Control instruction transmission method, dimmer, and backlight unit

Abstract

A control instruction transmission method, a dimmer (132), and a backlight unit (13). The dimmer (132) first receives a control instruction group, then decodes a target control instruction in the control instruction group, and finally filters out the target control instruction in the control instruction group and sends the control instructions left after the filtering to a next-stage dimmer (132) connected in series to the dimmer (132), wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the dimmer (132). Since the dimmer (132) transmits, during control instruction transmission, control instructions other than the control instruction decoded by itself, compared with the transmission of all control instructions in the prior art, the bandwidth can be reduced, and the communication quality can be improved.

Description

A method for controlling instruction transmission, a dimmer and a backlight unit

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on November 27, 2023, with application number 202311595885.X and application name "A method for controlling instruction transmission, dimmer and backlight unit", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a method for controlling instruction transmission, a dimmer, and a backlight unit. Background Art

[0004] With the development of local dimming technology, the performance of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) has been greatly improved. The local dimming system consists of a timing controller (TCON), a dimming controller (DCU), and a backlight unit (BLU). The BLU is a crucial component of the local dimming system, and its performance directly affects the image display quality.

[0005] The backlight unit includes a dimmer and a sub-millimeter light-emitting diode (Mini LED). Typically, the dimmers in the backlight unit are connected in series. A dimming controller and the series-connected dimmers communicate using a single-wire protocol. The dimming controller is connected to the first-stage dimmer in the series connection. The dimmer sends a control command group to the first-stage dimmer, and the first-stage dimmer sends the control command group to the other series-connected dimmers step by step.

[0006] The method of transmitting control instructions for dimmers provided in related technologies wastes bandwidth and affects communication quality. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a control instruction transmission method, a dimmer and a backlight unit, which are used to solve the problem in the prior art that the dimmer transmits control instructions in a manner that wastes bandwidth and affects communication quality.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for transmitting a control instruction, which is applied to dimmers connected in series, and the method includes:

[0009] receiving a control instruction group;

[0010] Decoding a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer;

[0011] The target control instruction in the control instruction group is filtered out, and the filtered control instruction is sent to the next stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0012] In a possible implementation, if the order of the dimmers connected in series is the same as the order of the control instructions corresponding to the dimmers in the control instruction group, decoding the target control instruction in the control instruction group includes:

[0013] The first control instruction in the control instruction group is decoded.

[0014] In a possible implementation, after decoding the first control instruction in the control instruction group, the method further includes:

[0015] Locking the first control instruction in the control instruction group;

[0016] The step of filtering out the target control instruction in the control instruction group and sending the filtered control instruction to a next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer includes:

[0017] The unlocked control instructions in the control instruction group are sent to the next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0018] In a possible implementation, after receiving the control instruction group and before decoding the target control instruction in the control instruction group, the method further includes:

[0019] It is determined that the control instructions in the control instruction group have not been decoded.

[0020] In a possible implementation, if the current dimmer is a first-stage dimmer connected in series, the receiving of the control instruction group includes:

[0021] receiving a first control instruction group sent by a dimming controller;

[0022] If the current dimmer is the non-first-stage dimmer connected in series, the receiving control instruction group includes:

[0023] receiving a second control instruction group sent by an upper-level dimmer connected in series with the dimmer;

[0024] If the current dimmer is the last dimmer in the series-connected dimmers, the control instruction group is the last control instruction in the first control instruction group.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the number of control instructions in the first control instruction group is the same as the total number of dimmers connected in series;

[0026] The number of control instructions in the second control instruction group is the difference between the total number of controllers connected in series and the position-related information of the current dimmer, and the position-related information of the current dimmer is the difference between the position of the current controller in the controllers connected in series and 1.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner, each control instruction in the control instruction group includes a control signal; or

[0028] Control signals and dimming data; or

[0029] identification, control signals and dimming data.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present application provides a dimmer, comprising:

[0031] A receiving module, configured to receive a control instruction group;

[0032] a decoding module, configured to decode a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer;

[0033] The sending module is used to filter the target control instruction in the control instruction group and send the filtered control instruction to the next stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0034] In a third aspect, the present application provides a dimmer comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the control instruction transmission method as described in any one of the first aspects are implemented.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a backlight unit comprising a Mini LED and a plurality of dimmers as described in the third aspect connected in series, wherein:

[0036] The dimmer is used to control the Mini LED connected to the dimmer according to the decoded control instruction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0038] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of the method for transmitting control instructions provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a backlight unit provided in the related art;

[0040] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a method for transmitting a signal instruction group provided by the related art;

[0041] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another method for transmitting a signal instruction group provided by the related art;

