Backlight module, driving method therefor, and display device comprising same

Abstract

A backlight module, a driving method therefor, and a display device comprising same. The backlight module comprises: a backlight source and a backlight circuit board (20). The backlight source comprises a lamp panel (10), wherein the lamp panel (10) comprises at least one lamp area (11). The backlight circuit board (20) comprises a driver chip (1) and a bus expansion group (2). The driver chip (1) is configured to emit a drive control signal. The bus expansion group (2) comprises at least one bus processing module (22) and at least one bus expansion connector (24), wherein the bus expansion connector (24) is connected to the lamp area (11); and the bus processing module (22) has one end connected to the driver chip (1), and the other end connected to the bus expansion connector (24), such that the drive control signal is provided to the lamp area (11) by means of the bus processing module (22) and the bus expansion connector (24). The backlight module can implement partitioned regulation of the lamp panel (10), and improve light-regulation accuracy.

Description

Backlight module, driving method thereof, and display device Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a backlight module, a driving method thereof, and a display device. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional LCD screens use LEDs as backlights, but conventional LED backlights often only support uniform adjustment and cannot achieve individual control of specific areas, easily leading to insufficient precision in local dimming. Mini-LED backlight technology was developed to address this issue.

[0003] Mini-LED backlight technology is divided into two mainstream technologies: AM Mini-LED and PM Mini-LED. Compared to PM, AM driving technology has advantages in terms of image quality, contrast, and power consumption. Furthermore, AM technology can control the light source to emit light continuously, achieving flicker-free display and being more eye-friendly. Due to the increasing market demand for high-end display products with high local dimming capabilities, AM Mini-LED backlight technology, with its superior image quality and precise control advantages, is now entering a phase of rapid development.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a backlight module, a driving method thereof, and a display device are provided.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a backlight module is provided, comprising: a backlight source including a lamp board, the lamp board including at least one lamp area; a backlight circuit board including: a driver chip configured to emit a drive control signal; and a bus expansion group including at least one bus processing module and at least one bus expansion connector, the bus expansion connector being connected to the lamp area; wherein one end of the bus processing module is connected to the driver chip and the other end is connected to the bus expansion connector, so that the drive control signal is provided to the lamp area via the bus processing module and the bus expansion connector.

[0007] In at least some embodiments, the bus processing module includes: a bus processing chip configured to output the adjusted drive control signal; an input terminal connected to the bus processing chip, configured to receive the drive control signal from the drive chip and transmit the control signal to the bus processing chip; and a filtering circuit connected to the input terminal, configured to filter the drive control signal.

[0008] In at least some embodiments, the bus processing module further includes: an output terminal connected to the bus processing chip, configured to transmit the drive control signal processed by the bus processing chip to the lamp area; and an anti-negative pressure backflow circuit, including two transistors arranged in pairs, the two transistors including a first transistor and a second transistor, wherein a first end of the first transistor and a second end of the second transistor are connected to the bus processing chip, and a second end of the first transistor and a first end of the second transistor are connected to the output terminal.

[0009] In at least some embodiments, the bus expansion connector is provided with a plurality of connection terminals, the plurality of connection terminals including: an input signal terminal, the input signal terminal being connected to the bus processing module and configured to transmit a signal from the bus processing module to the lamp area; and an output signal terminal, the output signal terminal being connected to the bus processing module and configured to transmit a signal from the lamp area to the bus processing module.

[0010] In at least some embodiments, the plurality of connection terminals further include power supply terminals configured to receive a power supply voltage from the backlight power supply.

[0011] In at least some embodiments, the backlight circuit board further includes a backlight control circuit, the backlight control circuit including a backlight control connector, one end of the backlight control connector being connected to the motherboard of the display device and the other end being connected to the driver chip, wherein backlight data sent by the motherboard of the display device is transmitted to the driver chip via the backlight control connector, and the driver chip adjusts the drive control signal according to the backlight data.

[0012] In at least some embodiments, the backlight circuit board further includes: a backlight power supply configured to supply power; and a power supply control circuit, one end of which is connected to the backlight power supply and the other end of which is connected to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module; wherein the backlight power supply supplies power to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module via the power supply control circuit.

[0013] In at least some embodiments, the power supply control circuit includes a power supply switch circuit configured to control the on / off state of the power supply, and includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal, and the second transistor includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. The third terminal of the first transistor is connected to the first terminal of the second transistor to control the on / off state of the second transistor through the first transistor.

[0014] In at least some embodiments, a first terminal of the first transistor is configured to receive a first voltage signal from the motherboard to turn on the first transistor, and a turn-on voltage is generated at the third terminal to turn on the second transistor; a first terminal of the second transistor is configured to receive the turn-on voltage to turn on the second transistor; a second terminal of the second transistor is configured to receive a second voltage signal from the motherboard and transmit the second voltage signal to the third terminal.

[0015] In at least some embodiments, the power supply control circuit further includes a power supply step-down circuit configured to reduce the power supply voltage provided by the power supply switching circuit to a target voltage, and to provide the target voltage to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module.

