Architecture and technique for inter-chip communication

• US 8,493,300 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Santo, Hendrik, Ghoman, Ranajit, Sangam, Dilip, Vi, Kien
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US12/046,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20090230882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 345/87, 345/102, 345/204, 345/212, 349/61, 349/69
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits

Abstract

The present invention involves an electrical system in which an analog signal channel passes through various integrated circuit chips (ICs). The channel can carry one or more analog signals. Each IC can modify the signal(s) passing through it and pass it on to another IC or system component. The channel can be programmable. Each IC can include a comparator or a multiplexor to receive the channel signal from another IC or system component and to modify the received signal before transmitting it to another IC or system component. The comparator or the multiplexor can be programmable and can be selectively configured to compare the incoming signal from the channel with a variety of other signals and thresholds, or to simply act as a flow through gate and allow the signal to pass without any modification. The comparison can determine the output of the comparator. The operation and programming of the comparators, the multiplexors and the channel can be centrally controlled by a system controller, can be independently controlled by the ICs, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a backlighting circuitry comprising;

a first plurality of integrated circuit chips, wherein each of the first plurality of integrated circuit chips comprises a comparison circuit comprising an output, and wherein each comparison circuit is configured to compare an analog signal with another signal to produce an output signal at the output;

an electrical channel for transmitting the analog signal; and

a second plurality of integrated circuit chips, each of which is also coupled to the electrical channel;

wherein

the electrical channel is coupled to each of the first plurality of integrated circuit chips;

each of the first plurality of integrated circuit chips can modify the analog signal based on the output signal of the comparison circuit of the integrated circuit chip; and

each of the first plurality of integrated circuit chips can drive a plurality of strings of light emitting diodes.

2. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the output signal of the comparison circuit includes the signal having a higher current of the analog signal and the another signal being compared.

3. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein at least one comparison circuit is configured to compare the current of the analog signal and the current of the another signal, wherein the another signal is an electric signal propagated through at least one string of light emitting diodes.

4. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein at least one comparison circuit is configured to receive, as an input signal for comparison, the another signal representing the voltage flowing through at least one string of light emitting diodes.

5. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a backlighting circuitry comprising;

a plurality of integrated circuit chips, wherein each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips comprises a comparison circuit comprising an output, and wherein each comparison circuit is configured to compare an analog signal with another signal to produce an output signal at the output; and

an electrical channel for transmitting the analog signal;

wherein

the electrical channel is coupled to each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips;

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips can modify the analog signal based on the output signal of the comparison circuit of the integrated circuit chip;

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips can drive a plurality of strings of light emitting diodes; and

the comparison circuits in each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips are configured compare the analog signal with the respective another signal, wherein the another signal has a threshold voltage value, to generate the output signal, the output signal having the lower voltage of the analog signal and the another signal being compared.

6. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a backlighting circuitry comprising;

a plurality of integrated circuit chips, wherein each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips comprises a comparison circuit comprising an output, and wherein each comparison circuit is configured to compare an analog signal with another signal to produce an output signal at the output; and

an electrical channel for transmitting the analog signal;

wherein

the electrical channel is coupled to each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips;

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips can modify the analog signal based on the output signal of the comparison circuit of the integrated circuit chip;

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips can drive a plurality of strings of light emitting diodes;

in each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips, the respective another signal is configured to be an electric signal propagated through at least one of the strings of light emitting diodes that the respective integrated circuit chip can drive; and

in each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips, the comparators are configured to generate the output signal to comprise either the analog signal or the another signal based on which of the analog signal and the another signal has a higher current; and

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips is configured to modify the current of the analog signal to match the higher current such that the analog signal in a last chip of the plurality of integrated circuit chips has a highest current of the analog signal and all of the another signals from the of the strings of light emitting diodes among all of the plurality of integrated circuit chips.

7. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a backlighting circuitry comprising;

a plurality of integrated circuit chips, wherein each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips comprises a comparison circuit comprising an output, and wherein each comparison circuit is configured to compare an analog signal with another signal to produce an output signal at the output; and

an electrical channel for transmitting the analog signal;

wherein

the electrical channel is coupled to each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips;

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips can modify the analog signal based on the output signal of the comparison circuit of the integrated circuit chip;

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips can drive a plurality of strings of light emitting diodes; and

in each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips, the another signal is an electric signal propagated through at least one of the strings of light emitting diodes that the chip can drive;

in each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips, the comparators are configured to generate the output signal to have a lower voltage of the analog signal and the another signal being compared; and

each of the plurality of integrated circuit chips modifies the analog signal to have the lower voltage such that the analog signal in a last chip of the plurality of integrated circuit chips has a lowest voltage of the analog signal and all of the another signals from the of the strings of light emitting diodes among all of the plurality of integrated circuit chips.