Backlight module and display device

Abstract

A backlight module (30) and a display device thereof. The backlight module (30) comprises: a substrate (31); a plurality of dimming chips (32) disposed on the substrate (31), wherein at least two dimming chips (32) are sequentially connected in series to form a transmission chain and / or in parallel to form a plurality of transmission chains; and a plurality of light-emitting diodes disposed on the substrate (31), wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes are divided into a plurality of groups, and one dimming chip (32) controls at least one group of light-emitting diodes; and an electric energy transmission path (371a) and an information transmission path (372a) are disposed inside one or more dimming chips (32) in the transmission chain, such that electric energy and dimming information are delivered to any dimming chip (32) in the transmission chain. The plurality of dimming chips (32) can form a continuous transmission chain by means of sequential serial connection, without the need for additional wiring designs to avoid circuit crossings, thereby significantly reducing the wiring difficulty of the dimming chips (32).

Description

Backlight modules and display devices [Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to the field of display device technology, and in particular to a backlight module and display device. [Background Technology]

[0002] Backlight modules are a crucial component of display devices. Their primary function is to provide the light source that illuminates the liquid crystal layer of a liquid crystal display, enabling the displayed image to be perceived by the user's eyes. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used as the mainstream backlight source due to their advantages such as high brightness, high efficiency, long lifespan, and environmental friendliness.

[0003] With continuous technological advancements, a technology called "Local Dimming" has become widely used to provide better image display effects. It divides the backlight into multiple independent areas (or backlight zones), each controlled by a corresponding dimming chip that regulates the brightness of the LEDs within that zone by controlling current or voltage. The main controller provides dimming information to each dimming chip, enabling independent control of the brightness in each area. This allows for independent adjustment of the brightness at different locations on the screen, significantly improving the contrast and dynamic range of the display device.

[0004] For more precise and detailed adjustments, people always hope to divide the backlight into as many backlight zones as possible. However, more backlight zones and more detailed adjustments usually mean integrating more dimming chips into the backlight module.

[0005] The large number of dimming chips presents significant challenges in terms of ribbon cable design and manufacturing costs. Effectively reducing the complexity of ribbon cable design and lowering manufacturing costs is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0006] [Summary of the Invention]

[0007] This application provides a backlight module and a display device, which aim to solve at least some of the defects of existing backlight modules.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide the following technical solution: a backlight module. The backlight module includes: a substrate; a plurality of dimming chips disposed on the substrate; and a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) disposed on the substrate; the plurality of LEDs are divided into multiple groups, and one dimming chip controls one or more groups of LEDs; wherein at least two dimming chips are connected in series to form a transmission chain and / or at least two dimming chips are connected in parallel to form multiple transmission chains, and one or more dimming chips in each transmission chain have internal power transmission paths and information transmission paths, so that power and dimming information can be delivered to any one of the dimming chips in the transmission chain.

[0009] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide the following technical solution: a display device. The display device includes: a control device configured to: perform at least one data processing operation to form at least one dimming information; a backlight module having multiple backlight zones and multiple dimming chips; one of the backlight zones includes: a group of light-emitting diodes; one dimming chip controls the light-emitting diodes of at least one of the backlight zones; wherein at least two dimming chips in the backlight module are connected in series to form a transmission chain and / or at least two dimming chips in the backlight module are connected in parallel to form multiple transmission chains; wherein one or more dimming chips in the transmission chain are internally provided with a power transmission path and an information transmission path, so that power and the dimming information can be delivered to any one dimming chip in the transmission chain; the control device is communicatively connected to the first dimming chip in each transmission chain, so that the dimming information is delivered to the target dimming chip.

[0010] At least one advantage of the backlight module provided in this application is that a power transmission path and an information transmission path are set inside the dimming chip, so that the dimming chip itself can act as a line connection node. Therefore, multiple dimming chips can form a continuous transmission chain by being connected in series without the need for additional wiring design to avoid line crossings. This design significantly reduces the difficulty of wiring the dimming chips and allows for the use of lower-cost manufacturing processes. [Attached Image Description]

[0011] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical display device, showing the case where the dimming chip and the light-emitting diode are integrated on different substrates;

[0013] Figure 2A is a front view of a typical backlight module, showing the case where light-emitting diodes are disposed on one of the substrate surfaces;

[0014] Figure 2B is a rear view of the substrate shown in Figure 2A, showing the case where the dimming chip is disposed on the surface of another substrate.

