JP5433985B2 - Light emitting diode drive device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a light emitting diode driving device, and more particularly to a light emitting diode driving device in which the number of terminals and the number of wirings can be reduced to achieve downsizing and cost reduction.

  A gaming machine represented by a pachinko gaming machine and a swivel type gaming machine is equipped with an effect function that appeals to the player's visual, auditory, or sensation for the purpose of improving the entertainment satisfaction of the player. For example, the production function is to perform an appropriate operation for each of the standby state, the normal game state, the reach state, and the big hit state. In recent years, even the production function itself is said to be the performance of the gaming machine. .

  Among production functions, light production using LEDs (Light Emission Diodes) has become the mainstream, and in recent years the cost of blue LEDs has decreased, and the three primary colors of red, green, There is an effect of combining various emission colors by manipulating the degree of emission by the blue LED.

  The effect improvement by this LED is largely due to lighting technology, but it is “quantity (power effect)”, and 100 to 200 LEDs are placed on the front of the gaming machine, creating a wide variety of light emitting conditions. ing. In recent years, so-called three-color LEDs in which these three primary color LEDs are incorporated in one package are being used frequently.

  In this way, with the increase in the number of LEDs mounted, the number of wiring and the number of CPU (Central Processing Unit) terminals for the production are on the rise. As an emergency measure, it is installed between the LED and the production CPU. The frequency of mounting light emitting diode driving devices that perform intermediate processing is increasing.

  A technology has been developed that realizes a more advanced light effect by switching the multicolor emission by making full use of these three primary colors of light.

  However, when white is expressed as a composite color of the three colors, the so-called white balance cannot be stably maintained due to variations in hue, and thus complete white light cannot be stably emitted.

  Therefore, a constant current source for driving the LED and a converter for supplying power are linked to perform a kind of feedback control to make the LED forward voltage constant and to stabilize the light emission state (Patent Document 1). reference).

  In addition, the base and emitter of the three LED drive transistor systems are connected together to form a constant current mirror circuit, which is a well-known technique, and by driving the three-color LED with the controlled constant current, the IC ( Integrated circuit) maintains the white balance with the stabilized relative accuracy, and further improves the integration level to drive 4 to 8 sets of 3 color LEDs (1 set of 3 color LEDs) to make the same IC. There has been proposed one that stabilizes the relative value for each of the three-color LED driving conditions driven (see Patent Document 2).

  In addition, three LED drive transistors are connected together to form a constant current mirror circuit to drive a three-color LED with its controlled constant current. A device that can stabilize the light emission state of each LED with high accuracy has been proposed (see Patent Document 3).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2001-215913 JP 2006-165471 A JP 2006-120860 A

  By the way, there are three types of LED drivers using the above technologies: at least one LED lighting signal input terminal, a LED driving constant current value setting terminal, and a terminal for driving the LED at a constant current. Are required for one LED. For this reason, in the LED driver using the above-described technology, the number of terminals increases in accordance with the number of LEDs, so that the entire device increases in size and power consumption. In some cases, the cost was high.

  In addition, as a technique for reducing the number of terminals, a technique for controlling a large number of LEDs with a small number of terminals by multiplex data transmission has been proposed. However, control data may be lost due to static electricity or the like. In this case, since the control of many LEDs controlled in response to the missing control data is affected, the reliability of the control may be reduced.

  In addition, a method for sharing the current value setting terminal with multiple LEDs has been proposed, but it is necessary to change the current value for each emission color, so the resistance in the shared current value setting function is individually set. Could not change.

  In addition, a technique for enabling individual current values to be set by opening and closing a large number of switches in a matrix is disclosed, but the apparatus is complicated and may increase in size due to this. And the problem of high cost could not be solved.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and enables a light emitting diode to control a large number of LEDs with a smaller number of terminals, thereby realizing downsizing and cost reduction of the entire apparatus.

A light emitting diode driving device according to one aspect of the present invention outputs a constant voltage generating means for generating a constant voltage and an output of a constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating means from an output terminal via a diode-connected transistor. A constant voltage output means; a canceling means for canceling a forward voltage between a base and an emitter of the transistor, including another transistor having the same performance as that of the transistor and diode-connected; and a driving current of the transistor A resistor having a predetermined resistance value is connected to the output terminal to which the amplifying means for driving the light emitting diode and the transistor whose forward voltage between the base and the emitter is canceled by the canceling means are connected. , look including a setting means for setting the driving current of the light emitting diode, wherein the transistor is at least 1, wherein The number of transistors is the same as that of the transistors, and the canceling means cancels the forward voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor of the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating means. The constant voltage output means supplies an output in which the forward voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor is canceled by the canceling means from the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating means. The output from the output terminal through the transistor, the amplifying means amplifies the driving current of the transistor driven by the output in which the forward voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor is canceled by the canceling means, and the light emission Drive the diode .

  The setting means may further include an opening / closing means for controlling opening / closing of the drive current amplified by the amplification means.

  The constant voltage output means causes the output of the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generation means to be output from the plurality of output terminals via the plurality of diode-connected transistors, and the amplification means includes the plurality of output terminals. It is possible to drive the light emitting diodes by amplifying the drive currents of the transistors.

  Stop control means for controlling stop of the operation of the constant voltage output means can be further included.

6. A light emitting diode driving system including a plurality of light emitting diode driving devices according to claim 5 , wherein a plurality of setting means are connected to the opening / closing means, and the plurality of diodes are driven by opening / closing the opening / closing means. Can be.

A light emitting diode driving system includes a light emitting diode driving device including the plurality of opening / closing means according to claim 2 or a light emitting diode driving device including the plurality of stop control means according to claim 4. can do.

