set the data line port connected to the lower-level device as a signal output port. By setting the input / output signal port of the driver chip, it is helpful to reduce the design difficulty and production cost of the backlight unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings introduced below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative work.

[0054] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a signal circuit of a backlight unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a driver chip provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 3A One of the schematic diagrams for setting the signal transmission direction of the backlight unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 3B A second schematic diagram of setting the signal transmission direction of a backlight unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 4A One of the signal circuit connection diagrams provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 4B One of the schematic diagrams of the signal transmission process in the display phase provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 5A The second signal circuit connection diagram provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 5B A schematic diagram of a signal transmission process in the backhaul phase provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0062] Figure 6 A second schematic diagram of a signal transmission process in the display phase provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 7 One of the flow charts of the signal transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 8 A second flowchart of a signal transmission method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0065] Fig. 9 A third flowchart of a signal transmission method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0066] Fig.10 A fourth flowchart of a signal transmission method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] Fig.11 The fifth flowchart of the signal transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be understood as being limited to the embodiments described herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concepts of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same figure marks in the figures represent the same or similar structures, and thus their repeated descriptions will be omitted. The words expressing position and direction described in the present invention are all explained using the accompanying drawings as examples, but changes can be made as needed, and the changes made are all included in the scope of protection of the present invention. The drawings of the present invention are only used to illustrate the relative position relationship and do not represent the true proportions.

[0069] Mini Light Emitting Diode (Mini-LED) backlight unit (BLU) is used in liquid crystal display (LCD) devices to achieve local dimming, which is beneficial to improve the contrast of the display image and reduce energy consumption.

[0070] In the Local Dimming technology, the Mini-LED BLU is divided into multiple dimming areas. The Mini-LED in each dimming area is controlled by the same driver chip, and multiple dimming areas are controlled by multiple driver chips respectively. In the Local Dimming technology, multiple driver chips used to control multiple dimming areas are usually connected in series through a single line. The signal of the series driver chip can only be transmitted in one direction, resulting in complex routing of signal lines on the driver circuit board, greater difficulty in routing design, and high production cost.

[0071] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a signal circuit of a backlight unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] For example, if Figure 1 As shown, in the prior art, the signal input port DI and the signal output port DO of multiple driver chips connected in series by a single line are connected through a DATA line (the bold line in the figure), and the display data is transmitted through the DATA line. The signal input port DI and the signal output port DO of each driver chip are fixed, and the signal can only be transmitted unidirectionally between the signal input port DI and the signal output port DO of the two driver chips. For example, the display data can only be transmitted from the signal output port DO of the upper-level driver chip to the signal input port DI of the next-level driver chip through the data line DATA. Figure 1 As shown, in order to simplify the difficulty of signal processing in the prior art, each driver chip is placed in the same direction. For all driver chips, the signal input port DI faces the same side of the backlight unit, for example Figure 1 As shown, the signal input ports DI of all driver chips are facing the first side S1 of the backlight unit. The signal output ports DO are all facing the other side opposite to the signal input port DI. For two adjacent columns of driver chips connected in series, the distance between the last level driver chip in the multiple driver chips in the previous column and the first level driver chip in the multiple driver chips in the next column is relatively far, and a relatively long data line DATA is required to connect the two driver chips, which affects the quality of signal transmission. In addition, the signal circuit of the backlight unit is usually also provided with a ground line GND connected to the driver chip, a power supply voltage line VDD, etc., a control line connecting the driver chip and the light-emitting unit LED, and other signal lines such as a drive voltage line VLED connected to the light-emitting unit LED. When the data line DATA is relatively long, it is difficult to avoid crossing with other lines during the routing process, and cross-line processing is required at the crossing position (as shown in the dotted box in the figure), so the circuit board of the backlight unit needs to be made of an expensive double-layer board, and the production cost is relatively high.

[0073] In view of this, a first aspect of the present invention provides a driver chip for solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0074] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a driver chip provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3A One of the schematic diagrams for setting the signal transmission direction of the backlight unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3B The second schematic diagram of setting the signal transmission direction of the backlight unit provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] In the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2As shown, the driver chip includes an input / output module and a channel switching module. The input / output module includes two data line ports for connecting the upper-level device and the lower-level device, which are the first data line port P1 and the second data line port P2, respectively. The upper-level device specifically refers to the device adjacent to the driver chip and logically closer to the controller among the devices such as the controller and the multiple driver chips connected in series with the controller. The lower-level device specifically refers to the device adjacent to the driver chip and logically farther away from the controller. The upper-level device can be a controller or a driver chip, and the lower-level device can be a driver chip or other devices, which are not limited here.