[0016] In at least some embodiments, the power supply step-down circuit includes: a bus power supply step-down circuit, one end of which is connected to the power supply switch circuit and the other end of which is connected to the bus processing module. The bus power supply step-down circuit is configured to reduce the power supply voltage to a first target voltage and provide the first target voltage to the bus processing module.

[0017] In at least some embodiments, the power supply step-down circuit further includes: a lamp area power supply step-down circuit, one end of which is connected to the power supply switch circuit and the other end is connected to the bus expansion connector. The lamp area power supply step-down circuit is configured to reduce the power supply voltage to a second target voltage and provide the second target voltage to the lamp area via the bus expansion connector, wherein the second target voltage is different from the first target voltage.

[0018] In at least some embodiments, the power supply control circuit further includes: a backlight power connector, one end of which is connected to the power supply step-down circuit and the other end of which is connected to the driver chip; wherein the driver chip is further configured to issue a voltage regulation signal according to the working state of the lamp area; the backlight power connector is configured to transmit the voltage regulation signal to the power supply step-down circuit, and the power supply step-down circuit is configured to adjust the power supply voltage of the lamp area according to the voltage regulation signal.

[0019] In at least some embodiments, the lamp panel includes multiple lamp zones, the bus expansion group includes multiple bus processing modules and multiple bus expansion connectors, and the multiple bus expansion connectors are connected to the multiple lamp zones one by one; the drive control signal is provided to the multiple lamp zones through the multiple bus processing modules and the multiple bus expansion connectors respectively.

[0020] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a display device is provided, including the aforementioned backlight module.

[0021] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a driving method for a backlight module is provided, comprising: a driving chip of a backlight circuit board emitting a driving control signal; and the driving control signal being provided to at least one lamp area of ​​a lamp board via at least one bus processing module and at least one bus expansion connector.

[0022] In at least some embodiments, the driving method further includes: the motherboard of the display device sending backlight data to the backlight control connector; the backlight control connector transmitting the backlight data to the bus processing module; and the bus processing module adjusting the driving control signal according to the backlight data.

[0023] In at least some embodiments, the driving method further includes: the backlight power supply supplying power to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module via the power supply control circuit.

[0024] In at least some embodiments, the power supply control circuit includes a power supply step-down circuit, which includes a bus power supply step-down circuit and a lamp area power supply step-down circuit; wherein the backlight power supply supplies power to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module via the power supply control circuit, including: the bus power supply step-down circuit reducing the supply voltage to a first target voltage and providing the first target voltage to the bus processing module; and / or the lamp area power supply step-down circuit reducing the supply voltage to a second target voltage and providing the second target voltage to the lamp area via the bus expansion connector, wherein the second target voltage is different from the first target voltage.

[0025] In at least some embodiments, the driving method further includes: a driving chip sending a voltage regulation signal according to the working state of the lamp area; a backlight power connector transmitting the voltage regulation signal to the power supply step-down circuit; and the power supply step-down circuit adjusting the power supply voltage of the lamp area according to the voltage regulation signal.

[0026] In at least some embodiments, the lamp panel includes multiple lamp zones, the at least one bus processing module includes multiple bus processing modules, and the at least one bus expansion connector includes multiple bus expansion connectors; wherein, the drive control signal is provided to at least one lamp zone of the lamp panel via at least one bus processing module and at least one bus expansion connector, including: the drive control signal is provided to the multiple lamp zones respectively via the multiple bus processing modules and the multiple bus expansion connectors. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a backlight module provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the bus processing module provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the bus expansion connector provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the backlight control connector provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 is a structural block diagram of the power supply control circuit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the power supply switch circuit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the power supply step-down circuit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the driver chip according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the driving method for a backlight module provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0039] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in this patent application specification and claims do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as “comprising” or “including” indicate that the element or object preceding “comprising” or “including” encompasses the element or object listed following “comprising” or “including” and its equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. Terms such as “connected” or “linked” are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right” are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, and these relative positional relationships may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described object changes.

[0040] Conventional LED backlighting typically only supports uniform adjustment and cannot achieve individual control of specific areas, making it more prone to problems with insufficient precision in zoned light control.

[0041] Therefore, this disclosure provides a backlight module, including a backlight source and a backlight circuit board. The backlight source includes a lamp board, which includes at least one lamp area. The backlight circuit board includes a driver chip and a bus expansion group. The driver chip is configured to issue a drive control signal, and the bus expansion group includes at least one bus processing module and at least one bus expansion connector, the bus expansion connector being connected to the lamp area. One end of the bus processing module is connected to the driver chip, and the other end is connected to the bus expansion connector, so that the drive control signal is provided to the lamp area via the bus processing module and the bus expansion connector.

[0042] In the backlight module provided in the above-described embodiments of this disclosure, by setting a bus processing module and a bus expansion connector, the drive control signal issued by the driver chip can be provided to the lamp area through the bus processing module and the bus expansion connector, thereby realizing the control of the lamp area and thus realizing the zoned control of the lamp board.

