Integrated LED package device

Abstract

This provides a single-chip LED package device that integrates a memory with pre-stored bin information and a control circuit. It offers an integrated LED package device that allows for easy configuration of an LED system without additional circuit design or complex wiring work. [Solution] An integrated LED package device is disclosed. An integrated LED package device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a driver that includes a power supply unit that supplies power from an external power supply, a communication unit that transmits LED bin information to an external controller and receives an LED drive signal from the external controller, a storage unit that stores the bin information, and a control unit that controls the voltage or current applied to the LED according to a control signal received by the external controller, and an LED that receives the voltage or current controlled by the control unit and emits light under pre-set conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated LED package device, and more particularly, to an integrated LED package device in which an LED, a driver for controlling it, and a memory storing LED bin information are integrated in the form of one chip.

Background Art

[0002] As an efficient light-emitting element widely used in electronic devices, LEDs are used in various fields such as lighting, displays, and signal lights. Although LEDs have advantages such as low power consumption and long lifespan, the required current and voltage values may vary depending on the characteristics of each LED. As a result, in a system using multiple LEDs, separate currents must be set considering the characteristics of each LED, which causes various difficulties in design and implementation.

[0003] In particular, when connecting multiple LEDs to the same circuit or attempting to control multiple LEDs within the same package, the problem arises that individual current values must be set for each LED because the inherent characteristics (bin information) of each LED are different.

[0004] Here, bin information means data that determines the optimal current, voltage, color, brightness, etc. for each LED to emit light. However, conventionally, the bin information of each LED has been managed separately, and current control must be performed based on this, so individual control circuits and settings are required for each LED, resulting in the problem of complex design and a large number of wiring operations.

[0005] Furthermore, if the bin information for each LED is stored in a separate external memory or control device, then in order to appropriately control the current according to that information, communication with the external device and additional wiring are required. This increases the size and complexity of the system, resulting in additional costs and time required to achieve optimized control. As a result, existing LED systems have suffered from problems such as complex circuit configurations for managing bin information and individual control for each LED, increased wiring, and decreased system efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, the need arose for a new LED package device consisting of a single chip that integrates a memory with pre-stored LED bin information and a control circuit. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The present invention was devised to solve the aforementioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide an LED package device in the form of a single chip in which a memory with pre-stored bin information and a control circuit are integrated.

[0008] Another objective is to provide an integrated LED package device that allows for easy configuration of an LED system without the need for additional circuit design or complex wiring work.

[0009] The problems addressed by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] An integrated LED package device according to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the aforementioned objectives includes a power supply unit that supplies power from an external power source, a communication unit that transmits LED bin information to an external controller and receives LED drive signals from the external controller, a storage unit that stores bin information, and a driver that includes a control unit that controls the voltage or current applied to the LEDs according to the control signal received by the external controller, and LEDs that receive voltage or current and emit light under pre-set conditions, controlled by the control unit.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit can selectively switch between UART and CAN communication methods via the CNF PIN.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit can store bin information including at least one of the light intensity, voltage, and color information of the LED.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit can control the voltage or current applied to the LED according to the bin information.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit can store a unique address assigned by the external controller.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit transmits LED bin information stored in the storage unit to the external controller and receives a control signal from the external controller to drive the LED under pre-set conditions, and the control unit can determine the voltage or current applied to the LED according to the control signal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] With the aforementioned integrated LED package device, the current is automatically controlled via a memory that pre-stores the bin information of each LED. This achieves the effect of automatically supplying the optimal current required for each LED without the need for separate manual settings.

[0017] Furthermore, it eliminates the need for the conventional, complex process of individually setting the output current supplied to each LED, resulting in the ability to efficiently control the entire system.

