Data and power distribution system and method for a large scale display

• US 20090147028A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADTI Media LLC
• Original Assignee: ADTI Media LLC
• Inventors: Kharrati, Hamid, Sefton, Robert J., Barghini, Anthony D., Black, Sheldon Lee, Kline, Daniel S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,922,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0235 Field-sequential colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0242 Compensation of deficiencies in the appearance of colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/08 Fault-tolerant or redundant circuits, or circuits in which repair of defects is prepared
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/025 LAN communication management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

A system and method distributes data and power in a robust manner for a large scale LED display. Master modules of the display are capable of receiving a data stream on any one of four data ports. The master modules extract the data for its module and an associated group of slave modules from a data stream received on one port and send the received data stream to three other master modules via the other three data ports. Unregulated D.C. power is distributed from one or more power hubs to the master modules which in turn distribute regulated D.C. power to their associated slave modules.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a plurality of pixel modules, each of the pixel modules in a first set of the modules of the display comprising;

a module housing;

a plurality of color LEDs mounted in the housing; and

a controller for the module capable of receiving a data stream from at least three other pixel modules of the display, the controller extracting from a received data stream the data for controlling the LEDs of its module and the controller sending at least a portion of the received data stream to at least three other pixel modules of the display.

2. A display as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the pixel modules in the first set is coupled to an associated group of pixel modules in a second set and each pixel module in the second set includes a module housing and a plurality of color LEDs mounted in the housing and wherein the controller for the pixel modules in the first set extracts from a received data stream the data for its associated group of pixel modules in the second set.

3. A display as recited in claim 2 wherein the pixel modules in the first set are master modules and the pixel modules in the second set are slave modules.

4. A display as recited in claim 1 wherein the controller sends the entire data stream that is received to at least three other pixel modules of the display.

5. A display as recited in claim 1 wherein the pixel modules includes a circuit for controlling the intensities of the LEDs with pulse width modulation signals that are generated by the circuit in response to data extracted by the controller.

6. A display comprising:

a plurality of pixel modules, each of the pixel modules in a first set of the modules of the display comprising;

a module housing;

a plurality of colored LEDs mounted in the housing;

at least four data ports to allow the pixel module to have bidirectional communications with at least four other pixel modules;

a controller for the module, the controller extracting from a data stream received via one of the data ports the data for controlling the LEDs of its module and the controller sending at least a portion of the received data out from the module via the three other data ports.

7. A display as recited in claim 6 wherein each of the pixel modules in the first set is coupled to an associated group of pixel modules in a second set and each pixel module in the second set includes a module housing and a plurality of color LEDs mounted in the housing and wherein the controller for the pixel modules in the first set extracts from a received data stream the data for its associated group of pixel modules in the second set.

8. A display as recited in claim 7 wherein the pixel modules in the first set are master modules and the pixel modules in the second set are slave modules.

9. A display as recited in claim 6 wherein the controller transmits via the one data port a status message derived from status information received on a plurality of the three other ports relating to the status of a plurality of other pixel modules and status information relating to the status of its own module.

10. A display as recited in claim 9 wherein the status information for a module indicates whether one or more of the LEDs of the module is on or off.

11. A display as recited in claim 9 wherein the status information for a module indicates whether one or more of the LEDs of the module has failed.

12. A display as recited in claim 6 wherein the controller sends the entire data stream that is received to at least three other pixel modules of the display.

13. A display as recited in claim 6 wherein the pixel modules includes a circuit for controlling the intensities of the LEDs with pulse width modulation signals that are generated by the circuit in response to data extracted by the controller.