[0043] The present disclosure will now be described through specific embodiments. To keep the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure clear and concise, detailed descriptions of known functions and components may be omitted. When any component of an embodiment of the present disclosure appears in more than one drawing, the component may be represented by the same reference numerals in each drawing.

[0044] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a backlight module provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, for example, the backlight module provided in an embodiment of this disclosure includes a backlight source and a backlight circuit board. The backlight source includes a lamp board 10, and the lamp board 10 includes at least one lamp area 11. For example, the lamp board 10 includes multiple lamp areas 11 (the number of lamp areas in Figure 1 is, for example, three), and the multiple lamp areas 11 are arranged in an array. Each lamp area 11 may be provided with multiple Mini-LED lights and a driver for driving each Mini-LED light. As shown in Figure 1, the multiple lamp areas 11 are arranged at intervals in the row direction, which can increase the area of ​​the display area. It is understood that the arrangement of the lamp areas 11 is not limited to this, and other methods can also be used, which are not limited in this embodiment of the disclosure.

[0045] For example, the backlight circuit board 20 includes a driver chip 1 and a bus expansion group 2. The driver chip 1 is used to send drive control signals. The bus expansion group 2 includes at least one bus processing module 22 and at least one bus expansion connector 24, with the bus expansion connector 24 connected to the lamp area 11. One end of the bus processing module 22 is connected to the driver chip 1, and the other end is connected to the bus expansion connector 24, so that the drive control signals sent by the driver chip 1 are provided to the lamp area 11 via the bus processing module 22 and the bus expansion connector 24, thereby realizing backlight control of the lamp area 11. In other words, by setting the bus processing module 22 and the bus expansion connector 24, signal transmission between the driver chip 1 and the lamp area 11 can be realized.

[0046] For example, bus expansion group 2 includes multiple bus processing modules 22 and multiple bus expansion connectors 24, which are configured one-to-one. Furthermore, the multiple bus expansion connectors 24 are configured one-to-one with multiple lamp zones 11. In this way, the backlight control of multiple lamp zones 11 can be achieved separately through the multiple bus processing modules 22 and multiple bus expansion connectors 24, improving the backlight control accuracy while achieving zoned backlight control.

[0047] In some embodiments, the number of bus processing modules 22, the number of bus expansion connectors 24, and the number of lamp zones 11 are equal, thereby further improving the backlight control accuracy.

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a bus processing module provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, for example, the bus processing module 22 includes a bus processing chip 200, an input terminal, and an output terminal. The bus processing chip 200 is used to output an adjusted drive control signal. The input terminal is connected to the bus processing chip 200 and is used to receive the drive control signal from the driver chip 1 and transmit the control signal to the bus processing chip 200. The output terminal is connected to the bus processing chip 200 and is used to transmit the drive control signal processed by the bus processing chip 200 to the lamp area 11.

[0049] For example, the bus processing module 22 includes a first input terminal 201i and a first output terminal 201o. The first input terminal 201i is connected to the bus processing chip 200 and is used to receive drive control signals from the driver chip 1 and transmit the control signals to the bus processing chip 200. The first output terminal 201o is connected to the bus processing chip 200 and is used to transmit the drive control signals processed by the bus processing chip 200 to the lamp area 11.

[0050] For example, the bus processing module 22 further includes a second input terminal 202i and a second output terminal 202o. The second input terminal 202i is connected to the bus processing chip 200 and is used to receive drive control signals from the driver chip 1 and transmit the control signals to the bus processing chip 200. The second output terminal 202o is connected to the bus processing chip 200 and is used to transmit the drive control signals processed by the bus processing chip 200 to the lamp area 11.

[0051] Figure 2 illustrates the example of setting two input terminals. It can be understood that one or more input terminals can be set according to actual needs. In this embodiment, the number of input terminals is the same as the number of output terminals.

[0052] For example, the bus processing module 22 also includes a filtering circuit connected to the input terminal, which is used to filter the drive control signal and remove noise from the drive control signal.

[0053] As shown in Figure 2, the bus processing module 22 includes a first filtering circuit, which includes a first capacitor 203. The two ends of the first capacitor 203 are respectively connected to the first input terminal 201i and the ground electrode. The first capacitor 203 can remove noise on the signal line of the first input terminal 201i, ensuring that the signal received by the bus processing chip 200 is clear.

[0054] As shown in Figure 2, the bus processing module 22 also includes a second filtering circuit, which includes a second capacitor 204. The two ends of the second capacitor 204 are respectively connected to the second input terminal 202i and the ground electrode. The second capacitor 204 can remove noise on the signal line of the second input terminal 202i, ensuring that the signal received by the bus processing chip 200 is clear.