[0015] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of another typical display device, showing the case where the light-emitting diode and the dimming chip are located on the same substrate surface;

[0016] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of the backlight module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of a backlight module provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the dimming chip and the corresponding multiple controlled backlight zones provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0019] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the dimming chip and the corresponding plurality of controlled light-emitting diodes provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the first dimming chip and the second dimming chip provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the first dimming chip and the second dimming chip provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of this application, illustrating the use of SPI communication between the screen display controller and the drive controller;

[0024] Figure 8B is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of this application, illustrating the use of UART communication between the screen display controller and the drive controller;

[0025] Figure 8C is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of this application, illustrating the use of LVDS communication between the screen display controller and the drive controller;

[0026] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in another embodiment of this application, showing the case where the control device is divided into a screen display controller, a backlight controller, and a drive controller;

[0027] Figure 9B is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in another embodiment of this application, showing the case where UART communication is used between the screen display controller and the backlight controller, and LVDS communication is used between the backlight controller and the drive controller;

[0028] Figure 9C is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in another embodiment of this application, showing the case where SPI communication is used between the screen display controller and the backlight controller, and SPI communication is used between the backlight controller and the drive controller;

[0029] Figure 9D is a schematic diagram of a display device provided in another embodiment of this application, showing the use of UART communication between the screen display controller and the backlight controller, and the use of UART communication between the backlight controller and the drive controller;

[0030] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of eliminating dynamic ghosting under the control of synchronization signal according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 11A is a schematic diagram of a synchronization signal generated based on a phase-locked loop circuit according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 11B is a schematic diagram of a synchronization signal generated based on an oscillator according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 11C is a schematic diagram of generating a synchronization signal based on an external high-frequency signal according to an embodiment of this application.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0034] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. When an element is described as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. The terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "bottom," etc., used in this specification indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0036] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0037] In this application, the term "substrate" refers to the physical carrier that supports electronic devices and circuits. It provides mechanical strength to support and fix electronic components and provides interconnecting lines to enable electrical connections between different electronic devices to form one or more complete functional circuits.

[0038] The term "light-emitting diode" (LED) refers to a semiconductor device that converts electrical energy directly into light energy through the principle of electroluminescence. When current passes through an LED, electrons and holes recombine in the semiconductor material, releasing photons and thus producing light radiation.

[0039] The term "dimming chip" refers to an electronic device specifically designed to control the operating state of a light-emitting diode (LED). It possesses a circuitry that can control the luminous intensity of the LED from completely off to its maximum brightness based on voltage or current adjustments. Specifically, any suitable type of chip based on any suitable dimming technology can be selected to adjust the luminous intensity, depending on the actual needs; no specific limitations are made here.

[0040] The term "dimming information" refers to the set of information provided to the dimming chip to ensure that the chip can accurately adjust the specific brightness of a particular backlight zone. It can be of any suitable data type and can be transmitted using any suitable data transmission method.

[0041] The term "connection line" refers to a thin strip of conductor arranged on or inside a substrate to achieve electrical connections. It can be formed on the substrate surface by etching or other processing techniques from a conductive metal material (such as copper), forming a conductive path to connect different electronic devices to realize the function of the circuit.

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical local dimming implementation scheme. As shown in Figure 1, the display device can be roughly divided into: a main controller 11 for providing data information related to brightness control, a driver board 14 integrating multiple dimming chips 12, and a lamp board 15 integrating multiple light-emitting diodes.

[0043] The light panel 15 is divided into multiple independent backlight zones 13, each of which may contain one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A dimming chip 12 is used to control one or more backlight zones 13. For example, as shown in Figure 1, a dimming chip 12 can be used to control multiple backlight zones 13 contained within the dashed box 16.

[0044] The driver board 14 and the lamp board 15 are electrically connected via ribbon cable 17 between the dimming chip 12 and the light-emitting diodes in the backlight zone 13. Each dimming chip 12 in the driver board 14 requires multiple ribbon cables to establish electrical connections with the light-emitting diodes in the corresponding backlight zones 13 within the dashed frame 16, in order to control the brightness of these light-emitting diodes.

[0045] A communication connection is also established between the main controller 11 and the driver board 14. The main controller 11 provides one or more data information, such as display brightness information and frequency signal, to each dimming chip 12 in the driver board 14, thereby controlling the brightness of multiple different backlight zones 13 through the dimming chip 12.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 1. As the number of backlight zones increases, the number of dimming chips 12 required also increases accordingly, leading to a rapid and exponential increase in the number of ribbon cables 17 between the driver board 14 and the lamp board 15. The excessive number of ribbon cables imposes many limitations on the number of backlight zones.

[0047] To avoid limitations caused by the number of cabling, Figures 2A to 2C are schematic diagrams of another implementation scheme for local dimming. As shown in Figures 2A to 2C, compared with the method shown in Figure 1, multiple dimming chips 22 and light-emitting diodes of backlight zones 23 are integrated into the same substrate 24, and each dimming chip 22 is used to control multiple backlight zones 23 contained within a dashed box 25.

[0048] The main controller 21 establishes a communication connection with each dimming chip 22 on the substrate 24, and provides corresponding dimming information to each dimming chip 22. Each dimming chip 21 is electrically connected to the light-emitting diode of the corresponding controlled backlight zone 23 through the connection lines formed on the substrate 24.

