Infineon Technologies Ag

Alfonso Nasciuti

Andrea Scenini

Franco Mignoli

Hans-Peter Kreuter

Christof Michenthaler

Marco Pamato

Damiano Sartori

Floriano Montemurro

Salvatore Sanna

Driver circuits are described for driving one or more light emitting diodes. A driver circuit may comprise an interface configured to receive control signals from a processor and a signal generator configured to generate pulse modulation (PM) signals based on the control signals, wherein the PM signals define phase shifts. In some examples, the signal generator is configured to: determine whether the control signals indicate a phase shift change; and in response to determining that the control signals indicate a phase shift change, terminate a current PM signal at a beginning of a PM period, and generate a new PM signal in the PM period, wherein the new PM signal includes the phase shift change. In other examples, termination may be avoided in some situations, for example, upon determining that a new phase shift is not sufficiently less than a previous phase shift.

Driver circuits for controlling phase shift changes in light emitting diodes

This disclosure includes systems, methods, and techniques for detecting one or more short connections in a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) channels. For example, a circuit includes processing circuitry configured to control a plurality of driving devices in order to cause a pair of LED channels of the plurality of LED channels to operate in a first state during a first period of time and operate in a second state during a second period of time. Additionally, the processing circuitry is configured to compare a first electrical signal corresponding to the first state of the pair of LED channels and a second electrical signal corresponding to the second state of the pair of LED channels and determine, based on the comparison of the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal, if a short connection exists between the pair of LED channels.

Detecting short connections in a plurality of LED channels

A method for driving a set of light emitting diodes (LEDs) may include receiving a write access frame by a driver via a bus configured for connection with a controller and the driver. The write access frame includes brightness information. The method may further include controlling, by the driver, the set of LEDs based on the brightness information and determining, by the driver, safety information while controlling the set of LEDs based on the brightness information. The method may further include outputting, by the driver and at the bus, the safety information to acknowledge receipt of the write access frame.

Driver using safety information

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Parma, Italy

Alfonso Nasciuti