Control circuit and control method

Abstract

The invention provides a control circuit and a control method, the circuit comprises an RGB driving chip, a plurality of switches and a plurality of RGB lamp groups, each RGB lamp group comprises at least one RGB lamp, the RGB driving chip is connected with the first end of the RGB lamp group, the RGB driving chip is connected with the first end of the switch, and the second end of the switch is connected with the second end of the RGB lamp group; and the RGB driving chip is used for controlling the first switch in the plurality of switches to disconnect with the first RGB lamp group in the plurality of RGB lamp groups, or controlling the second switch in the plurality of switches to connect with the second RGB lamp group in the plurality of RGB lamp groups, so that the RGB lamp groups connected with different switches are not completely turned on or turned off at the same time. The use number of electronic components is effectively reduced, the utilization rate of the driving chip is improved, and the cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to LED lighting control technology, and in particular to a control circuit and a control method. Background Art

[0002] Car atmosphere lights are a type of lighting used for decoration. More and more consumers will choose to install car atmosphere lights on their cars. The light source of the atmosphere light is RGB, which is composed of 3 different color LEDs. They adjust the color and brightness by controlling the size of the current, thereby achieving a mixture of multiple different colors and brightness. Its working principle is that under the action of DC power, the red, green and blue LED chips flow through three independent channels respectively, and finally through the human eye's perception of different colors and brightness, a rich color effect is presented.

[0003] As consumers have higher and higher requirements for the functions of in-vehicle ambient lights, the number of RGBs has gradually increased, more and more driver chips are needed, the utilization rate of driver chips is not high, and the cost of ambient lights is also getting higher and higher. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application proposes a control circuit and a control method to realize time-sharing multiplexing to light up RGB lamps, effectively reduce the number of electronic components used, improve the utilization rate of driver chips, and reduce costs.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control circuit, comprising: an RGB driver chip, a plurality of switches, and a plurality of RGB lamp groups, wherein the RGB lamp group comprises at least one RGB lamp, wherein:

[0006] The RGB driver chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of RGB lamp groups, the RGB driver chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of switches, and the second ends of the plurality of switches are connected to the second ends of the plurality of RGB lamp groups;

[0007] The RGB driver chip is used to control a first switch among the multiple switches to disconnect from a first RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, or to control a second switch among the multiple switches to connect to a second RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, so that among the RGB light groups, RGB light groups connected to different switches are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time.

[0008] In a possible embodiment, the RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of RGB lamp groups through a plurality of lamp channels.

[0009] In a possible embodiment, the number of RGB lamps included in the RGB lamp group corresponds to the number of lamp channels of the RGB driving chip.

[0010] In a possible embodiment, the RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of switches through a plurality of general-purpose input / output (GPIO) pins.

[0011] In a possible embodiment, each switch includes a triode and a metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (MOS) tube, and the MOS tube is a positive channel metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (PMOS) tube or a negative channel metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (NMOS) tube.

[0012] In a possible embodiment, when the MOS tube is a PMOS tube, the RGB driver chip is further used to output a high level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be connected; and / or output a low level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be disconnected.

[0013] In a possible embodiment, when the MOS tube is an NMOS tube, the RGB driver chip is further used to output a low level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be turned on; and / or output a high level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be turned off.

[0014] In a possible embodiment, the RGB driver chip is further used to: output voltage to the multiple switches, so that the multiple switches light up the RGB lamp groups connected to the multiple switches when they are turned on.

[0015] In a possible embodiment, the RGB driver chip is connected to the first end or the second end of the plurality of switches through a buck circuit, and the RGB driver chip is further configured to output voltage to the switch through the buck circuit.

[0016] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method applicable to an RGB driver chip in the control circuit as described above, the method comprising:

[0017] Acquire first information, where the first information is used to instruct to light up or turn off the RGB light;

[0018] According to the first information, a first switch among the multiple switches is controlled to disconnect from a first RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, or a second switch among the multiple switches is controlled to connect to a second RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, so that among the multiple RGB light groups, RGB light groups connected to different switches are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time.

[0019] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising a processor, a memory, and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and are configured to be executed by the processor, and the one or more programs include instructions for executing the steps in the method as described above.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the steps of the method described above.