[0049] Because the substrate 24 needs to provide electrical connections between the diodes of each dimming chip 22 and multiple backlight zones 23, as well as between each dimming chip 22 and the main controller 21, there are many intersections that need to be avoided between the interconnects formed on the substrate 24. This makes the interconnection layout on the substrate very complex and significantly increases the difficulty.

[0050] In this application, for the sake of simplicity, the term "intersection of connecting lines" is used to refer to the situation where the paths of two or more connecting lines cross each other on the same surface.

[0051] For example, please continue to refer to Figures 2A and 2B. The light-emitting diodes of the dimming chip 22 and the backlight partition 23 can be arranged on different substrate surfaces of the substrate 24, thereby meeting the wiring requirements through the multilayer circuit board stacking design and allowing the wiring to travel on different layers to solve the problem of wiring crossing.

[0052] In addition to overcoming the crossing of interconnects through a stacked design, as exemplarily shown in FIG2C, a connection method known as a "jump wire" (two jumpers are shown exemplarily in FIG2C, labeled JP1 and JP2) can also be used to overcome the problem of interconnects crossing. In this application, a jumper refers to a method of using connectors, wires, or impedance-free resistors, etc., to allow an interconnect to cross another interconnect or electronic device from the same substrate surface or another substrate surface.

[0053] However, in the process of implementing this application, the applicant noticed that whether using multilayer circuit boards or jumpers to solve and avoid the crossing of interconnecting lines, additional costs are required, and the inherent difficulty in wiring interconnecting lines on the substrate cannot be fundamentally solved.

[0054] To address the issue of increased costs due to difficulties in wiring the aforementioned connection lines, the applicant discovered that power transmission and information transmission paths can be set inside the dimming chip, or directly connected via the lower substrate of the dimming chip. By utilizing reasonable pin settings, multiple dimming chips can form a continuous transmission chain through sequential series or parallel connections.

[0055] Based on this transmission chain design, the number of crossovers that need to be avoided by the connection lines is effectively reduced. It is no longer necessary to ensure that each dimming chip is directly connected to the main controller and power supply through the connection lines. Instead, the power supply and corresponding dimming information can be obtained indirectly through the connection between adjacent dimming chips.

[0056] This significantly reduces the wiring difficulty of the dimming chip on the substrate surface, making it possible to use a single-layer circuit board with lower manufacturing costs and to be compatible with more local dimming functions.

[0057] Based on the inventive concept provided in the embodiments of this application, it can be generally applied to substrates integrating multiple electronic devices to help reduce the wiring difficulty of interconnecting lines on the substrate. However, for ease of description and understanding, a backlight module will be used as an application scenario example below to describe this application.

[0058] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of a backlight module provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3A, the backlight module 30 includes: a substrate 31, a dimming chip 32, and a backlight partition 33 containing one or more light-emitting diodes.

[0059] In this embodiment, both the dimming chip 32 and the backlight partition 33 are disposed on a substrate 31. For simplicity, the light-emitting diodes contained in a backlight partition can be referred to as a group of light-emitting diodes.

[0060] A dimming chip 32 can be used to control one or more backlight zones 33. The dashed box 34 represents multiple controlled backlight zones 33 controlled by the same dimming chip 32.

[0061] For example, Figure 3 shows that each dimming chip 32 controls the same number of backlight zones 33. Alternatively, each dimming chip 32 may control a different number of backlight zones 33, which is not specifically limited here.

[0062] Specifically, the number and arrangement of the backlight zones 33 contained in the aforementioned dashed box 34 can be determined according to actual needs and are not specifically limited here. For example, each dashed box 34 can contain 16 backlight zones 33 and a corresponding dimming chip 32.

[0063] For example, Figure 3A shows the case where four dashed boxes 34 are set. However, those skilled in the art will understand that more or fewer dashed boxes 34 can be formed as needed, and the number of groups of light-emitting diodes and the number of dimming chips can be adjusted accordingly, without specific limitations here.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 3A. For the multiple dimming chips 32 arranged on the substrate 31, there is a transmission chain formed by connecting at least two dimming chips 32 in series.

[0065] For simplicity, the term "transmission chain" will be used below to refer to a chain-like structure formed by connecting multiple electronic devices in series. In this chain-like structure, the input and output terminals of each electronic device are connected sequentially, forming a chain-like structure where each link is connected in turn. Hence, it is called a "transmission chain".

[0066] In this application, the dimming chip 32 is internally provided with a power transmission path that allows electrical energy to pass through and an information transmission path that allows dimming information to pass through. Thus, electrical energy and dimming information are sequentially delivered to any dimming chip in the transmission chain after passing through one or more dimming chips.

[0067] In other words, because there is a transmission path inside the dimming chip, the electrical energy and dimming information received by any dimming chip in the transmission chain can be delivered to any of the other dimming chips in the transmission chain.

