Overvoltage protection circuit, overvoltage protection method and panel driving circuit

• US 9,401,600 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Hua, Yang, Xiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaiser, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US14/008,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20160064925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,123 Days
• Field of Search: 315/192, 315/225, 315/307, 315/294
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/04 Display protection
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/04 responsive to excess voltage lightning arrestors H01C7/12, H01C8/04, H01G9/18, H01T
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/041 using a short-circuiting device
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/52 in a parallel array of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/54 in a series array of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/24 Circuit arrangements for protecting against overvoltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

The present invention provides an overvoltage protection circuit, an overvoltage protection method and a panel driving circuit, wherein, the overvoltage protection circuit adjusts drive output voltage of LED strings coupled with a main IC and a secondary IC and includes a main IC overvoltage triggering circuit and a secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit, wherein, the main IC overvoltage triggering circuit connected respectively in series with said main IC and several LED strings, said secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit connected respectively in series with the secondary IC and several LED strings, overvoltage protection triggering points are set respectively in the main IC and the secondary IC, and the voltage value of the overvoltage protection'"'"'s triggering point of the secondary IC is less than that of the main IC.

Claims

1. An overvoltage protection circuit, arranged to adjust drive output voltage of LED strings coupled with a main IC and a secondary IC, comprises a main IC overvoltage triggering circuit and a secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit, wherein, said main IC overvoltage triggering circuit connected respectively in series to said main IC and several LED strings, said secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit connected respectively in series to the secondary IC and several LED strings, said main IC overvoltage triggering circuit comprises at least two main divider resistances connected in series each other, said secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit comprises at least two secondary divider resistances connected in series each other, wherein, an overvoltage protection triggering point of the main IC is set in the main divider resistances, and an overvoltage protection triggering point of the secondary IC is set in the secondary divider resistances, and the voltage value of the overvoltage protection triggering point of the secondary IC is less than that of the main IC, wherein the mininmin voltage of said secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit is larger than the maximum voltage of said main IC, wherein said main divider resistance comprises a first resistance, a second resistance and a third resistance, said first resistance and said second resistance are set between the overvoltage protection triggering point of the main IC and the drive output end, said third resistance is set between the overvoltage protection triggering points of the main IC and the ground end, a forth and a fifth resistances are set between the overvoltage protection triggering points of the secondary IC, and the drive output end a sixth resistance is set between the overvoltage protection triggering points of the secondary IC and the ground end, wherein, the ratio of the sixth resistance value and the sum of the forth, the fifth and the sixth resistance values of the second divider resistance is larger than the ratio of the third resistance value and the sum of the first, the second and the third resistance values of the main divider resistance.

2. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein the minimum voltage of said secondary IC is 0.7-IV larger that the maximum voltage of said main IC.

3. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein said third resistance value of the main divider resistances is equal to that of said sixth resistance.

4. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein said main IC comprises a main control module and a main detecting module coupled thereof, said main detecting module is coupled to the main divider resistances to detect the voltage'"'"'s change of the main divider resistances, said main control module is coupled to the driving output end of the LED strings to adjust the voltage of the driving output end according the detecting result of the main detecting module;

in the main IC, the main control module sends a closing detection instruction to the LED strings appearing open circuits to interrupt the voltage/current detection and to drive the driving output end of the LED strings to reduce its output voltage when the main detecting module detects that the voltage of the main divider resistances arrives at that of the overvoltage protection point of the main IC.

5. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 4, wherein said secondary IC comprises a secondary control module and a secondary detecting module coupled thereof, said secondary detecting module is coupled to the second divider resistances to detect the voltage'"'"'s change of the second divider resistances, said secondary control module is coupled to the driving output end to adjust the voltage of the driving output end according the detecting result of the secondary detecting module, in the secondary IC, with the output voltage rises, the secondary control module sends a closing detection instruction to the LED strings appearing open circuits to interrupt the voltage/current detection when the secondary detecting module detects that the voltage of the second divider resistances arrives at that of the overvoltage protection point of the secondary IC.

6. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein said main detecting module is coupled respectively to each LED string that is connected in series to a current limiting resistance, once the main detecting module detects that the voltage value of a current limiting resistance of certain LED string'"'"' circuit is larger that a predefined value, it feedbacks to the main control module, which then to send a closing detection instruction to the LED string to close the detection of the corresponding LED string and to control the driving output end of the LED string to reduce its output voltage.

7. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 6, wherein said secondary detecting module is coupled respectively to each LED string that is connected in series to a current limiting resistance, once the secondary detecting module detects that the voltage value of a current limiting resistance of certain LED string'"'"'s circuit is larger that a predefined value, it feedbacks to the secondary control module, which then to send a closing detection instruction to the LED string to close the detection of the corresponding LED string, said main IC and said secondary IC control each LED string'"'"' opening and closing by a negative feedback.

8. A panel driving circuit. wherein, it comprises LED strings arranged with said main IC and said secondary IC, and an overvoltage protection circuit arranged to adjust the voltage of the LED strings'"'"' drive output end coupled with a main IC and a secondary IC, wherein the overvoltage protection circuit comprises a main IC overvoltage triggering circuit and a secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit, wherein, said main IC overvoltage triggering circuit connected respectively in series to said main IC and several LED strings, said secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit connected respectively in series to the secondary IC and several LED strings, said main IC overvoltage triggering circuit comprises at least two main divider resistances connected in series each other, said secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit comprises at least two secondary divider resistances connected in series each other, wherein, an overvoltage protection triggering point of the main IC is set in the main divider resistances, and an overvoltage protection triggering point of the secondary IC is set in the secondary divider resistances, and the voltage value of the overvoltage protection triggering point of the secondary IC is less than that of the main IC, wherein the minimum voltage of said secondary IC overvoltage triggering circuit is larger than the maximum voltage of said main IC, wherein said main divider resistance comprises a first resistance, a second resistance and a third resistance, said first resistance and said second resistance are set between the overvoltage protection triggering point of the main IC and the drive output end, said third resistance is set between the overvoltage protection triggering points of the main IC and the ground end, a forth and a fifth resistances are set between the overvoltage protection triggering points of the secondary IC, and the drive output end a sixth resistance is set between the overvoltage protection triggering points of the secondary IC and the ground end, wherein, the ratio of the sixth resistance value and the sum of the forth, the fifth and the sixth resistance values of the second divider resistance is larger than the ratio of the third resistance value and the sum of the first, the second and the third resistance values of the main divider resistance.