[0018] Furthermore, by integrating the LED bin information, the driver that controls it, and the LEDs onto a single chip, additional external wiring and circuitry can be eliminated, minimizing the overall system size and volume, and enabling efficient system configuration even in smaller spaces. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a functional block diagram illustrating an integrated LED package device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates how multiple integrated LED package devices according to one embodiment of the present invention are connected to a single external controller. [Figure 3] This figure illustrates a method for controlling multiple integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) with a single external controller, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating the process by which an external controller controls multiple integrated LED package devices according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, as well as the methods for achieving them, will become apparent by referring to the embodiments described in detail hereinafter together with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be realized in various different forms. Merely, the following embodiments are provided to complete the technical idea of the present disclosure and to fully inform those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs of the category of the present disclosure. The technical idea of the present disclosure should be defined by the category of the claims.

[0021] When adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that for the same components, as long as they are shown on other drawings, they should have the same numerals as much as possible. In addition, in explaining the present disclosure, if the specific description of related known configurations or functions is determined to obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification can be used in a meaning commonly understood by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs. Also, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not ideally or overly interpreted unless specifically defined. The terms used in this specification are for the purpose of explaining the embodiments and do not limit the present disclosure. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless otherwise specifically mentioned in the text.

[0023] In addition, when describing the components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. can be used. Such terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the essence, order or sequence of the components is not limited by such terms. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected or connected to the other component, but it should be understood that another component can also be "connected", "coupled" or "connected" between each component.

[0024] As used in the present disclosure, "comprises" and / or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements to the recited components, steps, operations and / or elements.

[0025] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram for explaining an integrated LED package device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] An integrated LED package device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply unit 110, a communication unit 120, a driver 130, and at least one LED (140-1, 140-2,... 140-n). Although only the components related to the embodiment of the present invention are shown in FIG. 1, other components may be further included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1.

[0028] The power supply unit 110 supplies the power supplied from an external power supply. For this purpose, the power supply unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include a configuration for changing the voltage supplied from the external power supply to a voltage adapted to a component different from the LED 140.

[0029] Furthermore, the system may include components to supply stable power to each component via voltage regulation and current limiting, thereby protecting the integrated LED package device 100 from overvoltage, overcurrent, and overheating.

[0030] The communication unit 120 transmits LED bin information to an external controller and receives LED drive signals from the external controller. The bin information and LED drive signals transmitted and received via the communication unit 120 will be described in detail below.

[0031] The communication unit 120 according to one embodiment of the present invention can selectively switch between UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter) and CAN (Controller Area Network) communication methods via a CNF PIN. This enables efficient data exchange with an external controller.

[0032] When the CNF PIN is in the High state, the communication unit 120 is set to UART mode. UART mode is a communication method that uses asynchronous serial communication. When the communication unit 120 is set to UART mode, it can send and receive data through settings such as baud rate, parity bit, and flow control. When the CNF PIN is in the Low state, the communication unit 120 is set to CAN mode. CAN mode is a high-speed serial communication method.

[0033] As mentioned above, as the communication method can be changed using the CNF PIN, it becomes possible to select between UART and CAN communication methods according to the system requirements, achieving the effect of efficient operation in various environments.

[0034] The driver 130 includes a storage unit 131 for storing bin information and a control unit 133 for controlling the voltage or current applied to the LEDs according to a control signal received by the sub-controller.

[0035] The bin information stored in the storage unit 131 may include at least one piece of information from among the light intensity, voltage, and color information of the LED 140. Light intensity refers to the amount of light emitted from the LED 140, and voltage refers to the voltage required for the LED 140 to operate normally. Note that the color information refers to the color information of LED140 according to RGB or other color spaces.

[0036] The control unit 133 applies different voltages or currents to the LED 140 according to the bin information, causing the LED 140 to illuminate under pre-set conditions. In one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 133 can control the voltage or current applied to the LED 140 through PWM control. Furthermore, it may further include a protection circuit to protect the LED 140 from overcurrent or overvoltage.

[0037] The LED 140 receives a controlled voltage or current from the control unit 133 and emits light under pre-set conditions. Here, pre-set conditions may include one of the following: a specific light intensity, a specific color temperature, or a specific light emission timing.

[0038] With the aforementioned integrated LED package device 100, it becomes possible to make multiple LEDs 140 having different bin values ​​emit light under the same conditions using a single external controller, thereby eliminating the need for multiple external controllers to individually control the LEDs 140.