[0042] FIG5 is a flow chart of a method for transmitting a control instruction according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a method for transmitting a signal instruction group according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another method for transmitting a signal instruction group provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another method for transmitting a signal instruction group provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a control instruction transmission and locking operation according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG10 is a flow chart of a method for each dimmer to transmit instructions according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a dimmer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another dimmer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a program product provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely some, rather than all, of the present invention. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are intended to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] As shown in Figure 1, an application scenario diagram of the method for transmitting control instructions provided in an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The local dimming system includes a timing controller (TCON) 11, a dimming controller (Dimming Controller) 12 and a backlight unit (BLU) 13, wherein the backlight unit 13 includes a backlight matrix composed of multiple Mini LEDs (L11, ..., L(2n)m) and multiple dimmers (Dimmer 11, ..., Dimmer nm). Exemplarily, the Mini LEDs (L11, ..., L(2n)m) can be direct-type AM (English: Active Matrix, Chinese: active matrix) Mini LEDs. Specifically, the number of Mini LEDs that make up the backlight matrix can be determined according to the size of the liquid crystal panel (LCP) 14 (English: Liquid Crystal Panel, abbreviated as: LCP), and the number of dimmers can be determined according to the total number of Mini LEDs and the number of Mini LEDs controlled by one dimmer. For example, one dimmer can control two Mini LEDs, and one dimmer can also control four Mini LEDs. The embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by taking one dimmer controlling two Mini LEDs as an example.

[0053] In a specific implementation, the timing controller 11 is respectively connected to the dimming controller 12 and the liquid crystal panel 14, and is used to transmit local dimming data to the dimming controller 12, and transmit the display image signal to the liquid crystal panel 14, so that the liquid crystal panel 14 displays an image according to the display image signal; the dimming controller 12 is also connected to the dimmer (Dimmer 11, ..., Dimmer nm) in the backlight unit 13, and is used to control the dimmer (Dimmer 11, ..., Dimmer nm). Specifically, the interface connecting the dimming controller 12 and the dimmer (Dimmer 11, ..., Dimmer nm) can be a clock-embedded single-thread (Single Line) interface to achieve simple and effective wiring; the dimmer (Dimmer 11, ..., Dimmer nm) can also be distributed in a matrix according to the distribution of the backlight matrix. Taking the first-level dimmer (Dimmer 11) as an example, since it controls two Mini LEDs (L11, L21), the first output end of Dimmer 11 is connected to the Mini LED The cathode of L11 is electrically connected to the cathode of Mini LED L21, the second output terminal of Dimmer 11 is electrically connected to the cathode of Mini LED L21, and the anodes of Mini LED L11 and Mini LED L21 are both connected to the power supply terminal VDD. The connection method of the other level dimmers is similar to that of Dimmer 11, and the repeated parts are not repeated here. The dimmers (Dimmer 11, ..., Dimmer nm) are used to control the brightness of the Mini LEDs connected to them according to the received local dimming data, thereby adjusting the brightness of the backlight unit 13.

[0054] As shown in Figure 2, it is a structural diagram of the backlight unit provided in the related art. The backlight unit 13 includes an array-distributed Mini LED 131 and an array-distributed dimmer 132. The array-distributed dimmer 132 includes multiple groups of dimmers connected in series. For each group of dimmers connected in series, the dimming controller is connected to the first-level dimmer in each group of dimmers connected in series. The dimming controller outputs the output control instruction group to the first-level dimmer, and then the first-level dimmer transmits the control instruction group to the next-level dimmer, and so on. After each level of dimmer receives the control instruction group, it decodes the control instruction in the control instruction group to obtain the control instruction corresponding to the dimmer. The dimmer controls the Mini LED connected to the dimmer according to the control instruction.

[0055] As shown in Figure 3, a schematic diagram of a signal instruction group transmission method provided by the related technology, Figure 3 shows the use of the same set of instructions for communication between dimmers connected in series, that is, the same control instructions are transmitted between dimmers connected in series, and the control signals included in the control instructions are the same. The dimming controller sends n control instructions to dimmer 1 (first-level dimmer) in the series-connected dimmers. After receiving the n control instructions, dimmer 1 decodes the n control instructions and controls the Mini LED connected to dimmer 1 according to the decoded instructions. Dimmer 1 sends n control instructions to dimmer 2 (second-level dimmer). After receiving the n control instructions, dimmer 2 decodes the n control instructions and controls the Mini LED connected to dimmer 2 according to the decoded instructions, and so on, until n control instructions are sent to dimmer n (the last-level dimmer).

[0056] The dimmer decodes the received control command, executes the corresponding settings, and forwards the control command to the next dimmer. Because the dimmers are connected in series, the only difference is the timing of the control command forwarding, and all dimmers can use the same settings.