[0068] For example, Figure 3A shows a scenario where four dimming chips are connected in series to form two transmission chains. However, those skilled in the art will understand that, based on the transmission chain design concept provided in the embodiments of this application, corresponding adjustments can be made, and the scenario is not limited to that shown in Figure 3A. Alternatively, it is also feasible to form transmission chains only in a portion of the dimming chips.

[0069] Alternatively, in addition to the method of sequentially connecting to form a transmission chain as shown in Figure 3A, as shown in Figure 3B, multiple dimming chips 32 can also be connected in parallel to form multiple transmission chains and achieve the same technical effect.

[0070] In other embodiments, the serial connection shown in FIG3A and the parallel connection shown in FIG3B can also be used simultaneously among multiple dimming chips 32, and are not limited to using only one connection form. For example, among all the dimming chips 32, some dimming chips 32 are connected in series to form a transmission chain, while other dimming chips 32 are connected in parallel to form multiple transmission chains, or the dimming chips 32 between two transmission chains are connected in parallel.

[0071] The dimming chip provided in this embodiment, which has internal power transmission and information transmission paths, or is directly connected via the substrate below the dimming chip, can fundamentally reduce the wiring difficulty on the substrate surface, making the dimming chip itself part of the conductive path for establishing electrical connections. The intersections that originally required different dimming chips to avoid each other no longer exist, such as the jumper positions shown in Figure 2C.

[0072] Based on the characteristics of the aforementioned transmission chain, which has low wiring difficulty, in a preferred embodiment, please continue to refer to Figures 3A and 3B, all the dimming chips 32 and the light-emitting diodes of the multiple backlight zones 33 are arranged on the same substrate surface of the substrate 31, and one or more transmission chains are formed between the dimming chips 32.

[0073] In this embodiment, all the dimming chips 32 and the light-emitting diodes of the multiple backlight zones 33 are arranged on the same substrate surface, which allows the use of a single-layer circuit board as the substrate. This single-layer circuit board implementation offers a significant cost advantage over the multi-layer circuit boards shown in Figures 2A and 2B, as only one surface needs to undergo the required process during the backlight module manufacturing process. Furthermore, even with a single-layer circuit board, no additional jumpers are required on the substrate 31, ensuring lower production costs and manufacturing complexity.

[0074] It should be noted that the aforementioned multiple dimming chips may form one or more transmission chains. The specific number of transmission chains formed can be determined according to actual needs, and is not specifically limited here.

[0075] Based on the transmission chain connection method provided in one or more of the above embodiments, the positional relationship between the dimming chip and each group of light-emitting diodes can be appropriately arranged to further reduce the difficulty of wiring on the substrate surface and avoid the situation of crossover of connection lines.

[0076] [Correction 13.12.2024 based on Rule 91] Figure 4A exemplarily illustrates the positional relationship between the dimming chip 32 and multiple backlight zones 33 within two adjacent dashed box regions 34. Each dashed box region 34 contains one dimming chip 32 and a corresponding multiple controlled backlight zones 33. In this application, the light-emitting diodes included in the controlled backlight zones 33 are also referred to as "controlled light-emitting diodes".

[0077] For ease of description, "first connection line 35" and "second connection line 36" are used to represent the two types of connection lines formed on the substrate surface. The first connection line 35 refers to the connection line within the same dashed frame 34, used to connect each group of light-emitting diodes and the dimming chip. The second connection line 36 is the connection line used to connect two different dimming chips.

[0078] [Correction 13.12.2024 based on Rule 91] As shown in Figure 4A, within the same dashed box area 34, the dimming chip 32 can be located at the center of the dashed box area 34. The dimming chip 32 located at the center establishes an electrical connection with each backlight zone 33 through multiple first connection lines 35, controlling each group of controlled light-emitting diodes to emit the expected brightness. In two adjacent dashed box areas 34, the two dimming chips 32 establish an electrical connection through a second connection line 36, thereby forming part of a transmission chain.

[0079] Specifically, the dimming chips 32 in two adjacent dashed box areas 34 can be located at approximately the same level, so that the second connecting line 36 is a straight connecting line extending along a preset straight line direction, so that all the dimming chips 32 in the straight line direction are connected in series to form a transmission chain.

[0080] Within a dashed frame area 34, multiple backlight zones 33 are symmetrically and evenly arranged around the dimming chip as the center of symmetry, and the multiple backlight zones 33 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the second connecting line 36.

[0081] Therefore, the first connecting line 35 and the second connecting line 36 do not intersect on the substrate surface, thus avoiding the problem of them crossing.

[0082] Figure 4A illustrates an example of a dimming chip controlling multiple backlight zones 33 within the dashed box area. Alternatively, when a dimming chip is used to control only one backlight zone, based on a similar design concept, as shown in Figure 4B, the group of light-emitting diodes is evenly arranged in the controlled backlight zone, and the dimming chip 32 is positioned adjacent to the cathode of the controlled light-emitting diodes.