[0076] When implementing it, Figure 3A As shown, when two driver chips are connected, the first data line port P1 can be connected to the data line port of the previous level driver chip, and the second data line port P2 can be connected to the data line port of the next level driver chip, or the first data line port P1 can be connected to the data line port of the next driver chip, and the second data line port P2 can be connected to the data line port of the previous level driver chip, which is not limited here.

[0077] The channel switching module is electrically connected to the input / output module and is configured to, after receiving the first channel switching instruction, set the data line port connected to the previous stage device as the signal input port and set the data line port connected to the next stage device as the signal output port.

[0078] Specifically, before the channel switching module receives the first channel setting instruction, Figure 3A As shown, the two data line ports of the input / output module do not distinguish between signal input ports and signal output ports, that is, the first data line port P1 and the second data line port P2 can both be used as signal input ports or signal output ports. Figure 3A and Figure 3BAs shown, for two adjacent columns of driver chips connected in series, the first data line port P1 or the second data line port P2 of the upper-level driver chip can be connected to the first data line port P1 or the second data line port P2 of the lower-level driver chip. For example, for multiple driver chips connected in series in the same column, the second data line port P2 of the upper-level driver chip can be connected to the first data port P1 of the lower-level driver chip. For multiple driver chips connected in series in two adjacent columns, two driver chips located at the same end of the two adjacent columns of driver chips can be connected through the second data line port P2 along the column direction of the driver chips. Therefore, when the driver chips connected in series in two adjacent columns are connected through the data line DATA, the length of the data line DATA can be greatly shortened, the quality of signal transmission can be improved, and the risk of the data line DATA crossing other signal lines is reduced, the difficulty of routing is reduced, and the possibility of using a single-layer board to manufacture the circuit board of the backlight unit is provided, which is conducive to reducing the manufacturing cost.

[0079] During the display process, the controller sends display data to multiple driver chips connected in series through the data line DATA. A frame of display data may include multiple bits, for example, multiple bits may be divided into at least a flag bit, an address setting bit, a command (CMD) bit, and a brightness data bit. The flag bit is located in the frame header of the display data, and is used to distinguish different display data frames, so that the transmitter and the receiver can accurately identify the starting position of the frame; the address setting bit is used to set a unique address for the serial driver chips in sequence, so as to facilitate the subsequent reception of their respective brightness data; the command bit is used to carry backlight drive function instructions, such as delay function, voltage fast feedback function, black insertion function, open circuit (Open) function, short circuit (Short) function, etc., and the number of bits occupied by the command bit can be set according to actual conditions during specific implementation, for example, it can be 8bit, 16bit, etc., which is not limited here; the brightness data bit is used to carry brightness information, and the input / output module of each driver chip can obtain the part corresponding to its own address from the brightness data, so as to drive the multiple light-emitting unit LEDs in the dimming area controlled by it to emit light of corresponding brightness according to the brightness data obtained.

[0080] When implementing it, Figure 2 As shown, the driver chip also includes a logic module and a driver module. The input / output module is electrically connected to the logic module, the logic module is electrically connected to the driver module, and the driver module includes a plurality of control channels, such as a first control channel CH-1, a second control channel CH-2, and an nth control channel CH-n, etc. Each control channel is electrically connected to at least one light-emitting unit LED.

[0081] The input / output module is configured to receive a driving signal input from the upper-level device through a data line port, and send the driving signal to the logic module. The logic module is configured to parse the driving signal to obtain information carried in the driving signal. For example, the input / output module sends the brightness data it obtains to the logic module, and the logic module parses the brightness data to generate a light control instruction based on the brightness data. The logic module sends the light control instruction to the driving module, and the driving module drives the light-emitting unit LED connected to it to emit light according to the light control instruction it receives.

