Video and content controlled backlight

• US 9,355,580 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Littelfuse Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IXYS Corporation (Littelfuse Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zommer, Nathan, Ochi, Sam Seiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US13/922,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20130279153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/04 Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0232 Special driving of display border areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0238 Improving the black level
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/043 Preventing or counteracting the effects of ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel; and a backlight panel provided below the display panel and defining a plurality of regions. A first array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is provided along a first direction, each LED of the first array being coupled to a first line. A driver is coupled to the first line to drive the LEDs coupled to the first line. A second array of LEDs is provided along a second direction, each LEDs of the second array being coupled to a second line. A lighting condition of the regions defined by the backlight panel is controlled by turning on or off the LEDs.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a liquid crystal (LC) panel; and

a light emitting diode backlight (LEDBK) panel provided below the LC panel having a plurality of regions each of the same size, wherein each of the regions has a cluster of light emitting diodes (LEDs) chosen from a plurality of colors of LEDs, wherein for each of the plurality of regions the cluster of LEDs in that region depends on where that region is located on the LEDBK panel such that at least some regions of the plurality of regions have different colors of LEDs than other regions of the plurality of regions, and wherein the color of light emitted from each region of the plurality of regions is controlled by controlling the current flowing through each LED in the region.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein each of the regions of the LEDBK panel has at least one red LED, at least one green LED and at least one blue LED.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein each of the regions of the LEDBK panel is part of a pixel of the display.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the LC panel is divided into a plurality of pixel regions, and wherein multiple pixel regions are disposed over a single region of the LEDBK panel.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein the LC panel is divided into a plurality of pixel regions, and wherein each of the pixel regions is disposed over a single region of the LEDBK panel.

6. The display of claim 1, wherein at least some of the regions of the LEDBK panel each includes a red LED, a green LED, a blue LED and another blue LED.

7. The display of claim 1, wherein at least some of the regions of the LEDBK panel each includes a red LED, a green LED, a blue LED, a yellow LED and a cyan LED.

8. The display of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions of the LEDBK panel includes a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is at a periphery of the LEDBK panel and the second region is proximate a center of the LEDBK panel, and wherein the first region and the second region have different colors of LEDs from each other.

9. The display of claim 8, wherein the second region has more LEDs than the first region.

10. The display of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions of the LEDBK panel is organized in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns.

11. The display of claim 1, wherein the LEDBK panel comprises:

a set of horizontally extending lines, wherein each of the horizontally extending lines is parallel to each of the other horizontally extending lines; and

a set of vertically extending lines, wherein each of the vertically extending lines is parallel to each of the other vertically extending lines, and wherein an LED is disposed at each intersection of the horizontally extending lines and the vertically extending lines such that the LEDs of the LEDBK panel are in a matrix configuration.

12. A light emitting diode backlight (LEDBK) panel for a display comprising:

a plurality of first regions each of a same size, wherein each of the first regions has light emitting diodes (LEDs) on the LEDBK panel, and wherein each of the first regions has a first number of LEDs; and

a plurality of second regions each of the same size, wherein each of the second regions has LEDs on the LEDBK panel, wherein each of the second regions has a second number of LEDs, wherein the second number of LEDs is larger than the first number of LEDs, and wherein the color of the light emitted by each of the plurality of first regions and each of the plurality of second regions is controlled by controlling the current flowing through each LED in the regions.

13. The LEDBK panel of claim 12, wherein each of the first regions includes at least one red LED, at least one green LED, and at least one blue LED.

14. The LEDBK panel of claim 12, wherein each of the second regions includes a red LED, a green LED, a blue LED, and at least one more LED in addition to the red, the green and the blue LEDs.

15. The LEDBK panel of claim 14, wherein the at least one more LED is selected from the group consisting of:

a blue LED, a yellow LED, and a cyan LED.

16. The LEDBK panel of claim 12, wherein for each of the regions colors of LEDs in that region depend on where that region is located on the LEDBK panel.

17. The LEDBK panel of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first regions is at a periphery of the LEDBK panel, and wherein the plurality of second regions is proximate a center of the LEDBK panel.

18. A display comprising:

a liquid crystal (LC) panel; and

means for providing a plurality of light emitting diode backlight (LEDBK) panel regions, wherein some of the LEDBK panel regions each has a first number of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and other of the LEDBK panel regions each has a second number of LEDs greater than the first number thereby causing different regions of the LEDBK panel to include different numbers of LEDs, and wherein a color of light emitted by each of the regions is controlled by controlling a current flowing through each LED.

19. The display of claim 18, wherein the means includes a set of parallel horizontally extending lines and a set of parallel vertically extending lines, and wherein an LED is disposed at each intersection of the horizontally and vertically extending lines such that the LEDs are arranged in a matrix configuration.

20. The display of claim 18, wherein each of the LEDBK panel regions has at least one red LED, at least one green LED and at least one blue LED.