[0021] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer program / instructions, and the computer program product is operable to cause a computer to execute the steps of the method described above.

[0022] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle lamp, comprising the control circuit as described above, and / or comprising the electronic device as described above.

[0023] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle, comprising the control circuit as described above, or comprising the vehicle lights as described above.

[0024] It can be seen that in this example, the first switch among the multiple switches of the RGB driver chip disconnects the connection with the first RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, or controls the second switch among the multiple switches to connect the connection with the second RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, so that the RGB light groups connected to different switches in the RGB light groups are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time. In this way, by setting the connection relationship between the RGB driver chip, the multiple switches, and the multiple RGB light groups, and the RGB driver chip is used to control the switch to be turned on or off, so that the RGB light groups respectively connected to at least two switches among the multiple switches are not lit or extinguished at the same time, time-sharing multiplexing of lighting the RGB lights is realized, the number of electronic components used is effectively reduced, the utilization rate of the driver chip is improved, and the cost is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a first control circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 2is a structural schematic diagram of a second control circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a third control circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a flow chart of a control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a process of time-division multiplexing of RGB lights provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a timing diagram of time-division multiplexing of RGB lights provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the composition of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the composition of another vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0037] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0038] In the embodiments of the present application, "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three situations: A exists alone; A and B exist at the same time; B exists alone. Among them, A and B can be singular or plural.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present application, the symbol " / " can indicate that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship. In addition, the symbol " / " can also indicate a division sign, that is, performing a division operation. For example, A / B can indicate A divided by B.

[0040] In the embodiments of the present application, "equal to" can be used in conjunction with greater than, and is applicable to the technical solution adopted when greater than, and can also be used in conjunction with less than, and is applicable to the technical solution adopted when less than. When equal to is used in conjunction with greater than, it is not used in conjunction with less than; when equal to is used in conjunction with less than, it is not used in conjunction with greater than.

[0041] To facilitate understanding of this scheme, some names need to be explained.

[0042] RGB: RGB stands for the colors of three channels: red, green and blue. It is a chip composed of three LED light channels.

[0043] GPIO: The full name is general-purpose input / output, which is the abbreviation of general-purpose input / output;

[0044] Local Interconnect Network (LIN): A low-cost serial communication network used to implement distributed electronic control systems in bicycles.

[0045] MOS: The full name is Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor, which is the abbreviation of gold-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor.

[0046] PMOS: The full name is Positive channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor, which is the abbreviation of positive channel gold oxide semiconductor field effect transistor and is a type of MOS.

[0047] NMOS: The full name is Negative channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor, which is the abbreviation of negative channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor and is a type of MOS.

[0048] Normally, the ambient light solution can be that the RGB lamp adopts a common anode power supply method, and the RGB driver chip can control the current of the RGB lamp. In order to accurately control the current, one RGB occupies 3 light channels of the RGB driver chip. However, the number of light channels of one RGB driver chip is limited and cannot meet the needs of driving multiple RGB lamps at the same time. For example, the chip model used by the RGB driver chip is iND83204. The driver chip has 24 light channels. If the switch circuit is not added and it is directly connected to the RGB lamp, up to 8 RGB lamps can be lit at the same time; if the RGB driver chip has 9 light channels, no switch circuit is added and it is directly connected to the RGB lamp, then up to 3 RGB lamps can be lit at the same time.

[0049] As consumers have higher and higher requirements for the functions of in-vehicle ambient lights, the number of RGBs has gradually increased, more and more driver chips are needed, the utilization rate of driver chips is not high, and the cost of ambient lights is also getting higher and higher.

[0050] In view of the above problems, an embodiment of the present application proposes a control circuit, including: an RGB driver chip, multiple switches, and multiple RGB lamp groups, wherein the RGB lamp group includes at least one RGB lamp, wherein the RGB driver chip is connected to the first ends of the multiple RGB lamp groups, the RGB driver chip is connected to the first ends of the multiple switches, and the second ends of the multiple switches are connected to the second ends of the multiple RGB lamp groups; the RGB driver chip is used to control a first switch among the multiple switches to disconnect from a first RGB lamp group among the multiple RGB lamp groups, or to control a second switch among the multiple switches to connect to a second RGB lamp group among the multiple RGB lamp groups, so that in the RGB lamp groups, RGB lamp groups connected to different switches are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time.