[0055] For example, the bus processing module 22 also includes a negative pressure backflow prevention circuit, which includes two transistors arranged in pairs, the two transistors being a first transistor and a second transistor, wherein the first end of the first transistor and the second end of the second transistor are connected to the bus processing chip, and the second end of the first transistor and the first end of the second transistor are connected to the output terminal.

[0056] As shown in Figure 2, the bus processing module 22 further includes a first anti-negative voltage backflow circuit. This first anti-negative voltage backflow circuit includes a first transistor 212 and a second transistor 214 arranged in pairs. The first transistor 212 includes a first terminal 212a and a second terminal 212b, and the second transistor 214 includes a first terminal 214a and a second terminal 214b. The first terminal 212a of the first transistor 212 and the second terminal 214b of the second transistor 214 are connected to the bus processing chip 200, and the second terminal 212b of the first transistor 212 and the first terminal 214a of the second transistor 214 are connected to the first output terminal 201o. The first transistor 212 and the second transistor 214 are, for example, diodes. In this way, by connecting the two diodes in reverse series, only one diode can conduct at a time, while the other is in a cutoff state, thus limiting the forward and reverse voltage drops to a specific voltage, thereby protecting the circuit.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2, the bus processing module 22 also includes a second anti-negative voltage backflow circuit, which includes a third transistor 222 and a fourth transistor 224 arranged in pairs. The specific arrangement of the third transistor 222 and the fourth transistor 224 can be found in the first transistor 212 and the second transistor 214. The first terminal of the third transistor 222 and the second terminal of the fourth transistor 224 are connected to the bus processing chip 200, and the second terminal of the fourth transistor 224 and the first terminal of the third transistor 222 are connected to the second output terminal 202o. The third transistor 222 and the fourth transistor 224 are, for example, diodes. Thus, by connecting the two diodes in reverse series, only one diode can conduct at a time, while the other is in the off state, limiting the forward and reverse voltage drops to a specific voltage, thereby protecting the circuit.

[0058] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the bus expansion connector provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the bus expansion connector 24 is provided with multiple connection terminals, including input signal terminals and output signal terminals. For example, the input signal terminals are connected to the bus processing module 22 and transmit signals from the bus processing module 22 to the lamp area 11. The output signal terminals are connected to the bus processing module 22 and transmit signals from the lamp area 11 to the bus processing module 22.

[0059] For example, as shown in Figure 3, input signal terminals 241 and 243 are connected to the bus processing module 22 and transmit signals from the bus processing module 22 to the lamp area 11; output signal terminals 242 and 244 are connected to the bus processing module 22 and transmit signals from the lamp area 11 to the bus processing module 22. Through this configuration, signal transmission between the bus processing module 22 and the lamp area 11 can be achieved, thereby improving the backlight control accuracy of the lamp area.

[0060] Figure 2 illustrates the example of two input signal terminals and two output signal terminals. It is understood that in the embodiments of this disclosure, one or more output signal terminals may be provided, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0061] For example, the multiple connection terminals also include a power supply terminal 245 for receiving a power supply voltage from the backlight power supply 5. In some embodiments, the power supply terminal 245 receives a stepped-down power supply voltage, thereby transmitting the stepped-down power supply voltage to the lamp area 11 to supply power to the lamp area 11. In this way, the bus expansion connector 24 not only enables signal connection between the lamp area 11 and the bus processing module 22, but also provides the power supply required by the lamp area 11.

[0062] In some embodiments, the light zone 11 can be connected to the bus expansion connector 24 via, for example, an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) ribbon cable.

[0063] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the backlight control connector provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. For example, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the backlight circuit board 20 further includes a backlight control circuit 4, which includes a backlight control connector 41. One end of the backlight control connector 41 is connected to the motherboard 3 of the display device, and the other end is connected to the driver chip 1. Backlight data sent by the motherboard 3 of the display device is transmitted to the driver chip 1 via the backlight control connector 41. The driver chip 1 adjusts the drive control signal according to the backlight data.

[0064] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the backlight control connector 41 transmits backlight data to the driver chip 1 through the backlight control bus. The backlight control bus may include at least one set of SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) transmission bus and at least one set of synchronization signal transmission lines. For example, the SPI transmission bus includes a first connection terminal 411, a second connection terminal 412, a third connection terminal 413, and a fourth connection terminal 414, and the synchronization signal transmission lines include a fifth connection terminal 415 and a sixth connection terminal 416.

[0065] In this embodiment, the backlight data may include backlight illumination area information and local area brightness information. In actual use, the motherboard 3 of the display device can transmit the backlight data to the driver chip 1 through the backlight control connector 41. The driver chip 1 can adjust the backlight drive signal according to this backlight data, thereby improving the accuracy and contrast of backlight control. Without the driver chip 1, sending the backlight data directly to the drivers in the lamp area would only be possible via the SPI protocol, limiting the number of connected drivers and reducing the transmission rate. However, after being relayed by the driver chip 1, the driver chip 1 can use a higher-speed signal method different from SPI to transmit to the bus expansion group, and then to the drivers, making signal transmission faster and allowing for a larger number of connected drivers.