[0082] Before the controller sends display data to the driver, it needs to set the data transmission direction first, so that in the display stage, data is only allowed to be transmitted in one direction along the set transmission direction, avoiding the simultaneous transmission of two opposite data signals in a single data line DATA, reducing the risk of signal crosstalk, and improving the stability of data transmission. Specifically, before the driver chip receives the display data, a first channel setting instruction can be sent to the channel switching module of the driver chip, such as Figure 3B As shown, after receiving the first channel setting instruction, the channel switching module sets the data line port of the input / output module connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port DI, and sets the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port DO. Therefore, after the channel setting is completed according to the first channel setting instruction, data is only allowed to be transmitted from the upper-level device to the lower-level device, thereby improving the stability of data transmission.

[0083] Figure 4A One of the signal circuit connection diagrams provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4B This is one of the schematic diagrams of the signal transmission process in the display phase provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0084] The following is an example of the signal transmission process of the backlight unit signal circuit formed by the driver chip provided by the embodiment of the present invention in the display stage.

[0085] like Figure 4A As shown, the signal circuit of the backlight unit includes a controller and a plurality of driver chips connected in series with the controller, wherein a data line port of a first-level driver chip is connected to the controller via a data line DATA, and among the plurality of driver chips connected in series, the data line ports of two adjacent driver chips are connected respectively via a data line DATA. Figure 4B As shown, the display phase can be divided into two processes, namely, a first transmission direction setting process and a display data transmission process. The first transmission direction setting process and the display data transmission process can be performed successively, that is, the first transmission direction setting is performed first, and then the display data transmission is performed.

[0086] When setting the first transmission direction, Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, the controller sends a first channel selection signal to the first-level driver chip connected thereto through the data line port, wherein the first channel selection signal carries a first channel setting instruction. Before the controller sends the first channel selection signal, for example, before the signal circuit is powered on or before the controller and the driver chip are started, the two data line ports of each driver chip do not distinguish between a signal input port and a signal output port.

[0087] After the first-level driver chip receives the first channel selection signal, the data line port connected to the controller is set as the signal input port DI, and the data line port connected to the next-level chip is set as the signal output port DO. The first channel selection signal is also transmitted to the subsequent driver chips step by step through the data line. After the subsequent driver chips receive the first channel selection signal, they respectively set the data line port connected to the previous-level device as the signal input port DI, and set the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal output port DO, thereby completing the first transmission direction setting. For each driver chip, after the input / output module receives the first channel selection signal input by the previous-level device, it also sends the first channel selection signal to the logic module. The logic module parses the first channel selection signal, and when the first channel setting instruction is parsed, the first channel setting instruction is sent to the channel switching module. In response to the first channel setting instruction, the channel switching module sets the data line port connected to the previous-level device as the signal input port DI, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal output port DO.

[0088] In the display data transmission stage, the controller sends display data to multiple driver chips connected in series through the data line DATA. The display data is transmitted from the first-level driver chip connected to the controller to the last driver chip in the multiple driver chips connected in series step by step.

[0089] In some embodiments, the channel switching module is further configured to, after receiving the second channel selection instruction, set the data line port connected to the upper level device as the signal output port, and set the data line port connected to the lower level device as the signal input port. After the channel switching module receives the second channel selection instruction and completes the setting of the above data port, the signal can be transmitted in reverse through the data line DATA, for example, the signal can be transmitted in reverse from a certain driver chip to the controller through the data line. For example, a selected driver chip can transmit its current state data back to the controller, so that by using the form of time division multiplexing (TDM), two opposite direction signal transmissions can be realized through one data line DATA, and crosstalk between signals in different transmission directions can be avoided, thereby improving stability.

[0090] Figure 5A The second signal circuit connection diagram provided by the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5B A schematic diagram of the signal transmission process in the backhaul phase provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] like Figure 5A and 5B As shown, the backhaul phase can be divided into two processes, namely, the second transmission direction setting process and the data backhaul process.

[0092] In some embodiments, the second transmission direction setting process and the data return process can be performed in parallel on multiple driver chips connected in series. Specifically, the controller sends a second channel selection signal to the first-level driver chip connected thereto through the data line port, wherein the second channel selection signal carries the second channel setting instruction and the target address. After the first-level driver chip receives the second channel selection signal, it directly transmits the second channel selection signal to the next-level driver chip, and then sets the data line port connected to the controller as the signal output port DO, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level driver chip as the signal input port DI, completing the second direction setting. After receiving the second channel selection signal, each level of driver chip after the first-level driver chip directly transmits the second channel selection signal to the next-level driver chip, and then sets the data line port connected to the previous level device as the signal output port DO, and sets the data line port connected to the next level device as the signal input port DI, until the last level of driver chip completes the second transmission direction setting.