[0051] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first control circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the control circuit 10 includes an RGB driving chip 101, multiple switches (such as the first switch 1031, the second switch 1032, and the switch 1033 in the figure), and multiple RGB lamp groups (such as the first RGB lamp group 1021, the second RGB lamp group 1022, and the RGB lamp group 1023 in the figure), and the RGB lamp group includes at least one RGB lamp, such as the RGB lamp group 1023 in the figure includes RGB lamp 1, RGB lamp 2, and RGB lamp N, where N is an integer greater than zero.

[0053] Among them, the model used for RGB lights can be BOS-3433RGB.

[0054] Among them, Figure 1 In the embodiment, the RGB driver chip 101 is connected to the first ends of multiple RGB lamp groups, such as the RGB driver chip 101 is respectively connected to the first end of the first RGB lamp group 1021, the first end of the second RGB lamp group 1022, and the first end of the RGB lamp group 1023; the RGB driver chip 101 is connected to the first ends of multiple switches, such as the RGB driver chip 101 is respectively connected to the first end of the first switch 1031, the first end of the second switch 1032, and the first end of the switch 1033; the second ends of the multiple switches are connected to the second ends of the multiple RGB lamp groups, such as the second end of the first RGB lamp group 1021 is connected to the second end of the first switch 1031, the second end of the second RGB lamp group 1022 is connected to the second end of the second switch 1032, and the second end of the RGB lamp group 1023 is connected to the second end of the switch 1033.

[0055] The RGB driver chip is used to control a first switch among the multiple switches to disconnect the first RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, or to control a second switch among the multiple switches to connect the second RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, so that the RGB light groups connected to different switches among the RGB light groups are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the RGB driving chip 101 can control the first switch 1031 to disconnect from the first RGB lamp group, and control the second switch 1032 to connect to the second RGB lamp group 1022, so that the first RGB lamp group 1021 is lit and the second RGB lamp group 1022 is off.

[0056] Among them, the RGB driver chip may include multiple functional pins and custom functional pins. For example, the RGB driver chip may include multiple light channels, one or more independent GPIO pins, a LIN controller and transceiver, a high-voltage constant current source and / or a voltage detection circuit, etc. In particular, the chip model used by the RGB driver chip may be iND83204.

[0057] It can be seen that in this example, by setting the connection relationship between the RGB driver chip, multiple switches, and multiple RGB lamp groups, and the RGB driver chip is used to control the switch to be turned on or off, so that the RGB lamp groups respectively connected to at least two switches among the multiple switches are not lit or extinguished at the same time, time-sharing multiplexing of lighting the RGB lamps is realized, the number of electronic components used is effectively reduced, the utilization rate of the driver chip is improved, and the cost is reduced.

[0058] In a possible embodiment, the RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of RGB lamp groups through the plurality of lamp channels.

[0059] Among them, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second control circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the control circuit 10 includes: an RGB driving chip 101, a switch 1 (which can be equivalent to Figure 1 The first switch 1031 in the embodiment, switch 2 (which can be equivalent to Figure 1 The second switch 1032 in RGB matrix 1 (which can be equivalent to Figure 1 The first RGB light group 1021), RGB matrix 2 (can be equivalent to Figure 1 The RGB driver chip 101 includes a microcontroller unit (MCU), a LIN, a low-dropout regulator (LDO), an LED channel, a step-down conversion circuit (or BUCK), GPIO1, GPIO2 and RCOsc16MHz. The RGB driver chip 101 can be connected to the first end of the RGB matrix 1 and the first end of the RGB matrix 2 through the LED channel.

[0060] Among them, the first end of the RGB matrix 1 can be the cathode of the RGB matrix 1, and similarly, the first end of the RGB matrix 2 can be the cathode of the RGB matrix 2.

[0061] Furthermore, the number of RGB lamps included in the RGB lamp group corresponds to the number of lamp channels of the RGB driving chip.

[0062] Among them, the number of RGB lights in the RGB light group corresponds to the number of light channels of the RGB driver chip. For example, the RGB driver chip iND83204 has 24 light channels. Since 1 RGB light needs to occupy 3 light channels, there can be up to 8 RGB lights at the same time, and the maximum number of RGB lights in the RGB light group is 8; if the RGB driver chip has 9 light channels, there can be up to 3 RGB lights at the same time, and the maximum number of RGB lights in the RGB light group is 3.

