Techniques for testing electrically configurable digital displays, and associated display architecture
The present techniques are capable of identifying and pinpointing defective microdrivers and/or row/column drivers either before or after any μLEDs have been placed on the display. Using the architectures described herein, test data may be delivered in a parallel fashion to the drivers from support circuitry, such as a timing controller and/or a main board, and outputs based on the test data may be similarly delivered back to the support circuitry do determine which drivers are defective. This yields access to the output of every microdriver and row drier, thus enabling the identification of specific defective elements.
1. A method of testing a display having an array of microdrivers arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, comprising:
(a) selecting a row of microdrivers to be tested;
(b) delivering test data in parallel from support circuitry to each of the microdrivers in the selected row;
(c) transmitting an output in parallel corresponding to the test data from each of the microdrivers in the selected row to the support circuitry; and
(d) repeating steps (a) through (c) for each row in the array of microdrivers.
2. The method, as set forth in claim 1 , comprising:
(e) determining whether any microdrivers in each selected row are defective based at least in part on the output corresponding to the test data.
3. The method, as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the step of determining is performed by the support circuitry.
4. The method, as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the support circuitry comprises a timing controller.
5. The method, as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the step of determining is performed by a processing circuit coupled to the support circuitry.
6. The method, as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the recited steps (a) through (e) are performed prior to disposing any microLEDs on the display.
7. The method, as set forth in claim 6 , comprising the step of disposing microLEDs on the display in connection with only non-defective microdrivers.
8. The method, as set forth in claim 2 , comprising the step of programming the display to avoid any defective microdrivers.
9. The method, as set forth in claim 7 , comprising the step of programming the display to avoid any defective microdrivers.
10. An electronic display comprising:
an array of microdrivers arranged in a plurality of rows and columns; and
processing circuitry operably coupled to the array of microdrivers and being configured to:
(a) select a row of microdrivers to be tested;
(b) deliver test data in parallel to each of the microdrivers in the selected row;
(c) receive an output in parallel corresponding to the test data from each of the microdrivers in the selected row; and
(d) repeat steps (a) through (c) for each row in the array of microdrivers.
11. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
(e) determine whether any microdrivers in each selected row are defective based at least in part on the output corresponding to the test data.
12. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry comprises a timing controller.
13. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform the recited steps (a) through (e) prior to any microLEDs being disposed on the electronic display.
14. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to program the display to avoid any defective microdrivers.
15. A method of testing a display having an array of microdrivers arranged in a plurality of rows and columns and having at least one row driver of row drivers coupled to each respective row of microdrivers, comprising:
delivering test data in parallel from support circuitry to the row drivers; and
transmitting an output in parallel corresponding to the test data from the row drivers to the support circuitry.
16. The method, as set forth in claim 15 , comprising:
determining whether any row drivers are defective based at least in part on the output corresponding to the test data.
17. The method, as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the step of determining is performed by the support circuitry.
18. The method, as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the support circuitry comprises a timing controller.
19. The method, as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the step of determining is performed by a processing circuit coupled to the support circuitry.
20. The method, as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the recited steps are performed prior to disposing any microLEDs on the display.
21. The method, as set forth in claim 20 , comprising the step of disposing microLEDs on the display in connection with microdrivers in rows that only include non-defective row drivers.
22. The method, as set forth in claim 16 , comprising the step of programming the display to avoid any defective row drivers.
23. The method, as set forth in claim 21 , comprising the step of programming the display to avoid any defective microdrivers.
24. An electronic display comprising:
an array of microdrivers arranged in a plurality of rows and columns;
at least one row driver of row drivers coupled to each respective row of microdrivers; and
processing circuitry operably coupled to the array of microdrivers and the row drivers, the processing circuitry being configured to:
deliver test data in parallel to the row drivers; and
receive an output in parallel corresponding to the test data from the row drivers.
25. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 24 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
determine whether any row drivers are defective based at least in part on the output corresponding to the test data.
26. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 24 , wherein the processing circuitry comprises a timing controller.
27. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 25 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform the recited steps prior to any microLEDs being disposed on the electronic display.
28. The electronic display, as set forth in claim 25 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to program the electronic display to avoid any defective row drivers.