[0093] Specifically, for each driver chip, after the input / output module receives the second channel selection signal input by the upper-level device, the second channel selection signal is directly transmitted to the next-level driver chip, and the second channel selection signal is sent to the logic module. The logic module parses the second channel selection signal, and when the second channel setting instruction is parsed, the second channel setting instruction is sent to the channel switching module. In response to the second channel setting instruction, the channel switching module sets the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port DO, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal input port DI.

[0094] While the driver chip is setting the second direction step by step, each driver chip also performs a data feedback process after receiving the second channel selection signal. During the data feedback process, the driver chip obtains the target address from the second channel selection signal and determines whether the target address matches the address of the driver chip; when the target address matches the address of the driver chip, the driver chip returns the current status data of the driver chip to the upper level device (controller or driver chip); when the target address does not match the address of the driver chip, the current status data of the driver chip is not returned.

[0095] Specifically, for each driver chip, the target address carried in the second channel selection signal can be directly read through the input / output module, and it can be determined whether the target address matches the address of the driver chip. Figure 2 As shown, the driver chip also includes a feedback module, which is electrically connected to the logic module, the driver module, the input / output module and other functional modules. The feedback module is used to detect the status of the logic module, the driver module and the input / output module in real time, such as performing input / output disconnection inspection, fault inspection, overheating inspection, etc., and generate status data. When the input / output module determines that the target address matches the address of the driver chip, the status data can be transmitted back to the upper-level device connected to it through the input / output module.

[0096] In some embodiments, the second transmission direction setting process and the data return process can be performed step by step in a plurality of driver chips connected in series. Specifically, after receiving the second channel selection signal, the first-level driver chip first obtains the target address carried in the second channel selection signal, and determines whether the target address matches the address of the driver chip; when the target address matches the address of the first-level driver chip, the first-level driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as the signal output port DO, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level driver chip as the signal input port DI, completes the second transmission direction setting, and no longer transmits the second channel selection signal to the next-level driver chip; after the second transmission direction setting is completed, the first-level driver chip returns the current state data of the driver chip to the controller to complete the data return process; when the target address does not match the address of the first-level driver chip, the first-level driver chip first transmits the second channel selection signal to the next-level driver chip, and then sets the data line port connected to the controller as the signal output port DO, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level driver chip as the signal input port DI; after receiving the second channel selection signal, the next-level driver chip performs the same operation as the first-level driver chip until the target address matches the address of a certain level of driver chip, and completes the second transmission direction setting process and the data return process.

[0097] Specifically, for each driver chip, after receiving the second channel selection signal, the input / output module reads the target address in the second channel selection signal and determines whether the target address matches the address of the driver chip; when the target address matches the address of the driver chip, the input / output module sends the second channel selection signal to the logic module; the logic module parses the second channel selection signal, and when the second channel setting instruction is parsed, the second channel setting instruction is sent to the channel switching module; in response to the second channel setting instruction, the channel switching module sets the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port DO, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal input port D I, and then the input / output module transmits the status data of the driver chip back to the upper-level device, and the upper-level device transmits it to the controller step by step; when the target address does not match the address of the driver chip, the input / output module transmits the second channel selection signal to the next-level driver chip, and sends the second channel selection signal to the logic module at the same time; the logic module parses the second channel selection signal, and when the second channel setting instruction is parsed, the second channel setting instruction is sent to the channel switching module; the channel switching module responds to the second channel setting instruction, sets the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port DO, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal input port DI.

[0098] Figure 6 The second schematic diagram of the signal transmission process in the display phase provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0099] In some embodiments, the channel switching module is further configured to, after setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port and the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port, and when a preset condition is met, set the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port and set the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port. Specifically, Figure 6 As shown, by presetting conditions, after the return phase is over, the first transmission direction setting can be performed again to change the signal transmission direction, so as to continue the transmission of display data. The display phase and the return phase can be alternately performed on the data line in a time division multiplexing manner, so that the state of the driver chip can be regularly monitored in the interval between the display phases.