[0063] Among them, see Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a third control circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the control circuit 10 includes an RGB driver chip 101, an RGB matrix 1, an RGB matrix 2, a switch 1 and a switch 2. The RGB driver chip 101 includes 9 LED channels, namely LED1, LED2, LED3, LED4, LED5, LED6, LED7, LED8 and LED9. The RGB driver chip 101 is connected to RGB through the LED channels. As shown in the figure, the RGB driver chip 101 is connected to RGB1 and RGB4 through LED1, LED2 and LED3, the RGB driver chip 101 is connected to RGB2 and RGB5 through LED4, LED5 and LED6, and the RGB driver chip 101 is connected to RGB3 and RGB6 through LED6, LED7 and LED8. It should be noted that Figure 3 The RGB driver chip in the has 9 LED channels, and only 2 sets of switches (i.e. switch 1 and switch 2) are added, so there can be two RGB matrices (i.e. RGB matrix 1 and RGB matrix 2), which can light up 6 RGB lights at the same time (i.e. RGB1, RGB2, RGB3, RGB4, RGB5 and RGB6). Similarly, when the chip model used in the RGB driver chip is iND83204, if 3 sets of switches are added, up to 24 RGB lights can be lit at the same time.

[0064] Furthermore, the RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of switches through a plurality of general purpose input / output GPIO pins.

[0065] Among them, Figure 2 As shown, the RGB driver chip 101 is connected to the first end of the switch 1 through GPIO1, the RGB driver chip 101 is connected to the first end of the switch 2 through GPIO2, the second end of the RGB matrix 1 is connected to the second end of the switch 1, and the second end of the RGB matrix 2 is connected to the second end of the switch 2. In particular, Figure 2 From the figure, we can see the path of the current. The current can come from GPIO1 of the RGB driver chip to switch 1, then to RGB matrix 1 through switch 1, finally to RGB matrix 1 and to the RGB driver chip through the LED channel. The current is processed by other components in the RGB driver chip. In this process, the current size can be controlled. Similarly, the current can come from GPIO2 of the RGB driver chip to switch 2, then to RGB matrix 2 through switch 2, finally to RGB matrix 2 and to the RGB driver chip through the LED channel. The current is processed by other components in the RGB driver chip. In this process, the current size can be controlled.

[0066] Among them, Figure 3 As shown, the control circuit 10 further includes GPIO1 and GPIO2, the RGB driving chip 101 is connected to the first end of the switch 2 through GPIO1, and the RGB driving chip 101 is connected to the first end of the switch 1 through GPIO2.

[0067] It can be seen that in this example, the RGB lamp control circuit provided has a simple structure, adds two sets of high and low level control switches, and fully utilizes the GPIO resources of the RGB driver chip, realizing the time-sharing multiplexing of the LED channels of the RGB driver chip to drive the RGB lamp, thereby effectively reducing the number of electronic components used, improving the utilization rate of the RGB driver chip, and reducing the cost of the solution.

[0068] In a possible embodiment, the RGB driver chip is further used to: output voltage to the multiple switches, so that the multiple switches light up the RGB lamp groups connected to the multiple switches when they are turned on.

[0069] Furthermore, a step-down BUCK circuit on the RGB driver chip is connected to the first end or the second end of the plurality of switches, and the RGB driver chip is further configured to output voltage to the plurality of switches through the BUCK circuit.

[0070] Among them, the RGB driver chip can output voltage through the BUCK circuit in the RGB driver chip. The BUCK circuit may include a MOSFET switch, an inductor, a capacitor and a control circuit. The MOSFET switch can be used to control the switch of the input voltage. The switch switches at a certain frequency so that the input voltage passes during the MOSFET conduction period and then blocks during its cut-off period. The combination of the inductor and the MOSFET switch can form a switching regulator for converting the input voltage into a constant output current. The capacitor can be used to stabilize the output current so that the output current is as constant as possible. The control circuit can adjust the switching frequency and duty cycle of the MOSFET switch as needed, and keep the output current constant. In summary, the BUCK can drive the lamp with a voltage lower than the input voltage, thereby reducing power loss, and can also provide a stable output current, thereby achieving constant brightness of the lamp.

