Drive circuit, electronic device, and vehicle
By setting a switching transistor array between the second end of the LED array and the power supply, and combining it with a non-self-scanning LED driver chip, low-cost independent driving control of multiple LEDs is achieved, solving the problems of high cost and limited pin resources in the existing technology, and enhancing market competitiveness.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422959653.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-31
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-11-29
AI Technical Summary
In the existing technology, self-scanning LED driver chips are expensive, while non-self-scanning LED driver chips have limited pin resources, making it difficult to effectively control the independent driving of a large number of LEDs, and increasing the number of chips will increase the overall electronic cost.
A non-self-scanning LED driver chip with fewer pins is used, combined with a switching transistor array. By controlling the conduction of the switching transistors, independent control of the LED array is achieved. The driver chip is only responsible for the first-end control of the LEDs.
It enables independent control of a large number of LEDs at low cost, reducing the overall production cost of electronic equipment and vehicles, while also providing safety diagnostic functions and enhancing market competitiveness.
Smart Images

Figure CN223501538U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular to a drive circuit, electronic equipment and vehicle. Background Technology
[0002] There are several forms of dashboard displays in automobiles, one of which is a segment display independent instrument panel. Depending on the structure and size requirements of different segment displays, the entire screen typically uses dozens or even hundreds of LEDs for UI icon backlighting. Therefore, the biggest challenge in designing this type of instrument panel lies in controlling the switching of the large number of LEDs in the segment display. Due to the large number of LEDs, the existing solution is to control the LEDs using an external LED driver chip. These LED driver chips are typically either self-scanning or non-self-scanning LED driver chips.
[0003] In existing technologies, using self-scanning LED driver chips to control LED arrays can achieve the same function of independently driving multiple LEDs. However, such driver chips are expensive, resulting in higher overall vehicle electronics costs. Furthermore, while non-self-scanning LED driver chips are cheaper, their pin resources are limited by the package, resulting in a smaller number of LEDs that a single chip can drive when meeting the requirement of independently driving multiple LEDs. Utility Model Content
[0004] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. Therefore, the first objective of the present invention is to provide a driving circuit in which a single driving chip can drive a large number of LEDs and meet the requirements for independent driving control of multiple LEDs at a low cost.
[0005] The second objective of this invention is to provide an electronic device.
[0006] The third objective of this utility model is to provide a vehicle.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of this utility model provides a driving circuit for driving an LED matrix. The driving circuit includes: a driving chip connected to a first end of each LED in the LED array, used to send a driving signal to the first end of a target LED; and a switching transistor array, where the first end of a switching transistor in the switching transistor array is connected to the second end of a corresponding LED in the LED array, and the second end of the switching transistor in the switching transistor array is connected to a power supply, used to control the connection state between the second end of the target LED and the power supply; the target LED is one or more in the LED array.
[0008] According to the driving circuit proposed in this embodiment, based on the design of the driving chip and LED array, a switching transistor array is set between the second terminal of the LED in the LED array and the power supply. By controlling the conduction of the switching transistors, one or more LEDs in the LED array can be controlled to operate. This satisfies both the requirement that a single chip can drive a large number of LEDs and the requirement that multiple LEDs can be driven independently. Furthermore, the control of the second terminal of the LED in the LED array is completed by the switching transistor array, and the driving chip is only used to perform the control of the first terminal of each LED in the LED array. Therefore, a driving chip with fewer pins can be used to achieve independent driving control of multiple LEDs, thereby reducing the overall cost of the driving circuit.
[0009] In some embodiments of this utility model, the LED array includes N rows and M columns of LEDs, where N≥2 and M≥2; the driving chip includes N LED control pins, which are connected to the LEDs in the N rows respectively, wherein each LED control pin is connected to the first end of each LED in the corresponding row.
[0010] In some embodiments of this utility model, the switching array includes M switching transistors, the first ends of the M switching transistors are connected to the corresponding LEDs in the M columns, wherein the first end of each switching transistor is connected to the second end of each LED in the corresponding column.
[0011] In some embodiments of this utility model, the second terminals of all M switching transistors are connected to the power supply.
[0012] In some embodiments of this utility model, the driving circuit further includes a control chip, which is connected to the control terminal of each switch in the switch array to control the on / off state of the corresponding switch.
[0013] In some embodiments of this utility model, the control chip includes M switch control pins, and the M switch control pins are connected one-to-one with the control terminals of the M switch transistors.
