LED pixel circuits with PWM dimming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10694597-B2
Application number	US-201816145589-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Apr 19, 2018
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A pixel circuit for illuminating an LED unit with a level of brightness is provided, which includes a latch circuit, a pass switch, a PWM circuit, and a current source. The latch circuit latches control data according to a latch signal to generate a control signal. The pass switch provides the control data from a data signal to the latch circuit according to a scan signal. The PWM circuit generates a PWM signal according to the control signal and an enable signal. The current source supplies a constant current flowing through the LED unit according to the PWM signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pixel circuit for illuminating a first LED unit with a level of brightness, comprising:
a first latch circuit, latching first control data according to a first latch signal to generate a first control signal;
a first pass switch, providing the first control data from a data signal to the first latch circuit according to a scan signal;
a PWM circuit, generating a PWM signal according to the first control signal and an enable signal; and
a current source, supplying a constant current flowing through the first LED unit according to the PWM signal;
wherein the first control data is divided into an MSB (Most Significant Bit) control data and an LSB (Least Significant Bit) control data;
wherein the first latch circuit comprises;
a first sub latch circuit, latching the MSB control data according to the first latch signal to generate an MSB control signal; and
a second sub latch circuit, latching the LSB control data according to the first latch signal to generate an LSB control signal;
wherein the first pass switch comprises:
a first sub switch, providing the MSB control data from the data signal to the first sub latch circuit according to the scan signal; and
a second sub switch, providing the LSB control data from the data signal to the second sub latch circuit according to the scan signal;
wherein the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) circuit comprises:
a first sub PWM circuit, generating an MSB PWM signal according to the MSB control signal and the enable signal; and
a second sub PWM circuit, generating an LSB PWM signal according to the LSB control signal and the enable signal;
wherein the current source comprises:
a first sub current source, supplying a first current to the first LED unit according to the MSB PWM signal; and
a second sub current source, supplying a second current to the first LED unit according to the LSB PWM signal, wherein the second current is lower than the first current.

2. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first control data, the first control signal, and the enable signal are N bits, wherein N is a positive integer, wherein the PWM signal is a result of an AND logic function of the first control signal and the enable signal.

3. The pixel circuit of claim 2 , wherein the PWM circuit comprises:
a plurality of AND gates, wherein each of the AND gates performs the AND logic function on each bit of the first control signal and a corresponding bit of the enable signal to generate an output signal; and
an OR gate, performing an OR operation on the output signals of the AND gates to generate the PWM signal.

4. The pixel circuit of claim 2 , wherein the PWM circuit comprises:
a plurality of transmission transistors, wherein each of the plurality of transmission transistors provides a corresponding bit of the first control signal according to a corresponding bit of the enable signal.

5. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the level of brightness of the first LED unit is dimmed by a duty cycle of the PWM signal.

6. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the current source comprises:
a transistor comprising a source terminal, a gate terminal, and a drain terminal, wherein the source terminal is supplied by a supply voltage and the drain terminal is coupled to the first LED unit; and
a dimming switch, providing a first bias voltage or a second bias voltage to the gate terminal of the transistor according to the PWM signal, wherein the transistor generates the constant current according to the first bias voltage.

7. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the current source comprises:
a transistor, generating the constant current according to a bias voltage, wherein the transistor comprises a source terminal, a gate terminal, and a drain terminal, wherein the source terminal is supplied by a supply voltage and the gate terminal receives the bias voltage; and
a dimming switch, coupling the drain terminal of the transistor to the first LED unit according to the PWM signal.

8. The pixel circuit of claim 7 , wherein the current source further comprises:
a capacitor, coupled between the gate terminal and the source terminal of the transistor; and
a compensation switch, providing the bias voltage to the gate terminal of the transistor according to a compensation signal, wherein the constant current is generated in response to the bias voltage.

9. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein the MSB PWM signal is a logic function of the MSB control signal and the enable signal and the LSB PWM signal is a logic function of the LSB control signal and the enable signal.

10. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , wherein a pre-result is a logic function of the LSB control signal and the enable signal, and the LSB PWM signal is an AND logic function of the pre-result and a skip signal, wherein a frequency of the enable signal is M times the skip signal so that a duty cycle of the LSB PWM signal is divided by M and the second current is M-fold.

11. The pixel circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second latch circuit, latching second control data according to a second latch signal to generate a second control signal, wherein the data signal sequentially provides the first control data and the second control data;
a second pass switch, providing the second control data from the data signal to the second latch circuit according to a second scan signal;
a first latch-selection switch, providing the first control signal to the PWM circuit according to a selection signal;
a second latch-selection switch, providing the second control signal to the PWM circuit according to the selection signal;
a first LED-selection switch, providing the constant current flowing through the first LED unit according to the selection signal; and
a second LED-selection switch, providing the constant current flowing through a second LED unit according to the selection signal.

12. The pixel circuit of claim 11 , wherein the selection signal is configured to illuminate the first LED unit and the second LED unit with an illumination cycle, wherein the constant current is increased according to the illumination cycle to keep the level of brightness identical.

13. A driving circuit for illuminating a first LED unit with a first color and a second LED unit with a second color, wherein the first color and the second color are different from each other, comprising:
a first pixel circuit, comprising:
a first latch circuit, latching first control data according to a first latch signal to generate a first control signal;
a first pass switch, providing the first control data from a first data signal to the first latch circuit according to a first scan signal;
a first PWM circuit, generating a first PWM signal according to the first control signal and a first enable signal; and
a first current source, supplying a first constant current flowing through the first LED unit according to the first PWM signal;
a second pixel circuit, comprising:
a second latch circuit, latching second control data according to a second latch signal to generate a second control signal;
a second pass switch, providing the second control data from a second data signal to the second latch circuit according to a second scan signal;
a second PWM circuit, generating a second PWM signal according to the second control signal and a second enable signal; and
a second current source, supplying a second constant current flowing through the second LED unit according to the second PWM signal.

14. The driving circuit of claim 13 , wherein the first pixel circuit and the second pixel circuit are implemented by a CMOS process and individual

Assignees

• Innolux Corp

Inventors

• Watsuda Hirofumi

Classifications

• G09G2310/027

  Details of drivers for data electrodes, the drivers handling digital grey scale data, e.g. use of D/A converters · CPC title

• G09G3/3233

  with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element · CPC title

• G09G3/32

  semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• G09G3/2014 Primary

  by modulation of the duration of a single pulse during which the logic level remains constant · CPC title

• G09G3/2003

  Display of colours (specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607) · CPC title