[0100] In some embodiments, the preset condition may be a set duration. For example, the channel switching module is further specifically configured to, after the data line port connected to the upper-level device is set as the signal output port, and the data line port connected to the lower-level device is set as the signal input port, and after the set duration, automatically set the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port, and set the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port. Thus, after the driver chip completes the set duration of the second transmission direction setting in the backhaul phase, the signal transmission direction can be automatically switched to improve the efficiency of switching the signal transmission direction.

[0101] In specific implementation, the setting time lengths of different driver chips in multiple driver chips connected in series with the same controller can be the same, for example, they can all be set to 50μs, which means that for each driver chip, it is necessary to complete data return within 50μs after setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port and the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port. After 50μs, the data line port connected to the upper-level device is automatically set as the signal input port, and the data line port connected to the lower-level device is set as the signal output port. In specific implementation, the setting time length of the driver chip can also be other sizes, which are not limited here.

[0102] In the feedback stage, the actual time available for data feedback often depends on the set time of the first-level driver chip. For example, when the set time of multiple driver chips in series is set to 50μs, since the first-level driver chip often completes the second transmission direction setting first and the first-level driver chip receives the feedback data last, the first-level driver chip needs a longer set time to ensure that the feedback data is smoothly transmitted back to the controller. Therefore, in order to ensure that the status data can be smoothly transmitted back within the set time and improve the efficiency of the feedback, it can be set that for two driver chips connected in series and adjacent, the set time set in the next-level driver chip is less than the set time set in the previous-level driver chip. The specific size of the set time can be set according to the actual situation and will not be elaborated here.

[0103] In some embodiments, the preset condition may also be that the channel switching module receives the first channel setting instruction again. For example, after the return phase is completed, the controller sends the first channel selection signal to the driver chip again to instruct the driver chip to set the data line port connected to the previous level device as the signal input port, and set the data line port connected to the next level device as the signal output port.

[0104] In some embodiments, the preset condition may also be that the driver chip detects that data has been transmitted back to the upper-level device. For example, after the driver chip detects that a signal is transmitted back from the data line port to the upper-level device, the data line port connected to the upper-level device is automatically set as a signal input port, and the data line port connected to the lower-level device is set as a signal output port.

[0105] In some embodiments, the preset condition may also be other conditions, which are not limited here.

[0106] In some embodiments, the channel switching module of the driver chip is further configured to clear the setting parameters of the signal input port and the signal output port when the driver chip is powered off. Specifically, when the backlight unit is powered off, the driver chip can clear the setting parameters of the signal input port and the signal output port, so as to facilitate setting the signal transmission direction of the signal circuit when the backlight unit is started next time.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present invention, the driver chip may further include a power module and an oscillator (OSC) module. The power module is used to connect the power supply voltage line VDD, and the power module is also electrically connected to the logic module, the driver module and other modules that need power supply inside the driver chip, and is used to supply power to the logic module, the driver module and other modules. In a specific implementation, the power module can be a low dropout linear regulator (Low Dropout Regulator, LDO for short) or a buck (Buck) circuit, etc., which is not limited here. The OSC module is connected to the logic module to provide a clock signal.

[0108] In the embodiment of the present invention, the driving chip may specifically be a system on chip (SoC), a timing controller (TCON), a dedicated microcontroller unit (MCU) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc., which is not limited here.

[0109] The second aspect of the present invention further provides a signal transmission method. The signal transmission method provided in the second aspect of the present invention can be applied to the driver chip provided in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

[0110] Figure 7 This is one of the flowcharts of the signal transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present invention, the signal transmission method includes the following steps:

[0112] S701: receiving a first channel selection signal input from a previous device through a data line port;

[0113] S702: According to the first channel selection signal, the data line port connected to the previous stage device is set as the signal input port, and the data line port connected to the next stage device is set as the signal output port.

[0114] Specifically, the input-output module of the driver chip receives the first channel selection signal input by the upper-level device through the data line port, and then sends the first channel selection signal to the logic module. The logic module parses the first channel selection signal to obtain a first channel setting instruction. The logic module sends the first channel setting instruction to the channel switching module. The channel switching module responds to the first channel setting instruction, sets the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal output port.

[0115] Figure 8 The second flowchart of the signal transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0116] In some embodiments, the signal transmission method further comprises the following steps:

[0117] S801: receiving a second channel selection signal input from a previous device through a data line port;

[0118] S802: According to the second channel selection signal, the data line port connected to the previous stage device is set as the signal output port, and the data line port connected to the next stage device is set as the signal input port.