[0071] Among them, Figure 2 As shown, the RGB driver chip 101 includes a BUCK, which is connected to switch 1 and used to provide a 5V voltage to the circuit where switch 1 is located, and the BUCK is connected to switch 2 and used to provide a 5V voltage to the circuit where switch 2 is located. Figure 3 As shown, the RGB driver chip obtains an input voltage of 12V through the LDO and outputs a constant voltage of 5V through the BUCK. When the switch is turned on, the corresponding connected driver RGB matrix can be lit.

[0072] It can be seen that in this example, the RGB lamp is powered by the BUCK circuit in the RGB driver chip, which effectively reduces the number of electronic components used, improves the utilization rate of the RGB driver chip, and reduces the solution cost.

[0073] In a possible embodiment, each switch transistor and a metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (MOS) tube are positive channel metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (PMOS) tubes or negative channel metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (NMOS) tubes.

[0074] Furthermore, when the MOS tube is a PMOS tube, the RGB driver chip is also used to output a high level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be connected; and / or output a low level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be disconnected.

[0075] Among them, Figure 2 As shown, switch 1 and switch 2 both include a PMOS tube and a triode. The model of the PMOS tube can be LP2305LT1G_P, and the model of the transistor can be PMBT3904. The transistor and the PMOS tube can form a switch. For example, for switch 1, the drain (Source, S) of the PMOS tube can be connected to the positive power supply, that is, BUCK, and the gate (Gate, G) of the PMOS tube can be connected to the logic control signal, that is, the GPIO1 pin, through a pull-up resistor. The other end of the pull-up resistor is connected to the positive power supply. The collector of the transistor can be connected to the S of the PMOS tube to form a series connection. The emitter of the transistor can be connected to the ground. When the logic control signal sent by GPIO1 is a high level, the G of the PMOS tube will receive a high level. Since the voltage of the G of the PMOS tube is higher than the voltage of the S of the PMOS tube, the PMOS tube is turned on, and the base port voltage of the transistor is lower than the base voltage, causing the transistor to be driven to turn on. Similarly, when GPIO1 is a low level, the PMOS tube is not turned on, and the transistor is also not turned on.

[0076] Furthermore, when the MOS tube is an NMOS tube, the RGB driver chip is also used to output a low level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be turned on; and / or output a high level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be turned off.

[0077] Among them, when the MOS tube is an NMOS tube, the gate of the NMOS tube can be directly connected to the load or output end, the source of the NMOS tube can be connected to the ground, the gate of the NMOS tube can be connected to the logic control signal through a pull-down resistor, the emitter of the transistor can be connected to the positive power supply, and the collector of the transistor can be connected to the source of the NMOS tube to form a series connection. When the logic control signal is at a low level, the gate of the NMOS tube will receive a low level. Since the gate voltage of the NMOS tube is higher than its threshold voltage, the NMOS tube is turned on, and the base of the transistor is connected to the ground through a pull-down resistor, so that the base voltage of the transistor is lower than the emitter voltage, causing the transistor to be driven to turn on. Similarly, when the logic control signal is at a high level, the NMOS tube is not turned on, and the transistor is also not turned on.

[0078] It can be seen that in this example, the switch is composed of a triode and a MOS tube. The switch can be turned on only when an effective level is input. The switch is turned on or off by controlling the GPIO pin of the RGB driver chip, making full use of the GPIO resources of the RGB driver chip, and realizing the function of time-sharing multiplexing of the LED channels of the RGB driver chip to drive the RGB lamp, thereby effectively reducing the number of electronic components used, improving the utilization rate of the RGB driver chip, and reducing the cost of the solution.

[0079] It should be noted that in Figure 2 In the figure, the RGB driver chip 101 also includes RCOsc16MHz, LIN, and LDO. RCOsc16MHz can represent a resistor-capacitance (RC) oscillator with a frequency of 16MHz (megahertz). The RGB driver chip can obtain an external 12V power supply through LDO. The RGB driver chip can communicate with an external ECU through LIN. The RGB driver chip can provide 5V power to the RGB matrix 1 and the RGB matrix 2 through BUCK. The RGB driver chip can also output a high level or a low level through GPIO1 to control the connection and disconnection of the switch 1. The RGB driver chip can also output a high level or a low level through GPIO2 to control the connection and disconnection of the switch 2. The RGB driver chip can also access the cathodes of the RGB matrix 1 and the RGB matrix 2 through the LED channel and control the current.

