Mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display and control method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of Mini LEDs, and discloses a mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display and a control method.The mobile terminal comprises a first processor and a display module, the display module comprises a level shifter, a second processor, a driving module and a Mini LED dot matrix which are connected in sequence, and the level shifter is connected with the first processor; the level converter is used for realizing level conversion of communication signals between the first processor and the second processor; the second processor is used for receiving the first display instruction sent by the first processor through the level translator and converting the first display instruction into a control signal so as to control the driving module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix to display. The problem that Mini LED display control cannot be achieved in mobile terminals such as mobile phones at present can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of Mini LED technology, and particularly to a mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Currently, mobile terminals such as mobile phones mainly transmit or interact information by adding a secondary screen based on LCD or OLED on the back of the terminal. With the proposal of Mini LED dot matrix, since it is different from traditional LCD or OLED and can achieve differential design, giving users a unique experience, it is used more and more widely. Figure 1 Shown is a common control scheme for MiniLED dot matrix, which usually uses a dedicated SOC or FPGA for control and is mainly applied to large-screen displays, such as monitors or outdoor screens (such as medium and large billboards). However, in consumer electronics, especially on mobile phones, there is currently no mature solution for integrating Mini LED dot matrix. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display and a control method, which can solve the problem that current mobile terminals such as mobile phones cannot control Mini LED dot matrix.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display, including:

[0005] A first processor;

[0006] A display module, the display module includes a level converter, a second processor, a driving module, and a Mini LED dot matrix connected in sequence, the level converter is connected to the first processor; the level converter is used to implement level conversion of communication signals between the first processor and the second processor; the second processor is used to receive a first display instruction sent by the first processor through the level converter and convert it into a control signal to control the driving module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix for display.

[0007] In some embodiments, the second processor is further used to generate a second display instruction to control the driving module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix for display when the first processor is in a low power consumption mode.

[0008] In some embodiments, when the second display instruction is a screen-off display instruction, the second processor is used to control the Mini LED dot matrix for screen-off display.

[0009] In some embodiments, the second processor is further configured to monitor the usage status of the mobile terminal and wake up the first processor in the low-power mode according to the usage status.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second processor is further configured to receive, via the level converter, a display signal sent by the first processor for controlling a target LED bead in the single or corresponding row or column of the Mini LED matrix.

[0011] In some embodiments, a mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display further includes: a system power management module, where the system power management module is connected to the display module;

[0012] The display module further includes: a power supply module, where the power supply module is connected to the second processor; the power supply module is configured to supply power to the second processor.

[0013] In some embodiments, the display module further includes: a storage module, where the storage module is connected to the second processor;

[0014] The storage module is configured to store preset display instructions and display data;

[0015] The second processor is further configured to control the Mini LED matrix to display the display data according to the preset display instructions read from the storage module.

[0016] In some embodiments, communication between the first processor and the second processor is performed through a serial communication interface.

[0017] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a Mini LED display control method, which is applied to the mobile terminal; the second processor executes the following method, including:

[0018] Receiving a first display instruction sent by the first processor through the level converter and converting it into a control signal;

[0019] Controlling the driving module to drive the Mini LED matrix to display according to the control signal.

[0020] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a display module, where the display module includes a level converter, a microcontroller, a driving module, and a Mini LED matrix connected in sequence, and the level converter is used to connect to an external terminal processor;

[0021] The level converter is used to implement the level conversion of communication signals between the external terminal processor and the microcontroller; the microcontroller is used to receive the display instruction sent by the external terminal processor via the level converter and generate a control signal to control the driving module to drive and display the Mini LED dot matrix.