[0083] In some embodiments, the dimming chip includes multiple different pins, which are connected to other electronic devices located outside the dimming chip to realize one or more functions or data information transmission.

[0084] Therefore, the pin arrangement of the dimming chip can be further appropriately configured to facilitate the wiring of connection lines on the substrate surface. Figure 5 exemplarily illustrates the specific connection method between any two adjacent dimming chips in the transmission chain.

[0085] For the sake of simplicity, the two dimming chips shown in Figure 5 are labeled as the first dimming chip 32a and the second dimming chip 32b, respectively.

[0086] As shown in Figure 5, the dimming chips 32a and 32b described above each include at least: a power supply pin 321, a signal input pin 322 for receiving dimming signals, and a signal output pin 323 for outputting dimming signals. Correspondingly, the second connection line 36 includes: a power supply connection line 361 and a signal connection line 362.

[0087] The power supply pins 321 of the first dimming chip 32a and the second dimming chip 32b are electrically connected through a power connection line 361. Thus, through the power transmission path 371a internally provided in the first dimming chip 32a, a power supply network with essentially equal potentials can be formed, achieving the purpose of power transmission.

[0088] The signal output pin 323 of the first dimming chip 32a is electrically connected to the signal input pin 322 of the second dimming chip 32b via the signal connection line 362. Thus, the dimming signal received by the signal input pin 322 of the first dimming chip 32a can be delivered to the second dimming chip 32b via the information transmission path 372a.

[0089] Based on the connection diagram shown in Figure 5, those skilled in the art will understand that by establishing a direct connection between a dimming chip and any dimming chip in the transmission chain via a connecting line, dimming information can be sequentially transmitted to any dimming chip in the transmission chain through one or more dimming chips. Similarly, by establishing a direct connection between any dimming chip in the transmission chain and a DC voltage source, the electrical energy provided by the DC voltage source can be supplied to all dimming chips in the transmission chain.

[0090] Specifically, please refer to Figure 5. The power supply pins 321 of the first dimming chip 32a and the second dimming chip 32b are arranged opposite each other, and the signal output pin 323 of the first dimming chip is arranged opposite to the signal input pin 322 of the second dimming chip.

[0091] Therefore, the power connection line 361 and the signal connection line 362 travel in parallel directions on the substrate surface, and there will be no problem of the connection lines crossing, thus avoiding the need to avoid situations where they cross.

[0092] In some embodiments, as wiring becomes less complex, the backlight module can provide a greater number of interconnects on a single-layer circuit board, enabling it to offer a wider range of functionalities. For example, eliminating motion blur.

[0093] Figure 6 exemplarily illustrates the specific connection method between any two adjacent dimming chips in the transmission chain. Similarly, the two dimming chips shown in Figure 6 are labeled as the first dimming chip 32a and the second dimming chip 32b, respectively.

[0094] As shown in Figure 6, the signal input pin 322 of the dimming chip includes a first signal input pin 3221 for receiving a synchronization signal and a second signal input pin 3222 for receiving brightness information. The signal output pin 323 includes a first signal output pin 3231 for outputting a synchronization signal and a second signal output pin 3232 for outputting brightness information. Correspondingly, the signal connection lines include a first signal connection line 3621 and a second signal connection line 3622.

[0095] The first signal output pin 3231 of the first dimming chip 32a is electrically connected to the first signal input pin 3221 of the second dimming chip 32b through the first signal connection line 3621, so that the synchronization signal received by the first signal input pin 3221 of the first dimming chip 32a is delivered to the second dimming chip 32b through the information transmission path.

[0096] In addition, the second signal output pin 3232 of the first dimming chip 32a is electrically connected to the second signal input pin 3222 of the second dimming chip 32b through the second signal connection line 3622, so that the brightness information received by the second signal input pin 3222 of the first dimming chip 32a is delivered to the second dimming chip 32b through the information transmission path.

[0097] In backlight modules that integrate both dimming chips and light-emitting diodes on a substrate (e.g., as shown in Figure 2C), the difficulty of surface wiring on the substrate limits the number of connection lines between the dimming chip and the main controller. Such a design only maintains the number of information transmission paths required to achieve basic local dimming functions, and cannot achieve functions such as motion blur elimination.

[0098] In contrast, the backlight module provided in one or more of the above embodiments adopts a transmission chain connection method, which effectively reduces the wiring difficulty between multiple dimming chips. Therefore, in addition to the basic connection lines used to transmit brightness information, connection lines capable of transmitting synchronization signals can also be provided, allowing the lighting time and brightness of specific backlight zones to be independently controlled, achieving functions such as black frame insertion to eliminate ghosting.

[0099] For example, as shown in Figure 10, based on the received synchronization signal, multiple dimming chips 32 can synchronously control the brightness value of the backlight zone to zero during the time interval between every two consecutive image frames, thus turning off the backlight of the backlight module. As a result, the display device inserts a completely black frame between every two consecutive image frames. Inserting a completely black frame provides a brief black interval when the viewer's eye tracks motion, reducing blur and improving the clarity of moving images.

