Displays with current-controlled pixel clusters

A current-selectable light-emitting-diode (LED) display or backlight, comprising:

• pixels distributed in an array of rows and columns, wherein the pixels are grouped in mutually exclusive clusters;
• cluster controllers, each of the cluster controllers connected to each pixel in a cluster of the mutually exclusive clusters to control the pixels in the cluster to emit light, wherein each of the cluster controllers comprises an independently selectable current source that is operable to drive multiple pixels in the cluster through a switch using temporal modulation with the selectable current source, the selectable current source is selectable using an independent and separate current-select signal, and the switch is controlled using a timing signal different from the current-select signal;
• and
• a display controller, wherein the display controller is operable to analyze image data associated with each of the clusters to determine a maximum luminance of the pixels in the cluster and an appropriate current-select signal for the cluster,
• wherein the selectable current source comprises cluster current sources connected in parallel and any one or combination of the cluster current sources can be activated at a same time to provide a current that is a sum of current from all activated cluster current sources of the cluster current sources, wherein the current is controllable by the switch, and
• wherein the clusters are operable such that the selectable current source of different ones of the clusters provide different currents.

A current-selectable LED display or backlight comprising:

• pixels distributed in an array of rows and columns, wherein the pixels are grouped in mutually exclusive clusters and each cluster of the mutually exclusive clusters comprises a subset of the pixels disposed in a two-dimensional array,
• cluster controllers, wherein each of the cluster controllers
• (i) is connected to the subset of the pixels in a cluster of the mutually exclusive clusters to exclusively control the subset of the pixels in the cluster to emit light using matrix control, and
• (ii) comprises an independently selectable current source that is operable to commonly drive multiple pixels in the subset of the pixels in the cluster through a switch using temporal modulation with the selectable current source, wherein the selectable current source is selectable using an independent and separate current-select signal for each of the clusters and the switch is controllable using a timing signal different from the current-select signal,
• wherein the selectable current source comprises cluster current sources connected in parallel and any one or combination of the cluster current sources can be activated at a same time to provide a current that is a sum of current from all activated cluster current sources of the cluster current sources, wherein the current is controllable by the switch and
• wherein the clusters are operable such that the selectable current source of different ones of the clusters provide different currents, and
• wherein each of the clusters comprises a circuit operable to analyze image data associated with the cluster to determine a maximum luminance of the pixels in the cluster and an appropriate current-select signal for the cluster.

A current-selectable LED display or backlight comprising:

• pixels distributed in an array of rows and columns, wherein the pixels are grouped in mutually exclusive clusters and each cluster of the mutually exclusive clusters comprises a subset of the pixels disposed in a two-dimensional array,
• cluster controllers, wherein each of the cluster controllers
• (i) is connected to the subset of the pixels in a cluster of the mutually exclusive clusters to exclusively control the subset of the pixels in the cluster to emit light using matrix control, and
• (ii) comprises an independently selectable current source that is operable to commonly drive multiple pixels in the subset of the pixels in the cluster through a switch using temporal modulation with the selectable current source, wherein the selectable current source is selectable using an independent and separate current-select signal for each of the clusters and the switch is controllable using a timing signal different from the current-select signal,
• wherein the selectable current source comprises cluster current sources connected in parallel and any one or combination of the cluster current sources can be activated at a same time to provide a current that is a sum of current from all activated cluster current sources of the cluster current sources, wherein the current is controllable by the switch and
• wherein the clusters are operable such that the selectable current source of different ones of the clusters provide different currents, and
• wherein each of the clusters comprises a circuit operable to analyze image data associated with the cluster to determine a maximum luminance of the pixels in the cluster and an appropriate current-select signal for the cluster.