[0057] In the method for transmitting the signal instruction group shown in FIG3 , since the n control instructions are the same, the dimmer identifier, such as the dimmer address or the dimmer identity identifier (English: Identity Document, abbreviated as: ID), may not be added to the control instruction. However, for control instruction groups with different control instructions, in order to ensure that the control instruction obtained by decoding the dimmer is the control instruction corresponding to the dimmer, the dimmer identifier, such as ID, may be carried in the control instruction, as shown in FIG4 .

[0058] As shown in FIG4 , it is a schematic diagram of another signal instruction group transmission method provided by the related art. Similarly, FIG4 also includes n dimmers connected in series (dimmer 1, dimmer 2, dimmer 3…dimmer n-1, dimmer n). The dimming controller sends n control instructions to dimmer 1. After receiving the n control instructions, dimmer 1 decodes the control instruction corresponding to dimmer 1 in the received control instructions. For example, the first control instruction in the n control instructions is decoded, and the remaining (n-1) control instructions are not decoded. Dimmer 1 controls the Mini LED connected to dimmer 1 according to the decoded control instructions; dimmer 1 sends n control instructions to dimmer 2. After receiving the n control instructions, dimmer 2 decodes the control instruction corresponding to dimmer 2 in the received control instructions. For example, the second control instruction in the n control instructions is decoded, and the remaining (n-1) control instructions are not decoded. Dimmer 2 controls the Mini LED connected to dimmer 2 according to the decoded control instructions. LED is controlled; ... After dimmer n receives n control instructions sent by dimmer n-1, it decodes the control instruction corresponding to dimmer n among the received control instructions, for example, the last control instruction among the n control instructions, and the remaining (n-1) control instructions are not decoded. Dimmer n controls the Mini LED connected to dimmer n according to the decoded control instructions.

[0059] Specifically, the dimmer selects the control instruction corresponding to the dimmer based on the ID in the control instruction. For example, the dimmer has its own ID set, and the control instruction with the same ID in the received control instruction as the ID set by the dimmer itself is used as the control instruction corresponding to the dimmer.

[0060] When a dimmer decodes a received control command, it executes the settings and data only if it matches the ID or address assigned to it, and then forwards the control command to the next dimmer. Since the dimmers are connected in series, the timing of control command transmission varies, and since all dimmers have independent IDs or addresses, they can execute different settings and data.

[0061] It should be noted that in the control instruction transmission method of the related technology shown in Figures 3 and 4, the order of control instructions in the control instruction group sent by the dimming controller is different from the order of the dimmers in series. Figures 3 and 4 are only for the convenience of description.

[0062] In the above two signal instruction group transmission methods, since n control instructions are transmitted between dimmers, bandwidth will be wasted and communication quality will be affected.

[0063] Based on this, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for controlling instruction transmission, a dimmer, and a backlight unit to reduce bandwidth occupied during instruction transmission and improve communication quality.

[0064] The solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0065] As shown in FIG5 , a method for transmitting control instructions provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied to dimmers connected in series. The method includes the following steps:

[0066] S501, receiving a control instruction group;

[0067] S502: Decode a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer;

[0068] S503: Filter the target control instruction in the control instruction group, and send the filtered control instruction to the next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0069] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for transmitting control instructions. A current dimmer first receives a control instruction group, then decodes a target control instruction in the control instruction group, and finally filters the target control instruction in the control instruction group. The filtered control instruction is then sent to a subsequent dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer, where the target control instruction is the control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer. Because the dimmer transmits control instructions other than the control instruction it decoded, this method reduces bandwidth and improves communication quality compared to the prior art method of transmitting all control instructions.

[0070] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, there is no limit on the number of dimmers connected in series.

[0071] In one implementation, if the current dimmer is a first-level dimmer among the dimmers connected in series, the control instruction group is the first control instruction group sent by the dimmer controller; if the current dimmer is a dimmer of another level other than the first-level dimmer among the dimmers connected in series, the control instruction group is the second control instruction group sent by the previous-level dimmer of the current dimmer, wherein the dimmer directly connected to the dimmer controller is the first-level dimmer.

[0072] The control instruction group received by the dimmer in the embodiment of the present application is composed of control instructions received in sequence. For example, dimmer 1 receives the control instruction group sent by the dimming controller, first receives the first control instruction in the control instruction group, then receives the second control instruction in the control instruction group, and then receives the third control instruction in the control instruction group...

[0073] In one embodiment, if the order of the dimmers connected in series is the same as the order of the control instructions corresponding to the dimmers in the control instruction group, the current dimmer decodes the first control instruction in the control instruction group, that is, the target control instruction is the first control instruction in the control instruction group, and the target control instruction in the control instruction group is filtered, and the filtered control instruction is sent to the next-level dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer, that is, the other control instructions in the control instruction group except the first control instruction are sent to the next-level control instruction.

