Patent · US9153171B2 · B2 · US

Smart pixel lighting and display microcontroller

(11) Publication number

US9153171B2

(21) Application number

13/717,634

(22) Filing date

2012-12-17

(30) Priority date

2012-12-17

(43) Publication date

2015-10-06

(45) Date of grant

2015-10-06

(51) IPC

G09G 3/32; H01L 25/075; H01L 25/13

(52) CPC

G09G Arrangements or circuits for control of indicating devices using static means to present variable information: 3/3426, 2300/0404, 2300/0828, 2300/0842, 2300/0857, 2310/027, 2310/08, 2320/029, 2330/028, 3/2088, 3/30, 3/32, 3/3216, 3/3233, 3/3266
G02F Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light by modification of the optical properties of the media of the elements involved therein; non-linear optics; frequency-changing of light; optical logic elements; optical analogue/digital converters: 1/1336
H01L Semiconductor devices; electric solid state devices not otherwise provided for: 25/0753
H10W Generic packages, interconnections, connectors or other constructional details of devices covered by class H10: 90/00

(73) Assignee

LuxVue Technology Corp

(72) Inventors

Kapil V. Sakariya; Andreas Bibl; Kelly McGroddy

(54) Title

Smart pixel lighting and display microcontroller

(57) Abstract

A light emitting assembly is described. In one embodiment, one or more light emitting diode (LED) devices and one or more microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, with the one or more microcontrollers to switch and drive the one or more LED devices.

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Claims (34)

A light emitting assembly comprising: an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices; and an array of microcontrollers to switch and drive the array of LED devices, wherein the array of LED devices and the array of microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, the number of microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers is less than the number of LED devices in the array of LED devices, and each microcontroller in the array of microcontrollers is in electrical connection with a plurality of pixels to drive a plurality of LED devices in each pixel.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the LED devices and each of the microcontrollers are bonded to the substrate with indium, gold, silver, copper, or alloys thereof.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers is a microchip.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers has a maximum length dimension of 1 to 100 μm.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers has a maximum width dimension of 1 to 100 μm.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the LED devices has maximum length and width dimensions of 1 to 100 μm.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein the array of LED devices are bonded to landing pads in electrical connection with distribution lines on the same side of the substrate.
A light emitting assembly comprising: a light emitting diode (LED) device; and a microcontroller, to switch and drive the LED device, wherein the LED device and the microcontroller are bonded to a same side of a substrate, and wherein the microcontroller includes one or more input circuits, at least one output circuit, and an analog driving circuit.
The assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more input circuits includes an analog-to-digital converter.
The assembly of claim 9, wherein the analog to digital converter couples with a data storage module including a bank of random access memory.
The assembly of claim 10, wherein the bank of random access memory includes static random access memory.
The assembly of claim 10, wherein the bank of random access memory includes dynamic random access memory.
A light emitting assembly comprising: a light emitting diode (LED) device; and a microcontroller, to switch and drive the LED device, the LED device and the microcontroller bonded to a same side of a substrate, wherein the microcontroller includes one or more input circuits, at least one output circuit, and at least one of the one or more input circuits couples to a capacitive storage module.
The assembly of claim 13, wherein the microcontroller additionally includes digital logic, the digital logic including an input logic block, an output logic block, and a data storage module.
The assembly of claim 14, wherein the data storage module comprises at least one bank of random access memory.
The assembly of claim 15, wherein the at least one bank of random access memory includes static random access memory.
A light emitting assembly comprising: a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) devices and a plurality of microcontrollers bonded to a same side of a substrate; wherein the plurality of microcontrollers are electrically coupled with each other, and the plurality of microcontrollers are electrically coupled with the plurality of LED devices to switch and drive the plurality of LED devices; a data driver coupled to the substrate; and a scan driver coupled to the substrate.
The assembly of claim 17 further comprising a timing controller coupled with the data driver, the timing controller operable to signal the scan driver to cause a first row of a display panel to be not refreshed in a current data frame and a second row of the display panel to be refreshed in the current data frame.
A light emitting assembly comprising: an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices; an array of microcontrollers, wherein the array of LED devices and the array of microcontrollers are bonded to the same side of a substrate; wherein the number of microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers is less than the number of LED devices in the array of LED devices; and wherein multiple microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers include an external communication module to exchange data between the multiple microcontrollers.
The assembly of claim 19, wherein each microcontroller is in electrical connection with a plurality of LED devices to switch and drive the plurality of LED devices.
The assembly of claim 19, wherein each microcontroller is in electrical connection with a plurality of pixels to drive a plurality of LED devices in each pixel.
The assembly of claim 19, wherein the substrate is a lighting substrate.
The assembly of claim 19, further comprising an electrical sensor device.
The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a thermal sensor device.
The assembly of claim 19, further comprising an optical sensor device.
The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a pressure sensor device.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein each microcontroller includes one or more input circuits and at least one output circuit.
The assembly of claim 27, wherein each microcontroller includes an analog driving circuit.
The assembly of claim 27, wherein each input circuit is coupled to a capacitive storage module.
The assembly of claim 27, wherein each microcontroller comprises digital logic, the digital logic including an input logic block, and output logic block, and a data storage module.
The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a data driver coupled to the substrate, a scan driver coupled to the substrate.
The assembly of claim 31, further comprising a timing controller coupled with the data driver.
The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor device.
The assembly of claim 1, wherein multiple microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers include an external communication module, to exchange data between the multiple microcontrollers.

