Smart pixel lighting and display microcontroller

• US 9,153,171 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: LuxVue Techonology Corporation (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakariya, Kapil V., Bibl, Andreas, McGroddy, Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): PERT, EVAN T
• Application Number:
  US13/717,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20140168037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0828 forming a digital to analog [D/A] conversion circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0857 Static memory circuit, e.g. flip-flop
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/027 Details of drivers for data electrodes, the drivers handling digital grey scale data, e.g. use of D/A converters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/08 Details of timing specific for flat panels, other than clock recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/029 by monitoring one or more pixels in the display panel, e.g. by monitoring a fixed reference pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/028 Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers in a matrix display other than LCD
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2088 with use of a plurality of processors, each processor controlling a number of individual elements of the matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3216 using a passive matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3233 with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3266 Details of drivers for scan electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/167 comprising optoelectronic devices, e.g. LED, photodiodes
• 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

Abstract

A light emitting assembly is described. In one embodiment, one or more light emitting diode (LED) devices and one or more microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, with the one or more microcontrollers to switch and drive the one or more LED devices.

Claims

1. A light emitting assembly comprising:

an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices; and

an array of microcontrollers to switch and drive the array of LED devices, wherein the array of LED devices and the array of microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, the number of microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers is less than the number of LED devices in the array of LED devices, and each microcontroller in the array of microcontrollers is in electrical connection with a plurality of pixels to drive a plurality of LED devices in each pixel.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the LED devices and each of the microcontrollers are bonded to the substrate with indium, gold, silver, copper, or alloys thereof.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers is a microchip.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers has a maximum length dimension of 1 to 100 μ

m.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the microcontrollers has a maximum width dimension of 1 to 100 μ

m.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the LED devices has maximum length and width dimensions of 1 to 100 μ

m.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the array of LED devices are bonded to landing pads in electrical connection with distribution lines on the same side of the substrate.

27. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each microcontroller includes one or more input circuits and at least one output circuit.

28. The assembly of claim 27, wherein each microcontroller includes an analog driving circuit.

29. The assembly of claim 27, wherein each input circuit is coupled to a capacitive storage module.

30. The assembly of claim 27, wherein each microcontroller comprises digital logic, the digital logic including an input logic block, and output logic block, and a data storage module.

31. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a data driver coupled to the substrate, a scan driver coupled to the substrate.

32. The assembly of claim 31, further comprising a timing controller coupled with the data driver.

33. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor device.

34. The assembly of claim 1, wherein multiple microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers include an external communication module, to exchange data between the multiple microcontrollers.

8. A light emitting assembly comprising:

a light emitting diode (LED) device; and

a microcontroller, to switch and drive the LED device, wherein the LED device and the microcontroller are bonded to a same side of a substrate, and wherein the microcontroller includes one or more input circuits, at least one output circuit, and an analog driving circuit.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more input circuits includes an analog-to-digital converter.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the analog to digital converter couples with a data storage module including a bank of random access memory.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the bank of random access memory includes static random access memory.

12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the bank of random access memory includes dynamic random access memory.

13. A light emitting assembly comprising:

a light emitting diode (LED) device; and

a microcontroller, to switch and drive the LED device, the LED device and the microcontroller bonded to a same side of a substrate, wherein the microcontroller includes one or more input circuits, at least one output circuit, and at least one of the one or more input circuits couples to a capacitive storage module.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the microcontroller additionally includes digital logic, the digital logic including an input logic block, an output logic block, and a data storage module.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the data storage module comprises at least one bank of random access memory.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the at least one bank of random access memory includes static random access memory.

17. A light emitting assembly comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) devices and a plurality of microcontrollers bonded to a same side of a substrate;

wherein the plurality of microcontrollers are electrically coupled with each other, and the plurality of microcontrollers are electrically coupled with the plurality of LED devices to switch and drive the plurality of LED devices;

a data driver coupled to the substrate; and

a scan driver coupled to the substrate.

18. The assembly of claim 17 further comprising a timing controller coupled with the data driver, the timing controller operable to signal the scan driver to cause a first row of a display panel to be not refreshed in a current data frame and a second row of the display panel to be refreshed in the current data frame.

19. A light emitting assembly comprising:

an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices;

an array of microcontrollers, wherein the array of LED devices and the array of microcontrollers are bonded to the same side of a substrate;

wherein the number of microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers is less than the number of LED devices in the array of LED devices; and

wherein multiple microcontrollers in the array of microcontrollers include an external communication module to exchange data between the multiple microcontrollers.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein each microcontroller is in electrical connection with a plurality of LED devices to switch and drive the plurality of LED devices.

21. The assembly of claim 19, wherein each microcontroller is in electrical connection with a plurality of pixels to drive a plurality of LED devices in each pixel.

22. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the substrate is a lighting substrate.

23. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising an electrical sensor device.

24. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a thermal sensor device.

25. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising an optical sensor device.

26. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a pressure sensor device.