IP Library Granted Patent US 11,743,989
Granted Patent B2
US 11,743,989 · App. 17/123,010 · Granted Aug 29, 2023

Voltage supply amplitude modulation driving outlier microLEDs

Inventors: Antonio Lopez Julia (Vaals, NL); Zhi Hua Song (Palo Alto, CA)
Assignee: Lumileds LLC
H05B45/325H05B45/34H05B45/44
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,743,989
App. No.
17/123,010
Granted
Aug 29, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A micro light emitting diode (LED) die can include a matrix of micro LEDs with a variety of forward voltages. A method of reducing a number of undriven or under driven uLEDs can include providing, by a power supply, an alternating current voltage (V LED ) with a minimum voltage (V MIN ) and a maximum voltage (V MAX ), V MIN being sufficient to drive a plurality of micro light emitting diodes (uLEDs) of a uLED die using a plurality of uLED drivers, identifying, by a controller coupled to the uLED drivers, a uLED of the plurality of uLEDs with a forward voltage (V f ) greater than V MIN , and altering, by the controller, a time of a rising edge of a pulse width modulation (PWM)-on time of the uLED such that V f of the uLED is less than V LED for the PWM-on time.

Claims (29)

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a power supply, an alternating current voltage (V LED ) with a minimum voltage (V MIN ) and a maximum voltage (V MAX ), V MIN being sufficient to drive a plurality of micro light emitting diodes (uLEDs) of a uLED die using a plurality of uLED drivers;

identifying, by a controller coupled to the uLED drivers, a uLED of the plurality of uLEDs with a forward voltage (V f ) greater than V MIN ; and

altering, by the controller, a time of a rising edge of a pulse width modulation (PWM)-on time of the uLED such that V f of the uLED is less than V LED for the PWM-on time.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising further identifying, by the controller, that the PWM on time of the uLED overlaps with a time at which the V LED is less than V f before altering the time of the rising edge.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying, by the controller, that an amount of time V f is less than V LED is less than the PWM on time.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, reducing the PWM on time and increasing a peak current of a pixel driver at the uLED driver of the uLED.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising causing, by the controller, V MAX and V MIN to increase in magnitude while maintaining a same frequency.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying that the PWM on time of the uLED overlaps with a time at which the V LED is less than V f includes determining respective times corresponding to rising edge and falling edges of the PWM on time based on a duty cycle of the uLED.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein identifying the time PWM on time of the uLED overlaps with a time at which the V LED is less than V f includes using a frequency and a reference time indicating a time at which V LED equals V MAX or V MIN to identify one of the time of the rising edge or the falling edge overlaps with the time at which the V LED is less than V f .

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a drive current of the uLED of the uLED die with V f greater than V MIN is modified such that an average drive current of the uLED is driven to a target average power.

9. A system comprising:

a power supply configured to provide an alternating current voltage (V LED ) with a minimum voltage (V MIN ) and a maximum voltage (V MAX ), V MIN sufficient to drive a majority of micro light emitting diodes (uLEDs) of a uLED die using uLED drivers of the uLED die; and

a controller coupled to the uLED drivers, the controller configured to:

identify a uLED of the uLEDs with a forward voltage (V f ) greater than V MIN and alter a time of a rising edge of a pulse width modulation (PWM) on time of the uLED such that V f of the uLED is less than V LED for the PWM on time.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify that the PWM on time of the uLED overlaps with a time at which the V LED is less than V f before altering the time of the rising edge.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify that an amount of time V f is less than V LED is less than the PWM on time.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to reduce the PWM on time and increasing a peak current of a pixel driver at the uLED driver of the uLED.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause V MAX and V MIN to increase in magnitude while maintaining a same frequency.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein identifying that the PWM on time of the uLED overlaps with a time at which the V LED is less than V f includes determining respective times corresponding to rising edge and falling edges of the PWM on time based on a duty cycle of the uLED.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein identifying the time PWM on time of the uLED overlaps with a time at which the V LED is less than V f includes using a frequency and a reference time indicating a time at which V LED equals V MAX or V MIN to identify one of the time of the rising edge or the falling edge overlaps with the time at which the V LED is less than V f .

16. A machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

providing an alternating current voltage (V LED ) with a minimum voltage (V MIN ) and a maximum voltage (V MAX ), V MIN sufficient to drive a majority of micro light emitting diodes (uLEDs) of a uLED die using uLED drivers of the uLED die;

identifying a uLED of the uLEDs with a forward voltage (V f ) greater than V MIN ; and

altering a time of a rising edge of a pulse width modulation (PWM) on time of the uLED such that V f of the uLED is less than V LED for the PWM on time.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise further identifying that the PWM on time of the uLED overlaps with a time at which the V LED is less than V f before altering the time of the rising edge.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying that an amount of time V f is less than V LED is less than the PWM on time.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise reducing the PWM on time and increasing a peak current of a pixel driver at the uLED driver of the uLED.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise causing V MAX and V MIN to increase in magnitude while maintaining a same frequency.

Assignments (6)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 10, 2025
From: LUMILEDS LLC
To: LUMILEDS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 071888/0086 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2025
From: SOUND POINT AGENCY LLC
To: LUMILEDS LLC; LUMILEDS HOLDING B.V.
Reel/Frame 070046/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 5, 2023
From: LUMILEDS LLC; LUMILEDS HOLDING B.V.
To: SOUND POINT AGENCY LLC
Reel/Frame 062299/0338 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 9, 2022
From: LUMILEDS, LLC
To: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH
Reel/Frame 062114/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE FIRST INVENTOR NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054659 FRAME: 0021. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT . Recorded Jan 7, 2022
From: LOPEZ JULIA, ANTONIO; SONG, ZHI HUA
To: LUMILEDS LLC
Reel/Frame 058663/0691 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 15, 2020
From: LOPEZ, TONI; SONG, ZHI HUA
To: LUMILEDS LLC
Reel/Frame 054659/0021 →