[0074] For example, the dimmers connected in series are dimmer 1, dimmer 2, and dimmer 3. The control instruction group received by dimmer 1 is CMD.1, CMD.2, and CMD.3. Dimmer 1 receives the control instruction group CMD.1, CMD.2, and CMD.3, decodes the first control instruction CMD.1, filters the first control instruction CMD.1 in the control instruction group CMD.1, CMD.2, and CMD.3, and sends the filtered control instructions CMD.2 and CMD.3 to dimmer 2; dimmer 2 receives the control instruction group CMD.2 and CMD.3, decodes the first control instruction CMD.2, filters CMD.2 in the control instruction group CMD.2 and CMD.3, and sends the filtered control instruction CMD.3 to dimmer 3; dimmer 3 receives the control instruction CMD.3, decodes the first control instruction CMD.3. Since dimmer 3 receives only one control instruction, there is no need to filter the control instruction group.

[0075] In one embodiment, after receiving the first control instruction, the dimmer may decode the first control instruction and lock the first control instruction, and then forward all control instructions belonging to the control instruction group received to the next-level dimmer.

[0076] For example, as shown in Figure 6, it is a schematic diagram of a signal instruction transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 6, the control instruction group sent by the dimming controller has the same order of control instructions in the control instruction group as the order of the dimmers connected in series, that is, the control instruction corresponding to dimmer 1 is CMD.1, the control instruction corresponding to dimmer 2 is CMD.2..., and the control instruction corresponding to dimmer n is CMD.n. Dimmer 1 receives the control instruction group (n control instructions) sent by the dimming controller. Dimmer 1 decodes the first control instruction (CMD.1) in the control instruction group, and then sends the other control instructions except the first control instruction (CMD.1) to dimmer 2. After dimmer 2 receives the control instruction group ((n-1) control instructions), it decodes the first control instruction (CMD.2) in the received control instruction group, and then sends the other control instructions except the first control instruction (CMD.2) to dimmer 2, and so on, until the control instruction is sent to the last-level dimmer, that is, dimmer n.

[0077] In the embodiment of the present application, since the control instruction decoded and locked by the dimmer is the first control instruction in the received control instruction group, there is no need to set an inherent address or ID, thereby reducing the complexity of data processing and improving processing efficiency.

[0078] It should be noted that before sending the control instruction group, the dimming controller needs to sort the control instructions in the control instruction group according to the order of the dimmers connected in series. For example, the order of the dimmers is dimmer 1, dimmer 2, dimmer 3...dimmer n-1, dimmer n, the control instruction corresponding to dimmer 1 is CMD.1, the control instruction corresponding to dimmer 2 is CMD.2, the control instruction corresponding to dimmer 3 is CMD.3,..., and the control instruction corresponding to dimmer n is CMD.n. Then the control instruction group sent by the dimming controller is CMD.1, CMD.2, CMD.3,..., CMD.n.

[0079] As can be seen from Figure 6, the last-level dimmer (dimmer n) only receives one control instruction, that is, if the current dimmer is the last-level dimmer connected in series, the control instruction group received by the last-level dimmer is the last control instruction in the control instruction group sent by the dimming controller.

[0080] In implementation, after the current dimmer decodes the control instruction, the Mini LED connected to the dimmer is controlled according to the decoded control instruction.

[0081] In a specific implementation, the number of control instructions in the first control instruction group (the control instruction group sent by the dimming controller) in the embodiment of the present application is the same as the total number of dimmers connected in series. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the control instruction group sent by the dimming controller includes n control instructions; the number of control instructions in the second control instruction group (the control instruction group sent by the dimmer) in the embodiment of the present application is the difference between the total number of controllers connected in series and the position-related information of the dimmer, wherein the position-related information of the dimmer is the difference between the position of the dimmer in the dimmers connected in series and 1. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the total number n of dimmers connected in series and the position-related information of dimmer 1 are different. The position-related information of dimmer 1 is the difference between 1 and 1, that is, 0. Then the number of control instructions in the control instruction group sent by dimmer 1 is (n-(1-1))=n.

[0082] In one embodiment, each control instruction in the control instruction group may only include a control signal, and the control signal in each control instruction may be the same control signal, as shown in FIG6 .

[0083] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG7 , each control instruction in the control instruction group includes both a control signal and dimming data. In this case, the control signals in each control instruction may be different or the same, and the dimming data in each control instruction may be different or the same.

