LED driving device, microcontroller and control method of LED module

Abstract

The application provides an LED driving device, a microcontroller and a control method of an LED module. The LED driving device comprises a power supply module, a switch module and a control module. The power supply module is used to supply power to the LED module, wherein the power supply module determines whether to trigger an overcurrent protection function of the power supply module according to whether an output current exceeds a threshold current. The control module is coupled to the power supply module and the switch module connected in series with the LED module, used to receive an overcurrent detection signal and control a conduction state of the switch module based on the overcurrent detection signal, so as to affect the current size through the LED module. When the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current exceeds the threshold current, the control module outputs a first control signal based on the overcurrent detection signal to control the switch module, so that the overcurrent protection function is not triggered.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to an LED driving control technology, and more particularly to an LED driver device, a microcontroller, and a control method for an LED module. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of technology, computer enthusiasts, in addition to pursuing improved computer hardware performance, also value the personalized settings and visual effects of computer systems to reflect their personal style. Therefore, in current computer assembly applications, it is common to see users adding LED light strips to their computers to enhance the ambiance and overall user experience.

[0003] In computer systems, power supplies typically provide a 12V power supply to external LED strips. However, to prevent damage to the power supply, manufacturers usually add current-limiting components to implement overcurrent protection, thus protecting the power supply from the risk of burning out due to excessive current.

[0004] However, due to differences in design and manufacturing, LED strips may not be compatible with power supply specifications. Some LED strips may have higher power requirements, and when the power required by the LED strip exceeds the power supply's capacity, the power supply may trigger its overcurrent protection function and stop supplying current to the LED strip.

[0005] When this happens, users can only observe that the LED strip is not lit, and cannot accurately determine whether the problem is caused by a damaged socket, a faulty LED strip, or a mismatch in specifications. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application proposes a control method for an LED driver, a microcontroller, and an LED module, which can solve the problems mentioned in the prior art.

[0007] This application provides an LED driver device suitable for driving an LED module. The LED driver device includes a power supply module, a switching module, and a control module. The power supply module supplies power to the LED module, and detects the output current supplied to the LED module, determining whether to trigger its overcurrent protection function based on whether the output current exceeds a threshold current. The switching module is connected in series with the LED module. The control module is coupled to the power supply module and the switching module, receiving an overcurrent detection signal indicating whether the output current exceeds the threshold current, and controlling the conduction state of the switching module based on the overcurrent detection signal to affect the current flowing through the LED module. When the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current exceeds the threshold current, the control module outputs a first control signal based on the overcurrent detection signal to control the switching module so that the overcurrent protection function is not triggered.

[0008] This application provides a microcontroller suitable for controlling an LED module. The microcontroller includes an overcurrent control unit and a control signal generation unit. The overcurrent control unit receives an overcurrent detection signal and generates a current-limiting indication signal based on the overcurrent detection signal. The control signal generation unit, coupled to the overcurrent control unit, generates a first control signal or a second control signal based on the overcurrent indication signal to control the conduction state of the LED module. When the overcurrent control unit receives the overcurrent detection signal having a first signal characteristic, the overcurrent control unit outputs an enabled current-limiting indication signal, causing the control signal generation unit to output the first control signal in response to the enabled current-limiting indication signal. When the overcurrent control unit receives the overcurrent detection signal having a second signal characteristic, the overcurrent control unit outputs a disabled current-limiting indication signal, causing the control signal generation unit to output the second control signal in response to the disabled current-limiting indication signal. The current generated by the LED module in response to the first control signal is less than the current generated by the LED module in response to the second control signal.