The gaming machine may include the light emitting diode driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 or the light emitting diode driving system according to any one of claims 5 and 6 .

In one aspect of the present invention, a constant voltage is generated, and an output of the generated constant voltage is output from an output terminal via a diode-connected transistor, and has the same performance as the transistor and is diode-connected. The configuration including other transistors cancels the forward voltage between the base and emitter of the transistor, amplifies the driving current of the transistor, drives the light emitting diode, and cancels the forward voltage between the base and emitter. A resistor having a predetermined resistance value is connected to the output terminal to which the transistor is connected, a driving current of the light emitting diode is set , the number of the transistors is one, and the other transistors are the transistors and The same number of the generated constant voltages in the forward direction between the base and emitter of the transistor An output in which the forward voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor is canceled from the constant voltage generated with the voltage canceled and supplied is output from the output terminal via the transistor, and the base of the transistor - drive current of the transistor to be driven by an output of the forward voltage of the emitter was offset is amplified, the light emitting diode Ru is driven.

  In the light emitting diode driving apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the constant voltage generating means for generating a constant voltage is, for example, a constant voltage generating section, and the output of the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating means is diode-connected. The constant voltage output means for outputting from the output terminal via the transistor is, for example, the terminal of the LED driver, and the canceling means for canceling the forward voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor is, for example, a canceling unit. Amplifying means for amplifying the driving current of the transistor to drive the light emitting diode is, for example, a current amplifying unit, and the transistor whose forward voltage between the base and the emitter is canceled by the canceling means is connected The setting means for connecting a resistor having a predetermined resistance value to the output terminal and setting the drive current of the light emitting diode is, for example, setting It is.

  That is, the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generator is output from the output terminal of the LED driver through the diode-connected transistor, and the forward voltage between the base and emitter of the transistor is canceled by the canceling unit, and the output terminal Is set to a current value of a driving current of the transistor in which the forward voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor is canceled, and the current amplifying unit sets the driving current to Amplify to drive the light emitting diode.

  For this reason, since the current value of the drive current for driving the light emitting diode is set to a predetermined current value by a predetermined resistance value, it becomes possible to drive the light emitting diode with stable brightness, and at the output terminal By controlling the opening and closing, it is possible to control the driving of the light emitting diode.

  As a result, the terminal for controlling the current value of the drive current that controls the brightness of the light emitting diode and the terminal for controlling the driving of the light emitting diode can be combined, thereby reducing the number of terminals of the LED driver. Is possible.

  According to the present invention, a terminal for controlling the current value of the drive current for controlling the brightness of the light emitting diode can be used as a terminal for controlling the driving of the light emitting diode, thereby reducing the number of terminals of the LED driver. It becomes possible.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Correspondences between the configuration requirements of the present invention and the embodiments described in the detailed description of the present invention are exemplified as follows. This description is to confirm that the embodiments supporting the present invention are described in the detailed description of the invention. Accordingly, although there are embodiments that are described in the detailed description of the invention but are not described here as embodiments corresponding to the constituent elements of the present invention, It does not mean that the embodiment does not correspond to the configuration requirements. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described here as corresponding to a configuration requirement, that means that the embodiment does not correspond to a configuration requirement other than the configuration requirement. It's not something to do.

That is, a light emitting diode driving apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a constant voltage generating unit (for example, the constant voltage generating unit 51 in FIG. 2) that generates a constant voltage, and an output of the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating unit. Is output from an output terminal via a diode-connected transistor (for example, the terminal 31d of the LED driver 31 in FIG. 2) , and the other performance of the transistor is the same as that of the transistor. A canceling means (for example, canceling unit 44 in FIG. 2) that includes a transistor and cancels a forward voltage between the base and emitter of the transistor; and an amplifying means that amplifies the drive current of the transistor to drive the light emitting diode ( For example, the current amplifying units 43-1 to 43-3) in FIG. 2 and the transistor in which the forward voltage between the base and the emitter is canceled by the canceling unit. Register by connecting a resistor of predetermined resistance value is connected to the output terminal, setting means for setting a driving current of said light emitting diodes (e.g., setting unit 32-1 to 32-3 in FIG. 2) and containing The number of the transistors is at least one, the number of the other transistors is the same as the number of the transistors, and the canceling means is a base-emitter of the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating means. The forward voltage between the transistors is canceled and supplied to the constant voltage output means. The constant voltage output means uses the cancel voltage to generate base-emitter of the transistor from the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generation means. The output in which the forward voltage is canceled is output from the output terminal via the transistor, and the amplifying means is connected to the transistor by the canceling means. Over scan - amplifies the driving current of the transistor forward voltage between the emitter is driven by offset output, driving the light emitting diode.

  The setting means (for example, setting units 32-1 to 32-3 in FIG. 2) includes opening / closing means (for example, transistors Tr4 to Tr6 in FIG. 2) for controlling the opening and closing of the drive current amplified by the amplification means. Further, it can be included.

  The constant voltage output means outputs the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generation means via the plurality of diode-connected transistors to a plurality of the output terminals (for example, the terminals of the LED driver 31-A in FIG. 7). 31d-A, the terminal 31d-B of the LED driver 31-B), and the amplifying means (for example, the current amplifying units 43-1-A and 43-1-B of FIG. Each of the light emitting diodes can be driven by amplifying the drive current of each of the transistors.

  A stop control unit (for example, the stop unit 41 in FIG. 2) that controls the stop of the operation of the constant voltage output unit may be further included.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an LED (Light Emission Diode) driving system of a gaming machine according to the present invention.

  This LED drive system is a system for driving (lighting) an LED of a gaming machine represented by a pachinko gaming machine or a spinning-type gaming machine.