[0014] In some embodiments of this utility model, the driving circuit further includes a heat dissipation unit, which is connected between the driving chip and the LED array.
[0015] In some embodiments of this utility model, the heat dissipation unit includes: N heat dissipation resistors, the first ends of the N heat dissipation resistors are connected one-to-one with the N LED control pins, the second ends of the N heat dissipation resistors are connected to the N rows of LEDs, and the second end of each heat dissipation resistor is connected to the first end of the LED in the corresponding row.
[0016] To achieve the above objectives, a second aspect of this utility model also provides an electronic device, including an LED array and a driving circuit as described in any of the above claims, wherein the driving circuit is connected to the LED array.
[0017] The electronic device according to the embodiments of this utility model, by employing the driving circuit of any of the above embodiments, can control one or more LEDs in an LED array to operate, thereby satisfying both the requirement that a single chip can drive a large number of LEDs and the ability to independently drive and control multiple LEDs. Furthermore, the driving chip used in this driving circuit is less expensive than a self-scanning LED driving chip, thereby reducing the overall production cost of the electronic device and enhancing its market competitiveness.
[0018] To achieve the above objectives, a third aspect of this utility model also provides a vehicle including the electronic equipment described in the second aspect of the present invention.
[0019] According to the vehicle proposed in this embodiment of the present invention, by setting the electronic equipment of the second aspect embodiment above, it is possible to control one or more LEDs in the LED array of the driver's seat instrument panel, thereby satisfying both the requirement that a single chip can drive a large number of LEDs and the ability to independently drive and control the same number of LEDs. This can reduce the overall vehicle production cost and enhance market competitiveness.
[0020] Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description
[0021] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this utility model will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a driving circuit in the prior art that uses a self-scanning LED driver chip to drive an LED matrix;
[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a driving circuit in the prior art that uses a non-self-scanning LED driver chip to drive an LED matrix;
[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another driving circuit in the prior art that uses a non-self-scanning LED driver chip to drive an LED matrix;
[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another driving circuit in the prior art that uses a non-self-scanning LED driver chip to drive an LED matrix;
[0026] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of a driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] Figure 7 This is a control logic and timing diagram of the PWM control signals output from the M switching transistor control pins on the control chip and the drive signals output from the N LED control pins on the driver chip, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] Figure label:
[0032] 1000 vehicles;
[0033] 100 electronic devices;
[0034] Driver circuit 10, LED array 20;
[0035] 1. Driver chip; 2. Switching transistor array; 3. Control chip; 4. Heat dissipation unit;
[0036] Switching transistors Q1, Q2, and Qm; control pins LED1, LED2, and LEDn; thermal resistors R1, R2, and Rn; SW1 pin; SW2 pin; and SWm pin. Detailed Implementation
[0037] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary. The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.
[0038] In existing technology, LED driver chips currently used in the market can be divided into two categories according to their scanning function: self-scanning LED driver chips and non-self-scanning LED driver chips. For example... Figure 1The diagram shows a schematic of a driving circuit in the prior art that uses a self-scanning LED driver chip to drive an LED matrix. In this circuit, the anodes of each column of LEDs in the LED matrix are simultaneously connected to the same SW pin of the LED driver chip for control, and the cathodes of each row of LEDs are simultaneously connected to the same CS pin of the LED driver chip for control. Therefore, this type of LED driver chip can independently drive and control a large number of LEDs based on its own load capacity. Furthermore, the LED driver chip itself supports open-circuit and short-circuit diagnostics for LED paths. The LED driver chip also communicates with a control chip 3 in the vehicle. According to the requirements of dynamic UI display, the control chip 3 only needs to configure the registers in the LED driver chip via the IIC or SPI interface protocol to control the switching of the LED matrix, thereby achieving the functional requirements of dynamic UI display. However, although this type of LED driver chip with self-scanning function can achieve the same independent driving and control function for multiple LEDs and has diagnostic functions that meet safety requirements, its electronic cost is relatively high compared to LED driver chips without self-scanning function.