[0100] Based on the backlight module provided in the above embodiments, this application further provides a display device using the above-mentioned backlight module to fully describe the operation process of the backlight module when displaying an image. FIG7 exemplarily shows a functional block diagram of the display device. As shown in FIG7, in addition to the above-mentioned backlight module 30, it also includes an additional control device 40.

[0101] The backlight module 30 contains multiple dimming chips 32 that form several transmission chains. The control device 40 establishes a direct communication connection with at least one dimming chip 32 in each transmission chain, and can transmit dimming information to it.

[0102] As described in the above embodiments, dimming information received by any dimming chip in the transmission chain can be delivered to any other dimming chip. Therefore, the control device 40 only needs to establish a direct electrical connection with one dimming chip in each transmission chain to deliver dimming information to any dimming chip in the backlight module 30.

[0103] Specifically, all dimming chips in the backlight module 30 have a specific chip identifier. This could be a specific chip address or other unique chip information that can identify and distinguish different dimming chips. The specific implementation method of the chip identifier is not limited here.

[0104] Accordingly, the dimming information provided by the control device 40 includes the chip identifier of the target dimming chip. Thus, by using the instruction information within the dimming information to guide the target dimming information, it can be ensured that the dimming information is accurately delivered to the target dimming chip for execution during the transmission chain.

[0105] In this embodiment, according to the functional block diagram, all the method steps required to generate dimming information are assigned to the control device 40 for execution. In other embodiments, the specific implementation of the control device 40 can be adjusted, dividing it into several interconnected functional modules, each used to execute a portion of the method steps, to help reduce the number of connection lines that need to be established between the control device 40 and the backlight module 30.

[0106] To fully describe the inventive concept of the display device of this application, several different embodiments are provided below, and the specific process of implementing the local dimming function with the function of eliminating dynamic image retention in each embodiment is described in detail.

[0107] Figure 8A is a functional block diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8A, the control device 40 includes a screen display controller 41 and a drive controller 42.

[0108] The screen display controller 41 is used to perform a series of pre-set data processing operations according to the screen display conditions, and to determine the brightness value and corresponding frequency signal of each backlight zone.

[0109] A communication connection is established between the drive controller 42 and the screen display controller 41. Based on the received brightness values ​​of the backlight zones, the drive controller 42 calculates and generates corresponding brightness information, and based on the received frequency signal, generates a corresponding synchronization signal.

[0110] Specifically, the drive controller 42 can generate a higher-frequency synchronization signal based on the frequency signal using any suitable implementation method, without specific limitations. For example, as shown in Figure 11A, the drive controller 42 can generate a synchronization signal corresponding to the frequency signal through a phase-locked loop 421, or as shown in Figure 11B, the drive controller 42 is equipped with an oscillator 422 that generates a high-frequency signal. The required synchronization signal is obtained by summing the frequency signal from the screen display controller 41 and the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 422 through an adder 423.

[0111] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 11C, the drive controller 42 may not have an oscillator 422, but may directly receive high-frequency signals from other functional modules (e.g., provided by the screen display controller 41), and obtain the required synchronization signal by summing the frequency signal from the screen display controller 41 and the high-frequency signal through the adder 423.

[0112] The brightness signal and synchronization signal generated by the drive controller 42 can be provided to the dimming chip 32, which has a direct communication connection with the drive controller 42. Subsequently, according to the instructions, they are delivered to the target dimming chip in sequence through one or more dimming chips.

[0113] For each dimming chip 32, after receiving the brightness signal and the synchronization signal, it can write the brightness signal according to the timing of the synchronization signal, thereby controlling the operating state of the light-emitting diodes in the controlled backlight zone accordingly.

[0114] Figure 8A exemplarily illustrates the use of a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) to establish a communication connection between the display controller 41 and the drive controller 42 for transmitting brightness values.

[0115] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 8B, a communication connection can also be established between the display controller 41 and the drive controller 42 using a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART).

[0116] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 8C, the display controller 41 and the drive controller 42 can also establish a communication connection using Low-Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS).

[0117] Figure 9A is a functional block diagram of a display device provided in another embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9A, in addition to the screen display controller 41 and the drive controller 42, the control device also includes an additional backlight controller 43.

[0118] The backlight controller 43 is communicatively connected to the screen display controller 41 and the drive controller 42, and is used to perform at least a part of the operation of the control device, thereby providing the drive controller 42 with brightness values ​​and frequency signals.

[0119] The drive controller 42 can calculate and generate corresponding brightness information based on the received brightness values ​​of the backlight zones, and generate corresponding synchronization signals based on the received frequency signals.