[0084] In the related art, if the control instructions in the control instruction group are different, the only way is to set the ID in the dimmer, and set the ID in both the control signal and the dimming data in the control instruction. Since the ID is set in both the control signal and the dimming data in the control instruction, the communication bandwidth will increase. However, with the gradual high-configuration of AM Mini-LED display devices, the number of dimmers installed on the BLU increases, and there may be a situation where the communication bandwidth cannot bear the bandwidth requirements of the increased number of dimmers. On the other hand, if the number of dimmers increases, the communication bandwidth needs to be increased. The increase in communication bandwidth may cause electromagnetic interference (English: Electro Magnetic Interference, abbreviated as: EMI) or electromagnetic compatibility (English: Electro Magnetic Compatibility, abbreviated as: EMC) problems.

[0085] By adopting the control instruction transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application, on the one hand, the dimmer can lock the control instruction corresponding to itself and send the unlocked control instruction to the next-level dimmer. Since the transmission of the control instruction is reduced, the bandwidth can be reduced, thereby reducing the problem of bandwidth meeting the demand caused by the increase of dimmers and affecting the communication quality. When the number of dimmers increases, the bandwidth will not increase, thereby reducing EMI or EMC; on the other hand, not setting the ID in the control instruction will further reduce the communication bandwidth and reduce EMI or EMC.

[0086] As shown in the table below, when the control instruction carries an ID or address, it occupies 6 bits, and the control signal Config and dimming data Data occupy 16 bits, for a total of 24 bits. If the control instruction does not carry an ID or address, the control signal Config and dimming data Data occupy 16 bits, for a total of 16 bits. This shows that the bandwidth is increased by 50% when the control instruction carries an ID or address compared to the control instruction without an ID or address.

[0087] AM Mini-LED display devices are gradually becoming more highly configured, and the number of dimmers will increase, so the number of bits of the ID or address will also increase, and the number of control instructions transmitted will also increase, so the communication bandwidth will also increase. The method for transmitting control instructions provided in the embodiment of the present application can reduce bandwidth and improve communication quality compared to the method for transmitting control instructions provided by the prior art.

[0088] In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, each control instruction in the control instruction group includes an identifier, a control signal and dimming data, wherein the identifier can be the ID of the dimmer, and the identifier carried in each control instruction is the identifier corresponding to the dimmer. For example, the ID carried in ID / CMD / DAT.1 is the ID corresponding to dimmer 1, such as ID1, and the ID carried in ID / CMD / DAT.2 is the ID corresponding to dimmer 2, such as ID2. At the same time, an identifier corresponding to the dimmer is also set in each dimmer. For example, the identifier set in dimmer 1 is ID1, and the identifier set in dimmer 2 is ID2. After the dimmer decodes the control instruction, it can compare the decoded identifier with the identifier set in the dimmer to confirm that the control instruction is the control instruction sent by the dimming controller to the dimmer.

[0089] If the ID obtained after the dimmer is decoded is different from the ID set in the dimmer, the dimmer may not control the Mini LED connected to the dimmer.

[0090] In a specific implementation, after the dimmer receives the control instruction group, it decodes the control instruction corresponding to the dimmer in the control instruction group, locks the control instruction corresponding to the dimmer, and sends the unlocked control instruction in the control instruction group to the next-level dimmer connected in series with the dimmer.

[0091] For example, as shown in Figure 6, the control instruction group received by dimmer 1 is n control instructions, CMD.1, CMD.2, CMD.3, ...., CMD.n-1, CMD.n. Dimmer 1 decodes the control instruction CMD.1, which is the first one in the control instruction group, and then locks the control instruction CMD.1. Dimmer 1 sends the unlocked control instructions (CMD.2, CMD.3, ...., CMD.n-1, CMD.n) to dimmer 2; the control instruction group received by dimmer 2 is n-1 control instructions, CMD.2, CMD.3, ...., CMD.n-1, CMD.n. Dimmer 2 decodes the control instruction CMD.2, which is the first one in the control instruction group, and then locks the control instruction CMD.2. Dimmer 2 sends the unlocked control instructions (CMD.3, ...., CMD.n-1, CMD.n) to dimmer 3.

[0092] After receiving the control instruction group, before decoding the target control instruction in the control instruction group, the dimmer first determines whether the dimmer has decoded the control instruction in the control instruction group. If it has not been decoded, the target control instruction in the received control instruction group is decoded and locked. If it has been decoded, the received control instruction group is sent to the next-level dimmer connected to the dimmer.

[0093] In a specific implementation, the dimmer determines whether the control instructions in the control instruction group have been decoded. The judgment can be made based on the identifier of the control instruction group. For example, each control instruction in the control instruction group 1 carries the identifier 1 of the control instruction group. After the dimmer decodes the control instructions in the control instruction group 1, it marks them. After marking, the dimmer does not decode the control instructions in the control instruction group 1 when it receives them again, and directly sends them to the next-level dimmer connected to the dimmer.