[0009] This application provides a control method for an LED module, comprising the following steps: supplying power to the LED module by a power supply module; receiving an overcurrent detection signal from the power supply module by a control module, wherein the overcurrent detection signal is used to indicate whether the output current supplied to the LED module exceeds a threshold current, thereby enabling the power supply module to determine whether to trigger an overcurrent protection function; when the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current exceeds the threshold current, the control module outputs a first control signal to control the conduction state of the LED module, so that the power supply module does not trigger the overcurrent protection function; and when the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current does not exceed the threshold current, the control module outputs a second control signal different from the first control signal to control the conduction state of the LED module, wherein the current generated by the LED module in response to the first control signal is less than the current generated by the LED module in response to the second control signal.

[0010] Based on the above, the control method of the LED driver, microcontroller, and LED module in this embodiment can determine the operating status of the power supply module by capturing overcurrent detection signals. Furthermore, when there is a potential overcurrent risk, the output current of the power supply module can be reduced by decreasing the conduction time and / or frequency of the LED module. This prevents the overcurrent protection function from being triggered and the LED module from failing to light up when the specifications of the LED module and the LED driver are mismatched. In addition, the LED driver in this embodiment can further issue a warning to the user when it is determined that there is an overcurrent situation in the power supply module, indicating a potential specification mismatch between the LED module and the LED driver. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an LED driving device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Based on Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the signal timing of the LED driver device in different states according to the embodiment;

[0013] Figure 3A and Figure 3B This application provides circuit configuration diagrams of LED driving devices according to different embodiments; and

[0014] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a control method for an LED module according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0015] This application proposes a novel control method for an LED driver, microcontroller, and LED module to solve the problems mentioned in the background art. To make the features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description contains specific information related to exemplary embodiments in this application. The drawings and accompanying detailed description in this application are merely exemplary embodiments. However, this application is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. Other variations and embodiments of this application will occur to those skilled in the art. Unless otherwise stated, the same or corresponding components in the drawings are indicated by the same or corresponding reference numerals. Furthermore, the drawings and illustrations in this application are generally not drawn to scale and are not intended to correspond to actual relative dimensions.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an LED driving device according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 1 In this embodiment, the LED driver 100 is adapted to drive the LED module Lm so that the LED module Lm is lit. The LED module Lm may be, for example, an LED light strip that is pluggably connected to the LED driver 100. The LED light strip may be a single color (such as a white light strip) or a multi-color light strip (such as a three-color light strip containing red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and this application is not limited thereto.

[0017] In this embodiment, the LED driver 100 includes a power supply module 110, a switch module 120, and a control module 130.

[0018] Power supply module 110 is coupled to LED module Lm to supply power to LED module Lm, so that LED module Lm lights up in response to the output power Po provided by power supply module 110. The output power Po may include an output voltage Vo applied to LED module Lm and / or an output current Io supplied to LED module Lm. Furthermore, to ensure the operational reliability and safety of power supply module 110, power supply module 110 also detects the output current Io supplied to LED module Lm and determines whether to trigger the overcurrent protection function of power supply module 110 based on whether the output current Io exceeds a threshold current.

[0019] The overcurrent protection function can be, for example, the power supply module 110 stopping the output power Po to the LED module Lm when it determines that an overcurrent situation has occurred. In other words, when the overcurrent protection function is triggered, the LED module Lm does not emit light.

[0020] In some embodiments, the power supply module 110 may include, for example, a conversion circuit (not shown, but will be further described in subsequent embodiments) for generating a stable output power supply Po and an overcurrent protection circuit (not shown, but will be further described in subsequent embodiments) for preventing overcurrent in the power supply module 110. The overcurrent protection circuit detects the output current Io to generate an overcurrent detection signal Sd indicating whether the output current Io exceeds a threshold current, and determines whether to trigger the overcurrent protection function based on the overcurrent detection signal.

[0021] Incidentally, the output current Io can be sampled / detected in the form of root-mean-square (rms) current or peak current, and this application is not limited to this. In some practical applications, the output current Io is converted to a voltage during sampling / detection. For example, if the current is detected through a current-sensing resistor, the voltage across the current-sensing resistor can actually indicate the current magnitude. Therefore, the comparison between the output current Io and the threshold current can be achieved by using a voltage comparator to compare a sampled voltage with a reference voltage representing the threshold current.

