Smart pixel lighting and display microcontroller

• US 10,380,952 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sakariya, Kapil V., Bibl, Andreas, McGroddy, Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US15/908,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20180190211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• 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 tile micro controller chips arranged in an array of tiles, each tile including a matrix of light emitting diode (LED) devices electrically connected with a tile microcontroller chip;

wherein each tile microcontroller chip includes a first output pin that is electrically coupled with a first string of LED devices to drive the first string of LED devices, and a second output pin that is electrically coupled with a second string of LED devices to drive the second string of LED devices; and

one or more column drivers electrically connected with the array of tile microcontroller chips.

2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more row drivers electrically connected with the array of tile microcontroller chips.

3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising distribution lines to electrically connect the array of tile microcontroller chips and the array of LED devices.

4. A light emitting assembly comprising:

an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices and an array of tile micro controller chips arranged in an array of tiles, each tile including a matrix of light emitting diode (LED) devices electrically connected with a tile microcontroller chip;

wherein each tile microcontroller chip includes a first output pin that is electrically coupled with a first string of LED devices to drive the first string of LED devices, and a second output pin that is electrically coupled with a second string of LED devices to drive the second string of LED devices; and

distribution lines to electrically connect the array of tile microcontroller chips and the array of LED devices, wherein the distribution lines electrically connect a plurality of tile microcontroller chips of the array of tile microcontroller chips to one another.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein each LED device in the array of LED devices has a maximum length or width dimension of 1 to 100 μ

m.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the array of LED devices is bonded to landing pads in electrical connection with the distribution lines.

7. The assembly of claim 4, wherein each tile microcontroller chip in the array of tile microcontroller chips includes one or more input circuits and at least one output circuit.

8. The assembly of claim 4, further comprising a timing controller coupled with one or more column drivers, the timing controller operable to signal one or more row drivers 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.

9. The assembly of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor is selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, and electrical sensor, a thermal sensor, and a pressure sensor.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein each sensor is not located with a tile microcontroller chip of the array of tile microcontroller chips.

11. The assembly of claim 4, wherein each tile microcontroller chip includes a data input terminal and a scan input terminal.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein each tile microcontroller chip includes a sample and hold circuit, an analog to digital converter, and a data storage module.

13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein each tile microcontroller chip includes a data synchronization logic, an analog to digital converter, and a data storage module.

14. The assembly of claim 4, wherein each tile microcontroller includes a digital input terminal.

15. A light emitting assembly comprising:

an array of light emitting diode (LED) devices and an array of tile micro controller chips arranged in an array of tiles, each tile including a matrix of light emitting diode (LED) devices electrically connected with a tile microcontroller chip;

wherein each tile microcontroller chip includes a first output pin that is electrically coupled with a first string of LED devices to drive the first string of LED devices, and a second output pin that is electrically coupled with a second string of LED devices to drive the second string of LED devices; and

wherein each tile microcontroller includes a plurality of digital input terminals.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein each tile microcontroller includes a Vdd input and a Vss input.

17. The assembly of claim 15, wherein each micro controller includes an input receiver, a data storage module, a digital control logic, and a digital to analog controller.