[0066] In some known backlight control schemes, the motherboard SOC of the display device (such as a TV monitor) synchronously generates backlight control data based on real-time display using software algorithms. However, the core function of the motherboard is display and external interfaces, and the hardware resources for backlight control are generally limited to a single bus interface, which is insufficient to handle the increasingly dense direct-drive chipsets.

[0067] In this embodiment of the disclosure, by feeding backlight data provided by the motherboard 3 back to the driver chip, thereby adjusting the driver control signal, the problem of insufficient motherboard capability to handle more complex backlight data transmission is solved.

[0068] Figure 5 is a structural block diagram of the power supply control circuit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Referring to Figures 1 and 5, for example, the backlight circuit board 20 also includes a backlight power supply 5 and a power supply control circuit 6. The backlight power supply 5 supplies power to the backlight source. One end of the power supply control circuit 6 is connected to the backlight power supply 5, and the other end is connected to at least one of the lamp area 11 and the bus processing module 22. Thus, the backlight power supply 5 supplies power to at least one of the lamp area 11 and the bus processing module 22 via the power supply control circuit 6.

[0069] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a power supply switch circuit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. For example, the power supply control circuit 6 includes a power supply switch circuit 61, which controls the on / off state of the power supply. The power supply switch circuit 61 includes a first transistor 611 and a second transistor 612. The first transistor 611 includes a first terminal 611a, a second terminal 611b, and a third terminal 611c. The second transistor 612 includes a first terminal 612a, a second terminal 612b, and a third terminal 612c. The third terminal 611c of the first transistor 611 is connected to the first terminal 612a of the second transistor 612, so that the on / off state of the second transistor 611 is controlled by the first transistor 611. By providing the power supply switch circuit 61, the power supply circuit can be cut off when the backlight circuit board or lamp area does not require power, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption and lowering equipment energy consumption.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first transistor 611 and the second transistor 612 are field-effect transistors.

[0071] For example, the first transistor 611 functions as a switching transistor, and the second transistor 612 functions as a power transistor. The first terminal 611a of the first transistor 611 receives a first voltage signal V1 from the motherboard 3 to turn on the first transistor 611, and generates an on-state voltage at the third terminal 611c to turn on the second transistor 612. The first terminal 612a of the second transistor 612 receives the on-state voltage to turn on the second transistor 612. Thus, the second terminal 612b of the second transistor 612 receives a second voltage signal V2 from the motherboard 3 and transmits this second voltage signal V2 to the third terminal 612c. Therefore, the first voltage signal V1 is the turn-on voltage of the first transistor 611, and the second voltage signal V2 is the supply voltage, output from the output terminal Vout of the power supply switching circuit 61.

[0072] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a power supply step-down circuit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. For example, the power supply control circuit 6 further includes a power supply step-down circuit 62, which is used to reduce the power supply voltage provided by the power supply switching circuit 61 to a target voltage, and to provide the target voltage to at least one of the lamp area 11 and the bus processing module 22.

[0073] As shown in Figure 7, the power supply buck circuit 62 includes a bus power supply buck circuit 621. One end of the bus power supply buck circuit 621 is connected to the power supply switch circuit 61, and the other end is connected to the bus processing module 22. The bus power supply buck circuit 621 is used to reduce the supply voltage to a first target voltage and provide the first target voltage to the bus processing module 22. For example, the supply voltage output from the output terminal Vout of the power supply switch circuit 61 is input from the input terminal V1in of the bus power supply buck circuit 621, and after being converted by the bus power supply buck circuit 621, it is output from the output terminal V1out to the bus processing module 22. In some embodiments, the supply voltage is approximately 12V, and the first target voltage after conversion is approximately 3.3V. For example, the bus power supply buck circuit 621 includes a processor U1, capacitors C1, C3 to C9, an inductor L1, and resistors R1 to R5.

[0074] As shown in Figure 7, the power supply step-down circuit 62 also includes a lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622. One end of the lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622 is connected to the power supply switch circuit 61, and the other end is connected to the bus expansion connector 24. The lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622 is used to reduce the supply voltage to a second target voltage, and provides the second target voltage to the lamp area 11 via the bus expansion connector 24. The second target voltage is different from the first target voltage. For example, the supply voltage output from the output terminal Vout of the power supply switch circuit 61 is input from the input terminal V2in of the lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622, and after being converted by the lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622, it is output from the output terminal V2out to the power supply terminal 245 (Figure 2) of the bus expansion connector 24, and then transmitted to the lamp area 11. In some embodiments, the supply voltage is approximately 12V, and the converted first target voltage is approximately 3.3V ± 0.2V. For example, the lamp zone power supply step-down circuit 622 includes a processor U2, capacitors C2, C10 to C16, inductor L2, and resistors R6 to R10.

[0075] Conventional Mini LEDs operate on a power supply voltage below 50V, thus requiring a high-power DC power supply for the backlight. In this embodiment, by incorporating a power supply switching circuit and a power supply step-down circuit, a low-loss, high-power DC source can be achieved to power the lamp area 11 and the bus expansion group.