[0022] Furthermore, in the operation of determining whether to trigger the overcurrent protection function based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd, this application does not limit the triggering of the overcurrent protection function to occur at the moment when the overcurrent detection signal Sd indicates that the output current Io exceeds the threshold current. That is, the power supply module 110 is not limited to immediately triggering the overcurrent protection function when it determines that the output current Io exceeds the threshold current. In some applications, the overcurrent protection function may also determine whether to trigger based on some other conditions. For example, the power supply module 110 may trigger the overcurrent protection function only after determining that the duration of the overcurrent exceeds a set value, and this application is not limited to this.

[0023] Switch module 120 is connected in series with LED module Lm and is controlled by a control signal Sc to switch its on / off state, thereby affecting the current of LED module Lm. In other words, when switch module 120 is on, LED module Lm and switch module 120 form a current path to ground terminal GND, allowing output current Io to flow in the current path, thus causing the LED beads in LED module Lm to light up in response to the flowing current. Conversely, when switch module 120 is off, the current path is cut off.

[0024] In some embodiments, if the LED module Lm includes multiple groups of LED units (or LED strings), the switch module 120 may include multiple switches corresponding to the LED units (not shown, but will be illustrated in subsequent embodiments) to be connected in series with the multiple groups of LED units respectively.

[0025] The control module 130 is coupled to the power supply module 110 and the switch module 120. The control module 130 is used to receive an overcurrent detection signal Sd indicating whether the output current Io exceeds the threshold current, and to control the conduction state of the switch module 120 based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd.

[0026] In this embodiment, when the control module 130 receives an overcurrent detection signal Sd indicating that the output current Io exceeds the threshold current, the control module 130 outputs a control signal Sc with a specific format based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd to control the switching module 120, thereby reducing the current through the LED module Lm / output current Io, and thus preventing the overcurrent protection function of the power supply module 110 from being triggered. The control signal Sc with the specific format mentioned here can be referred to as the first control signal in this application.

[0027] On the other hand, when the control module 130 receives an overcurrent detection signal Sd indicating that the output current Io does not exceed the threshold current, the control module 130 will control the switching module 120 based on a control signal Sc with a different signal format from the first control signal, which is output by the overcurrent detection signal Sd. The control signal Sc, whose signal format is different from the first control signal, may be referred to as the second control signal in this application. The difference in signal format between the first control signal and the second control signal may be, for example, the duty cycle and / or frequency; that is, at least one of the duty cycle and frequency of the first control signal and the second control signal is different, such that the output current Io generated in response to the first control signal will be less than the output current Io generated in response to the second control signal.

[0028] Specifically, during normal operation, if the power supply module 110 malfunctions (e.g., an overcurrent occurs), it will automatically trigger a protection mechanism to stop or limit the power supply to the LED module Lm. Users will only notice that the LED module Lm cannot light up properly, without knowing the reason for the malfunction. Time and effort will be required to troubleshoot the possible causes of the fault / error before the problem can be resolved.

[0029] For example, if the LED module Lm is an external LED strip, its operating specifications may not match the rated output specifications of the power supply module 110. If an incompatible LED module Lm is connected to the power supply module 110, the output current Io of the power supply module 110 may become excessive, triggering the overcurrent protection function. In this case, the user will only observe that the LED module Lm cannot be lit after being connected to the power supply module 110. The user cannot determine whether the problem is due to a fault in the power supply module 110, a pre-existing damage to the LED module Lm, or a mismatch in specifications between the power supply module 110 and the LED module Lm.

[0030] In this embodiment, the control module 130 can obtain the operating status of the power supply module 110 by acquiring the overcurrent detection signal Sd of the power supply module 110, and further, when the power supply module 110 may have an overcurrent risk, it can reduce the output current Io of the power supply module 110 by reducing the conduction time and / or frequency of the LED module Lm, thereby preventing the overcurrent protection function of the power supply module 110 from being triggered, so that the LED module Lm can still be lit.