[0039] like Figure 2 The diagram shows a schematic of a driving circuit for an LED matrix using a non-self-scanning LED driver chip in the prior art. Compared to self-scanning LED driver chips, this type of non-self-scanning LED driver chip has a simpler peripheral LED control circuit design. Each column of LED anodes is externally connected to a pull-up power supply VDD for power supply, and each column of LED cathodes is connected to the corresponding LED pin on the LED driver chip for on / off switching control. Therefore, this type of LED driver chip can independently drive and control a large number of LEDs according to its own load capacity. It also has diagnostic functions that meet safety requirements. However, due to the pin resources of the LED driver chip being limited by the package, the number of LEDs it can independently drive and control is also limited.
[0040] When a product application requires controlling and driving more LEDs, this type of non-self-scanning LED driver chip can typically be addressed in two ways: one is to add a corresponding number of LEDs in series in each channel of the LED driver chip, such as... Figure 3 The diagram shows another driving circuit in the prior art that uses a non-self-scanning LED driver chip to drive an LED matrix. However, because the series design method is used to increase the number of LEDs, all LEDs in the same series branch can only be turned on or off simultaneously. That is, all LEDs in the same series branch can only be lit or turned off simultaneously, making it impossible to individually drive and control each LED. In segment meter applications, the UI display requires independent display or on / off control. Therefore... Figure 3 The design method shown cannot meet the requirements for use in vehicle segment code instruments.
[0041] Another solution is to increase the number of non-self-scanning LED driver chips, such as Figure 4 The diagram shows another existing driving circuit that uses non-self-scanning LED driver chips to drive an LED matrix. This method involves increasing the number of LED driver chips according to the required number of LEDs, thus satisfying more scenarios requiring independent LED driving control. However, it is obvious that the increased number of LED driver chips leads to higher electronic costs. In an increasingly competitive market environment, this method is also unsuitable for scenarios requiring independent driving control of multiple LEDs.
[0042] Based on the above, embodiments of this utility model propose a driving circuit for driving an LED matrix. The LED driver chip in the driving circuit of this utility model embodiment can be a driver chip with fewer pins, such as the aforementioned non-self-scanning LED driver chip. Through appropriate design in conjunction with peripheral transistors, it can achieve independent driving control of single or multiple LEDs while also providing diagnostic functions that meet safety requirements. Furthermore, the driver chip used in this utility model embodiment has fewer pin functions, resulting in a lower cost compared to the self-scanning driver chip 1, thereby enhancing its market competitiveness.
[0043] The following is for reference. Figures 5-7 The driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. Figure 5 This is a block diagram of a driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the driving circuit 10 includes a driving chip 1 and a switching transistor array 2.
[0044] In this configuration, driver chip 1 is connected to the first end of each LED in the LED array, and is used to send a drive signal to the first end of the target LED. The first end of each LED is the cathode of the LED. A single pin in driver chip 1 can be connected to one LED, or a single pin in driver chip 1 can be connected to a row of LEDs.
[0045] Specifically, in some embodiments, the LED array includes N rows and M columns of LEDs, where N ≥ 2 and M ≥ 2, and the values of N and M are not specifically limited here. Furthermore, the driver chip 1 includes N LED control pins, which are connected to the corresponding rows of LEDs, wherein each LED control pin is connected to the first end of each LED in the corresponding row. It is understood that for each row of LEDs, each LED is connected in parallel.
[0046] The LED array of this embodiment consists of N rows and M columns, or M*N LEDs. The anodes of each column of LEDs are connected to the source of the same switching transistor, and the cathodes of each row of LEDs are connected to the same LED control pin on the driver chip 1, thus forming an M*N LED array. Furthermore, this embodiment allows for setting the conduction voltage of each LED between 2V and 3.3V, and the current carrying capacity between 0 and 30mA, depending on the LED model and color specifications. The current can be adjusted according to different brightness requirements.
[0047] Specifically, such as Figure 6 The diagram shown is a schematic of a driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this circuit, the cathode of each LED in each row of the LED array 2020, which is also the first end of each LED, is simultaneously connected to the same LED control pin of the driving chip 1. Specifically, using... Figure 6 The N LED control pins on the driver chip 1 shown may include control pin LED1, control pin LED2, ..., control pin LEDn. Each control pin may have three LEDs connected in parallel. For example, the LED array 20 includes 3 columns of LEDs.
[0048] For example, control pins LED1 to LEDn, including LED1 to LED36, can be configured to provide a total of 36 input / output interfaces.