[0076] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the power supply control circuit 6 also includes a backlight power connector 63. One end of the backlight power connector 63 is connected to the power supply step-down circuit 62, and the other end is connected to the driver chip 1. The driver chip 1 is also configured to issue a voltage regulation signal according to the working state of the lamp area. The backlight power connector 63 is configured to transmit the voltage regulation signal to the power supply step-down circuit 62. The power supply step-down circuit 62 is configured to adjust the power supply voltage of the lamp area according to the voltage regulation signal. For example, the backlight power connector 63 transmits the voltage regulation signal to the lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622, which adjusts the second target voltage supplied to the lamp area, thereby realizing the feedback function of the lamp area voltage. For example, the backlight power connector 63 includes a power monitoring and feedback bus for transmitting the voltage regulation signal of the driver chip to the power supply step-down circuit 62. It is understood that a suitable backlight power connector can be selected according to different requirements.

[0077] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a driver chip according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the driver chip 1 includes a processor and multiple sets of leads connected to the processor (e.g., sets 1 to 18 shown in the figure). Taking the first set of leads 1 as an example, the first set of leads includes a first lead 1a and a second lead 1b. The first lead 1a can be used to output the drive control signal of the driver chip 1 to the bus extension group 2, and the second lead 1b can be used to receive feedback signals from the bus extension group 2. The feedback signal is, for example, a feedback signal carrying backlight data of the lamp area. Therefore, the number of sets of leads is the same as the number of lamp areas. There are 18 sets of leads in Figure 8, so the number of lamp areas is also 18.

[0078] In this embodiment, the driver chip 1 is a custom MCU (Microcontroller Unit), which can process and distribute backlight bus data and has certain programming and computing capabilities, but does not have the ability to process high-speed image signals. For example, the driver chip has certain feedback control capabilities, and it can issue a power supply voltage adjustment signal (referred to as a voltage regulation signal) according to the working status of the driver in the attached lamp area.

[0079] For example, the driver chip 1 may also be provided with a clock circuit 101 to provide a clock reference signal. In some embodiments, the clock circuit 12 is a standard passive clock circuit.

[0080] For example, the driver chip 1 can also be equipped with an LED indicator circuit 102 to indicate the actual working status of the driver chip, such as system power supply, sleep mode, test mode, and abnormal alarm mode. The LED indicator circuit consists of a 3.3V power supply on the power supply board, a current limiting resistor, and an LED diode.

[0081] For example, the driver chip 1 can also be equipped with a button circuit 103 for manual reset and external triggering.

[0082] For example, driver chip 1 may also be equipped with a register BOOT selection circuit 104 for selecting the location of the driver chip's software startup program.

[0083] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. For example, the display device includes a backlight module as described in any of the preceding embodiments. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display device. By employing the backlight module described in any of the preceding embodiments, not only can the backlight module of the display device be controlled in zones, but the backlight control accuracy can also be improved.

[0084] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a driving method for a backlight module is also provided. Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of the driving method for a backlight module provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. For example, the backlight module can be the backlight module described in any of the preceding embodiments. Referring to Figures 1 to 8 and Figure 10, the driving method includes:

[0085] Step S100: The driver chip 1 of the backlight circuit board 20 sends a drive control signal; and

[0086] Step S200: The drive control signal is provided to at least one lamp zone 11 of the lamp board 10 via at least one bus processing module 22 and at least one bus expansion connector 24.

[0087] In the driving method provided in the above embodiments, the driving control signal issued by the driving chip is provided to the lamp area through the bus processing module and the bus expansion connector, thereby realizing the control of the lamp area and thus realizing the zoned control of the lamp board.

[0088] For example, the above driving methods also include:

[0089] Step S300: The motherboard 3 of the display device sends backlight data to the backlight control connector 41;

[0090] Step S400: The backlight control connector 41 transmits backlight data to the driver chip 1; and

[0091] Step S500: The driver chip 1 adjusts the drive control signal according to the backlight data.

[0092] In this way, the motherboard 3 of the display device can transmit backlight data, including the backlight illumination area and the backlight brightness, to the driver chip 1 through the backlight control connector 41. The driver chip 1 can adjust the backlight drive signal according to this backlight data, thereby improving the precision and accuracy of backlight control.

[0093] For example, the backlight control connector 41 transmits backlight data to the driver chip 1 via the backlight control bus. The backlight control bus may include at least one set of SPI transmission buses and at least one set of synchronization signal transmission lines to improve the stability of signal transmission.

[0094] For example, the above driving methods also include:

[0095] Step S600: The backlight power supply 5 supplies power to at least one of the lamp area 11 and the bus processing module 22 via the power supply control circuit 6.