[0031] bottom pairing Figure 2A and Figure 2B To further explain the operation of the LED driver 100 in different states, among which... Figure 2A and Figure 2B Based on Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the signal timing of the LED driver device in different states in the embodiment.

[0032] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2A When the output power Po of the power supply module 110 matches the specifications of the LED module Lm, the power supply module 110 will provide an output current Io to the LED module Lm that is approximately stable at the current value Iw after startup. The current value Iw will be less than the threshold current Ith, so the power supply module 110 will enter the normal working state and will not trigger the overcurrent protection function.

[0033] Under normal operating conditions, the control module 130 outputs a normal operating signal Sn (i.e., the aforementioned second control signal) as a control signal Sc. In this embodiment, the normal operating signal Sn can be, for example, a periodic square wave signal. The control module 130 can adjust the brightness, color, lighting sequence, or pattern by modulating the duty cycle of the square wave signal, but this application is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the normal operating signal / second control signal Sn can also be a fixed-level enable signal to keep the switch module 120 in the on state under normal operating conditions, and this application is not limited to this.

[0034] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2BWhen the output power Po of the power supply module 110 and the LED module Lm are mismatched, the output current Io of the power supply module 110 will gradually rise after startup to exceed the threshold current Ith, causing the overcurrent detection signal Sd to be triggered to a high level. In this embodiment, the control module 130 will change the originally predetermined normal operation signal Sn to the output current limiting signal Slc (i.e., the aforementioned first control signal) as the control signal Sc based on the high-level overcurrent detection signal Sd. The LED module Lm will draw less current in response to the control of the current limiting signal Slc, causing the output current Io to drop to a current value Ioc below the threshold current Ith, thereby preventing the overcurrent protection function from being triggered.

[0035] More specifically, in this embodiment, the current-limiting signal Slc can also be a periodic square wave, but the duty cycle of the current-limiting signal Slc will be smaller than the duty cycle of the normal operating signal Sn. In other words, compared to controlling the switch module 120 with the normal operating signal Sn, when the switch module 120 is controlled with the current-limiting signal Slc which has a smaller duty cycle, the LED module Lm will respond to the control of the current-limiting signal Slc and have a shorter conduction time in each cycle, thereby reducing the output current Io.

[0036] In some embodiments, the current limiting signal Slc and the normal operating signal Sn can also be set to have the same duty cycle, but the frequency of the current limiting signal Slc is lower than that of the normal operating signal Sn. This setting can also achieve the effect of reducing the output current Io to below the threshold current Ith.

[0037] From the above Figure 2A and Figure 2B As can be seen from the description, in the LED driver device 100 of this embodiment, even if the specifications of the power supply module 110 and the LED module Lm are not compatible, the output current Io of the power supply module 110 can still be reduced to a level that will not trigger the overcurrent protection function through the control of the control module 130, so that the LED module Lm with mismatched specifications can still be lit.

[0038] In some embodiments, by setting the current limiting signal Slc, the LED module Lm can be further made to issue an overcurrent warning to remind the user that there may be a specification mismatch between the current LED module Lm and the power supply module 110.

[0039] For example, the current limiting signal Slc can be set to have a lower duty cycle / frequency, so that when the switching module 120 responds to the switching of the current limiting signal Slc, the LED module Lm will have a significantly dimmer (compared to the normal operating state) brightness. This can serve as an overcurrent warning, allowing the user to know that there may be a specification mismatch problem when they notice that the LED module Lm is significantly dimmer.

[0040] In addition to changing the brightness of the light to alert the user, in some embodiments, the current limiting signal Slc can also be set to make the LED module Lm flash, alternately emit different colors of light, or emit only a single color of light as an overcurrent indication, but this application is not limited to this.