Description

1. Field

The present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) microcontroller. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an LED microcontroller for use in display or lighting applications.

2. Background Information

Flat panel displays utilizing LED devices are gaining popularity in a wide range of electronic devices, from small, handheld electronic devices to large outdoor displays. High-resolution LED displays, such as those used in modern computer displays, smart phones and televisions, typically use an active matrix display structure. In an active matrix display, active driving circuitry is attached to each pixel or sub-pixel, allowing precise voltage switching for the individual pixels that passive matrix displays lack. The precise voltage switching allows for improved image quality and response time in comparison to passive matrix displays. In conventional active matrix displays, the switching circuitry at each pixel is implemented using a thin-film transistor (TFT) backplane driving the emissive elements. A typical TFT switching circuit used in emissive active matrix displays is the 2T1C circuit, which contains two transistors and one capacitor, although more advanced TFT circuits is possible.

The use of the TFT backplane allows improved precision in relation to passive matrix displays, however the use of the thin-film transistor backplane is not without drawbacks. High quality TFT fabrication is costly. The highest quality TFTs require fabrication on a quartz substrate due to the high temperatures involved in the fabrication process.

Citations (86)

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Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US9153171B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Smart pixel lighting and display microcontroller",
  "abstract": "A light emitting assembly is described. In one embodiment, one or more light emitting diode (LED) devices and one or more microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, with the one or more microcontrollers to switch and drive the one or more LED devices.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A light emitting assembly comprising: an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices; and an array of microcontrollers to switch and drive the array of LED devices, wherein the array of LED devices and the array of microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, the number of microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers is less than the number of LED devices in the array of LED devices, and each microcontroller in the array of microcontrollers is in electrical connection with a plurality of pixels to drive a plurality of LED devices in each pixel.",
    "2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the LED devices and each of the microcontrollers are bonded to the substrate with indium, gold, silver, copper, or alloys thereof.",
    "3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers is a microchip.",
    "4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers has a maximum length dimension of 1 to 100 μm.",
    "5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers has a maximum width dimension of 1 to 100 μm.",
    "6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the LED devices has maximum length and width dimensions of 1 to 100 μm.",
    "7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the array of LED devices are bonded to landing pads in electrical connection with distribution lines on the same side of the substrate.",
    "8. A light emitting assembly comprising: a light emitting diode (LED) device; and a microcontroller, to switch and drive the LED device, wherein the LED device and the microcontroller are bonded to a same side of a substrate, and wherein the microcontroller includes one or more input circuits, at least one output circuit, and an analog driving circuit.",
    "9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more input circuits includes an analog-to-digital converter.",
    "10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the analog to digital converter couples with a data storage module including a bank of random access memory.",
    "11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the bank of random access memory includes static random access memory.",
    "12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the bank of random access memory includes dynamic random access memory.",
    "13. A light emitting assembly comprising: a light emitting diode (LED) device; and a microcontroller, to switch and drive the LED device, the LED device and the microcontroller bonded to a same side of a substrate, wherein the microcontroller includes one or more input circuits, at least one output circuit, and at least one of the one or more input circuits couples to a capacitive storage module.",
    "14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the microcontroller additionally includes digital logic, the digital logic including an input logic block, an output logic block, and a data storage module.",
    "15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the data storage module comprises at least one bank of random access memory.",
    "16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the at least one bank of random access memory includes static random access memory.",
    "17. A light emitting assembly comprising: a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) devices and a plurality of microcontrollers bonded to a same side of a substrate; wherein the plurality of microcontrollers are electrically coupled with each other, and the plurality of microcontrollers are electrically coupled with the plurality of LED devices to switch and drive the plurality of LED devices; a data driver coupled to the substrate; and a scan driver coupled to the substrate.",