[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, the first terminal of the switching transistor in the switching transistor array 2 is connected to the second terminal of the corresponding LED in the LED array 20. The second terminal of the switching transistor in the switching transistor array 2 is connected to the power supply VDD, which is used to control the connection state between the second terminal of the target LED and the power supply VDD. The second terminal of the switching transistor is the drain of the switching transistor.
[0050] Switch array 2 consists of multiple switches connected in parallel. The drains of all switches are connected to an external power supply, which can be a 5V power supply as an example.
[0051] In this configuration, one switch in the switch array 2 can be connected to one LED, or one switch in the switch array 2 can be connected to a row of LEDs. Compared to Figures 2-4 The connection method between LEDs and power supply in the prior art non-self-scanning LED driver chip circuit is shown. In the driving circuit 10 of this utility model embodiment, the anode of each column of LEDs is changed from being connected to the pull-up power supply to being connected to the same source of the switching transistor.
[0052] In some embodiments of this invention, the switch array 2 includes M switches, the first ends of which are connected to M columns of LEDs respectively. Each switch's first end is connected to the second end of each LED in its corresponding column; that is, one switch controls one column of LEDs. In other embodiments, the second ends of all M switches are connected to a power supply VDD.
[0053] The following will all be in the format of Figure 6 The LED array 20 shown includes three columns of LEDs, and the switch array 2 includes switches Q1, Q2, ..., Qm. The first terminal of each switch, Q1, Q2, ..., Qm, is connected to the anode of each LED in the three columns. Simultaneously, the second terminal of each switch, Q2, ..., Qm, is connected to the power supply VDD. Therefore, when any switch in the switch array 2 is turned on, the current supplied by the power supply VDD flows through that switch into the LED array 20 of its corresponding column, thus powering the LEDs in that column.
[0054] Furthermore, the target LED is one or more of the LED array 20. It is understood that, as Figure 6 The driving circuit 10 shown in the diagram arranges each LED in each row or column of the LED array 20 in parallel. The driving chip 1 controls the operating state of each row of LEDs, and the switching transistors in the switching transistor array 2 control the operating state of each column of LEDs. Since the anode of each column of LEDs is initially an uncontrollable switching power supply, the presence of the switching transistors enables a controllable switching power supply. Thus, through the cooperation of the driving chip 1 and the switching transistor array 2, one or more LEDs in the LED array 20 can be controlled.
[0055] For example, if it is necessary to control the light emission of a specific LED in the LED array 20, the driver chip 1 can control the LED control pin corresponding to the row of that LED to send a drive signal, and control the switch corresponding to the column of that LED in the switch array 2 to turn on, thereby achieving the light emission control of that LED. Thus, the driver circuit of this embodiment can achieve independent driving control of the same number of LEDs. Furthermore, compared to... Figure 2 The LED driver chip control circuit shown in the figure can drive a significantly increased number of LEDs compared to the driving circuit 10 in this embodiment of the invention; and, relative to Figure 3 The LED series driver chip control circuit shown in the figure, the driver circuit 10 of this embodiment can drive a significantly increased number of LEDs while also achieving independent control of each LED. Furthermore, compared to... Figure 4The design scheme shown in the figure uses multiple non-self-scanning LED driver chips. The driving circuit 10 of this utility model embodiment uses a single non-self-scanning LED driver chip and introduces several switching transistors to achieve independent driving control of the same number of LEDs, which can greatly reduce the hardware and electronic cost of the driving circuit 10.
[0056] According to the driving circuit 10 proposed in this embodiment, based on the design of the driving chip 1 and the LED array 20, a switching transistor array 2 is set between the second terminal of the LED in the LED array 20 and the power supply VDD. By controlling the conduction of each switching transistor, one or more LEDs in the LED array 20 can be controlled to operate. This satisfies both the requirement that a single chip can drive a large number of LEDs and the requirement that multiple LEDs can be driven independently. Furthermore, the control of the second terminal of the LED in the LED array 20 is completed by the switching transistor array 2, and the driving chip 1 is only used to perform the control of the first terminal of each LED in the LED array 20. Therefore, the driving chip 1 can be a driving chip with fewer pins, which can realize the independent driving control of multiple LEDs and reduce the overall cost of the driving circuit 10.