[0022] The embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The present application proposes a mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display. The mobile terminal includes a first processor and a display module. The display module includes a level converter, a second processor, a driving module, and a Mini LED dot matrix connected in sequence. The level converter is used to implement the level conversion of communication signals between the first processor and the second processor; the second processor is used to receive the first display instruction sent by the first processor via the level converter and convert it into a control signal to control the driving module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix for display. Based on the existing structure in the mobile terminal for the above hardware circuit design, it can effectively solve the problem that the Mini LED screen cannot be directly controlled in current mobile terminals such as mobile phones. In addition, the above hardware solution can also solve the problem of high power consumption when the Mini LED is displayed in a low-power state of the mobile terminal. Description of the Drawings

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present application and should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0025] Figure 1 Shows the existing control scheme of the Mini LED dot matrix;

[0026] Figure 2 Shows a schematic structural diagram of the mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3 Shows a schematic diagram of the Mini LED dot matrix forming a light strip according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 Shows a schematic structural diagram of the display module including a storage module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 5 Shows a flowchart of the Mini LED display control method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Description of Main Component Symbols:

[0031] 10 - Mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display; 11 - First processor; 12 - Display module; 121 - Level converter; 122 - Second processor; 123 - Driving module; 124 - Mini LED dot matrix; 125 - Storage module; 13 - System power management module. Detailed Implementation Manner

[0032] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0033] Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present application described and illustrated herein can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application claimed, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] Hereinafter, the terms "including", "having" and their cognates that can be used in various embodiments of the present application are only intended to represent specific features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations of the foregoing items, and should not be construed as first excluding the existence of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations of the foregoing items or increasing the possibility of one or more features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations of the foregoing items. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used for distinguishing descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the various embodiments of the present application belong. The terms (such as those defined in a general use dictionary) will be interpreted as having the same meaning as the contextual meaning in the relevant technical field and will not be interpreted as having an idealized meaning or being overly formal, unless clearly defined in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0036] Next, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail. Without conflict, the following embodiments and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0037] Currently, mobile terminals such as mobile phones cannot directly control the Mini LED dot matrix. After analysis, it can be seen that this is because the driver chips / modules that support row-column scanning generally need to be controlled through TTL or LVDS. However, the processor chips (CPU or SOC) on mobile phones do not have similar interfaces, so they cannot directly control the Mini LED dot matrix. Even if the processor chip in the mobile terminal is used for direct control, due to the backlight display principle of the Mini LED dot matrix, even when the screen is off, the processor chip in the mobile terminal still needs to be in a working state to control the drive module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix for screen-off display, which will cause a relatively large power consumption in the mobile terminal. For mobile terminals that are extremely concerned about battery life, it may affect the normal use of the mobile terminal.

[0038] Therefore, this application proposes a hardware solution to implement the control of the Mini LED dot matrix on the mobile terminal, and can also effectively solve the problem of large power consumption in the standby display state of the terminal, achieving personalized display using the Mini LED dot matrix while also ensuring the battery life of the mobile terminal well, etc.

[0039] It can be understood that the mobile terminals applicable to this application can be communication devices such as smart phones (Mobilephone), tablets (Pad), etc., or wearable devices such as smart bracelets and smart watches, etc., which are not specifically limited here.

[0040] Next, some specific embodiments will be used to illustrate the hardware solution design of the mobile terminal that supports Mini LED display.

[0041] Figure 2 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a mobile terminal 10 that supports Mini LED display according to an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the mobile terminal 10 includes a first processor 11 and a display module 12, and the display module 12 is electrically connected to the first processor 11. Optionally, the display module 12 and the first processor 11 are detachably connected through a pluggable interface or the like, which is convenient for testing, debugging, and maintenance of the Mini LED dot matrix 124, etc.

[0042] It can be understood that the first processor 11 in the present application refers to the internal processor of the mobile terminal itself. As the control and processing center of the mobile terminal, it is mainly used to enable other units or modules in the mobile terminal to perform corresponding functions, and generally does not support TTL or LVDS interfaces. For example, the first processor 11 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, and discrete hardware components.

[0043] In one implementation, the Mini LED dot matrix 124 in the display module 12 can be disposed on the housing of the mobile terminal. For example, if it is a mobile phone, the Mini LED dot matrix 124 can be disposed on the back housing or the flip cover of the mobile phone. Further, a light strip structure can also be formed on the terminal housing. For example, Figure 3 FIG. shows a plurality of light strip structures formed by using the Mini LED dot matrix 124. Another example, if it is a notebook computer, the Mini LED dot matrix 124 can be disposed on the outer housing of the upper flip of the notebook computer. If it is a smart watch, the Mini LED dot matrix 124 can be disposed on the edge of the watch, etc. It should be understood that the above examples are only for understanding the setting position of the Mini LED dot matrix 124, but are not limited to being disposed on the back of the mobile terminal housing. For example, it can also be disposed on the edge of the housing, and no further examples will be given here.