  The LED drive system of the gaming machine 1 includes a control unit 11 that controls the production corresponding to the gaming state among the operations of the gaming machine 1, and light emitting diodes (LED: Light) of RGB (red, green, blue). The display unit 12 includes a plurality of sets of Emission Diodes), and the display unit 12 is controlled by the control unit 11 to display various types of information.

  The display unit 12 includes an LED controller 13-1 that controls the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, an LED controller 13-2 that controls the light emitting diodes LED21 to LED23, an LED controller 13-3 that controls the light emitting diodes LED31 to LED33, and a light emitting diode LED41. The LED controller 13-4 that controls the LED 43, the LED controller 13-5 that controls the light emitting diodes LED51 to LED53, and the LED controller 13-6 that controls the light emitting diodes LED61 to LED63. Basically, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED21 to LED23, LED31 to LED33, LED41 to LED43, LED51 to LED53, and LED61 to LED63 are RGB three-color light emitting diodes, and the light emitting diode LED controllers 13-1 to 13 are used. -6 controls the light emission of the light emitting diodes of the three colors.

  The controller 11 is connected to the power supply terminal Vcc and the ground terminal GND, and is driven by receiving power from the power supply terminal Vcc. The control unit 11 supplies light emission signals for controlling light emission of the three colors of RGB to the LED controllers 13-1, 13-3, and 13-5 from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1. The LED controllers 13-1, 13-3, and 13-5 are based on the light emission signals supplied from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 of the control unit 11, and the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED31 to LED33, and LED51 to LED53. Controls the light emission. The control unit 11 supplies light emission signals for controlling the light emission of the three colors of RGB to the LED controllers 13-2, 13-4, and 13-6 from the terminals VR2, VG2, and VB2. The LED controllers 13-2, 13-4, and 13-6 emit light from the LEDs 21 to 23, the LEDs 41 to LED43, and the LEDs 61 to 63 based on signals supplied from the terminals VR2, VG2, and VB2 of the control unit 11. Control.

  The control unit 11 is connected to the LED controllers 13-1 and 13-2 from the terminal VS1, to the LED controllers 13-3 and 13-4 from the terminal VS2, and to the LED controllers 13-5 and 13-6 from the terminal VS3. In response, a stop signal for instructing to stop the operation is supplied. When the LED controllers 13-1 and 13-2 receive a stop signal from the terminal VS1, the LED controllers 13-1 and 13-2 stop their operations. The LED controllers 13-3 and 13-4 stop the operation when receiving the stop signal from the terminal VS2. When the LED controllers 13-5 and 13-6 receive the supply of the stop signal from the terminal VS3, the operation is stopped.

  In FIG. 1, six sets of RGB three-color light emitting diodes are provided as shown by the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED21 to LED23, LED31 to LED33, LED41 to LED43, LED51 to LED53, and LED61 to LED63. Although an example in which each set is controlled by the LED controllers 13-1 to 13-6 is shown, the number of sets of three-color light emitting diodes and the number of LED controllers may be other than six sets. Good. In addition, the LED controllers 13-1 to 13-6 are simply referred to as the LED controller 13 unless otherwise distinguished, and the other configurations are also referred to in the same manner.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the LED controller 13 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the detailed configuration of the LED controller 13-1 will be described, but the basic configurations of the other LED controllers 13-2 to 13-6 are the same.

  The LED controller 13 includes terminals 13a to 13i, an LED driver 31, and setting units 32-1 to 32-3.

  The terminal 13a is connected to the power supply terminal Vcc, and supplies the power supplied from the power supply terminal Vcc to the LED controller 13. The terminal 13b is connected to one of the terminals VS1 to VS3 (FIG. 1) of the control unit 11, and supplies the LED controller 13 when a stop signal is supplied. 2 is an example of the LED controller 13-1, and is connected to the terminal VS3 of the control unit 11. The terminal 13c is connected to the ground terminal GND and grounds the LED controller 13. The terminals 13d to 13f are connected to the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 or VR2, VG2, and VB2 of the control unit 11 through resistors R5 to R7, respectively, and receive a signal that controls light emission from the control unit 11. 2 is an example of the LED controller 13-1, and is connected to the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 of the control unit 11. The terminals 13g to 13i are connected to the cathodes of the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, respectively, and supply currents supplied from the terminals 31g to 31i of the LED driver 31 to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13. The light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 all have anodes connected to the power supply terminal Vcc, and emit light when current is supplied from the terminals 13g to 13i. In the case of the LED controllers 13-2 to 13-6, instead of the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, light emitting diodes LED21 to LED23, LED31 to LED33, LED41 to LED43, LED51 to LED53, and LED61 to LED63 are provided.

  The LED driver 31 generates a constant voltage based on the power supply voltage Vcc supplied from the power supply terminal 13a, and emits a current having a predetermined current value according to the open / close state of the setting units 32-1 to 32-3. The LED 11 to LED 13 is supplied or stopped, and the light emitting diodes LED 11 to LED 13 are controlled to emit light or be turned off. The setting units 32-1 to 32-3 open and close in response to the light emission signals supplied to the terminals 13d to 13f, and set the current value of the current supplied to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 when they are closed. Set.

  Next, the configuration of the LED driver 31 will be described.

  The LED driver 31 includes terminals 31a to 31i, a stop unit 41, a constant voltage generation block 42, a current amplification unit 43, and a cancellation unit 44.