[0057] In some embodiments of this utility model, the driving circuit 10 further includes a control chip 3, which is connected to the control terminal of each switch in the switch array 2 to control the on / off state of the corresponding switch. The control terminal of each switch is its gate. The control chip 3 includes M switch control pins, each of which is connected to a corresponding control terminal of one of the M switches. Figure 6 As shown, the control pins of the switching transistors in the control chip 3 are represented by SW pins, and the M control pins correspond to SW1, SW2, ..., SWm pins respectively. This embodiment of the invention uses a switching transistor array 2 including switching transistors Q1, Q2, ..., Qm as an example. The SW1 pin is used to connect to the gate of switching transistor Q1, the SW2 pin is used to connect to the gate of switching transistor Q2, and the SWm pin is used to connect to the gate of switching transistor Qm.
[0058] In this embodiment of the invention, the control chip 3 outputs a PWM control signal. The control chip 3 is the main control chip of the single-board system and can support the output of multiple PWM control signals. During design, the following suitable frequencies (cycle times) can be configured in software to continuously output signals according to different product application scenarios, such as 62kHz, 32kHz, 4kHz, 2kHz, 1kHz, 500Hz, 244Hz, 122Hz, etc., serving as the gate enable for each switching transistor, thus realizing the conduction and closing control of each switching transistor. The gate of the switching transistor controlling each column of LEDs is connected to the corresponding switching control pin of the control chip 3 to output the PWM control signal.
[0059] In some embodiments of this utility model, the driver chip 1 independently drives at least one of the LED arrays 20 by the following methods: Figure 6 As shown, when the PWM control signal output from the control pin of the switching transistor on the control chip 3 is at a high level, the Vgs voltage of the switching transistor is greater than the Vgsth turn-on voltage, the switching transistor is turned on, and the external power supply current flows from the drain to the source of the switching transistor, and then continues to flow to the LED anode. At this time, if the pins LED1~LEDn on the driver chip 1 connected to the LED cathode are at a low level, there is a voltage drop across the LED that is close to the power supply VDD, and the LED is turned on and lit. If the control pins LED1~LEDn on the driver chip 1 are at a high level of 3.3V, the voltage difference across the LED is too small and the LED turn-on voltage condition is not met, so the LED is turned off. Based on this, each LED in the LED array 20 is controlled to turn on and off using this method.
[0060] The driver chip 1 in this embodiment of the invention can independently control multiple LEDs in the LED array 20. For example... Figure 7 The diagram shown is a control logic and timing diagram of the PWM control signals output from the M switching transistor control pins on the control chip and the drive signals output from the N LED control pins on the driver chip according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0061] In this embodiment of the invention, the pin settings are as follows: Figure 6The following description uses the pin configuration as an example. The SW1 to SWm pins of control chip 3 are configured by software to output m periodic PWM control signals at any of the frequencies mentioned above. After the SW1 pin of control chip 3 outputs the first periodic waveform, the SW2 pin outputs the first periodic waveform after a specific time interval is set by the internal hardware timer. This is similarly implemented on the SWm pin. After polling all SW pins, the output is then returned from the SW1 pin, and this cycle repeats. The LED1 to LEDn control pins of driver chip 1 implement switching functions. During any high duty cycle of SW1 to SWm, control chip 4 polls the state of the LED1 to LEDn pins of driver chip 1 via the IIC interface to achieve independent driving control of any LED in the array. The purpose of this design method is to enable independent driving control of different LEDs in the LED array 20 when different LED cathodes are connected to the same LED pin of the driver chip 1. For LEDs in the same row, one needs to be lit while another needs to be off. When the LED needs to be lit, the conduction frequency of the switch connected to its anode is 1 / n of the switching frequency of the LED control pin of the driver chip 1 connected to its cathode. Simultaneously, the LED control pin of the driver chip 1 outputs a low level, thus lighting the LED. For LEDs that do not need to be lit, the conduction frequency of the switch connected to its anode is 1 / n of the switching frequency of the LED control pin of the driver chip 1 connected to its cathode, with the phase being the same. In this case, the LED is off, thus achieving independent driving control of different LEDs in the LED array 20 at the same time.