[0044] In one implementation, in addition to forming the above-mentioned strip-shaped light strips, the Mini LED dot matrix 124 in the display module 12 can also be arranged in a dense array to form a display range of a certain area, and the shape of the formed area is not limited, such as some LOGO patterns, etc.

[0045] Considering that the mobile terminal will use the Mini LED dot matrix 124 to display some information, such as screen-off display, etc. when in the standby state, the power consumption at this time cannot be too high, otherwise it will affect the battery life of the mobile terminal and further affect the normal use of the mobile terminal. Therefore, in order to reduce the power consumption brought by using the Mini LED dot matrix 124 for display, the present application realizes the display control of the Mini LED dot matrix 124 when the first processor 11 of the mobile terminal enters the low power mode (i.e., does not need to work) by setting an additional control circuit.

[0046] It should be noted that the above types of low-power modes include the following three, namely, the sleep mode, the standby mode, and the stop mode. Among them, the current consumption in each mode is different. In the sleep mode, only the core clock is turned off, and the core stops running, but the on-chip peripherals are still running. Here, the on-chip peripherals refer to some modules that are independent of the core but integrated inside the chip, such as the ADC module, the SPI module, Flash, etc. In the stop mode, not only the core clock is turned off, but also other clocks are further turned off, so the on-chip peripherals will stop running, but the power supply in the 1.2V area of the core is not turned off. If awakened, the code can be continued to be executed from the last stop point. In the standby mode, all the clocks related to the core and the on-chip peripherals are turned off, and the power supply in the 1.2V area is also completely turned off. Waking up from the standby mode is equivalent to performing a software reset on the chip.

[0047] Exemplarily, the display module 12 includes a level shifter 121, a second processor 122, a driving module 123, and a Mini LED dot matrix 124 connected in sequence. Among them, the level shifter 121 is also connected to the first processor 11 in the mobile terminal, and is used to implement the level conversion of the communication signal between the first processor 11 and the second processor 122.

[0048] It can be understood that currently, the mainstream microprocessor chips (MCUs) are mainly powered by more than 3V, while the interfaces of the processor chips of mobile terminals such as mobile phones generally support the operating voltages of 1.2V and 1.8V. Therefore, here a level conversion chip is set to perform signal conversion between different voltages.

[0049] Specifically, when it is necessary to perform display through the Mini LED dot matrix 124, the first processor 11 can send a first display instruction. The second processor 122 receives the first display instruction through the level shifter 121 and converts it into a control signal to control the driving module 123 to drive the Mini LED dot matrix 124 to perform display. Among them, the first processor 11 and the second processor 122 can communicate through a serial communication interface. For example, it can include but is not limited to an SPI interface, a MIPI interface, an 2 I2C interface, etc.

[0050] For example, when the first processor 11 sends out a certain display instruction, the level shifter 121 performs signal level matching on the display instruction and transmits it to the second processor 122, so that the second processor 122 can detect the converted level signal and perform display instruction recognition. Furthermore, it is converted into a corresponding control signal and controls the driving module 123, so that the driving module 123 drives the Mini LED dot matrix 124 to perform content display.

[0051] In one embodiment, the second processor 122 is further configured to receive, via the level shifter 121, a display signal from the first processor 11 for controlling a target LED bead in a single one, a corresponding row, or a corresponding column of the Mini LED dot matrix 124, so as to achieve more refined display control.

[0052] It can be understood that the Mini LED dot matrix 124 is a pixel dot array composed of a plurality of tiny LED beads, and each pixel dot can be controlled independently. Therefore, when it is necessary to control a specific LED bead in the dot matrix, access can be made according to the row and column addresses of the LED bead in the array.

[0053] As an alternative solution, when the first processor 11 is in the low-power mode, the above hardware solution can also independently control the Mini LED dot matrix 124 only by using the second processor 122.