[0080] In addition, Figure 3 In the example, the RGB driver chip can communicate with the external ECU through LIN, and can also provide 5V power to the RGB matrix 1 and RGB matrix 2. The RGB driver chip also needs to be grounded, that is, GND. The RGB driver chip can output a high level or a low level to switch 2 through GPIO1, so that switch 2 can be connected or opened. Similarly, the RGB driver chip can output a high level or a low level to switch 1 through GPIO2, so that switch 1 can be connected or disconnected.

[0081] The present application also provides a control method, which is applicable to the RGB driver chip in the above control circuit. Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a flow chart of a control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the control method includes the following steps.

[0082] S401, obtaining first information.

[0083] The first information is used to instruct to turn on or off the RGB light.

[0084] The first information may be an RGB light-on signal input by an external electronic control unit (ECU) to the RGB driver chip, and the RGB driver chip may control the connection or disconnection of each switch according to the RGB light-on signal. The first information may also be an instruction to light up the RGB light received by the RGB driver chip itself from a microcontroller or other controller. The RGB driver chip may control the brightness and color of the RGB light according to the first information, and the first information may be transmitted through a serial communication interface (e.g., I 2 C and SPI) or parallel interface for transmission, the RGB driver chip contains a PWM dimmer inside, which can adjust the brightness of the LED and mix the three basic colors of red, green and blue to produce the required color according to the input first information.

[0085] S402, controlling a plurality of switches to be turned on or off according to the first information, so that the RGB lamp groups respectively connected to at least two switches among the plurality of switches are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time.

[0086] The RGB lamp group includes at least one RGB lamp, and the model of the RGB lamp used may be BOS-3433RGB.

[0087] Among them, the RGB driver chip controls the switch to be turned on or off according to the first information. The RGB driver chip can be an RGB driver chip with an internal integrated microcontroller (Micro Controller Unit, MCU) and GPIO pin. A control program is written according to functional requirements and then burned into the RGB driver chip to control the GPIO pin to output a high level or a low level to control the connection or disconnection of the switch.

[0088] It can be seen that in this example, by controlling the switch to be turned on or off, the RGB lamp groups respectively connected to at least two switches among the multiple switches are not lit or extinguished at the same time, thereby realizing time-sharing multiplexing to light up the RGB lamp, effectively reducing the number of electronic components used, improving the utilization rate of the RGB driver chip, and reducing the cost.

[0089] Among them, when the number of multiple switches is 2, such as Figure 2 As shown, the first switch may be switch 1, and the second switch may be switch 2. Switch 1 and switch 2 will not be turned on or off at the same time, that is, RGB matrix 1 and RGB matrix 2 will not be turned on or off at the same time. Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a time-division multiplexing process of RGB lights provided in an embodiment of the present application. This process is applicable to Figure 2 The control circuit shown in Figure 5 As shown, the ambient light lighting signal is input. Specifically, the ambient light lighting signal can be input to the RGB driver chip by the external ECU through LIN communication; then the RGB driver chip receives the ambient light lighting signal; then the RGB driver chip controls GPIO1 to output a high level to power the RGB matrix 1. Specifically, 5V can be output to switch 1 through BUCK. At this time, switch 1 is closed after receiving the high level, and the 5V circuit where switch 1 is located is turned on; then RGB matrix 1 is lit; and then it lasts for a period of time. At this time, the RGB driver chip can control the current size of the circuit where RGB matrix 1 is located in real time according to the software definition; then the RGB driver chip switches GPIO1 to a low level, and RGB matrix 1 is turned off; at the same time, RGB The driver chip switches GPIO2 to a high level to power the RGB matrix 2. Specifically, 5V can be output to switch 2 through BUCK. At this time, switch 2 is closed after receiving the high level, and the 5V circuit where switch 2 is located is turned on, and then the RGB matrix 2 is lit for a period of time. At this time, the RGB driver chip can control the current of the circuit where the RGB matrix 2 is located in real time according to the software definition. After a period of time, one cycle is completed; the RGB driver chip switches GPIO1 to a high level to power the RGB matrix 1, and then the RGB matrix 1 is lit; at the same time, the RGB driver chip switches GPIO2 to a low level, and then the RGB matrix 2 is turned off, and the cycle is repeated in sequence to realize the cyclic lighting of the RGB matrix 1 and the RGB matrix 2.