  The terminal 31a is connected to the terminal 13a of the LED controller 13 and receives power supply from the power supply terminal Vcc. The terminal 31 b is connected to the terminal 13 b of the LED controller 13, receives a stop signal supplied from any of the terminals VS 1 to VS 3 of the control unit 11, and supplies it to the stop unit 41. The terminal 31c is connected to the terminal 13c of the LED controller 13, and is connected to the ground terminal GND. The terminals 31d to 31f are connected to the setting units 32-1 to 32-3, and the constant voltage supplied from the constant voltage generation block 42 is set according to the open / closed state of the setting units 32-1 to 32-3. Output. The terminals 31g to 31i are connected to the terminals 13g to 13i of the LED controller 13, respectively, and supply current to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 via the terminals 13g to 13i.

  The stop unit 41 includes a resistor R4 and an NPN transistor Tr8. One end of the resistor R4 is connected to the terminal 31b, and the other end is connected to the base of the transistor Tr8. The collector of the transistor Tr8 is connected to the canceling unit 44 and the constant voltage block 42, and the emitter is connected to the ground terminal GND via the terminal 31c and the terminal 13c, and is connected to the constant voltage generating block. ing.

  The constant voltage generation block 42 includes PNP transistors Tr1 to Tr3 and a constant voltage generation unit 51. All of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 are so-called diode-connected in which the base and the collector are short-circuited. The constant voltage generator 51 has one end connected to the canceling unit 44 and the other end connected to the ground terminal GND via the terminal 31c and the terminal 13c. The constant voltage generator 51 generates a constant voltage and applies a voltage to the emitters of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 when the stop unit 41 is not operating (when the transistor Tr8 is in an OFF state).

  The transistors Tr1 to Tr3 all have their emitters connected to the canceling unit 44 and the stopping unit 41, and the current amplifying units 43-1 to 43-3 and the terminals 31d to 31f with the base and collector shorted, respectively. Are connected to each.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the canceling unit 44 includes a constant current source 44a and a transistor Tr11. The constant current source 44a generates a current having a predetermined current value from the power supplied from the power supply terminal Vcc, and supplies the current to the emitter of the transistor Tr11, the stop unit 41, and the constant voltage generation block 42. The transistor Tr11 is a PNP type transistor, which has a base and collector short-circuited, so-called diode-connected, an emitter connected to the constant current source 44a, and a base and collector that generate constant voltage of the constant voltage generating block 42. Connected to the unit 51.

  That is, since the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 and Tr11 all cancel the potential between the base and the emitter, the bases and collectors of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 and one end of the current amplifying units 43-1 to 43-3. The potentials V1 to V3 (potentials at the terminals 31d to 31f) at the same voltage as the voltage V4 generated by the constant voltage generator 51 are the same.

  The current amplifying units 43-1 to 43-3 correspond to the resistance values of the resistors R1 to R3 provided in the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 when the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 are in the closed state. The collector currents I1 to I3 of Tr1 to Tr3 set in this manner are amplified at a predetermined magnification, and power is supplied to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 from the other end via the terminals 31g to 31i and the terminals 13g to 13i, respectively. To emit light.

  The setting units 32-1 to 32-3 include resistors R1 to R3 and NPN transistors Tr4 to Tr6, respectively. One ends of the resistors R1 to R3 are connected to the bases and collectors of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 and the current amplifiers 43-1 to 43-3 via terminals 31d to 31f, respectively, and the other ends Are respectively connected to the collectors of the transistors Tr4 to Tr6. The collectors of the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 are connected to the other ends of the resistors R1 to R3, respectively, the emitters are all connected to the ground terminal GND via the terminal 13c, and the bases are respectively connected to the terminals 13d to 13f, And connected to terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 of the control unit 11 through resistors R5 to R7. Therefore, the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 are supplied with Hi signals indicating the light emission signals of the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 of the control unit 11 via the terminals 13d to 13f and the resistors R5 to R7, respectively. Then, since the transistor is turned on, the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 set by the applied voltage V4 (= V1 = V2 = V3) generated by the constant voltage generator 51 and the resistance values of the resistors R1 to R3, respectively. Currents I1 to I3 are amplified at a predetermined magnification and supplied to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 through the terminals 31g to 31f and the terminals 13g to 13f to emit light.

  Next, the LED control processing in the LED controller 13 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S1, the stop unit 41 determines whether or not a stop signal has been supplied in a Hi state from any of the terminals VS1 to VS3 of the control unit 11, that is, whether or not to stop the operation of the LED controller 13 is instructed. judge. In step S1, when the stop signal is not Hi and the stop of the operation is not instructed, in step S2, since the signal is not supplied to the base of the transistor Tr8 of the stop unit 41, the transistor Tr8 is turned off. The LED driver 31 is in an ON state, and the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, since the transistor Tr8 is in the OFF state, the power supplied to the canceling unit 44 via the terminals 13a and 31a is applied to the emitter of the transistor Tr11 as the current I0 by the constant current source 44a. Here, since the transistor Tr11 is diode-connected, its power is supplied to the constant voltage generator 51. For this reason, the constant voltage generator 51 generates a constant voltage of the voltage V4.

  In step S4, since the emitter-collector voltage in the transistor Tr11 is canceled by the emitter-collector voltage of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3, the output voltages V1 to 31f at the terminals 31d to 31f on the base and collector sides of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3. V3 is the same voltage as the voltage V4 generated by the constant voltage generator 51.

  In step S5, the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 receive a Hi signal as a light emission signal from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 of the control unit 11 via the resistors R5 to R7, that is, a light emission signal that instructs light emission. It is determined whether or not is supplied. In step S5, for example, if Hi light emission signals are supplied from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 to the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 via the resistors R5 to R7, respectively, the light emission signal is Hi. The process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, since Hi light emission signals are supplied from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 to the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 via the resistors R5 to R7, the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 are turned on. It becomes the state of. At this time, as described above, the voltages V1 to V3, which are the potentials of the terminals 31d to 31f, are the same as the voltage V4 generated by the constant voltage generator 51, and therefore, the resistors R1 to R3 are not connected to the terminals 31d to 31f. Currents I1 to I3 set by the resistance value of the current flow.

