Parallel redundant chiplet system for controlling display pixels

• US 10,255,834 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Display Company Technology Limited (Sensinnovat BVBA)
• Original Assignee: X-Celeprint Limited
• Inventors: Cok, Ronald S., Rotzoll, Robert R., Bower, Christopher, Meitl, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brittingham, Nathaniel P
• Application Number:
  US14/807,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20170025075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0408 Integration of the drivers onto the display substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/08 Fault-tolerant or redundant circuits, or circuits in which repair of defects is prepared
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A parallel redundant integrated-circuit system includes an input connection, an output connection and first and second active circuits. The first active circuit includes one or more first integrated circuits and has an input connected to the input connection and an output connected to the output connection. The second active circuit includes one or more second integrated circuits and is redundant to the first active circuit, has an input connected to the input connection, and has an output connected to the output connection. The second integrated circuits are separate and distinct from the first integrated circuits.

Claims

1. A parallel redundant integrated-circuit system, comprising:

a backplane;

a common input connection;

a common output connection;

a first active circuit comprising one or more first integrated circuits disposed on the backplane, the first active circuit comprising an input directly connected to the common input connection and an output directly connected to the common output connection, wherein each first integrated circuit of the one or more first integrated circuits comprises a separate, independent, and distinct substrate; and

a second active circuit comprising one or more second integrated circuits disposed on the backplane, the second active circuit redundant to the first active circuit and comprising an input directly connected to the common input connection and an output directly connected to the common output connection, wherein each second integrated circuit of the one or more second integrated circuits comprises a separate, independent, and distinct substrate,

wherein each input of the first active circuit is directly electrically connected to a corresponding redundant input of the second active circuit and each output of the first active circuit is directly electrically connected to a corresponding redundant output of the second active circuit,

wherein the one or more second integrated circuits are separate and distinct from the one or more first integrated circuits so that the first active circuit and the second active circuit are substantially identically electrically connected to the common input connection and to the common output connection and the first active circuit and the second active circuit are operable in parallel to provide a substantially identical output, and

wherein the first active circuit comprises a first light emitter and a first driver circuit that controls the first light emitter and the second active circuit comprises a second light emitter and a second driver circuit that controls the second light emitter.

2. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein the common input or common output connection is a signal connection.

3. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of common input connections that comprises the common input connection.

4. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of common output connections that comprises the common output connection.

5. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein the common input connection is directly connected to the common output connection through the first and second active circuits or wherein the first and second active circuits include a signal-transfer element and the common input connection is directly connected to the common output connection through the signal-transfer element.

6. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein:

the first light emitter is a first red-light emitter that emits red light and the first active circuit further comprises a first green-light emitter that emits green light and a first blue-light emitter that emits blue light;

the first driver circuit comprises a first red driver circuit driving the first red-light emitter, a first green driver circuit driving the first green-light emitter, and a first blue driver circuit driving the first blue-light emitter;

the second light emitter is a second red-light emitter that emits red light and the second active circuit further comprises a second green-light emitter that emits green light and a second blue-light emitter that emits blue light; and

the second driver circuit comprises a second red driver circuit driving the second red-light emitter, a second green driver circuit the second green-light emitter, and a second blue driver circuit driving the second blue-light emitter.

7. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein the first active circuit comprises a first driver circuit that comprises a first bit-to-current converter and the second active circuit comprises a second driver circuit that comprises a second bit-to-current converter.

8. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein the first active circuit comprises a first storage element and the second active circuit comprises a second storage element.

9. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein the common input connection, the common output connection, the first active circuit, and the second active circuit form a component group, and the parallel redundant integrated-circuit system comprises a plurality of component groups comprising the component group.

10. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of component groups comprises a second component group and wherein the common output connection of the first component group is directly connected to the common input connection of the second component group.

11. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 9, wherein the first active circuit and the second active circuit of each component group of the plurality of component groups each comprise one or more light emitters.

12. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein:

the first light emitter is a first red-light emitter that emits red light,

the first active circuit further comprises a first green-light emitter that emits green light and a first blue-light emitter that emits blue light,

the second light emitter is a second red-light emitter that emits red light, and

the second active circuit further comprises a second green-light emitter that emits green light and a second blue-light emitter that emits blue light.

13. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 12, wherein the parallel redundant integrated-circuit system is a display.

14. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein each first integrated circuit of the one or more first integrated circuits and each second integrated circuit of the one or more second integrated circuits is a micro-transfer printed integrated circuit.

15. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein each first integrated circuit of the one or more first integrated circuits and each second integrated circuit of the one or more second integrated circuits comprises an unpackaged bare die.

16. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein each first integrated circuit of the one or more first integrated circuits and each second integrated circuit of the one or more second integrated circuits comprises a separate, independent, and distinct semiconductor substrate.

17. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 2, wherein the signal connection is a clock signal connection, a data signal connection, an analog signal connection, a digital signal connection, or a current-controlled drive signal.

18. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 1, wherein the first active circuit comprises two or more first integrated circuits disposed on the backplane and the second active circuit comprises two or more second integrated circuits disposed on the backplane.

19. The parallel redundant integrated-circuit system of claim 18, wherein the first active circuit comprises a first intermediate substrate and the second active circuit comprises a second intermediate substrate, wherein the two or more first integrated circuits are disposed on the first intermediate substrate and the first intermediate substrate is disposed on the backplane, and wherein the two or more second integrated circuits are disposed on the second intermediate substrate and the second intermediate substrate is disposed on the backplane.