Single-Node LED Drive for Visual Display and Data Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Low pin count integrated circuit devices face challenges in simultaneously providing status communication and visual display using limited resources, as existing methods are inefficient in utilizing a single pin for both functions effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a single node of an integrated circuit device to generate pulses for controlling light intensity and transmitting digital information through a light emitting diode (LED), where pulse widths and positions within clock times represent logic values, enabling both visual indication and data transmission from a single output node.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single pin is used for both LED indication and digital communication, then pin count is reduced, but the ability to simultaneously provide status communication and visual display deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges LED indication and digital communication functions into a single pin by encoding data within the LED pulse waveforms. The modulator combines status information and digital data into a unified pulse train that drives the LED, allowing both visual display and data transmission through the same physical interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The single pin is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides visual status indication through LED brightness modulation and digital communication through embedded data pulses. The system universally handles both indication and communication tasks through a unified pulse encoding scheme that can represent both visual intensity and digital information.
2Illumination intensity
If pulse width modulation is used to control LED brightness, then visual display capability is improved, but data transmission accuracy deteriorates due to pulse width variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pulse train into distinct functional components: timing pulses that carry digital data and brightness modulation pulses that control LED intensity. By separating these functions into different pulse characteristics (timing position vs. pulse width), the system maintains data transmission accuracy while enabling visual display control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes different parameters of the pulse waveform for different purposes: pulse width is varied for brightness control while pulse timing/position is varied for data encoding. This parameter separation allows independent optimization of both visual display quality and data transmission accuracy without mutual interference.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for continuous visual display and data transmission using a single pin, effectively combining LED light intensity control and digital information communication, suitable for low pin count IC devices by converting light pulses to electrical signals for decoding, thus optimizing resource utilization.
Implementation Method 1
A method and system utilize a single node of an integrated circuit device to generate pulses for controlling light intensity and transmitting digital information through a light emitting diode (LED)
Implementation Method 2
converting light pulses to electrical signals for decoding
Data Source
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AI summary
A light emitting diode (LED) is driven with a plurality of pulses having controllable pulse widths and positions within clock time periods that provide for both LED light intensity control and digital information communications from a single output node of an integrated circuit (IC) device. The LED light intensity is determined by the duty cycle of the pulses where the human eye integrates these light pulses from the LED into continuous light intensity levels. The digital information contained in the light output from the LED is detected by a photo-detector that converts the light pulses into electric signals that are demodulated and read by a circuit debugger and/or manufacturing test station. The aforementioned operations allow continuous visual display and data transmission using only one output node of the IC device. This is especially advantageous when using low pin count IC devices.