Universal back light unit control

摘要

Display backlight units are controlled with a signal. A message has an address header specifying one of an array of backlight units, and instructions for individually controlling each of the backlight units, particularized accordingly. The message is routed from a controller to a first controllable backlight unit of the display, which controllably responds to its corresponding particularized instructions. The message is sequentially routed in order from each backlight unit to the next in a chained ring configuration. Data from the backlight units is similarly routed back to the controller.

主权项

1. A method, comprising the steps of:
receiving an input video stream by a display device, the display device comprising a plurality of backlight units and a modulator, wherein the plurality of backlight units are configured to provide a backlighting for the modulator; generating a modulator video stream, derived from the input video stream, that has substantially the same resolution as the input video stream; generating a plurality of signals, derived from the input video stream, to control the plurality of backlight units, the plurality of signals including a command signal and a pixel data signal that are sent over different lines of a conductive bus structure;
wherein the command signal comprises a message that has an address header that specifies one of the backlight units in the array, and a data payload that has instructions for individually controlling each of the backlight units, wherein the instructions are particularized for the individual backlight units according to the address header;wherein the pixel data signal serves to modulate a level of brightness for light emitted with a plurality of individually controllable components of each backlight unit; routing the command signal and the pixel data signal from a controller to a first controllable backlight unit of the display, wherein the first backlight unit controllably responds to the corresponding particularized instructions according to the address header, and wherein the first backlight unit extracts, from the pixel data signal, appropriate data needed to control the plurality of individually controllable components of the first backlight unit; routing the command signal and the pixel data signal from the first controllable backlight unit to at least a second controllable backlight unit of the display, wherein the at least second backlight unit controllably responds to the corresponding particularized instructions according to the address header, and wherein the second backlight unit extracts, from the pixel data signal, appropriate data needed to control the plurality of individually controllable components of the second backlight unit; and wherein the lighting units provide a backlighting for the modulator, the backlighting being of a low resolution than the video displayed by the modulator.