  In step S7, the current amplifying units 43-1 to 43-3 amplify the currents I1 to I3 at a predetermined magnification, respectively, and supply power to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 via the terminals 31g to 31i and the terminals 13g to 13i. Supply.

  In step S8, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 emit red, green, and blue light by currents supplied via the terminals 13g to 13i, respectively.

  That is, the voltage set by the constant voltage generator 51 and the current values I1 to I3 set by the resistance values of the resistors R1 to R3 are multiplied by the current amplification units 43-1 to 43-3, respectively, at a predetermined magnification. Since the light flows through the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 emit light with a stable brightness. As a result, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 can emit stable complete white light.

  On the other hand, if the stop signal is Hi and an instruction to stop the operation is given in step S1, power is supplied to the base of the transistor Tr8 via the terminal 13b, the terminal 31b, and the resistor R4 in step S9. Therefore, the transistor Tr8 is turned on. As a result, the output of the canceling unit 44 is short-circuited to the ground terminal GND, so that the constant voltage generating unit 51 cannot generate a constant voltage. Therefore, the emitters of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 are connected to the ground potential. Thus, the entire constant voltage generation block 42 is turned off, and the LED driver 31 is not operated. That is, in this case, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 are turned off even if the light emission signal is supplied in a Hi state from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 of the control unit 11.

  In Step S5, for example, when Hi light emission signals are not supplied from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 to the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 via the resistors R5 to R7, respectively, Step S10. , The transistors Tr4 to Tr6 of the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 are turned off, so that the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 are turned off. Therefore, no current flows through the terminals 31d to 31f, and the current amplifying units 43-1 to 43-3 do not output current, so no current is supplied to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13. The LED 13 is turned off.

  The above processing is summarized as follows. That is, the LED controller 13 stops the entire operation when the stop signal is supplied in a Hi state by any of the terminals VS1 to VS3 of the control unit 11, and therefore, regardless of the presence or absence of the light emission signal. The light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 are turned off. In addition, when the stop signal is not Hi but Low, that is, when the operation of the LED controller 13 is instructed, a signal with the light emission signal Hi from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 of the control unit 11, that is, instruct to emit light. When the light emission signal to be supplied is supplied, the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 of the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 are turned on, and the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 emit light with the current value set by the resistance values of the resistors R1 to R3. This makes it possible to emit completely white light. Further, when the stop signal is not Hi but Low, that is, when the operation of the LED controller 13 is instructed, the light emission signal is not Hi from the terminals VR1, VG1 and VB1 of the control unit 11, that is, turn off is instructed. When the light emission signal to be supplied is supplied, the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 of the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 are turned off, no current flows through the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, and the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 are turned off.

  As a result, when controlling the light emission of the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, the current of the current value set by the resistors R1 to R3 of the setting unit 32 and the setting unit 32 are simply provided by the terminals 31d to 31f of the LED driver 31. An ON or OFF signal corresponding to opening / closing of the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 based on the supplied light emission signal can be received, and the number of terminals can be reduced.

  Further, in the above description, the example in which the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 emit light or turn off at the same time has been described. However, if the stop signal is Hi, the LED driver 31 can be used regardless of how the light emission signal is supplied. Since the operation is stopped, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 are turned off. However, if the stop signal is not Hi, the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 individually receive the ON or OFF of the light emission signal. Therefore, light emission or extinction of the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 can be individually controlled.

  For example, when controlling the LED controllers 13-1 to 13-6 in FIG. 1, a low stop signal is sent from the terminals VS1 to VS3 of the control unit 11 at times t0 to t1, as shown in the uppermost stage of FIG. As shown in the middle part of FIG. 5, when a low emission signal is output from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 5, the LED controllers 13-1 to 13 are output. Since the LED driver 31 of −6 does not operate, power is not supplied to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED31 to LED33, and LED51 to LED53, and the LED driver 31 remains off.

  5 shows the stop signal Hi or Low of the terminals VS1, VS2 and VS3 from the top, and the middle part of FIG. 5 shows the Hi or Low light emission signals of the terminals VR1, VG1 and VB1 from the top. The lower part of FIG. 5 shows the light emitting states of the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, the light emitting diodes LED31 to LED33, and the light emitting diodes LED51 to LED53 from the top.

  Further, as shown in the uppermost part of FIG. 5, among the terminals VS1 to VS3 of the control unit 11, a Hi stop signal is output from the terminal VS3, and a Low stop signal is output from the others at times t1 to t2. As shown in the middle part of FIG. 5, when a low emission signal is output from the terminals VR1 and VG1, and a Hi emission signal is output from the terminal VB1, as shown in the lower part of FIG. The LED drivers 31 of the LED controllers 13-1 and 13-2 are in the operating state, but the operation of the LED drivers 31 of the other LED controllers 13 is stopped. Further, a low light emission signal is supplied from the terminals VR1 and VG1 to the LED driver 31 of the LED controller 13-1 in an operating state, whereby the transistors Tr4 and Tr4 of the setting units 32-1 and 32-2 are supplied. Since both Tr5 are OFF, power is not supplied to the light emitting diodes LED11 and LED12, and the light remains off. However, the Hi light emission signal supplied from the terminal VB1 is in an effective state. The transistor Tr6 of the section 32-3 is turned on, and power is supplied to the light emitting diode LED13, so that light is emitted. Therefore, the light emitting diodes LED31 to LED33 and LED51 to LED53 controlled by the LED controllers 13-3 and 13-5 remain off, and the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 in the LED controller 13-1 emit blue light as a whole. .