    "18. The assembly of claim 17 further comprising a timing controller coupled with the data driver, the timing controller operable to signal the scan driver to cause a first row of a display panel to be not refreshed in a current data frame and a second row of the display panel to be refreshed in the current data frame.",
    "19. A light emitting assembly comprising: an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices; an array of microcontrollers, wherein the array of LED devices and the array of microcontrollers are bonded to the same side of a substrate; wherein the number of microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers is less than the number of LED devices in the array of LED devices; and wherein multiple microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers include an external communication module to exchange data between the multiple microcontrollers.",
    "20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein each microcontroller is in electrical connection with a plurality of LED devices to switch and drive the plurality of LED devices.",
    "21. The assembly of claim 19, wherein each microcontroller is in electrical connection with a plurality of pixels to drive a plurality of LED devices in each pixel.",
    "22. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the substrate is a lighting substrate.",
    "23. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising an electrical sensor device.",
    "24. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a thermal sensor device.",
    "25. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising an optical sensor device.",
    "26. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a pressure sensor device.",
    "27. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each microcontroller includes one or more input circuits and at least one output circuit.",
    "28. The assembly of claim 27, wherein each microcontroller includes an analog driving circuit.",
    "29. The assembly of claim 27, wherein each input circuit is coupled to a capacitive storage module.",
    "30. The assembly of claim 27, wherein each microcontroller comprises digital logic, the digital logic including an input logic block, and output logic block, and a data storage module.",
    "31. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a data driver coupled to the substrate, a scan driver coupled to the substrate.",
    "32. The assembly of claim 31, further comprising a timing controller coupled with the data driver.",
    "33. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor device.",
    "34. The assembly of claim 1, wherein multiple microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers include an external communication module, to exchange data between the multiple microcontrollers."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field\n\nThe present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) microcontroller. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an LED microcontroller for use in display or lighting applications.\n\n2. Background Information\n\nFlat panel displays utilizing LED devices are gaining popularity in a wide range of electronic devices, from small, handheld electronic devices to large outdoor displays. High-resolution LED displays, such as those used in modern computer displays, smart phones and televisions, typically use an active matrix display structure. In an active matrix display, active driving circuitry is attached to each pixel or sub-pixel, allowing precise voltage switching for the individual pixels that passive matrix displays lack. The precise voltage switching allows for improved image quality and response time in comparison to passive matrix displays. In conventional active matrix displays, the switching circuitry at each pixel is implemented using a thin-film transistor (TFT) backplane driving the emissive elements. A typical TFT switching circuit used in emissive active matrix displays is the 2T1C circuit, which contains two transistors and one capacitor, although more advanced TFT circuits is possible.\n\nThe use of the TFT backplane allows improved precision in relation to passive matrix displays, however the use of the thin-film transistor backplane is not without drawbacks. High quality TFT fabrication is costly. The highest quality TFTs require fabrication on a quartz substrate due to the high temperatures involved in the fabrication process.",
  "cpc": [
    "G09G 3/3426",
    "G02F 1/1336",
    "G09G 2300/0404",
    "G09G 2300/0828",
    "G09G 2300/0842",
    "G09G 2300/0857",
    "G09G 2310/027",
    "G09G 2310/08",
    "G09G 2320/029",
    "G09G 2330/028",
    "G09G 3/2088",
    "G09G 3/30",
    "G09G 3/32",
    "G09G 3/3216",
    "G09G 3/3233",
    "G09G 3/3266",
    "H01L 25/0753",
    "H10W 90/00"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G09G 3/32",
    "H01L 25/075",
    "H01L 25/13"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "LuxVue Technology Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Kapil V. Sakariya",
    "Andreas Bibl",
    "Kelly McGroddy"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2012-12-17",
  "publication_date": "2015-10-06",
  "grant_date": "2015-10-06",
  "priority_date": "2012-12-17",
  "application_number": "US-201213717634-A",
  "family_id": "50930261",
  "cited_by_count": 237,
  "citations": [
    "US4618814A",
    "US4997196A",
    "US6403985B1",
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    "US5592358A",
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}

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