[0096] For example, the power supply control circuit 6 includes a bus power supply step-down circuit 621 and a lamp zone power supply step-down circuit 622. In this case, step S600 may include:

[0097] Step S601: The bus power supply step-down circuit 621 reduces the supply voltage to the first target voltage and provides the first target voltage to the bus processing module 22; and / or

[0098] Step S602: The lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622 reduces the power supply voltage to the second target voltage and provides the second target voltage to the lamp area 11 via the bus expansion connector 24, wherein the second target voltage is different from the first target voltage.

[0099] For example, referring to Figure 7, the supply voltage output from the output terminal Vout of the power supply switch circuit 61 is input from the input terminal V1in of the bus power supply buck circuit 621, and after being converted by the bus power supply buck circuit 621, it is output from the output terminal V1out to the bus processing module 22. In some embodiments, the supply voltage is approximately 12V, and the first target voltage after conversion is approximately 3.3V.

[0100] For example, the power supply voltage output from the output terminal Vout of the power supply switch circuit 61 is input from the input terminal V2in of the lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622. After being converted by the lamp area power supply step-down circuit 622, it is output from the output terminal V2out to the power supply terminal 245 (Figure 2) of the bus expansion connector 24, and then transmitted to the lamp area 11. In some embodiments, the power supply voltage is approximately 12V, and the first target voltage after conversion is approximately 3.3V ± 0.2V.

[0101] For example, the power supply control circuit 6 also includes a backlight power connector 63. In this case, the above-described driving method further includes:

[0102] Step S700: Based on the working state of lamp zone 11, driver chip 1 sends a voltage regulation signal;

[0103] Step S800: The backlight power connector 63 transmits the voltage regulation signal to the power supply step-down circuit 62;

[0104] Step S900: The power supply step-down circuit 62 adjusts the power supply voltage of the lamp zone 11 according to the voltage regulation signal.

[0105] Since the motherboard can monitor the power supply status of the light area, it can feed back the power supply status to the driver chip 1 and adjust the drive control signal in real time, thereby further optimizing the backlight control.

[0106] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the lamp board 10 includes multiple lamp zones 11, at least one bus processing module 22 includes multiple bus processing modules 22, and at least one bus expansion connector 24 includes multiple bus expansion connectors 24. In this case, step S200 further includes:

[0107] The drive control signal is provided to multiple lamp zones 11 via multiple bus processing modules 22 and multiple bus expansion connectors 24.

[0108] With the above settings, the drive control signal issued by the same driver chip can be simultaneously distributed to multiple lamp zones 11 through multiple bus processing modules 22 and multiple bus expansion connectors 24. This allows for the separate control of multiple lamp zones while achieving backlight zone control, thereby improving the accuracy of backlight dimming.

[0109] The backlight module and its driving method provided in the above-disclosed embodiments are particularly suitable for high-end smart LCD screens, enabling dynamic backlighting effects at a lower cost. By setting up an external bus expansion group module, an integrated lamp board is formed, with the driver chip and Mini-LEDs tightly arranged. Using the above backlight module, a large-size LCD display with 3000+ independently controlled process zones can be realized.

[0110] The following points should be noted in this article:

[0111] (1) The accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this disclosure only involve the structures involved in the embodiments of this disclosure. Other structures can be referred to the general design.

[0112] (2) Where there is no conflict, the embodiments of this disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other to obtain new embodiments.

[0113] (3) The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. The scope of protection of this disclosure is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A backlight module, comprising: A backlight source, the backlight source including a lamp panel, the lamp panel including at least one lamp area; Backlight circuit board, the backlight circuit board comprising: A driver chip configured to emit a drive control signal; A bus expansion group, the bus expansion group including at least one bus processing module and at least one bus expansion connector, the bus expansion connector being connected to the light area; One end of the bus processing module is connected to the driver chip, and the other end is connected to the bus expansion connector, so that the drive control signal is provided to the lamp area through the bus processing module and the bus expansion connector.

2. The backlight module according to claim 1, wherein, The bus processing module includes: A bus processing chip is configured to output the adjusted drive control signal; The input terminal is connected to the bus processing chip and is configured to receive drive control signals from the driver chip and transmit the control signals to the bus processing chip. A filtering circuit, connected to the input terminal, is configured to filter the drive control signal.

3. The backlight module according to claim 2, wherein, The bus processing module further includes: The output terminal is connected to the bus processing chip and configured to transmit the drive control signal processed by the bus processing chip to the lamp area. The anti-negative pressure backflow circuit includes two transistors arranged in pairs, the two transistors being a first transistor and a second transistor, wherein the first terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor are connected to the bus processing chip, and the second terminal of the first transistor and the first terminal of the second transistor are connected to the output terminal.

4. The backlight module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The bus expansion connector is provided with multiple connection terminals, including: An input signal terminal is connected to the bus processing module and configured to transmit signals from the bus processing module to the lamp area. An output signal terminal is connected to the bus processing module and configured to transmit signals from the lamp area to the bus processing module.

5. The backlight module according to claim 4, wherein, The plurality of connection terminals also include power supply terminals configured to receive power supply voltage from the backlight power supply.