  Further, as shown in the uppermost part of FIG. 5, among the terminals VS1 to VS3 of the control unit 11, a Hi stop signal is output from the terminal VS2 and a Low stop signal is output from the others at the times t2 to t3. As shown in the middle part of FIG. 5, when a low emission signal is output from the terminal VG1 and a Hi emission signal is output from the terminals VR1 and VB1, as shown in the lower part of FIG. The LED drivers 31 of the LED controllers 13-3 and 13-4 are in the operating state, but the LED drivers 31 of the other LED controllers 13 are in the stopped state. Further, by supplying a low signal from the terminal VG1 to the LED driver 31 of the LED controller 13-3 in the operating state, the transistor Tr5 of the setting unit 32-2 of the LED controller 13-3 Since the power is not supplied to the light emitting diode LED 32 and the light emitting diode LED 32 remains off, the Hi light emission signal supplied from the terminals VR1 and VB1 is in an effective state. The transistors Tr4 and Tr6 of 32-3 are turned on, and power is supplied to the light emitting diodes LED31 and LED33, so that red and blue light are emitted. Therefore, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 and LED51 to LED53 controlled by the LED controllers 13-1 and 13-5 remain off, and the light emitting diodes LED31 to LED33 in the LED controller 13-2 emit purple light as a whole. .

  Further, as shown in the uppermost part of FIG. 5, among the terminals VS1 to VS3 of the control unit 11, a Hi stop signal is output from the terminal VS1 and a Low stop signal is output from the others at times t3 to t4. As shown in the middle part of FIG. 5, when a low light emission signal is output from the terminal VB1 and a Hi light emission signal is output from the terminals VR1 and VG1, as shown in the lower part of FIG. The LED drivers 31 of the LED controllers 13-5 and 13-6 are in the operating state, but the operation of the LED drivers 31 of the other LED controllers 13 is stopped. Further, when a low signal is supplied from the terminal VB1 to the LED driver 31 of the LED controller 13-5 that is in an operating state, the transistor Tr6 of the setting unit 32-3 is turned off. Although power is not supplied to the diode LED 53 and the diode LED 53 remains off, the Hi light emission signal supplied from the terminals VR1 and VG1 is valid, so that the transistors Tr4 of the setting units 32-1 and 32-2 Tr5 are turned on, and power is supplied to the light emitting diodes LED51 and LED52, so that red and green light is emitted. Therefore, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 and LED31 to LED33 controlled by the LED controllers 13-1 and 13-3 remain off, and the light emitting diodes LED51 to LED53 in the LED controller 13-5 emit yellow light as a whole. .

  Further, as shown in the uppermost part of FIG. 5, after time t4, all of the terminals VS1 to VS3 of the control unit 11 output Hi stop signals, as shown in the middle part of FIG. When the Hi light emission signal is output from all of the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 5, the LED drivers 31 of the LED controllers 13-1 to 13-6 are all in an operating state. ing. Further, the Hi light emission signal supplied from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 becomes valid for the LED drivers 31 of the LED controllers 13-1, 13-3, and 13-5 that are in the operating state. Since all of the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 of the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 are turned on, and power is supplied to the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED31 to LED33, and LED51 to LED53, they are all red and green. And emits all blue light. Therefore, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED31 to LED33, and LED51 to LED53 controlled by the LED controllers 13-1, 13-3, and 13-5 all emit completely white light.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 and LED21 to LED23, the light emitting diodes LED31 to LED33 and LED41 to LED43, and the light emitting diode LED51 arranged in the horizontal direction by the stop signals of the terminals VS1 to VS3. Through the LED 53 and the LED 61 through the LED 63, light emission can be controlled in units of rows. However, the light emission of the light emitting diodes LED21 to LED23, LED41 to LED43, and LED61 to LED63 controlled by the LED controllers 13-2, 13-4, and 13-6 is controlled by the light emission signals of the terminals VR2, VG2, and VB2. .

  Further, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED31 to LED33 and LED51 to LED53, and the light emitting diodes LED21 to LED23, LED41 arranged in the vertical direction according to the light emission signals of the terminals VR1, VG1, VB1 or the terminals VR2, VG2, VB2. The LEDs 43 to 61 and the LEDs 61 to 63 can control light emission in units of columns. Further, a set of light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13 that are emitted by the LED controllers 13-1 to 13-6, respectively, according to a combination of light emitting signals of the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1, or the terminals VR2, VG2, and VB2, and the light emitting diodes LED21 to 21 It is possible to control the light emission color of each set of LED 23 set, light emitting diode LED 31 to LED 33 set, light emitting diode LED 41 to LED 43 set, light emitting diode LED 51 to LED 53 set, and light emitting diode LED 61 to LED 63 set. It becomes.

  In the above, an example in which the setting units 32-1 to 32-3 are provided with the transistors Tr4 to Tr6 in order to provide an opening / closing function has been described. For example, as illustrated in FIG. Instead of 1, a setting unit 101 having an opening / closing function using the inverter INV1 may be provided. The setting units 32-2 and 32-3 are similar.

  The inverter INV1 of the setting unit 101 is connected to the ground terminal GND and the power supply terminal Vcc, and corresponds to the ground potential GND to the supply power supply voltage Vcc corresponding to the light emission signal from the terminal VR corresponding to the terminal VR1 of the control unit 11. Output voltage in range. For this reason, when the inverter INV1 outputs the ground potential GND corresponding to the light emission signal, the setting unit 101 is in the operating state in the same manner as when the transistor Tr4 of the setting unit 32-1 is turned on. Since the transistor Tr1 is diode-connected, as shown in FIG. 5, the transistor Tr1 functions as a diode, the current is amplified by the current amplifying unit 43-1, and light is emitted by the current flowing through the terminals 31g and 13g. The diode LED11 enters a light emitting state. On the other hand, when the inverter INV1 outputs the power supply voltage Vcc corresponding to the light emission signal, a reverse bias is applied between the base and emitter of the diode-connected transistor Tr1, and as a result, the transistor Tr4 in FIG. 2 is turned off. As in the case where the current becomes, the current is cut off, and no current flows through the current amplifying unit 43-1, and the light emitting diode LED11 is turned off.