[0090] Among them, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a timing diagram of RGB light time-division multiplexing provided in an embodiment of the present application. The timing diagram is based on Figure 5 The process shown in the figure shows the level change of the GPIO pin and the state change of the RGB matrix. Figure 6As shown, the level conversion curve starting from the low level is the level conversion of GPIO1, and the level conversion curve starting from the high level is the level conversion of GPIO2. Correspondingly, the conversion curve starting from the dark level is the conversion of RGB matrix 1, and the conversion curve starting from the bright level is the conversion of RGB matrix 2. GPIO1 and GPIO2 can perform opposite level conversions in the same time sequence, so that RGB matrix 1 and RGB matrix 2 can keep one RGB matrix lit and the other RGB matrix extinguished in the same time sequence. For example, in the first period, GPIO1 is at a low level and GPIO2 is at a high level. At this time, RGB matrix 1 is extinguished and RGB matrix 2 is lit. In the second period, GPIO1 is at a high level and GPIO2 is at a low level. At this time, RGB matrix 1 is lit and RGB matrix 2 is extinguished. By calculation, RGB matrix 1 and RGB matrix 2 can be lit or extinguished in turn. In particular, when the first time period, the second time period, and each time period thereafter are the same, and the time period is 2 nanoseconds (ns), the frequency of the RGB matrix lighting up or extinguishing in turn is 200kHz. According to the phenomenon of human visual residual, the frequent light and dark switching of the RGB matrix cannot be detected. What the human eye sees is that the RGB lights are lit at the same time. In this way, when the same number of RGB lights are lit, this solution uses fewer RGB driver chips, effectively reducing the number of channels controlled by RGB, effectively reducing costs, and reducing the number of electronic devices such as RGB driver chips, while meeting the function of adjusting RGB brightness and color. It should be noted that the lighting or extinguishing time of RGB matrix 1 and RGB matrix 2 can be the same or different. For example, the lighting time of RGB matrix 1 is 1ns, and the lighting time of RGB matrix 2 is 2ns, which can also realize the time-sharing multiplexing function of RGB lights.

[0091] It should be noted that the RGB driver chip can control the current of each circuit individually. Figure 2 For example, when switch 1 is turned on and switch 2 is turned off, the RGB driver chip can control the current of the circuit where switch 1 is located; when switch 1 is turned off and switch 2 is turned on, the RGB driver chip can control the current of the circuit where switch 2 is located.

[0092] It can be seen that in this example, the GPIO resources of the RGB driver chip are fully utilized to realize the function of time-sharing multiplexing of the LED channels of the RGB driver chip to drive the RGB lamp, thereby effectively reducing the number of electronic components used, improving the utilization rate of the RGB driver chip, and reducing the cost of the solution.

[0093] The embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including a processor, a memory, and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, and the one or more programs include instructions for executing the steps in the above method. Figure 7 , Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the electronic device 60 can be an electronic device with computing capabilities, and the electronic device 60 can include various other processing devices, as well as various forms of personal computers, servers, network devices, etc. The electronic device 60 includes a processor 601, a memory 602, a communication interface 603, and one or more programs 604. The one or more programs 604 are stored in the memory 602 and are configured to be executed by the processor 601. The one or more programs 604 include steps for executing any of the following schemes. In a specific implementation, the processor 601 is used to execute the steps in any of the methods in the above method embodiments, and when performing data transmission such as sending, the communication interface 603 can be selectively called to complete the corresponding operation.

[0094] The processor 601 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor 601 may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like.

[0095] The above mainly introduces the scheme of the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the execution process on the method side. It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the electronic device includes a hardware structure and a software module corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments provided herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present application.

[0096] The embodiment of the present application can divide the electronic device into functional units according to the above method example. For example, each functional unit can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0097] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer instructions. The computer program product can be operated to enable a computer to execute part or all of the steps of any method recorded in the above method embodiments.