[0062] Based on the above, the driving circuit 10 of this embodiment introduces a switching transistor array 2 in hardware and adds a control chip 3 to output a PWM control signal in software. Compared with the driving circuits using self-scanning LED driver chips in the prior art, in this embodiment, the anode of each column of LEDs is changed from being connected to the SW pin of the self-scanning LED driver chip to being connected to the source of the same switching transistor in the switching transistor array 2. At the same time, the drains of all columns of switching transistors are connected to the power supply VDD, and the gate of the switching transistor commonly connected to the anodes of each column of LEDs is connected to the same SW pin of the control chip 3 for outputting the PWM control signal. Therefore, compared to Figure 2 The LED driver chip control circuit shown in the figure can drive a significantly increased number of LEDs compared to the driving circuit 10 in this embodiment of the invention; and, relative to Figure 3 The LED series driver chip control circuit shown in the figure, the driver circuit 10 of this embodiment can drive a significantly increased number of LEDs while also achieving independent control of each LED. Furthermore, compared to... Figure 4The design scheme shown in the figure uses multiple non-self-scanning LED driver chips. The driving circuit 10 of this utility model embodiment uses a single non-self-scanning LED driver chip and introduces several switching transistors to achieve independent driving control of the same number of LEDs, which can greatly reduce the hardware and electronic cost of the driving circuit 10, thereby enhancing its market competitiveness.
[0063] In other embodiments, the switching frequencies of the control pins LED1 to LEDn in the driving circuit 1 of this invention satisfy, for example, 62kHz, 32kHz, 4kHz, 2kHz, 1kHz, 500Hz, 244Hz, 122Hz, etc. Simultaneously, the driving circuit 1 also supports open-circuit and short-circuit state diagnosis and current regulation functions for the LEDs via the control pins LED1 to LEDn. Specifically, for example... Figure 6 As shown, when all three LEDs connected to the control pin LED1 are lit simultaneously, the current drawn by each LED is calculated at 10mA. Therefore, the current output from the LED1 control pin on driver chip 1 should be 30mA. When all three LEDs are open-circuited, the current output from the LED1 control pin on driver chip 1 is 0mA. Driver chip 1 detects this current anomaly, reports an error in the diagnostic circuit, and can provide feedback to control chip 3 via the IIC interface protocol. When at least one of the three LEDs is short-circuited, the voltage drop across the short-circuited LED is 0V. Driver chip 1 detects this voltage anomaly, reports an error in the diagnostic circuit, and can provide feedback to control chip 1 via the IIC interface protocol. This function enables real-time monitoring of product safety features, promptly reporting any abnormal faults to prevent further spread of faults and risks.
[0064] The current adjustment function of the driving circuit 1 requires the control chip 3 to configure the registers in the driving chip 1 through the IIC interface according to different brightness requirements. By adjusting the current output of the control pins LED1 to LEDn, different LED brightness adjustments can be achieved. Alternatively, the driving chip 1 in this embodiment can be a non-self-scanning LED driving chip, etc. Compared with the method of using shift registers, the non-self-scanning LED driving IC supports brightness adjustment.
[0065] Based on the above, the driving circuit 10 of the driving chip 1 proposed in this embodiment of the present invention, compared with the driving circuit of the self-scanning LED driving chip in the prior art, can achieve independent driving control of multiple LEDs and retain the diagnostic function that meets safety requirements, while having a lower cost and improving market competitiveness.
[0066] In some embodiments of this utility model, such as Figure 6As shown, the driving circuit 10 also includes a heat dissipation unit 4, which is connected between the driving chip 1 and the LED array 20. Specifically, in some embodiments, the heat dissipation unit 4 includes N heat dissipation resistors, the first ends of the N heat dissipation resistors are connected to the N LED control pins one by one, the second ends of the N heat dissipation resistors are connected to the N rows of LEDs, and the second end of each heat dissipation resistor is connected to the first end of the corresponding row of LEDs.
[0067] like Figure 6 As shown, heat dissipation unit 4, taking heat dissipation resistors R1 to Rn as an example, has its first ends connected to the control pins LED1 to LEDn of the driver chip 1, respectively. The second ends of R1 to Rn are connected to the cathode of each LED in each row. The resistance value is calculated as follows: R = (Vmoss - VFled - 0.5V) / Iout. Where Vmoss is the source voltage of the switching transistor connected to the LED anode, VFled is the voltage drop when the LED is turned on, 0.5V is the clamping voltage of the internal transistor of the driver chip 1, and Iout is the total current flowing from one control pin LED output to all LEDs in that row. This design allows the heat dissipation power that the driver chip 1 needs to withstand to be borne by the heat dissipation resistors, reducing the voltage level of the control pins of the driver chip 1, thereby achieving heat dissipation design for the driver chip 1 and reducing the risk of overheating of the driver chip 1 due to the large current from multiple LEDs.