[0119] Specifically, the input-output module of the driver chip receives the second channel selection signal input by the upper-level device through the data line port, and then sends the second channel selection signal to the logic module. The logic module parses the second channel selection signal to obtain a second channel setting instruction. The logic module sends the second channel setting instruction to the channel switching module. The channel switching module responds to the second channel setting instruction, sets the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as the signal input port.

[0120] Fig. 9 The third flowchart of the signal transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0121] In some embodiments, Fig. 9As shown, in step S802: according to the second channel selection signal, after the data line port connected to the previous stage device is set as the signal output port, and the data line port connected to the next stage device is set as the signal input port, the signal transmission method further includes the following steps:

[0122] S901: When a preset condition is met, a data line port connected to an upper-level device is set as a signal input port, and a data line port connected to a lower-level device is set as a signal output port.

[0123] For example, after the data line port connected to the previous-level device is set as a signal output port, and the data line port connected to the next-level device is set as a signal input port, and after a set time, the channel switching module automatically sets the data line port connected to the previous-level device as a signal input port, and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal output port.

[0124] In some embodiments, the set time length set in the current driver chip is smaller than the set time length set in the previous level driver chip to which the current driver chip is connected.

[0125] Fig.10 The fourth flowchart of the signal transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0126] In some embodiments, Fig.10 As shown, after the data line port connected to the upper-level device is set as the signal output port, and the data line port connected to the lower-level device is set as the signal input port, and before the data line port connected to the upper-level device is set as the signal input port, and the data line port connected to the lower-level device is set as the signal output port, the signal transmission method further includes the following steps:

[0127] S101: extracting the target address carried in the second channel selection signal;

[0128] S102: Determine whether the target address matches the address of the current driver chip;

[0129] S103: When the target address matches the address of the driver chip, the current status data of the driver chip is transmitted back to the upper-level device connected thereto through the data line port.

[0130] Specifically, after the channel switching module sets the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port, and sets the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port, and before the channel switching module sets the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port again, and sets the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port, the input / output module also extracts the target address carried in the second channel selection signal, and then determines whether the target address matches the address of the driver chip. When the target address matches the address of the driver chip, the driver chip returns the current status data of the driver chip to the upper-level device connected to it through the data line port.

[0131] Fig.11 The fifth flowchart of the signal transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0132] In some embodiments, Fig.11 As shown, after setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port, and before setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port, the signal transmission method further includes:

[0133] S111: receiving display data transmitted by the upper-level device through the data line port;

[0134] S112: extracting the portion of the display data corresponding to the current driver chip;

[0135] S113: Transmit the display data to the next level device through the data line port.

[0136] Specifically, the input / output module receives display data transmitted by the upper-level device through the data line port. For example, when the driver chip is a first-level driver chip, the input / output module directly receives the display data sent by the controller. When the driver chip is a driver chip after the first-level driver chip, the input / output module receives the display data transmitted by the upper-level driver chip. After receiving the display data, the input / output module extracts the part corresponding to the driver chip from the display data. For example, the input / output module can match according to the address information, thereby extracting the brightness data corresponding to the driver chip, and sends the extracted display data to the logic module for parsing. After receiving the display data, the input / output module also transmits the display data to the next-level device through the data line port.

[0137] In some embodiments, the signal transmission method further includes, when the driving chip is powered off, clearing the setting parameters of the signal input port and the signal output port.

[0138] The signal transmission method provided in the second aspect of the present invention can be applied to the driver chip provided in the first aspect of the present invention. During specific implementation, the specific content of the signal transmission method provided in the second aspect of the present invention can also be referenced with the driver chip provided in the first aspect of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0139] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a controller is also provided.