[0120] Subsequently, the brightness signal and synchronization signal generated by the drive controller 42 can be provided to the dimming chip 32, which has a direct communication connection with the drive controller 42, and delivered to the target dimming chip in sequence through one or more dimming chips in the transmission chain according to the instruction information.

[0121] For each dimming chip 32, after receiving the brightness signal and the synchronization signal, it can write the brightness signal according to the timing of the synchronization signal, thereby controlling the operating state of the light-emitting diodes in the controlled backlight zone accordingly.

[0122] Figure 9A exemplarily illustrates the use of a serial peripheral interface to implement the communication connection between the screen display controller 41 and the backlight controller 43, and the use of low-voltage differential signals to implement the communication connection between the backlight controller 43 and the drive controller 42.

[0123] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 9B, the communication connection between the display controller 41 and the backlight controller 43 can be implemented using a serial transmission interface, while the communication connection between the backlight controller 43 and the drive controller 42 can be implemented using a low-voltage differential signal.

[0124] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 9C, the communication connection between the display controller 41 and the backlight controller 43 can be implemented using a serial peripheral interface, and the communication connection between the backlight controller 42 and the drive controller 43 can also be implemented using a serial peripheral interface.

[0125] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 9D, the communication connection between the display controller 41 and the backlight controller 43 can be implemented using a serial transmission interface, and the communication connection between the backlight controller 42 and the drive controller 43 can also be implemented using a serial transmission interface.

[0126] The aforementioned various communication connection transmission protocols have different requirements regarding the number and characteristics of transmission cables. Preferably, by rationally dividing the functional modules of the control device, a simpler communication connection transmission protocol can be used to achieve the communication connection between the drive controller 42 and the dimming chip 32, thereby minimizing the wiring complexity on the substrate surface. For example, a serial transmission interface only requires two signal lines (Tx and Rx) to achieve data transmission.

[0127] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them; under the concept of this application, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of this application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity; although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A backlight module, comprising: substrate; Multiple dimming chips are disposed on the substrate; as well as Multiple light-emitting diodes disposed on the substrate; The plurality of light-emitting diodes are divided into multiple groups; One of the dimming chips controls one or more groups of light-emitting diodes; At least two of the dimming chips are connected in series to form a transmission chain, and / or at least two of the dimming chips are connected in parallel to form multiple transmission chains; One or more dimming chips in the transmission chain are internally configured with power transmission paths and information transmission paths, so that power and dimming information can be delivered to any dimming chip in the transmission chain.

2. The backlight module of claim 1, wherein, Each backlight zone includes: a set of light-emitting diodes; multiple light-emitting diodes and multiple dimming chips are located on the same substrate surface.

3. The backlight module of claim 2, wherein, The substrate surface is formed with a plurality of first connection lines for connecting the dimming chip and a corresponding set of one or more sets of light-emitting diodes, so that the dimming chip controls a set of one or more sets of light-emitting diodes; The substrate surface is also formed with a second connecting line for connecting two dimming chips, so that N dimming chips form at least one transmission chain; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

4. The backlight module of claim 2, wherein, When one of the dimming chips controls a group of the light-emitting diodes, the dimming chip is located adjacent to the cathode of the controlled light-emitting diode; When one dimming chip controls two or more sets of light-emitting diodes, the dimming chip is located at the center of multiple controlled backlight zones, and the multiple sets of controlled light-emitting diodes are symmetrically arranged with the dimming chip as the center of symmetry.

5. The backlight module of claim 3, wherein, The dimming chip includes: a power supply pin, a signal input pin for receiving a dimming signal, and a signal output pin for outputting the dimming signal; the second connection line includes: a power connection line and a signal connection line. For any two adjacent first dimming chips and second dimming chips in one of the transmission chains: The power supply pins of the first dimming chip and the second dimming chip are electrically connected through the power connection line, forming a power supply network with basically equal potentials via the power transmission path; The signal output pin of the first dimming chip is electrically connected to the signal input pin of the second dimming chip through the signal connection line, so that the dimming signal received by the signal input pin of the first dimming chip is delivered to the second dimming chip through the information transmission path.

6. The backlight module of claim 5, wherein, The power supply pins of the first dimming chip and the second dimming chip are positioned opposite each other, and the signal output pin of the first dimming chip is positioned opposite to the signal input pin of the second dimming chip.

7. The backlight module of claim 5, wherein, The signal input pins include: a first signal input pin for receiving a synchronization signal and a second signal input pin for receiving brightness information; The signal output pins include: a first signal output pin for outputting a synchronization signal; and a second signal output pin for outputting brightness information; The signal connection line includes: a first signal connection line and a second signal connection line; For any two adjacent first dimming chips and second dimming chips in one of the transmission chains: The first signal output pin of the first dimming chip is electrically connected to the first signal input pin of the second dimming chip through the first signal connection line, so that the synchronization signal received by the first signal input pin of the first dimming chip is delivered to the second dimming chip through the information transmission path; The second signal output pin of the first dimming chip is electrically connected to the second signal input pin of the second dimming chip through the second signal connection line, so that the brightness information received by the second signal input pin of the first dimming chip is delivered to the second dimming chip through the information transmission path.