[0094] In another embodiment, if the order of the dimmers connected in series is different from the order of the control instructions corresponding to the dimmers, the dimmer compares the ID carried in the control instructions received in sequence and the ID set by the dimmer itself during the process of receiving the control instructions in the control instruction group. If they are different, the control instruction is sent to the next-level dimmer. If they are the same, the control instruction is decoded and locked, and then other unlocked control instructions in the control instruction group are sent to the next-level dimmer.

[0095] For example, the order of the dimmers in series is dimmer 1, dimmer 2, dimmer 3, ..., dimmer n-1, dimmer n, and the order of the control instructions in the control instruction group is ID / CMD / DAT.1, ID / CMD / DAT.3, ID / CMD / DAT.2, .... In this case, the dimmer first determines the control instruction corresponding to itself based on its own set ID and the ID in the control instruction, then decodes and locks the determined control instruction, and finally sends the unlocked control instruction to the next For example, the control instructions in the control instruction group received by dimmer 1 are ID / CMD / DAT.1, ID / CMD / DAT.3, ID / CMD / DAT.2, etc., and dimmer 1 compares its own set ID1 with the ID1 carried in the control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.1. If they are the same, dimmer 1 decodes the control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.1 and locks the control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.1. Dimmer 1 determines that the control instruction After decoding the control instructions in the control instruction group of ID / CMD / DAT.1, ID / CMD / DAT.3, ID / CMD / DAT.2, etc., the received control instructions ID / CMD / DAT.3, ID / CMD / DAT.2, etc. are sent to dimmer 2. After dimmer 2 receives the control instructions ID / CMD / DAT.3, ID / CMD / DAT.2, etc., it converts the ID2 set by itself and the control instructions ID / CMD / DAT.3 into the control instructions. If the ID3 carried by the dimmer is determined to be different, the dimmer 2 sends the control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.3 to the dimmer 3, and then the dimmer 2 compares the ID2 set by itself with the ID2 carried in the next control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.2. If it is determined to be the same, the dimmer 2 decodes the control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.2 and locks it. The dimmer 2 sends other unlocked control instructions to the dimmer 3. After receiving the control instruction, the dimmer 3 continues to execute the above steps.

[0096] As shown in Figure 9, an action diagram of control instruction transmission and locking provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 9, 1 control instruction transmission indicates that the dimming controller sends the first control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.1 to dimmer 1 (Dimmer#1), 1 control instruction decoding indicates that dimmer 1 decodes the first control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.1, and 1 instruction locking indicates that dimmer 1 locks the first control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.1; 2 control instruction transmissions indicate that the dimming controller sends the second control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.2 to dimmer 1, and 2 control instruction forwardings indicate that dimmer 1 forwards the second control instruction ID / CMD / DAT.1 to dimmer 2. Control command ID / CMD / DAT.2, two control command decodings indicate that dimmer 2 decodes the second control command ID / CMD / DAT.2, two control command lockings indicate that dimmer 2 locks the second control command ID / CMD / DAT.2; three control command transmissions indicate that the dimming controller sends the third control command ID / CMD / DAT.3 to dimmer 1, the first forwarding of the three control commands indicates that dimmer 1 sends the third control command ID / CMD / DAT.3 to dimmer 2, the second forwarding of the three control commands indicates that dimmer 2 sends the third control command ID / CMD / DAT.3 to dimmer 3, and so on.

[0097] FIG10 is a flow chart of a method for transmitting instructions to each dimmer according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the specific steps are as follows:

[0098] S1001, the previous level dimmer transmits the control instruction to the current level dimmer;

[0099] S1002, the current-stage dimmer receives the control instruction;

[0100] S1003, the current-stage dimmer determines whether the control instruction in the control instruction group has been decoded, if so, executes S1004, otherwise executes S1005;

[0101] S1004: The current-stage dimmer forwards the received control instruction to the next-stage dimmer, and the process returns to step S1002;

[0102] S1005, the current-stage dimmer decodes the control instruction;

[0103] S1006: The current-stage dimmer locks the control instruction and returns to step S1002.

[0104] In the control instruction forwarding method provided in the embodiments of the present application, a dimmer decodes and locks the first control instruction it receives, and then forwards any unlocked control instructions to the next-level dimmer. This reduces the communication bandwidth, thereby reducing EMI or EMC in the development of AM Mini-LED display devices and manufacturing cost-effective BLUs. Furthermore, the reduction in communication bandwidth means that more dimmers can be connected under the same conditions compared to the prior art. Therefore, it is expected that a high-profile AM ​​Mini-LED display device can be achieved by using more LEDs.

