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US 10,757,779 B2Granted
LED driver circuit, corresponding device and method
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorsIgnazio Cala′, Santi Carlo Adamo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A circuit includes a set of LED driver devices and a controller including a set of nodes coupled to a first slave address pin and a second slave address pin in each LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices. Each LED driver device includes: a finite state machine (FSM) configured to generate LED drive PWM-modulated signal patterns; an oscillator configured to generate a clock signal for the FSM; a first signal path activatable between the first slave address pin and the FSM; and a second signal path activatable between the FSM and the second slave address pin.
Claims25
A circuit, comprising:
- a set of LED driver devices, each LED driver device comprising:
- a finite state machine configured to generate LED drive PWM-modulated signal patterns;
- an oscillator configured to generate a clock signal for the finite state machine;
- a set of slave address pins comprising a first slave address pin and a second slave address pin;
- a first signal path activatable between the first slave address pin and the finite state machine;
- and
- a second signal path activatable between the finite state machine and the second slave address pin;
- and
- a controller comprising a set of nodes coupled to the first slave address pin and the second slave address pin in each LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices, wherein the controller (MC) is configured to:
- provide, via the first slave address pin and the second slave address pin of the LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices, at least one inter-device clock signal propagation path from the second slave address pin in one LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices to the first slave address pin in another LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices;
- and
- activate the second signal path between the finite state machine and the second slave address pin in the one LED driver device and the first signal path between the first slave address pin and the finite state machine in the another LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices, wherein the clock signal is coupled to the finite state machine in the one LED driver device and to the finite state machine in the another LED driver device via an activated second signal path, an activated first signal path, and the at least one inter-device clock signal propagation path.
9 more elements
A device, comprising:
- a circuit, comprising:
- a set of LED driver devices, each LED driver device comprising:
- a finite state machine configured to generate LED drive PWM-modulated signal patterns;
- an oscillator configured to generate a clock signal for the finite state machine;
- a set of slave address pins comprising a first slave address pin and a second slave address pin;
- a first signal path activatable between the first slave address pin and the finite state machine;
- and
- a second signal path activatable between the finite state machine and the second slave address pin;
- and
- a controller comprising a set of nodes coupled to the first slave address pin and the second slave address pin in each LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices, wherein the controller (MC) is configured to:
- provide, via the first slave address pin and the second slave address pin of the LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices, at least one inter-device clock signal propagation path from the second slave address pin in one LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices to the first slave address pin in another LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices;
- and
- activate the second signal path between the finite state machine and the second slave address pin in the one LED driver device and the first signal path between the first slave address pin and the finite state machine in the another LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices, wherein the clock signal is coupled to the finite state machine in the one LED driver device and to the finite state machine in the another LED driver device via an activated second signal path, an activated first signal path, and the at least one inter-device clock signal propagation path;
- and
- a set of LED light radiations sources coupled to and configured to be driven by respective LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices.
12 more elements
A method of operating a circuit, the method comprising:
- having a set of LED driver devices, each LED driver device comprising:
- having a finite state machine configured to generate LED drive PWM-modulated signal patterns;
- having an oscillator configured to generate a clock signal for the finite state machine;
- having a set of slave address pins comprising a first slave address pin and a second slave address pin;
- having a first signal path activatable between the first slave address pin and the finite state machine;
- and
- having a second signal path activatable between the finite state machine and the second slave address pin;
- and
- having a controller comprising a set of nodes coupled to the first slave address pin and the second slave address pin in each LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices;
- providing, by the controller via the first slave address pin and the second slave address pin of the LED driver devices in the set of LED driver devices, at least one inter-device clock signal propagation path from the second slave address pin in one LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices to the first slave address pin in another LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices;
- and
- coupling the clock signal to the finite state machine in the one LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices;
- and
- activating, by the controller, the second signal path between the finite state machine and the second slave address pin in the one LED driver device and the first signal path between the first slave address pin and the finite state machine in the another LED driver device in the set of LED driver devices, wherein the clock signal is coupled to the finite state machine in the one LED driver device and to the finite state machine in the another LED driver device via an activated second signal path, an activated first signal path, and the at least one inter-device clock signal propagation path.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.