  In the above, the example in which the setting unit 32-1 controls the light emission of one light-emitting diode LED11 by the light emission signal from the terminal VR1 has been described. For example, as illustrated in FIG. Instead of 32-1, resistors R1-A and R1-B having different or identical resistance values are provided at the collector of the transistor Tr4, and the LED drivers 31-A and 31-B emit light according to the respective resistance values. You may make it set the electric current value supplied to light emitting diode LED11-A and LED11-B to make. In FIG. 7, LED drivers 31-A and 31-B are connected to resistors R1-A and R1-B via terminals 31d-A and 31d-B, respectively. The LED drivers 31-A and 31-B are similar to the transistor Tr1 and the current amplifying unit 43-1, respectively, and are similar to the transistors Tr1-A and Tr1-B and the current amplifying units 43-1-A and 43-1-B. It has.

  That is, in FIG. 7, when the transistor Tr4 of the setting unit 102 is turned on, the light emitting diodes LED11-A and LED11-B emit light simultaneously. At this time, since the currents set by the resistance values of the resistors R1-A and R1-B flow in the light emitting diodes LED11-A and LED11-B, the current values of the light emitting diodes LED11-A and LED11-B flow. Emits light according to the brightness.

  When the transistor Tr4 of the setting unit 102 is turned off, the transistors Tr1-A and 1-B are both diode-connected, so that no current flows between the base and the emitter. LED 11-A and LED 11-B are turned off simultaneously.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which two systems corresponding to the light-emitting diodes LED11-A and LED11-B are controlled by one setting unit 102. A larger number of light emitting diodes LED may be controlled. In addition, in FIG. 7, the example of controlling the light emitting diodes LED11-A and LED11-B connected to the different LED drivers 31-A and 31-B has been described, but a plurality of light emitting diodes with the same LED driver 31. The same applies to controlling the above.

  Further, in the above, based on the light emission signals from the terminals VR1, VG1, and VB1 or the terminals VR2, VG2, and VB2, the light emitting diodes LED11 to LED13, LED21 to LED23, LED31 to LED33, LED41 to LED43, LED51 to LED53. In the above description, the LED 61 to LED 63 emit light or turn off. However, each light emission signal may be controlled by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, by performing PWM control of the light emission signal input to the terminal VR, the brightness of the light emitting diode LED11 is increased according to the duty (the ratio at which the light emission signal becomes Hi during a predetermined time). For example, it is possible to perform control such that the duty is increased and the light is emitted brightly, or the duty is decreased and the light is emitted darkly.

  In the above description, an example in which one setting unit 32 is provided and one type of current value is set by a resistor included in the setting unit 32 when controlling the light emission of one light emitting diode has been described. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, two types of setting units 32-A and 32-B are provided for the terminal 31d, and different resistance values are set for the respective resistors R4-A and R4-B. As a result, the transistor Tr4-A is turned on or off via the resistor R5-A, and the transistor Tr4-B is turned on or off via the resistor R5-B. By using the two types of current values, two types of current values may be set. By making it possible to set a plurality of current values in this way, the current value supplied to the light-emitting diode LED11 is divided into, for example, a case where full white light is emitted or a case where red is emitted in a single color. It becomes possible to do. In the case of FIG. 9, the transistors Tr4-A and Tr4-B are simultaneously turned ON, and the resistors R5-A and R5-B are used as a parallel circuit, thereby setting three types of current values according to the three types of resistance values. Is also possible. Note that the number of setting units 32 provided for controlling one light emitting diode may be two or more. Furthermore, by changing the resistance value of each resistor provided, a larger current value can be obtained. It becomes possible to set.

  Furthermore, in the above description, an example has been described in which one PNP transistor Tr1 to Tr3 that is diode-connected is provided for each of the current amplifying units 43-1 to 43-3, and their base-collector is connected. However, for example, the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 may be configured by a plurality of transistors.

  FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the LED controller 13 in which the transistors Tr1 to Tr3 of the constant voltage block 42 in FIG. 10, the same components as those of the LED controller 13 of FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  10 differs from the LED controller 13 of FIG. 2 in that a constant voltage generation block 111 and a cancellation unit 112 are provided in place of the constant voltage generation block 42 and the cancellation unit 44.

  The constant voltage generation block 111 differs from the constant voltage generation block 42 in that transistors Tr51 to Tr56, which are PNP transistors, are provided in place of the transistors Tr1 to Tr3.

  The transistors Tr51 and Tr52 are both diode-connected, the emitter of the transistor Tr51 is connected to the canceling unit 112, the stop unit 41, and the emitters of the transistors Tr53 and Tr55, and the collector and base of the transistor Tr52 are short-circuited. The transistor Tr52 is connected to the emitter of the transistor Tr52 and the current amplifying unit 43-1. The emitter of the transistor Tr52 is connected to the shorted base and collector of the transistor Tr51 and the current amplifying unit 43-1, and the base and collector are shorted and connected to the setting unit 32-1 via the terminal 31d. .