[0105] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a dimmer, which is applied to a backlight unit. The principle of solving the problem by the dimmer is similar to that of the method, so the implementation of the dimmer can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0106] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a dimmer provided in an embodiment of the present application. The dimmer is applied to a backlight unit and includes:

[0107] Receiving module 1101, used for receiving a control instruction group;

[0108] A decoding module 1102 is configured to decode a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer;

[0109] The sending module 1103 is configured to filter the target control instruction in the control instruction group, and send the filtered control instruction to the next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0110] In a possible implementation, if the order of the dimmers connected in series is the same as the order of the control instructions corresponding to the dimmers in the control instruction group, the decoding module is specifically configured to:

[0111] The first control instruction in the control instruction group is decoded.

[0112] In a possible implementation, the dimmer further includes a locking module, and after decoding the first control instruction in the control instruction group, the locking module is configured to:

[0113] Locking the first control instruction in the control instruction group;

[0114] The sending module is specifically used for:

[0115] The unlocked control instructions in the received control instruction group are sent to the next stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the dimmer further includes a judgment module, which is configured to:

[0117] It is determined that the control instructions in the control instruction group have not been decoded.

[0118] In a possible implementation, if the current dimmer is a first-stage dimmer connected in series, the receiving module 1101 is specifically configured to:

[0119] receiving a first control instruction group sent by a dimming controller;

[0120] If the current dimmer is the non-first-stage dimmer connected in series, the receiving module 1101 is specifically configured to:

[0121] A second control instruction group sent by an upper-level dimmer connected in series with the dimmer is received.

[0122] In a possible implementation, if the current dimmer is the last dimmer in the series-connected dimmers, the control instruction group is the last control instruction in the first control instruction group.

[0123] In a possible implementation, the number of control instructions in the first control instruction group is the same as the total number of dimmers connected in series;

[0124] The number of control instructions in the second control instruction group is the difference between the total number of controllers connected in series and the position-related information of the current dimmer, and the position-related information of the current dimmer is the difference between the position of the controller in the controllers connected in series and 1.

[0125] In a possible implementation manner, each control instruction in the control instruction group includes a control signal; or

[0126] Control signals and dimming data; or

[0127] identification, control signals and dimming data.

[0128] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a dimmer, which is applied to a backlight unit. Since the dimmer is the dimmer in the method in the embodiment of the present invention, and the principle of solving the problem by the dimmer is similar to that of the method, the implementation of the dimmer can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0129] The dimmer according to this embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to Figure 12. The dimmer shown in Figure 12 is only an example and should not limit the functions and scope of use of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0130] As shown in FIG12 , the dimmer includes a memory 1202 and a processor 1201 . The memory 1202 stores a computer program. When the processor 1201 executes the computer program, the following steps are implemented:

[0131] receiving a control instruction group;

[0132] Decoding a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer;

[0133] The target control instruction in the control instruction group is filtered, and the filtered control instruction is sent to a next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0134] In a possible implementation, if the order of the dimmers connected in series is the same as the order of the control instructions corresponding to the dimmers in the control instruction group, the processor is specifically configured to:

[0135] The first control instruction in the control instruction group is decoded.

[0136] In a possible implementation, after decoding the first control instruction in the control instruction group, the processor is further configured to:

[0137] Locking the first control instruction in the control instruction group;

[0138] The filtering of the first control instruction in the control instruction group, and sending the filtered control instruction to the next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer, wherein the processor is specifically configured to:

[0139] The unlocked control instructions in the control instruction group are sent to the next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0140] In a possible implementation, after receiving the control instruction group and before decoding the target control instruction in the control instruction group, the processor is further configured to:

[0141] It is determined that the control instructions in the control instruction group have not been decoded.

[0142] In a possible implementation, if the current dimmer is a first-stage dimmer connected in series, the processor is specifically configured to:

[0143] receiving a first control instruction group sent by a dimming controller;

[0144] If the current dimmer is the non-first-stage dimmer connected in series, the processor is specifically configured to:

[0145] A second control instruction group sent by an upper-level dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer is received.

[0146] In a possible implementation, if the current dimmer is the last dimmer in the series-connected dimmers, the control instruction group is the last control instruction in the first control instruction group.

[0147] In a possible implementation, the number of control instructions in the first control instruction group is the same as the total number of dimmers connected in series;

[0148] The number of control instructions in the second control instruction group is the difference between the total number of controllers connected in series and the position-related information of the current dimmer, and the position-related information of the current dimmer is the difference between the position of the controller in the controllers connected in series and 1.