[0054] Exemplarily, the second processor 122 is further configured to generate a second display instruction to control the driving module 123 to drive the Mini LED dot matrix 124 to display when the first processor 11 is in the low-power mode. Optionally, the second display instruction can be a screen-off display instruction, and at this time, the second processor 122 can control the driving module 123 to drive the Mini LED dot matrix 124 to perform screen-off display according to the screen-off display instruction.

[0055] It can be understood that the main difference between the second display instruction here and the above first display instruction lies in the instruction issuer. Among them, the first display instruction comes from the first processor 11 in the mobile terminal, while the second display instruction comes from the second processor 122 in the display module 12.

[0056] Among them, the first display instruction and the second display instruction can be the same instruction. Further, the first display instruction can implement a more complex display than the second display instruction. For example, the first display instruction can be used to implement real-time display of contents such as patterns and / or texts. For example, combined Figure 3 , when the Mini LED dot matrix 124 is presented in the form of a light strip, dynamic display of the light strip following the music melody can be achieved, or combined display of different colors, different brightnesses, different positions, etc. of each light strip according to different states of the associated application program can be achieved.

[0057] The second display instruction can be used to indicate simple information display when the mobile terminal is in the screen-off / standby state. For example, the screen-off display may include, but is not limited to, relevant contents such as a clock, weather, and date.

[0058] Generally, the above-mentioned second processor 122 can select a common microcontroller unit (MCU) with an internal integrated RAM storage. Optionally, if more content needs to be displayed, a separate storage chip can be added to expand the storage space.

[0059] As an alternative solution, as Figure 4 shown, the display module 12 may further include a storage module 125, and the storage module 125 is connected to the second processor 122; the storage module 125 is used to store preset display instructions and display data. Among them, the display data here may include, but is not limited to, the above-mentioned simple information.

[0060] The second processor 122 is further configured to read the corresponding preset display instructions from the storage module 125, and control the Mini LED dot matrix 124 to display the corresponding display data according to the preset display instructions. It can be understood that the preset display instructions here refer to the display instructions that the second processor 122 can generate and execute.

[0061] Based on the above hardware solution, the second processor 122 of the present application can also be used for some other controls when the first processor 11 is in a low-power state.

[0062] In one implementation, when the first processor 11 is in a low-power mode, the second processor 122 is further configured to monitor the usage status of the mobile terminal, and wake up the first processor 11 in the low-power mode according to the usage status, so as to quickly resume response while reducing the power consumption of the mobile terminal.

[0063] Specifically, the above-mentioned usage status may include whether the mobile terminal is flipped, whether a touch signal or a specific touch instruction is received in the black screen state, etc., which are not specifically limited here. For example, when the second processor 122 monitors that the mobile terminal has been flipped, the first processor 11 can be woken up in time to re-enter the operating state.

[0064] In some other embodiments, the mobile terminal 10 supporting Mini LED display further includes: a system power management module 13, and the system power management module 13 is connected to the display module 12. Among them, the system power management module 13 is used not only to supply power to the modules or units inside the mobile terminal, but also to supply power to the various devices in the display module 12, such as the level converter 121, the second processor 122, the driving module 123, and the Mini LED dot matrix 124, etc.

[0065] As an alternative, the display module 12 may further include a power supply module, that is, an independent power supply module is used for power supply. For example, a linear voltage regulator circuit (LDO) or the like may be employed. Specifically, the power supply module will be connected to the second processor 122 to supply power to the second processor 122.

[0066] The hardware solution for supporting Mini LED display proposed in this application designs the above-mentioned hardware circuit based on the existing structure in the mobile terminal, which can effectively solve the problem that Mini LED screen display cannot be realized in current mobile terminals such as mobile phones. In addition, the above-mentioned hardware solution can also control the mobile terminal to perform screen-off display when the first processor 11 is in a low-power state through the processor in the display module 12, which can also effectively solve the problem of high power consumption.