[0140] In an embodiment of the present invention, the controller is configured to, in response to a first control instruction, send a first channel selection signal to the driver chip through the data line port of the driver chip. The first channel selection signal is used to instruct the driver chip to set the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal input port, and to set the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal output port. Specifically, Figure 4A and Figure 5A As shown, the controller can be connected to the data line port of the first-level driver chip in the multiple driver chips connected in series through the data line DATA, wherein the multiple driver chips can be the driver chips provided by the first aspect of the present invention. The controller can respond to the first control instruction and send a first channel selection signal to the driver chip through the data line port of the driver chip, and the driver chip can set the first transmission direction according to the first channel selection signal, so that after the controller sends the display data, the display data can be transmitted step by step between the multiple driver chips in the direction away from the controller. In specific implementation, the first control instruction can be sent by the upper-level control unit connected to the controller, or generated by the controller itself. For example, after the backlight unit is powered on and before the controller sends the display data to the driver chip, the upper-level control unit connected to the controller can send the first control instruction to the controller to instruct the controller to send the first channel selection signal to the driver chip; or after the backlight unit is powered on and before the controller sends the display data to the driver chip, the controller can generate the first control instruction by itself and send the first channel selection signal to the driver chip in response to the first control instruction, which is not limited here.

[0141] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to send a second channel selection signal to the driver chip through the driver chip data line port in response to the second control instruction; the second channel selection signal is used to instruct the driver chip to set the data line port connected to the upper-level device as a signal output port, and to set the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal input port. In specific implementation, the second control instruction can be sent by the upper-level control unit connected to the controller, or generated by the controller itself. For example, during the display process, the upper-level control unit connected to the controller can periodically send a second control instruction to the controller to instruct the controller to send a second channel selection signal to the driver chip; or during the display process, the controller can generate the second control instruction itself, and send the second channel selection signal to the driver chip in response to the second control instruction, which is not limited here.

[0142] In specific implementation, the controller may be a SoC, a TCON, a dedicated MCU or an ASIC, etc., which is not limited here.

[0143] The controller provided in the third aspect of the present invention can be connected and used with the driver chip provided in the first aspect of the present invention. In specific implementation, the specific content of the controller provided in the third aspect of the present invention can also refer to the relevant description of the driver chip provided in the first aspect of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0144] The fourth aspect of the present invention further provides a signal transmission method. The signal transmission method provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention can be applied to the controller provided in any embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention.

[0145] In an embodiment of the present invention, a controller is connected in series with a plurality of driver chips provided in any of the above embodiments, and a signal transmission method comprises the following steps:

[0146] In response to the first control instruction, a first channel selection signal is sent to the driving chip.

[0147] In some embodiments, the signal transmission direction further includes the following steps:

[0148] In response to the second control instruction, a second channel selection signal is sent to the driving chip.

[0149] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal output port, and before the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal output port and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal input port, the controller sends display data to the driver chip through the data line port of the driver chip, and the driver chip drives the light-emitting unit to emit light according to the display data.

[0150] In some embodiments, after the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal output port and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal input port, and before the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-level device as a signal output port, the controller also receives status data returned by the driver chip through the data line port, thereby monitoring the status of the driver chip.

[0151] The signal transmission method provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention can be applied to the controller provided in the third aspect of the present invention. During specific implementation, the specific content of the signal transmission method provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention can also be referenced with the controller provided in the third aspect of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0152] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a backlight unit is provided. The backlight unit provided in the fifth aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of driver chips provided in any of the foregoing embodiments and a controller provided in any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the plurality of driver chips are connected in series with the controller via a data line port. In the backlight unit provided in the embodiment of the present invention, the signal transmission direction of the plurality of driver chips connected in series can be adjusted according to the control signal sent by the controller, so that signal transmission in two opposite directions can be achieved through one data line, which is beneficial to reduce the number of signal lines in the backlight unit, and is beneficial to shorten the length of the data line used to connect two adjacent columns of driver chips connected in series, thereby reducing the difficulty of wiring design and reducing the manufacturing cost of the backlight unit.

[0153] For example, if Figure 3A As shown, multiple driver chips in multiple backlight units connected in series with the same controller are arranged in an array. Along the column direction of the driver chips, two driver chips located at the same end of two adjacent columns of driver chips are connected through a data line port, thereby shortening the length of the data line used to connect the two columns of driver chips in series.

[0154] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art may make other changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0155] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A driver chip, characterized in that: include: Input / output modules; The input / output module includes two data line ports for connecting the upper-level device and the lower-level device; Channel switching module; The channel switching module is configured to, after receiving a first channel setting instruction, set a data line port connected to an upper-level device as a signal input port, and set a data line port connected to a lower-level device as a signal output port.

2. The driver chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The channel switching module is further configured to, after receiving the second channel selection instruction, set the data line port connected to the previous stage device as the signal output port, and set the data line port connected to the next stage device as the signal input port.