[0149] In a possible implementation manner, each control instruction in the control instruction group includes a control signal; or

[0150] Control signals and dimming data; or

[0151] identification, control signals and dimming data.

[0152] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a backlight unit, comprising a Mini LED and any dimmer as described above, wherein:

[0153] The dimmer is used to control the Mini LED connected to the dimmer according to the decoded control instructions.

[0154] The principle of solving the problem by the backlight unit is similar to that of the aforementioned dimmer, so the implementation of the backlight unit can refer to the implementation of the aforementioned dimmer, and the repeated parts will be omitted.

[0155] In some possible embodiments, various aspects of the present invention can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program code. When the program product is run on a terminal device, the program code is used to enable the terminal device to execute the steps of each module in the device for transmitting control instructions according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of this specification, for example, receiving a control instruction group; decoding a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is the control instruction corresponding to the dimmer; filtering the target control instruction in the control instruction group, and sending the filtered control instruction to the next-level dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

[0156] The program product may employ any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or component, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0157] As shown in FIG13 , a program product 130 for a method for controlling instruction transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. The program product 130 may be a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and may be run on a terminal device, such as a personal computer. However, the program product of the present invention is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0158] A readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transfer a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0159] Program code embodied on a readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0160] The program code for performing the operations of the present invention can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, and the like, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case of a remote computing device, the remote computing device can be connected to the user computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0161] It should be noted that although several modules or submodules of the system are mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is merely exemplary and not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of the present invention, the features and functions of two or more modules described above can be embodied in a single module. Conversely, the features and functions of a single module described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules.

[0162] Furthermore, although the operations of the various modules of the system of the present invention are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in this specific order, or that all illustrated operations must be performed to achieve the desired results. Additionally or alternatively, some operations may be omitted, multiple operations may be combined into one operation, and / or one operation may be decomposed into multiple operations.

[0163] The present application is described above with reference to block diagrams and / or flow charts illustrating methods, apparatus (systems) and / or computer program products according to embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that a block of a block diagram and / or flow chart, as well as a combination of blocks of a block diagram and / or flow chart, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer and / or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine such that instructions executed by the computer processor and / or other programmable data processing device create a method for implementing the functions / actions specified in the block diagram and / or flow chart block.

[0164] Accordingly, the present application may also be implemented using hardware and / or software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.). Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system. In the context of the present application, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, transmit, or convey a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0165] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a control instruction, characterized in that: Applied to series-connected dimmers, the method comprises: receiving a control instruction group; Decoding a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer; The target control instruction in the control instruction group is filtered, and the filtered control instruction is sent to the next stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that If the order of the dimmers connected in series is the same as the order of the control instructions corresponding to the dimmers in the control instruction group, decoding the target control instruction in the control instruction group includes: The first control instruction in the control instruction group is decoded.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that After decoding the first control instruction in the control instruction group, the method further includes: Locking the first control instruction in the control instruction group; The filtering the target control instruction in the control instruction group and sending the filtered control instruction to the next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer includes: The unlocked control instructions in the control instruction group are sent to the next-level dimmer.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After receiving the control instruction group and before decoding the target control instruction in the control instruction group, the method further includes: It is determined that the control instructions in the control instruction group have not been decoded.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that If the current dimmer is a first-stage dimmer connected in series, the receiving control instruction group includes: Receiving a first control instruction group sent by a dimming controller; If the current dimmer is the non-first-stage dimmer connected in series, the receiving control instruction group includes: receiving a second control instruction group sent by a previous-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer; If the current dimmer is the last dimmer in the series-connected dimmers, the control instruction group is the last control instruction in the first control instruction group.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The number of control instructions in the first control instruction group is the same as the total number of dimmers connected in series; The number of control instructions in the second control instruction group is the difference between the total number of controllers connected in series and the position-related information of the current dimmer, and the position-related information of the current dimmer is the difference between the position of the current controller in the controllers connected in series and 1.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Each control instruction in the control instruction group includes a control signal; or Control signals and dimming data; or Identification, control signals and dimming data.

8. A dimmer, characterized in that: include: A receiving module, used for receiving a control instruction group; A decoding module, used for decoding a target control instruction in the control instruction group, wherein the target control instruction is a control instruction corresponding to the current dimmer; The sending module is used to filter the target control instructions in the control instruction group, and send the filtered control instructions to the next-stage dimmer connected in series with the current dimmer.

9. A dimmer, characterized in that: The method comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the steps of the method for transmitting control instructions according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when executing the computer program.

10. A backlight unit, characterized in that: A dimmer as claimed in claim 9 comprising a Mini LED and a plurality of serially connected LEDs, wherein: The dimmer is used to control the Mini LED connected to the dimmer according to the decoded control instruction.

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