[0041] Below Figure 3A and Figure 3B To illustrate a specific implementation example of the LED driver device 100 described above, wherein... Figure 3A and Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of the circuit configuration of an LED driver device according to different embodiments of this application.

[0042] Please refer to the following: Figure 3A In this embodiment, the LED module Lm is exemplified by three light-emitting units Lu1 to Lu3 with different wavelengths. Each light-emitting unit Lu1 to Lu3 may include multiple LED beads connected in series. The light-emitting wavelength of the LED beads in the first wavelength light-emitting unit Lu1 may be, for example, in the red light band, the light-emitting wavelength of the LED beads in the second wavelength light-emitting unit Lu2 may be, for example, in the green light band, and the light-emitting wavelength of the LED beads in the third wavelength light-emitting unit Lu3 may be, for example, in the blue light band, but this application is not limited to this. For the sake of simplicity, the first to third wavelength light-emitting units Lu1 to Lu3 will be referred to below as red light unit Lu1, green light unit Lu2, and blue light unit Lu3, respectively.

[0043] In this embodiment, the LED driver device 200 includes a power supply module 210, a switching module 220, and a control module 230. The power supply module 210 includes a conversion circuit 211 and an overcurrent protection circuit 212. The switching module 220 includes a first switching component 221, a second switching component 222, and a third switching component 223. The control module 230 includes a control signal generation circuit 231, a microcontroller 232, and an output control circuit 233.

[0044] In the power supply module 210, the conversion circuit 211 is used to convert the received input power into a stable output power Po. The overcurrent protection circuit 212 is coupled to the conversion circuit 211 and the LED module Lm, and is used to detect the output current Io to determine whether an overcurrent situation has occurred, and to trigger the overcurrent protection function when an overcurrent situation is determined to have occurred.

[0045] The overcurrent protection circuit 212 includes a current limiting component 2121, a current detection circuit 2122, an overcurrent judgment circuit 2123, and a protection trigger circuit 2124. The current limiting component 2121 is connected in series in the power supply circuit of the conversion circuit 211. The current detection circuit 2122 is connected across the two ends of the current limiting component 2121 to detect the magnitude of the current flowing through it. The overcurrent judgment circuit 2123 is coupled to the current detection circuit 2122 and generates an overcurrent detection signal Sd indicating whether the output current Io exceeds a threshold current based on the detection result of the current detection circuit 2122. The protection trigger circuit 2124 is coupled to the output of the overcurrent judgment circuit 2123 to receive the overcurrent detection signal Sd. The protection trigger circuit 2124 controls the conduction state of the current limiting component 2121 based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd to determine whether to trigger the overcurrent protection function.

[0046] Specifically, the current limiting component 2121 is generally kept in a normally turned-on state so that the output current Io can be provided to the LED module Lm. If the protection trigger circuit 2124 decides not to trigger the overcurrent protection function based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd, the protection trigger circuit 2124 will control the current limiting component 2121 to remain in the on state so that the output voltage Vo and the output current Io can be normally provided to the LED module Lm.

[0047] On the other hand, when the protection trigger circuit 2124 determines to trigger the overcurrent protection function based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd, the protection trigger circuit 2124 will control the current limiting component 2121 to be turned off, thereby disconnecting the power supply circuit. At this time, the output current Io will be stopped from being supplied to the LED module Lm, so that the LED module Lm will not light up / turn off.

[0048] In the switch module 220, the first switch component 221, the second switch component 222 and the third switch component 223 are connected in series with the red light unit Lu1, the green light unit Lu2 and the blue light unit Lu3 respectively, and switch the conduction state in response to the control signals Sc_R, Sc_G and Sc_B received from the control module 230 respectively.