8. The backlight module of claim 3, wherein, The second connecting line extends along a preset straight line direction so that all dimming chips in the straight line direction are connected in series to form a transmission chain.

9. The backlight module of claim 8, wherein, Multiple sets of controlled light-emitting diodes are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the second connecting line so that the travel directions of the first connecting line and the second connecting line on the substrate surface do not intersect.

10. A display device, comprising: The control device is configured to perform at least one data processing operation to generate at least one dimming information; A backlight module with multiple backlight zones and multiple dimming chips; One of the dimming chips controls one or more of the backlight zones; Wherein, at least two dimming chips in the backlight module are connected in series to form a transmission chain, and / or at least two dimming chips in the backlight module are connected in parallel to form multiple transmission chains; One or more dimming chips in the transmission chain are internally provided with power transmission paths and information transmission paths, so that power and dimming information can be delivered to any dimming chip in the transmission chain. The control device is communicatively connected to one of the dimming chips in each of the transmission chains to deliver the dimming information to the target dimming chip.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein, The backlight module further includes: a substrate; one of the backlight zones includes a group of light-emitting diodes; the light-emitting diodes and the dimming chip are arranged on the same substrate surface.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein, The substrate surface is formed with a plurality of first connection lines for connecting the dimming chip and a corresponding set or more sets of light-emitting diodes, so that the dimming chip controls one or more backlight zones; The substrate surface is also formed with a second connecting line for connecting two dimming chips, so that N dimming chips form at least one transmission chain; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein, The dimming chip includes: a power supply pin, a signal input pin for receiving a dimming signal, and a signal output pin for outputting the dimming signal; the second connection line includes: a power connection line and a signal connection line. For any two adjacent first dimming chips and second dimming chips in one of the transmission chains: The power supply pins of the first dimming chip and the second dimming chip are electrically connected through the power connection line, forming a power supply network with basically equal potentials via the power transmission path; The signal output pin of the first dimming chip is electrically connected to the signal input pin of the second dimming chip through the signal connection line, so that the dimming signal received by the signal input pin of the first dimming chip is delivered to the second dimming chip through the information transmission path.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein, The signal input pins include: a first signal input pin for receiving a synchronization signal and a second signal input pin for receiving brightness information; The signal output pins include: a first signal output pin for outputting a synchronization signal; and a second signal output pin for outputting brightness information; The signal connection line includes: a first signal connection line and a second signal connection line; For any two adjacent first dimming chips and second dimming chips in one of the transmission chains: The first signal output pin of the first dimming chip is electrically connected to the first signal input pin of the second dimming chip through the first signal connection line, so that the synchronization signal received by the signal input pin of the first dimming chip is delivered to the second dimming chip through the information transmission path; The second signal output pin of the first dimming chip is electrically connected to the second signal input pin of the second dimming chip through the second signal connection line, so that the brightness information received by the second signal input pin of the first dimming chip is delivered to the second dimming chip through the information transmission path.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein, The control device includes: The display controller is configured to determine the brightness value of each backlight zone and provide a frequency signal; The drive controller, which is communicatively connected to the screen display controller, is configured to: generate corresponding brightness information based on the received brightness value, and generate a corresponding synchronization signal based on the frequency signal; The drive controller is communicatively connected to at least one dimming chip in each of the transmission chains to transmit the brightness information and synchronization signal.

16. The display device of claim 15, wherein, The communication connection between the display controller and the drive controller is selected from one of the following methods: Communication connection based on serial peripheral interface; Communication connection based on serial transmission interface; or Communication connection based on low-voltage differential signaling.

17. The display device of claim 14, wherein, The control device further includes: a backlight controller; The backlight controller is communicatively connected to the screen display controller and the drive controller, and is configured to: execute at least a portion of the operations of the screen display controller and provide the brightness value and the frequency signal to the drive controller.

18. The display device of claim 17, wherein, The communication connection between the screen display controller and the backlight controller is selected from one of the following methods: Communication connection based on serial peripheral interface; or Communication connection based on serial transmission interface; The communication connection between the backlight controller and the drive controller is selected from one of the following methods: Communication connection based on serial peripheral interface; Communication connection based on serial transmission interface; or Communication connection based on low-voltage differential signaling.

19. The display device of claim 15, wherein, The drive controller includes a phase-locked loop (PLL); the PLL is configured to convert the input frequency signal into a synchronization signal and output it; or The drive controller comprises an adder, which is configured to synthesize the frequency signal and a high-frequency clock signal into the synchronization signal output.

20. The display device of claim 10, wherein, The plurality of dimming chips have different chip identifications; the dimming information further comprises indication information. The indication information records the chip identification of the target dimming chip, so that the dimming information is delivered to the target dimming chip.

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