Led display assembly

• US 20010022564A1
• Filed: 05/18/2001
• Published: 09/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John S. Youngquist
• Original Assignee: John S. Youngquist
• Inventors: Toulmin, John W., Youngquist, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,549,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/55
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/112 directly combined with via connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09409 Multiple rows of pads, lands, terminals or dummy patterns; Multiple rows of mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09418 Special orientation of pads, lands or terminals of component, e.g. radial or polygonal orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10522 Adjacent components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10636 Leadless chip, e.g. chip capacitor or resistor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

Surface mounted LEDs are arrayed in special patterns to provide a relatively high resolution dot-matrix visual display and/or multi-segment character displays. Especially abbreviated solder bonding pads are utilized to obtain a higher density packing of the surface mounted arrays in at least some embodiments. Special anti-glare coatings and structures are employed to reduce ambient light reflections for aircraft instrument applications. Multi-colored display outputs are also provided.

Claims

1. A two-dimensional visual display of light-emitting diodes surface-mounted on a printed circuit board, said display comprising:

a printed circuit board having pairs of conductive mounting pads with corresponding light-emitting diodes surface-mounted thereon, each diode providing a dot of output light when activated,

said light-emitting diodes being disposed in a two-dimensional row and column array.

2. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein said printed circuit board is substantially planar and each pair of said conductive mounting pads is connected through corresponding cathode and anode vias to different respectively corresponding printed conductive circuit anode and cathode connections in different printed board planes substantially parallel to the printed circuit board on which said diodes are mounted.

3. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein said light-emitting diodes each have oblong dimensions that are oriented differently in adjacent rows and columns of the array.

4. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein said light-emitting diodes are arrayed in a herringbone pattern such that the diodes of one row or column are oriented orthogonally with respect to corresponding diodes in another adjacent row or column.

5. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein light-emitting portions of said diodes in rows and columns are offset with respect to adjacent rows and columns.

6. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein said conductive pads extend beyond edges of the light emitting diodes by a distance substantially less than 0.010 inch.

7. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 6

wherein said distance is approximately 0.001 inch.

8. A two-dimensional dot-matrix visual display as in

claim 1

wherein said light-emitting diodes have an oblong shape with a long dimension D and are arrayed so as to have a spacing P between diode light dot outputs that is substantially less than D in both row and column directions.

9. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 8

wherein light-emitting portions of said diodes in rows and columns are offset with respect to corresponding diodes in another adjacent row or column.

10. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 9

wherein light-emitting portions of said diodes in rows and columns are aligned with respect to corresponding diodes in another adjacent row or column.

11. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

incorporated within an assembly of stacked substantially planar elements comprising in succession:

an optical lens/graticule layer;

a light polarizing filter layer;

said light-emitting diode array on its multi-layered printed circuit board having row and column connection points at its periphery; and

a driver printed circuit board connected to said peripheral connection points through connections disposed within at least one spacer structure and having integrated circuit LED drivers on said driver printed circuit board.

12. Apparatus as in

claim 11

further comprising a data processor having input sensors for sensing electrical discharges in the atmosphere, said processor outputting signals to said driver printed circuit board for producing a plan view on said dot-matrix visual display of detected electrical discharges.

13. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein said light-emitting diodes are disposed under a multi-apertured mask representing a segmented character display.

14. A segmented character display as in

claim 13

wherein said mask includes seven segment apertures.

15. A segmented character display as in

claim 13

wherein each diode can be simultaneously activated.

16. A segmented character display as in

claim 13

wherein each diode has an oblong shape with the long dimension of all diodes being oriented at a substantial slant angle with respect to both horizontal and vertical character dimensions.

17. A segmented character display as in

claim 16

wherein said angle is substantially 45°

with respect to both horizontal and vertical character dimensions.

18. A seven-segment character display as in

claim 14

wherein the segmented character mask is associated with at least seven diodes having oblong shape and arrayed in vertically stacked linear groups of two, three and two diodes that have long dimensions slanted with respect to horizontal and vertical character dimensions.

19. A seven-segment character display as in

claim 18

wherein a further diode of oblong shape is included with the middle group of three diodes and associated with a decimal point aperture in the mask located at the lower left portion of the character.

20. A seven-segment character display as in

claim 19

wherein all eight diodes are oriented with their long dimensions at substantially 45°

with respect to both horizontal and vertical character dimensions.

21. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein adjacent light-emitting diodes emit different colors of light and are connected for selective activation to provide different colors of light output for a common display element.

22. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 21

wherein adjacent differently colored light outputs are co-activated so as to provide light output as a mixture of colors from plural light-emitting diodes.

23. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 1

wherein said surface-mounted light-emitting diodes are coated with an anti-reflective coating to reduce reflected ambient light therefrom.

24. A two-dimensional visual display as in

claim 23

further comprising a light polarizing filter layer disposed over said light-emitting diodes.