[0039] Furthermore, it is possible to achieve the effect of enabling individual voltage or current control without adding hardware configurations such as resistors to control the voltage or current applied to each LED140, which have different bin values, in order to make them light up under the same conditions.

[0040] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating how multiple integrated LED package devices according to one embodiment of the present invention are connected to a single external controller.

[0041] The external controller 200 generates control signals to cause the LEDs 140 included in the integrated LED package device 100 to illuminate under pre-set conditions. Preferably, the external controller can be implemented as a microcontroller unit (MCU).

[0042] An external controller 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention can receive bin information of LEDs 140 from an integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) and generate different control signals for each LED 140 according to the bin information. Here, the control signal may be a voltage or current control signal applied to the LED 140 to cause it to emit light under pre-set conditions.

[0043] To this end, the external controller 200 can assign addresses to multiple integrated LED package devices 100 connected via CAN or UART, receive bin information from the integrated LED package devices 100 via the assigned addresses, or transmit LED 140 control signals to each integrated LED package device 100.

[0044] According to the aforementioned connection structure, multiple integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) can be controlled by a single external controller 200, thereby simplifying the wiring structure and minimizing the volume.

[0045] Figure 3 illustrates a method for controlling multiple integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) with a single external controller according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] The bin information of the LEDs contained in each integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) shown in Figure 3 can be different from one another. That is, since each LED has different color, brightness, and voltage characteristics, in order to drive them in the same way, a drive current or voltage that matches the characteristics of each LED must be applied.

[0047] If the same voltage or current is applied regardless of the LED bin characteristics, the applied voltage or current will exceed the driving voltage or driving current, leading to overheating or shortened lifespan of the LEDs, or causing each LED to emit light of a different color or intensity from one another.

[0048] Therefore, the external controller 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention receives bin information of LEDs included in the integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) via UART or CAN communication.

[0049] The external controller 200 generates control signals for each LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) to emit light with the same characteristics.

[0050] For example, as shown in Figure 3, a control signal can be generated so that the LEDs of the first integrated LED package device 100-1 are supplied with voltage V1, the LEDs of the second integrated LED package device 100-2 are supplied with voltage V2, and the LEDs of the third integrated LED package device 100-3 are supplied with voltage V3. In this case, the magnitudes of V1, V2, and V3 may be different from each other.

[0051] The driver of the integrated LED package device, upon receiving a control signal from the external controller 200, can control the integrated LED package device so that a voltage corresponding to the control signal is applied to the LEDs.

[0052] Figure 3 illustrates, as an example, the generation of control signals that ensure different voltages are applied to the LEDs in each integrated LED package device. However, the specific control content is not limited to this. For example, it may include control content related to the timing of application of currents or power supplies of different magnitudes.

[0053] On the other hand, the external controller 200 can control the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) to a low-power mode (PSM: Power Saving Mode) in order to maximize power efficiency. The low-power mode according to one embodiment of the present invention means a mode for minimizing the power consumed by the integrated LED package device.

[0054] The external controller 200 can switch the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ... 100-n) to low-power mode if the standby time of the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ... 100-n) exceeds a pre-set time.

[0055] To switch the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) into low-power mode, the external controller 200 can transmit a broadcast signal to each integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n).

[0056] The broadcast signal is a signal that the external controller 200 transmits to all integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) connected via a communication interface.

[0057] Upon receiving a broadcast signal from the external controller 200, the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) are switched to low-power mode. In low-power mode, the PWM outputs of the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) are deactivated, and the system clock is switched to low-frequency mode.

[0058] Therefore, the power consumed via PWM when LED brightness control or color adjustment is not required can be minimized, and the basic operating speed of the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) can be reduced to prevent unnecessary power consumption. Preferably, in low-power mode, the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) consume only a minimum current of about 0.3mA.

[0059] The external controller 200 transmits a wake-up signal to switch the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) from low-power mode to normal mode. Preferably, the wake-up signal may be a break-low signal of 150 μs or longer. Upon receiving the wake-up signal, the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) are switched from low-power mode to normal mode, and the PWM output and system clock are normalized to their original state.