[0067] As Figure 5 shown, this application also proposes a Mini LED display control method, which is applied to the mobile terminal described in the above embodiment. Exemplarily, the second processor 122 executes the following method, including:

[0068] S110, receive the first display instruction sent by the first processor 11 through the level converter 121 and convert it into a control signal.

[0069] S120, according to the control signal, control the driving module 123 to drive the Mini LED dot matrix 124 for display.

[0070] It can be understood that the options regarding the functions executed by the second processor 122 and the first processor 11 in the above embodiment are equally applicable to this embodiment, so they will not be repeated here.

[0071] Please refer to the above Figure 2 This application also proposes a display module 12. Exemplarily, the display module 12 includes a level converter 121, a microcontroller (corresponding to the second processor 122), a driving module 123, and a Mini LED dot matrix 124 connected in sequence, where the level converter 121 is used to connect to an external terminal processor. It can be understood that as an integrated unit, the display module 12 can be connected to the processor in the mobile terminal through a reserved interface.

[0072] Specifically, the level converter 121 is used to implement the level conversion of the communication signal between the external terminal processor and the microcontroller. When the Mini LED dot matrix 124 needs to perform screen display, the microcontroller is used to receive the display instruction sent by the terminal processor through the level converter 121 and generate a control signal to control the driving module 123 to drive the Mini LED dot matrix 124 for display.

[0073] It can be understood that the optional features of the display module 12 in the above embodiments are equally applicable to this embodiment, and thus will not be described again here.

[0074] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can also be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show the possible architectures, functions, and operations of devices, methods, and computer program products according to multiple embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment, or a part of code, and the module, program segment, or part of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, as well as the combination of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified functions or actions, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0075] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, the various functional modules or units may be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module may exist separately, or two or more modules may be integrated to form an independent part.

[0076] If the above functions are implemented in the form of software function modules and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a smart phone, a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of the present application.

[0077] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and all such changes or substitutions should be covered by the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display, characterized in that, Comprising: A first processor; A display module, the display module including a level converter, a second processor, a driving module, and a MiniLED dot matrix connected in sequence, the level converter being connected to the first processor; The level converter is used to implement the level conversion of communication signals between the first processor and the second processor; The second processor is used to receive a first display instruction sent by the first processor through the level converter and convert it into a control signal to control the driving module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix for display.

2. The mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to claim 1, wherein The second processor is further used to generate a second display instruction to control the driving module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix for display when the first processor is in a low-power mode.

3. The mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to claim 2, wherein When the second display instruction is a screen-off display instruction, the second processor is used to control the Mini LED dot matrix to perform screen-off display.

4. The mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to claim 1, wherein The second processor is further used to monitor the usage state of the mobile terminal and wake up the first processor in the low-power mode according to the usage state.

5. The mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to claim 1, wherein The second processor is further used to receive, through the level converter, a display signal sent by the first processor to control a single or corresponding row or corresponding column of target LED beads in the Mini LED dot matrix.

6. The mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to claim 1, wherein Further comprising: A system power management module, the system power management module being connected to the display module; The display module further includes: a power supply module, the power supply module being connected to the second processor; The power supply module is used to supply power to the second processor.

7. The mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to claim 1, wherein The display module further includes: a storage module, the storage module being connected to the second processor; The storage module is used to store preset display instructions and display data; The second processor is further used to control the Mini LED dot matrix to display the display data according to the preset display instruction read from the storage module.

8. The mobile terminal supporting Mini LED display according to claim 1, wherein, Communication between the first processor and the second processor is carried out through a serial communication interface.

9. A Mini LED display control method, characterized in that, Applied to the mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The second processor executes the following method, including: Receiving a first display instruction sent by the first processor through the level converter and converting it into a control signal; Controlling the driving module to drive the Mini LED dot matrix for display according to the control signal.

10. A display module, characterized in that, The display module includes a level converter, a microcontroller, a driving module, and a Mini LED dot matrix connected in sequence, the level converter being used to connect to an external terminal processor; The level converter is used to implement the level conversion of communication signals between the external terminal processor and the microcontroller; The microcontroller is used to receive a display instruction sent by the external terminal processor through the level converter and generate a control signal to control the driving module to drive and display the Mini LED dot matrix.

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