[0098] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program enables a computer to execute part or all of the steps of any method recorded in the above method embodiments.

[0099] The embodiment of the present application also provides a vehicle lamp, which includes the control circuit as described above, and / or includes the electronic device as described above. Figure 8 , Figure 8 Schematic diagram of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, the vehicle 80 includes a headlight 70, and the headlight 70 includes a control circuit 10. In addition, the headlight 70 may also include Figure 7 An electronic device 60 is shown.

[0100] The present application also provides a vehicle, which includes the control circuit as described above, or includes the vehicle light as described above. Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of another vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 As shown, the vehicle 80 includes a control circuit 10. In addition, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, vehicle 80 includes vehicle light 70 .

[0101] It should be noted that, for the aforementioned method embodiments, for the sake of simplicity, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that the present application is not limited by the described order of actions, because according to the present application, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by the present application.

[0102] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0103] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed device can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, such as the division of the above-mentioned units, which is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units can be electrical or other forms.

[0104] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0105] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0106] If the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable memory. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a memory, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned methods of each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned memory includes: U disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), mobile hard disk, disk or CD-ROM and other media that can store program codes.

[0107] The embodiments of the present application are introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present application. At the same time, for general technical personnel in this field, according to the idea of ​​the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0108] Although the present application is disclosed as above, the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, and can make various changes and modifications, including the combination of the above-mentioned different functions and implementation steps, including software and hardware implementation methods, all of which are within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A control circuit, characterized in that: include: RGB driver chip, multiple switches, and multiple RGB lamp groups, each of which includes at least one RGB lamp, wherein: The RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of RGB light groups, the RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of switches, and the second ends of the plurality of switches are connected to the second ends of the plurality of RGB light groups; The RGB driver chip is used to control a first switch among the multiple switches to disconnect from a first RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, or to control a second switch among the multiple switches to connect to a second RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, so that among the RGB light groups, RGB light groups connected to different switches are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time.

2. The control circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of RGB lamp groups through a plurality of lamp channels.

3. The control circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of RGB lamps included in the RGB lamp group corresponds to the number of lamp channels of the RGB driving chip.

4. The control circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The RGB driving chip is connected to the first ends of the plurality of switches through a plurality of general purpose input / output (GPIO) pins.

5. The control circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each switch includes a triode and a metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (MOS) tube, wherein the MOS tube is a positive channel metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (PMOS) tube or a negative channel metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistor (NMOS) tube.

6. The control circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the MOS tube is a PMOS tube, the RGB driver chip is further used to output a high level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be connected; and / or output a low level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be disconnected.

7. The control circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the MOS tube is an NMOS tube, the RGB driver chip is further used to output a low level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be turned on; and / or output a high level through the multiple GPIO pins to control the multiple switches to be turned off.

8. The control circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The RGB driving chip is also used to: output voltage to the multiple switches, so that the multiple switches light up the RGB lamp groups connected to the multiple switches when they are turned on.

9. The control circuit according to claim 8, characterized in that: The RGB driving chip is connected to the first end or the second end of the plurality of switches through a buck circuit, and the RGB driving chip is also used to output voltage to the plurality of switches through the buck circuit.

10. A control method, characterized in that: Applicable to the RGB driver chip in the control circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the method comprising: Acquire first information, where the first information is used to instruct to light up or turn off the RGB light; According to the first information, a first switch among the multiple switches is controlled to disconnect from a first RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, or a second switch among the multiple switches is controlled to connect to a second RGB light group among the multiple RGB light groups, so that among the multiple RGB light groups, RGB light groups connected to different switches are not completely lit or extinguished at the same time.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, a memory, and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, and the one or more programs include instructions for executing the steps in the method of claim 10.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program is stored, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the steps of the method according to claim 10.

13. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises computer instructions, and the computer program product is operable to cause a computer to perform the steps of the method of claim 10.

14. A vehicle lamp, characterized in that: The control circuit comprises any one of claims 1 to 9, and / or the electronic device comprises the electronic device according to claim 11.

15. A vehicle, characterized in that: The invention comprises the control circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or the vehicle light according to claim 14.

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