3. The driver chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The channel switching module is also configured to, after setting the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal output port and the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal input port, and when a preset condition is met, set the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal input port and set the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal output port.

4. The driver chip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The channel switching module is specifically configured to, after setting the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal output port, and setting the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal input port, and after a set time, set the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal input port, and set the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal output port.

5. The driver chip according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: Also includes: Logic module; The input / output module is configured to receive a driving signal input from an upper-level device through a data line port, and send the driving signal to the logic module; The logic module is configured to parse the driving signal, and when the first channel setting instruction or the second channel selection instruction is parsed out, send the first channel setting instruction or the second channel selection instruction to the channel switching module.

6. The driver chip according to claim 5, characterized in that: The types of the driving signal include a first channel selection signal and a second channel selection signal; the first channel selection signal carries the first channel setting instruction; the second channel selection signal carries the second channel selection instruction and a target address; The input / output module is further configured to, when the type of the driving signal received is a first channel selection signal, transmit the first channel selection signal to the next stage device connected thereto; The input / output module is further configured to, when the driving signal received is a second channel selection signal, transmit the second channel selection signal to the next-stage device connected thereto before the channel switching module sets the data line port connected to the previous-stage device as a signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as a signal output port; The input / output module is also configured to obtain the target address in the second channel selection signal and determine whether the target address matches the address of the current driver chip; when the target address matches the address of the current driver chip, the current status data of the current driver chip is transmitted back to the upper-level device connected thereto.

7. The driver chip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The channel switching module is further configured to clear the setting parameters of the signal input port and the signal output port when the driving chip is powered off.

8. A signal transmission method, applied to the driver chip according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: Receiving a first channel selection signal input from a previous device through a data line port; According to the first channel selection signal, the data line port connected to the upper-stage device is set as a signal input port, and the data line port connected to the lower-stage device is set as a signal output port.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Also includes: Receive a second channel selection signal input from a previous device through a data line port; According to the second channel selection signal, the data line port connected to the upper-stage device is set as a signal output port, and the data line port connected to the lower-stage device is set as a signal input port.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that After setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port, and before setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port, the method further includes: extracting a target address carried in the second channel selection signal; Determine whether the target address matches the address of the driver chip; When the target address matches the address of the driver chip, the current status data of the driver chip is transmitted back to the upper-level device connected thereto through the data line port.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: After setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal input port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal output port, and before setting the data line port connected to the upper-level device as the signal output port and setting the data line port connected to the lower-level device as the signal input port, the method further includes: Receive display data transmitted by the upper-level device through the data line port; Extracting the portion of the display data corresponding to the driver chip; The display data is transmitted to the next-level device through the data line port.

12. A controller, characterized in that: The controller is configured to, in response to a first control instruction, send a first channel selection signal to the driver chip through the data line port of the driver chip; the first channel selection signal is used to instruct the driver chip to set the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal input port, and to set the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal output port.

13. The controller according to claim 12, characterized in that The controller is also configured to, in response to a second control instruction, send a second channel selection signal to the driver chip through the data line port of the driver chip; the second channel selection signal is used to instruct the driver chip to set the data line port connected to the previous level device as a signal output port, and to set the data line port connected to the next level device as a signal input port.

14. A signal transmission method, applied to the controller according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that: The controller is connected in series with a plurality of driver chips according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the method comprises: In response to the first control instruction, a first channel selection signal is sent to the driving chip.

15. The signal transmission method according to claim 14, characterized in that: Also includes: In response to the second control instruction, a second channel selection signal is sent to the driving chip.

16. The signal transmission method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: After the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as a signal output port, and before the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal output port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as a signal input port, the method further includes: Sending display data to the driver chip through a data line port of the driver chip; After the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal output port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as a signal input port, and before the driver chip sets the data line port connected to the controller as a signal input port and sets the data line port connected to the next-stage device as a signal output port, the method further includes: The status data returned by the driver chip is received through the data line port of the driver chip.

17. A backlight unit, characterized in that: The invention comprises a plurality of driver chips as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 and a controller as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the plurality of driver chips and the controller are connected in series via a data line port.

18. The backlight unit according to claim 17, wherein: A plurality of the driver chips connected in series with the same controller are arranged in an array; along the column direction of the driver chips, two driver chips located at the same end of two adjacent columns of driver chips are connected via a data line port.

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