14. A display comprising:

a plurality of master light modules wherein each master light module is coupled to an associated group of one or more slave light modules and to at least one other master light module, each master light module comprising;

a module housing;

a plurality of multi-color LEDs mounted in the module housing;

a circuit controlling the intensities of the LEDs in the module housing; and

a controller that receives a data stream, extracts from the received data stream the data for the LEDs of the master module and the data for the slave modules associated with the master module, sends the data for the LEDs in the master module to the circuit for controlling the LEDs intensities, sends the data for the associated slave modules to the associated slave modules; and

sends at least a portion of the received data stream to at least one other master module; and

each slave light module comprising;

a module housing;

a plurality of multi-color LEDs mounted in the module housing; and

a circuit responsive to data received from its associated master module to control the intensities of the LEDs in the module housing.

15. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein the controller of each of the master modules in a set of master modules of the display sends at least a portion of the received data stream to at least three other master modules.

16. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein each of the master modules of the display has four bidirectional data ports.

17. A display as recited in claim 16 wherein the controller selects one of the data ports to respond to a received data stream by extracting data therefrom.

18. A display as recited in claim 17 wherein the controller sends out the received data stream from a plurality of the data ports other than the selected data port.

19. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein each master light module includes at least two red LEDs, two green LEDs and two blue LEDs.

20. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein each slave light module includes at least two red LEDs, two green LEDs and two blue LEDs.

21. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein each of the circuits for controlling the intensities of the LEDs in both the master light modules and the slave light modules includes a micro-controller generating at least one pulse width modulation signal for the different color LEDs and the controller of the master module is a field programmable gate array.

22. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein a plurality of the master modules of the display include at least four data ports to connect the master module to four other master modules via a respective data port.

23. A display as recited in claim 22 wherein a master module having four data ports is responsive to receipt of a data stream on one port to output the received data stream on the three other ports.

24. A display as recited in claim 23 wherein a master module having four data ports is responsive to status information received via one or more of the three other ports to output the status information on the one port.

25. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein each of the master light modules includes at least one switching voltage regulator and the slave modules include a linear voltage regulator.

26. A display as recited in claim 14 wherein each of the light modules includes a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the light module and a controller responsive to the module temperature for turning off one or more LEDs of the module if the module temperature exceeds a predetermined value.

27. A display system comprising:

a plurality of master light modules wherein each master light module is coupled to an associated group of one or more slave light modules and to at least one other master light module, each master light module comprising;

a module housing;

a plurality of multi-color LEDs mounted in the module housing;

a circuit controlling the intensities of the LEDs in the module housing; and

a master module controller to receive a data stream including data for the LEDs of the master module and its associated group of slave modules, the controller sending the slave module data to the associated group of slave modules; and

at least one switching voltage regulator that receives an input D.C. voltage and steps down the input voltage to provide regulated voltages at a plurality of different voltage levels, the regulated step down voltage at least one of the voltage levels being coupled to the associated group of slave modules; and

each of the slave modules including;

a module housing;

a plurality of multicolor LEDs mounted in the module housing;

a circuit controlling the intensities of the LED in the module housing; and

a linear voltage regulator receiving a regulated D.C. voltage from the associated master module, the linear voltage regulator providing power to one or more components of the slave module.

28. A display system as recited in claim 27 including a power hub to provide unregulated D.C. power to a plurality of master modules of the display wherein the plurality of master modules convert the unregulated D.C. power to regulated D.C. power that is distributed to the slave modules.

29. A display system comprising:

a power hub that converts A.C. power to unregulated D.C. power;

a first set of LED modules, each LED module in the first set including a module housing;

a plurality of LEDs mounted in the module housing;

a circuit for controlling the intensities of the LEDs of the module and a switching voltage regulator that receives unregulated D.C. power and provides regulated D.C. power that is distributed to an associated plurality of LED modules in a second set;

each LED module in the second set of LED modules having a module housing;

a plurality of LEDs mounted in the module housing;

a circuit for controlling the intensities of the LEDs of the module and a linear voltage regulator that receives regulated D.C. power from a module of the first set and converts the received power to a lower regulated D.C. voltage.

30. A display system as recited in claim 29 including a plurality of power hubs that convert A.C. power to unregulated D.C. power.