[0049] In control module 230, control signal generation circuit 231 is coupled to overcurrent detection circuit 2123 of power supply module 210 to receive overcurrent detection signal Sd. Control signal generation circuit 231 outputs a first control signal / current limiting signal Slc when the overcurrent detection signal Sd indicates that the output current Io exceeds a threshold current. Microcontroller 232 outputs a second control signal / normal operation signal Sn, wherein, as in the aforementioned embodiments, the first control signal Slc and the second control signal Sn have different signal formats / characteristics. Output control circuit 233 is coupled to control signal generation circuit 231, microcontroller 232, and the first to third switching components 221-223 of switching module 220. Output control circuit 233 selectively outputs the first control signal Slc or the second control signal Sn to control the switching of switching module 220.

[0050] Specifically, when the output control circuit 233 receives the first control signal Slc, it indicates that the overcurrent detection signal Sd indicates an overcurrent condition has occurred. Therefore, the output control circuit 233 outputs the first control signal Slc as control signals Sc_R, Sc_G, and Sc_B provided to the first to third switching components 221-223. At this time, the second control signal Sn output by the microcontroller 232 is shielded or bypassed by the output control circuit 233. The red light unit Lu1, the green light unit Lu2, and the blue light unit Lu3 will respond to the control signals Sc_R, Sc_G, and Sc_B respectively to reduce the conduction time, thereby allowing the output current Io to drop below the threshold current. Therefore, the protection trigger circuit 2124 will not cut off the current limiting component 2121 due to triggering the overcurrent protection function.

[0051] On the other hand, when the output control circuit 233 does not receive the first control signal Slc, it indicates that no overcurrent has occurred. Therefore, the output control circuit 233 will use the second control signal Sn preset by the microcontroller 232 as the control signals Sc_R, Sc_G and Sc_B provided to the first to third switching components 221 to 223.

[0052] In the control module 230 of this embodiment, since the microcontroller 232 mainly outputs the second control signal Sn in a fixed manner and does not require additional output adjustment, the microcontroller 232 of this embodiment can be implemented using a conventional microcontroller architecture without the need for additional circuit design modifications. In other words, the control signal generation circuit 231 and the output control circuit 233 in the control module 230 can be peripheral circuits located outside the microcontroller 232.

[0053] Please refer to the following: Figure 3BIn this embodiment, the LED module Lm also includes a red light unit Lu1, a green light unit Lu2, and a blue light unit Lu3, but this application is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the LED driving device 300 includes a power supply module 310, a switching module 320, and a control module 330. The power supply module 310 includes a conversion circuit 311 and an overcurrent protection circuit 312. The switching module 320 includes a first switching component 321, a second switching component 322, and a third switching component 323. The control module 330 includes a microcontroller 331.

[0054] The configuration of the power supply module 310 and the switch module 320 in this embodiment is the same as described above. Figure 3A Since the embodiments are similar, the configuration and operation of related components (such as current limiting component 3121, current detection circuit 3122, overcurrent judgment circuit 3123 and protection trigger circuit 3124) can be referred to the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0055] This embodiment is compared to Figure 3A The main difference is that the function of the control module 330 is integrated inside the microcontroller 331. That is, the microcontroller 331 can independently determine the signal format / characteristics of the output control signals Sc_R, Sc_G and Sc_B as the first control signal or the second control signal based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd.

[0056] Specifically, in this embodiment, the microcontroller 331 is coupled to the power supply module 310 and the switching module 320. The microcontroller 331 receives an overcurrent detection signal Sd from the overcurrent detection circuit 3123 of the power supply module 310, and determines, based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd, to generate a first control signal or a second control signal different from the first control signal as control signals Sc_R, Sc_G, and Sc_B output to the switching module 320. The microcontroller 331 includes an overcurrent control unit 3311 and a control signal generation unit 3312. The overcurrent control unit 3311 receives the overcurrent detection signal Sd and generates a current limiting indication signal Sind based on the overcurrent detection signal Sd. The control signal generation unit 3312 is coupled to the overcurrent control unit 3311. The control signal generation unit 3312 generates either the first control signal or the second control signal based on the overcurrent indication signal as control signals Sc_R, Sc_G, and Sc_B to control the conduction state of each switching component 321-323 of the LED module Lm.