6. The backlight module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The backlight circuit board also includes: A backlight control circuit, comprising a backlight control connector, one end of which is connected to the motherboard of the display device, and the other end of which is connected to the driver chip. The backlight data sent by the motherboard of the display device is transmitted to the driver chip via the backlight control connector, and the driver chip adjusts the drive control signal according to the backlight data.

7. The backlight module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The backlight circuit board also includes: A backlight power supply, configured to provide power; A power supply control circuit, one end of which is connected to the backlight power supply, and the other end of which is connected to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module; The backlight power supply supplies power to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module via the power supply control circuit.

8. The backlight module according to claim 7, wherein, The power supply control circuit includes: A power supply switching circuit is configured to control the on / off state of the power supply, and includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal, and the second transistor includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. The third terminal of the first transistor is connected to the first terminal of the second transistor, so as to control the on / off state of the second transistor through the first transistor.

9. The backlight module according to claim 8, wherein, The first terminal of the first transistor is configured to receive a first voltage signal from the motherboard to turn on the first transistor, and the third terminal generates a turn-on voltage configured to turn on the second transistor; The first terminal of the second transistor is configured to receive the turn-on voltage to turn on the second transistor; The second terminal of the second transistor is configured to receive a second voltage signal from the motherboard and transmit the second voltage signal to the third terminal.

10. The backlight module according to claim 9, wherein, The power supply control circuit also includes: A power supply step-down circuit, configured to reduce the voltage supplied by the power supply switching circuit. The supply voltage is adjusted to the target voltage, and the target voltage is provided to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module.

11. The backlight module according to claim 10, wherein, The power supply step-down circuit includes: A bus power supply step-down circuit is provided, one end of which is connected to the power supply switch circuit and the other end of which is connected to the bus processing module. The bus power supply step-down circuit is configured to reduce the power supply voltage to a first target voltage and provide the first target voltage to the bus processing module.

12. The backlight module according to claim 10, wherein, The power supply step-down circuit also includes: A lamp area power supply step-down circuit, one end of which is connected to the power supply switch circuit and the other end of which is connected to the bus expansion connector, is configured to reduce the power supply voltage to a second target voltage and provide the second target voltage to the lamp area via the bus expansion connector, wherein the second target voltage is different from the first target voltage.

13. The backlight module according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein, The power supply control circuit also includes: A backlight power connector, one end of which is connected to the power supply step-down circuit and the other end of which is connected to the driver chip; wherein the driver chip is further configured to issue a voltage adjustment signal according to the working state of the lamp area; the backlight power connector is configured to transmit the voltage adjustment signal to the power supply step-down circuit, and the power supply step-down circuit is configured to adjust the power supply voltage of the lamp area according to the voltage adjustment signal.

14. The backlight module according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein, The light panel includes multiple light zones, and the bus expansion group includes multiple bus processing modules and multiple bus expansion connectors, with each of the multiple bus expansion connectors connected to one of the multiple light zones in a corresponding manner. The drive control signal is provided to the multiple light zones via the multiple bus processing modules and the multiple bus expansion connectors, respectively.

15. A display device comprising the backlight module according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A method for driving a backlight module, comprising: The driver chip on the backlight circuit board sends out drive control signals; as well as The drive control signal is provided to at least one lamp zone of the lamp board via at least one bus processing module and at least one bus expansion connector.

17. The driving method according to claim 16, further comprising: The motherboard of the display device sends backlight data to the backlight control connector; The backlight control connector transmits the backlight data to the bus processing module; as well as The bus processing module adjusts the drive control signal based on the backlight data.

18. The driving method according to claim 16 or 17, further comprising: The backlight power supply supplies power to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module via the power supply control circuit.

19. The driving method according to claim 18, in, The power supply control circuit includes a power supply step-down circuit, which includes a bus power supply step-down circuit and a lamp zone power supply step-down circuit. Wherein, the backlight power supply supplies power to at least one of the lamp area and the bus processing module via the power supply control circuit, including: The bus power supply buck circuit reduces the supply voltage to a first target voltage and provides the first target voltage to the bus processing module; and / or The lamp area power supply step-down circuit reduces the supply voltage to a second target voltage and provides the second target voltage to the lamp area via the bus expansion connector, wherein the second target voltage is different from the first target voltage.

20. The driving method according to claim 19, further comprising: Based on the working status of the lamp area, the driver chip sends a voltage adjustment signal; The backlight power connector transmits the voltage regulation signal to the power supply step-down circuit; The power supply step-down circuit adjusts the power supply voltage of the lamp area according to the voltage regulation signal.

21. The driving method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, in, The light panel includes multiple light zones, the at least one bus processing module includes multiple bus processing modules, and the at least one bus expansion connector includes multiple bus expansion connectors. The drive control signal is provided to at least one lamp zone of the lamp board via at least one bus processing module and at least one bus expansion connector, including: The drive control signal is provided to the multiple light zones via the multiple bus processing modules and the multiple bus expansion connectors, respectively.

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