[0068] Based on the above, the driving circuit 10 of this embodiment can use a driving chip with fewer pins, such as the aforementioned non-self-scanning LED driving chip. A simple driving chip 1, combined with an external switching array 2, enables independent driving control of multiple LEDs in a matrix configuration. Compared to using a self-scanning LED driving chip, this reduces costs. Furthermore, the driving circuit 10 of this embodiment also has diagnostic functions, enabling detection of open and short circuit states of LEDs, improving after-sales maintenance efficiency. The driving chip 1 of this embodiment can be a non-self-scanning LED driving chip, enabling brightness adjustment of the LED array 20. Therefore, the driving circuit 10 of this embodiment can achieve independent driving control of multiple LEDs, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, while retaining diagnostic and brightness adjustment functions, further improving after-sales maintenance efficiency and reducing labor costs.
[0069] In some embodiments of this utility model, an electronic device is also proposed, such as... Figure 8 The diagram shown is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 100 includes an LED array 20 and a driving circuit 10 of any of the above embodiments, and the driving circuit 10 is connected to the LED array 20.
[0070] The electronic device 100 according to the embodiments of the present invention, by employing the driving circuit 10 of any of the above embodiments, can control one or more LEDs in the LED array 20 to operate, thereby satisfying both the requirement that a single chip can drive a large number of LEDs and the requirement that multiple LEDs can be driven independently. Furthermore, the driving chip used in the driving circuit 10 is less expensive than a self-scanning LED driving chip, thereby reducing the overall production cost of the electronic device 100 and enhancing its market competitiveness.
[0071] In some embodiments of this utility model, a vehicle is also proposed, such as... Figure 9 The diagram shown is a block diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the vehicle 1000 includes the electronic device 100 proposed in the second aspect embodiment above.
[0072] According to the vehicle 1000 proposed in this embodiment of the present invention, by setting the electronic device 100 of the second aspect embodiment above, it is possible to control one or more LEDs in the LED array 20 of the driver's seat instrument panel, thereby satisfying the requirement that a single chip can drive a large number of LEDs, and also realizing the function of independently driving and controlling multiple LEDs. This can reduce the production cost of the whole vehicle and enhance its market competitiveness.
[0073] Other configurations and operations of the vehicle 1000 and electronic device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.
[0074] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.
[0075] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.
[0076] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A driving circuit, characterized in that, The driving circuit is used to drive an LED matrix and includes: A driver chip, which is connected to the first end of each LED in the LED array, is used to send a driving signal to the first end of the target LED; A switching transistor array, wherein the first end of a switching transistor in the switching transistor array is connected to the second end of a corresponding LED in the LED array, and the second end of the switching transistor in the switching transistor array is connected to a power supply, for controlling the connection state between the second end of the target LED and the power supply; The target LED is one or more of the LED array.
2. The driving circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The LED array comprises N rows and M columns of LEDs, where N≥2 and M≥2; The driver chip includes N LED control pins, which are connected to N rows of LEDs respectively. Each LED control pin is connected to the first end of each LED in the corresponding row.
3. The driving circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The switching array includes M switching transistors, the first ends of the M switching transistors are connected to the corresponding LEDs in the M columns, wherein the first end of each switching transistor is connected to the second end of each LED in the corresponding column.
4. The driving circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second terminals of each of the M switching transistors are connected to the power supply.
5. The driving circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that, The driving circuit also includes: A control chip is connected to the control terminal of each switch in the switch array to control the on / off state of the corresponding switch.
6. The driving circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that, The control chip includes M switch control pins, and each of the M switch control pins is connected to a corresponding control terminal of the M switch transistors.
7. The driving circuit according to any one of claims 2-6, characterized in that, The driving circuit also includes: A heat dissipation unit is connected between the driver chip and the LED array.
8. The driving circuit according to claim 7, characterized in that, The heat dissipation unit includes: There are N heat dissipation resistors, with the first end of each of the N heat dissipation resistors connected to one of the N LED control pins, the second end of each of the N heat dissipation resistors connected to the N rows of LEDs, and the second end of each heat dissipation resistor connected to the first end of the corresponding row of LEDs.
9. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes an LED array and a driving circuit as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the driving circuit is connected to the LED array.
10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the electronic device as described in claim 9.