[0057] More specifically, when the overcurrent control unit 3311 receives an overcurrent detection signal Sd with a first signal characteristic (e.g., high level), the overcurrent control unit 3311 outputs an enabled current limiting indication signal Sind, so that the control signal generation unit 3312 responds to the enabled current limiting indication signal Sind and outputs a first control signal (e.g., Slc) as control signals Sc_R, Sc_G, and Sc_B.

[0058] On the other hand, when the overcurrent control unit 3311 receives an overcurrent detection signal Sd with a second signal characteristic (e.g., low level), the overcurrent control unit 3311 will output a disabled current limiting indication signal Sind, so that the control signal generation unit 3312 responds to the disabled current limiting indication signal Sind and outputs a second control signal (e.g., Sn) as control signals Sc_R, Sc_G and Sc_B.

[0059] Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, when the control signal generation unit 3312 generates a first control signal to control the switch module 320, the current generated by the LED module Lm in response to the first control signal will be less than the current generated by the LED module Lm in response to the second control signal, so that the output current Io can be limited to a current value below the threshold current when the specifications do not match, thereby preventing the overcurrent protection function of the power supply module 310 from being triggered.

[0060] In some embodiments, the control module 230 / 330 can output specific control signals Sc_R, Sc_G and Sc_B to enable the red light unit Lu1, green light unit Lu2 and blue light unit Lu3 of the LED module Lm to issue an overcurrent warning when an overcurrent situation occurs.

[0061] The overcurrent warning includes, for example, reducing the luminous intensity of at least one of the red light unit Lu1, green light unit Lu2, and blue light unit Lu3 to alert the user by reducing the red / green / blue light brightness; intermittently illuminating at least one of the red light unit Lu1, green light unit Lu2, and blue light unit Lu3 to alert the user by causing the LED module Lm to flash; and disabling at least one of the red light unit Lu1, green light unit Lu2, and blue light unit Lu3 to alert the user by changing the luminous color.

[0062] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a control method for an LED module according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 4 The control method in this embodiment can be applied to the above-mentioned Figures 1 to 3B The LED driving devices 100, 200 and 300 are described, but this application is not limited to them.

[0063] The control method of this embodiment includes the following steps: supplying power to the LED module (e.g., Lm) using a power supply module (e.g., 110, 210, 310) (step S110); receiving an overcurrent detection signal (e.g., Sd) from the power supply module using a control module (e.g., 130, 230, 330), wherein the overcurrent detection signal is used to indicate whether the output current (e.g., Io) supplied to the LED module exceeds a threshold current (e.g., Ith), thereby enabling the power supply module to determine whether to trigger the overcurrent protection function (step S120); and then the control module determines the output current based on the overcurrent detection signal. The system checks whether the current exceeds a threshold current (step S130); when the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current exceeds the threshold current (the judgment result is yes), the control module outputs a first control signal (such as Slc) to control the conduction state of the LED module so that the power supply module does not trigger the overcurrent protection function (step S140); and when the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current does not exceed the threshold current (the judgment result is no), the control module outputs a second control signal (such as Sn) different from the first control signal to control the conduction state of the LED module (step S150). The current generated by the LED module in response to the first control signal is less than the current generated by the LED module in response to the second control signal.

[0064] In summary, the control method of the LED driver, microcontroller, and LED module in this application embodiment can determine the operating status of the power supply module by capturing overcurrent detection signals. Furthermore, when there is a potential overcurrent risk, the output current of the power supply module can be reduced by decreasing the conduction time and / or frequency of the LED module. This prevents the overcurrent protection function from being triggered and the LED module from failing to light up when the specifications of the LED module and the LED driver are mismatched. In addition, the LED driver in this embodiment can further issue a warning to the user when it is determined that there is an overcurrent situation in the power supply module, indicating a potential specification mismatch between the current LED module and the LED driver.

