Circuit for driving light-emitting element, and cellular phone

• US 8,279,209 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Otaka, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US12/269,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20090135168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 345/77, 345/82, 345 95-100, 345204-212, 315/169.3, 315/294, 463/25, 455/566, 379/372, 257/94
• US Class Current: 345/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/38 using boost topology
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A light-emitting element driving circuit is installed on a second substrate, which is connected via a signal line to a first substrate, on which is mounted a CPU configured to generate an LED drive control signal. The light-emitting element driving circuit includes a pulse generation unit configured to start and stop an operation based on the LED drive control signal and output an LED drive signal when the pulse generation unit is in an active state, an LED oscillator configured to supply a reference pulse signal to the pulse generation unit, and an LED driver unit configured to cause a light-emitting element to perform a flickering operation based on the LED drive signal.

Claims

1. A light-emitting element driving circuit, which drives a light emitting element used in an electronic device, installed on a second substrate connected via a signal line to a first substrate, on which is mounted a control circuit configured to generate an LED drive control signal, the light-emitting element driving circuit comprising:

a pulse generation unit configured to start and stop an operation based on the LED drive control signal, and output an LED drive signal when the pulse generation unit is in an active state;

an LED oscillator configured to supply a reference pulse signal to the pulse generation unit; and

an LED driver unit configured to cause a light-emitting element to perform a flickering operation based on the LED drive signal, wherein

the LED oscillator is a circuit having a lower accuracy in frequency of the reference pulse signal, compared to a control oscillator in the control circuit mounted on the first substrate.

2. The light-emitting element driving circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a boosting circuit configured to perform boosting based on a voltage applied to an anode electrode of the light-emitting element,

wherein the LED driver unit and the boosting circuit are in a state in which both boosting operation by the boosting circuit and flickering operation of the light-emitting element by the LED driver unit are stopped when the LED drive signal is in an L period.

3. A light-emitting element driving circuit, which drives a light emitting element used in an electronic device, installed on a second substrate connected via a signal line to a first substrate, on which is mounted a control circuit configured to generate an LED drive control signal, the light-emitting element driving circuit comprising:

a pulse generation unit configured to start and stop an operation based on the LED drive control signal, and output an LED drive signal when the pulse generation unit is in an active state;

an LED oscillator configured to supply a reference pulse signal to the pulse generation unit;

an LED driver unit configured to cause a light-emitting element to perform a flickering operation based on the LED drive signal, and

further comprising a boosting circuit configured to perform boosting based on a voltage applied to an anode electrode of the light-emitting element,

wherein the LED driver unit and the boosting circuit are in a state in which both boosting operation by the boosting circuit and the flickering operation of the light-emitting element by the LED driver unit are stopped when the LED drive signal is in an L period.

4. A cellular phone comprising a first substrate on which is mounted a control circuit, and a second substrate connected to the first substrate via a signal line, and on which is mounted a light-emitting element driving circuit configured to drive a light-emitting element,

wherein the light-emitting element driving circuit comprises:

a pulse generation unit configured to start and stop an operation based on an LED drive control signal, and output an LED drive signal when the pulse generation unit is in an active state;

an LED oscillator configured to supply a reference pulse signal to the pulse generation unit; and

an LED driver unit configured to cause the light-emitting element to perform a flickering operation based on the LED drive signal, wherein

the LED oscillator is a circuit having a lower accuracy in frequency of the reference pulse signal, compared to a control oscillator in the control circuit mounted on the first substrate.

5. The cellular phone according to claim 4, wherein the LED drive control signal is a signal to be generated when the cellular phone has an unattended incoming call.