LED Circuit Single Switch Control Chip Area Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art light emitting diode circuits require complex actions to activate and deactivate different light emitting diodes, necessitating separate switches for each, which is cumbersome and inefficient in terms of chip area usage.
Innovation Solution
A light emitting diode circuit with two parallel sub-circuits, one without a switch and the other with a switch, allowing activation and deactivation of one diode while deactivating the other using the same switch, with the switch's conducting state having a smaller signal threshold for the second sub-circuit, enabling simultaneous operation and deactivation of diodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If separate switches are used for each light emitting diode, then each diode can be independently controlled, but the device complexity increases and chip area increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single switch is designed to control multiple light emitting diodes by changing its impedance state. When the switch impedance is below a threshold, the first diode is activated; when above the threshold, the second diode is activated. This multi-functional switch replaces what would traditionally require separate switches for each diode, reducing device complexity while maintaining independent control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The switch impedance is dynamically changed between two states (below threshold and above threshold) to control which diode is activated. This parameter change approach allows one switch to perform the function of multiple switches by exploiting the non-linear impedance characteristics and threshold-based activation of parallel diode circuits.
2Ease of operation
If separate switches are used for each light emitting diode, then each diode can be independently controlled, but the chip area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control functions for multiple diodes are merged into a single switch component. Instead of having separate switch-diode pairs occupying distinct chip areas, the invention combines the control functionality into one shared switch that can selectively activate different diodes based on its impedance state, thereby reducing the overall chip area required.
Solution Approach 2:
The single switch serves multiple functions by controlling different diodes at different impedance states. This universal component replaces multiple specialized components (separate switches for each diode), leading to significant chip area reduction while preserving the ability to independently control each light emitting diode.
3Device complexity
If a single switch controls multiple diodes, then chip area is reduced and complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit leverages the inherent threshold characteristics of parallel diode circuits and the switch's impedance states to automatically determine which diode activates. The system essentially controls itself through the physical laws governing diode conduction and switch impedance, reducing the need for complex external control logic and making the operation more intuitive despite the shared switch.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are light emitting diode circuits employing first sub-circuits including first light emitting diodes and connected in parallel with second sub-circuits including second light emitting diodes and switches for, in conducting states, switching on the second light emitting diodes and switching off the first light emitting diodes and for, in non-conducting states, switching off the second light emitting diodes and switching on the first light emitting diodes. The first sub-circuits and the second sub-circuits have different signal characteristics such as different minimum threshold voltages to be realized by using different kinds of light emitting diodes, by using different total numbers of serial light emitting diodes, or by adding threshold voltage elements to the first sub-circuits.