Claims

1. An LED driving device, suitable for driving an LED module, characterized in that, The LED driver includes: A power supply module is used to supply power to the LED module, wherein the power supply module detects the output current supplied to the LED module and determines whether to trigger the overcurrent protection function of the power supply module based on whether the output current exceeds a threshold current. A switch module for connecting in series with the LED module; and A control module, coupled to the power supply module and the switching module, is used to receive an overcurrent detection signal indicating whether the output current exceeds the threshold current, and to control the conduction state of the switching module based on the overcurrent detection signal, thereby affecting the magnitude of the current through the LED module. When the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current exceeds the threshold current, the control module outputs a first control signal based on the overcurrent detection signal to control the switching module so that the overcurrent protection function is not triggered. Specifically, when the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current does not exceed the threshold current, the control module outputs a second control signal, which is different from the first control signal, based on the overcurrent detection signal to control the switching module.

2. The LED driving device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The duty cycle and frequency of the first control signal and the second control signal are different, at least one of them.

3. The LED driving device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The switching module switches in response to the first control signal, causing the LED module to issue an overcurrent warning.

4. The LED driving device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The LED module includes a first wavelength light-emitting unit, a second wavelength light-emitting unit, and a third wavelength light-emitting unit; the overcurrent warning includes reducing the luminous brightness of at least one of the first wavelength light-emitting unit, the second wavelength light-emitting unit, and the third wavelength light-emitting unit.

5. The LED driving device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The LED module includes a first wavelength light-emitting unit, a second wavelength light-emitting unit, and a third wavelength light-emitting unit; the overcurrent indication includes intermittently illuminating at least one of the first wavelength light-emitting unit, the second wavelength light-emitting unit, and the third wavelength light-emitting unit.

6. The LED driving device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The LED module includes a first wavelength light-emitting unit, a second wavelength light-emitting unit, and a third wavelength light-emitting unit; the overcurrent indication includes disabling at least one of the first wavelength light-emitting unit, the second wavelength light-emitting unit, and the third wavelength light-emitting unit.

7. The LED driving device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control module includes: A microcontroller, coupled to the power supply module and the switching module, is configured to receive the overcurrent detection signal from the power supply module and, based on the overcurrent detection signal, determine whether to generate the first control signal or a second control signal different from the first control signal and output it to the switching module. An overcurrent control unit is configured to receive the overcurrent detection signal from the power supply module and generate a current limiting indication signal based on the overcurrent detection signal; and A control signal generation unit, coupled to the overcurrent control unit, is used to generate either the first control signal or the second control signal based on the current limiting indication signal to provide to the switching module, wherein: When the overcurrent control unit receives an overcurrent detection signal indicating that the output current exceeds the threshold current, the overcurrent control unit outputs an enabled current limiting indication signal, causing the control signal generation unit to respond to the enabled current limiting indication signal and output the first control signal. When the overcurrent control unit receives the overcurrent detection signal indicating that the output current does not exceed the threshold current, the overcurrent control unit outputs the disabled current limiting indication signal, so that the control signal generating unit responds to the disabled current limiting indication signal and outputs the second control signal.

8. A control method for an LED module, characterized in that, include: The LED module is powered by a power supply module; The control module receives an overcurrent detection signal from the power supply module, wherein the overcurrent detection signal is used to indicate whether the output current supplied to the LED module exceeds a threshold current, so that the power supply module can decide whether to trigger the overcurrent protection function. When the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current exceeds the threshold current, the control module outputs a first control signal to control the conduction state of the LED module so that the power supply module does not trigger the overcurrent protection function. as well as When the overcurrent detection signal indicates that the output current does not exceed the threshold current, the control module outputs a second control signal, different from the first control signal, to control the conduction state of the LED module. Wherein, the current generated by the LED module in response to the first control signal is less than the current generated by the LED module in response to the second control signal.

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