[0060] Through the aforementioned low-power mode, the power consumed by the integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) can be minimized, maximizing system efficiency.

[0061] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the process by which an external controller controls multiple integrated LED package devices according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] In order for the external controller 200 to independently control each of the multiple integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n), a unique address must be assigned to each integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n). Through the unique address, the external controller can accurately identify each integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) and generate and transmit control signals corresponding to the bin information.

[0063] For this purpose, the external controller 200 assigns a unique address to each of the multiple integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) (S410).

[0064] An external controller 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention can assign unique addresses to integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ... 100-n) via CAN or UART. The assigned unique addresses are stored in the storage compartments of the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ... 100-n).

[0065] Alternatively, a unique address may already be stored in the storage compartment of the integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n). In this case, when the external controller 200 transmits an address assignment request signal to the integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n), the integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) transmits its unique address to the external controller 200.

[0066] Next, the external controller 200 receives LED bin information from the integrated LED package device (S420).

[0067] Specifically, the external controller 200 transmits a bin information request signal by specifying the unique address of a particular integrated LED package device in the ID field of a CAN or UART message.

[0068] The integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ... 100-n) transmits bin information to the external controller 200 when the unique address specified in the ID field of the message matches a unique address stored in memory.

[0069] An external controller 200, having received bin information from an integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n), generates a control signal to drive the LEDs under pre-set conditions, using characteristics such as the brightness, color, and voltage drop of the LEDs. The control signal may include at least one control signal for the LED drive voltage, drive current, or illumination timing.

[0070] The external controller 200 transmits control signals generated separately for each integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) along with their unique addresses to the integrated LED package devices (100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-n) (S440).

[0071] The control unit of the integrated LED package device (100-1, 100-2, ... 100-n) determines the voltage or current applied to the LEDs based on the control signals received from the external controller 200.

[0072] With the control method for the integrated LED package device described above, the current is automatically controlled via a memory that pre-stores the bin information of each LED. This achieves the effect of automatically supplying the optimal current required for each LED without the need for separate manual settings.

[0073] Furthermore, this eliminates the need for the conventional, complex process of individually setting the output current supplied to each LED, resulting in the ability to efficiently control the entire system.

[0074] Furthermore, by integrating the LED bin information, the driver that controls it, and the LEDs onto a single chip, additional external wiring and circuitry can be eliminated, minimizing the overall system size and volume, and enabling efficient system configuration even in smaller spaces.

[0075] Even though all components constituting the embodiments of this disclosure have been described above as operating as a single unit or combination, the technical idea of ​​this disclosure is not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purposes of this disclosure, all components may also operate as one or more units in a selective combination.

[0076] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, a person with ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs will understand that this disclosure may be implemented in other specific forms without altering the technical idea or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of protection of this disclosure should be interpreted as the following claims, and all technical ideas within an equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the technical idea as defined by this disclosure.

Claims

1. A power supply unit that supplies power from an external power source and A communication unit that transmits LED bin information to an external controller and receives LED drive signals from the external controller. A driver including a storage unit for storing bin information and a control unit that controls the voltage or current applied to the LED according to a control signal received by the external controller, An integrated LED package device, including an LED that emits light under pre-set conditions upon application of a controlled voltage or current from the control unit.

2. The integrated LED package device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit is selectively switchable to UART or CAN communication via CNF PIN.

3. The aforementioned storage unit is The integrated LED package device according to claim 1, which stores bin information including at least one of the light intensity, voltage, and color information of the LED.

4. The control unit, The integrated LED package device according to claim 1, which controls the voltage or current applied to the LED according to the bin information.

5. The aforementioned storage unit is The integrated LED package device according to claim 1, which stores a unique address assigned by the external controller.

6. The aforementioned communications unit is The LED bin information stored in the storage unit is transmitted to the external controller, and a control signal for driving the LEDs under pre-set conditions is received from the external controller. The control unit, The integrated LED package device according to claim 1, which stores a unique address assigned by the external controller that determines the voltage or current applied to the LED in accordance with the control signal.

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