LED matrix control system with Field Programmable Gate Arrays

• US 6,489,937 B1
• Filed: 11/15/1999
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruvinsky, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/439,399
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 345/33, 345/34, 345/39, 345/46, 345/64, 345/55, 345/82, 345/44, 345/84, 340/815.45, 703/21, 703/24, 703/25, 703/28, 711/111-114, 712/27-31, 712/1
• US Class Current: 345/46
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An LED matrix control system using a plurality of FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) in between a CPU and a LED matrix. One FPGA controls a first set of LED'"'"'s and a second FPGA controls a second set of LED'"'"'s. The first FPGA controls all of the column lines of an LED matrix, and controls a sub set of the row lines of the LED matrix. The second FPGA also controls all of the column lines and controls another sub set of the row lines. Each FPGA receives the same information from the CPU. Each FPGA also has a config line. The config line of one FPGA is connected to a logical zero, and the config line of the other FPGA is connected to a logical one. Each FPGA only enables or energizes one row at a time. The rows are energized on and off so quickly, that the human persistence of vision causes the appearance of the energized LED'"'"'s to always appear lit. All of the LED'"'"'s and in an LED matrix can be individually and separately controlled by two or more FPGA'"'"'s which have identical programming, and can be programmed in parallel to reduce programming time.

Claims

1. A light emitting diode (LED) matrix control system, comprising:

a matrix LED display including a plurality of LEDs controlled by a plurality of row lines and a plurality of column lines;

a first field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a first FPGA programming input and first control outputs connected to said matrix LED display;

a second FPGA with a second FPGA programming input and second control outputs connected to said matrix LED display, said second FPGA being substantially identical to said first FPGA, said control outputs of said FPGAs being connected to said plurality of row and column lines;

a central processing unit(CPU) connected to said first FPGA via said first FPGA programming input and connected to said second FPGA via said second FPGA programming input with said first FPGA programming input and said second FPGA programming input being connected to said CPU in parallel and being programmed as one FPGA, each of said FPGAs including column control means for only enabling said column lines when one of said LEDs in a respective said column line is to be enabled and a respective said row line of said one LED is enabled.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said CPU programs said first and second FPGA in parallel.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said CPU programs said first and second FPGA with identical programming code.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said first and second FPGA include config inputs, said config input of said first FPGA being connected to a logical zero, said config input of said second FPGA being connected to a logical one.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

each of said column lines are connected to said control outputs of both of said FPGAs.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

each of said FPGAs include row control means for individually and separately enabling said row lines.

7. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

each of said FPGAs include an LED register array connected to said CPU by a data line and an address line, said LED register array of said first FPGA generating a plurality of individual LED signals, each of said individual LED signals indicating a state of one of a first set of said LEDs, said LED register array of said second FPGA having a plurality of individual LED signals, each of said individual LED signals of said LED register array of said second FPGA indicating a state of one of a second set of said LEDs.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein,

said first FPGA and said second FPGA are both programmed to drive said matrix LED display.

9. A light emitting diode (LED) matrix control system, comprising:

a matrix LED display;

a first field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a first FPGA programming input and first control outputs connected to said matrix LED display;

a second FPGA with a second FPGA programming input and second control outputs connected to said matrix LED display, said second FPGA being substantially identical to said first FPGA;

a central processing unit(CPU) connected to said first FPGA via said first FPGA programming input and connected to said second FPGA via said second FPGA programming input with said first FPGA programming input and said second FPGA programming input being connected to said CPU in parallel and being programmed as one FPGA;

said matrix LED display includes a plurality of LEDs controlled by a plurality of row lines acid a plurality of column lines;

said control outputs of said FPGAs are connected to said plurality of row and column lines;

said control outputs of said first FPGA are connected to a first set of said plurality row lines;

said control outputs of said second FPGA are connected to a second set of said plurality row lines, said first and second sets of said plurality of lines being mutually exclusive.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein:

each of said column lines are connected to said control outputs of both of said FPGAs.

11. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said first and second FPGA include config inputs, said config input of said first FPGA being connected to a logical zero, said config input of said second FPGA being connected to a logical one;

each of said FPGAs including row control means for individually and separately enabling said row lines;

each of said FPGAs including column control means for only enabling said column lines when one of said LEDs in a respective said column line is to be enabled and a respective said row line of said one LED is enabled;

said CPU programs said first and second FPGAs with identical programming code.

12. A light emitting diode (LED) matrix control system, comprising:

a matrix LED display;

a first field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a first FPGA programming input and first control outputs connected to said matrix LED display;

a second FPGA with a second FPGA programming input and second control outputs connected to said matrix LED display, said second FPGA being substantially identical to said first FPGA;

a central processing unit(CPU) connected to said first FPGA via said first FPGA programming input and connected to said second FPGA via said second FPGA programming input with said first FPGA programming input and said second FPGA programming input being connected to said CPU in parallel and being programmed as one FPGA, each of said FPGAs include an LED register array connected to said CPU by a data line and an address line, said LED register array of said first FPGA generating a plurality of individual signals, each of said individual LED signals indicating a state of one of a first set of said LEDs, said LED register array of said second FPGA having a plurality of individual LED signals, each of said individual LED signals of said LED register array of said second FPGA indicating a state of one of a second set of said LEDs.