Cloned Constant Current LED Drive Circuit Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED products for automotive and other applications often fail to provide constant current driving, leading to inferior performance, and existing solutions that use multiple integrated circuits to drive multiple LEDs are costly.
Innovation Solution
A low-cost electronic circuit design that uses a controller and software to drive multiple LEDs with constant current, allowing the current path to be cloned for additional LEDs, utilizing low-cost components like transistors and resistors, and adaptable to various LED configurations, including RGB LEDs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple integrated circuits are used to drive multiple LEDs, then the constant current driving capability is improved, but the product cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the LED driving function into modular current path circuits, where each current path can independently drive one or more LEDs with constant current. This segmentation allows the system to achieve reliable constant current control for multiple LEDs while using a single integrated circuit, thereby reducing cost compared to using multiple separate integrated circuits.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated circuit is designed with universal current path circuits that can be configured to drive different numbers and types of LEDs. The circuit provides multiple output channels that can be selectively activated, allowing a single circuit to perform the function of multiple circuits while maintaining constant current control across all channels.
2Ease of manufacture
If existing LED products do not use constant current driving, then the product cost is reduced, but the performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements current path cloning where a reference current path is used to generate identical current profiles for multiple LED channels. This copying approach ensures that all LED channels receive precise constant current control matching the performance of dedicated constant current circuits, while using a single integrated circuit architecture that reduces overall cost.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the current path is cloned for additional LEDs, then the scalability is improved, but the circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where multiple current path circuits are integrated within a single IC chip. The current paths are arranged in a hierarchical manner with shared control logic and sequential circuit elements, allowing the system to scale from driving one LED to multiple LEDs without proportionally increasing external component complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple current path circuits into a single integrated circuit device, merging functions that would traditionally require separate components. The current paths share common control structures, power management elements, and output stages, reducing overall circuit complexity while maintaining the ability to independently control multiple LED channels with constant current.
Data Source
AI summary
A light emitting diode (LED) circuit is disclosed haying a plurality of LEDs each having a respective current path. A controller may be included for controlling the LEDs. A first set of LEDs of the plurality of LEDs are connected to respective first set transistors and a first current sink to drive a constant current through each of the first set of LEDs and the first set of LEDs includes one or more LEDs, and the LED circuit may include at least one second set of LEDs of the plurality of LEDs that are connected such that the constant current in the first set of LEDs is duplicated. in the at least one second set of LEDs and the second set of LEDs includes one or more LEDs.