  Basically, the operation is the same as that of the transistor Tr1 even when the transistors Tr51 and Tr52 are connected. However, at this time, since the transistors Tr55 and Tr56 are doubled, as shown in FIG. 11, in the canceling unit 112, instead of the transistor Tr7 in the canceling unit 44, the transistors Tr61 and Tr62 are diode-connected, respectively. And connected in two stations.

  As a result, the base-emitter voltage in the transistors Tr51 and Tr52 is canceled by the base-emitter voltage of the transistors Tr61 and Tr62, and the voltage V1 at the terminal 31d matches the voltage of the constant voltage generator V4. The current value of the current supplied to 43-1 becomes a constant value, and the light emitting diode LED11 can emit light with stable brightness.

  The transistors Tr53 and Tr54 have the emitter of the transistor Tr53 connected to the canceling unit 112, the stop unit 41, and the emitters of the transistors Tr51 and Tr55. The collector of the transistor Tr53 is connected to the terminal 31e together with the base of the transistor Tr54. Is connected to the emitter of the transistor Tr54 and the current amplifier 43-2. The base of the transistor Tr54 is connected to the terminal 31e together with the collector of the transistor Tr53, the emitter is connected to the base of the transistor Tr53 and the current amplifier 43-2, and the collector of the transistor Tr54 is grounded.

  Further, as described above, since the diode-connected transistors Tr61 and Tr62 are also connected in series in the canceling unit 112, the voltage V2 at the terminal 31e matches the voltage of the constant voltage generation unit V4. The current value of the current supplied to the amplifying unit 43-2 becomes a constant value, and the light emitting diode LED12 can emit light with stable brightness.

  By aligning the number of transistors connected in the constant voltage generation block and the number of diode-connected transistors in the canceling unit in this way, the same effect can be obtained even when a plurality of transistors are used in multiple stages. It becomes.

  Note that the configuration of the transistors Tr55 and Tr56 is the same as the configuration of the transistors Tr53 and Tr54, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the above, since it is possible to unify the terminal for setting the current value supplied to the light emitting diode and the terminal for switching on or off the light emission of the light emitting diode, the number of terminals can be reduced. . In addition, since a plurality of light emitting diodes are not controlled by multiplex data transmission, it is possible to suppress a decrease in reliability due to missing control data. Furthermore, since the current value supplied to the light emitting diode is set by the resistance value of the resistor of the setting unit, it is possible to set a plurality of current values by switching the resistance value. Further, since the number of terminals can be reduced and the device configuration itself can be simplified, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the device.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to control a large number of light emitting diodes with a smaller number of terminals when configuring an LED driver that constitutes a light emitting diode driving system for driving a plurality of light emitting diodes. It is possible to achieve downsizing and cost reduction.

  In this specification, the step of describing the program recorded on the recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in time series in the order described, but of course, it is not necessarily performed in time series. Or the process performed separately is included.

  Further, in this specification, the system represents the entire apparatus constituted by a plurality of apparatuses.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of embodiment of the LED drive system to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structural example of embodiment of the LED controller of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the cancellation part of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining LED control processing. It is a figure explaining LED drive control by an LED drive system. It is a figure explaining the other structural example of a setting part. It is a figure explaining the example of further another structure of a setting part. It is a figure explaining the example which carries out PWM control of the light emission signal input into a setting part. It is a figure explaining the example which comprises a setting part in multiple. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the LED controller of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the cancellation part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game machine 11 Control part 12 Display part 13, 13-1 thru | or 13-6 LED controller 31 LED driver 32, 32-1 thru | or 32-3, 32-A, 32-B Setting part 41 Stop part 42 Constant voltage generation block 43, 43-1 to 43-3, 43-1-A, 43-1-B Current amplification unit 44 Cancellation unit 101, 102 Setting unit 111 Constant voltage generation block 112 Cancellation unit

Claims (7)

Constant voltage generating means for generating a constant voltage;
Constant voltage output means for outputting a constant voltage output generated by the constant voltage generation means from an output terminal via a diode-connected transistor;
Canceling means that has the same performance as the transistor and includes another diode-connected transistor, and cancels the forward voltage between the base and emitter of the transistor;
Amplifying means for amplifying the drive current of the transistor to drive the light emitting diode;
A setting means for setting a driving current of the light emitting diode by connecting a resistor having a predetermined resistance value to the output terminal to which the transistor whose base-emitter forward voltage has been canceled by the canceling means is connected ; Including
The number of the transistors is at least one, and the number of the other transistors is the same as the number of the transistors.
The canceling means cancels the forward voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor of the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating means, and supplies it to the constant voltage output means,
The constant voltage output means outputs an output terminal through which the forward voltage between the base and emitter of the transistor is canceled by the canceling means from the constant voltage generated by the constant voltage generating means. Output,
The amplifying means amplifies a driving current of the transistor driven by an output in which a forward voltage between the base and emitter of the transistor is canceled by the canceling means, and drives the light emitting diode.
Light-emitting diodes drive. The setting means includes
And further includes an opening / closing means for controlling the opening / closing of the drive current amplified by the amplification means.
The light emitting diode drive device according to claim 1 . The constant voltage output means outputs the constant voltage output generated by the constant voltage generation means from the plurality of output terminals via the plurality of diode-connected transistors,
3. The light emitting diode drive according to claim 1, wherein the amplifying unit is provided corresponding to the plurality of output terminals, and amplifies a driving current of each of the transistors to drive each of the light emitting diodes. apparatus. LED driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 further comprising a stop control means for controlling the stopping operation of the constant voltage output portion. The light emitting diode driving system including a plurality of light emitting diode driving devices according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of setting means are connected to the opening and closing means, and the plurality of diodes are driven by opening and closing the opening and closing means. LED driving system including the light-emitting diode driving apparatus, or a light emitting diode driving apparatus according to claim 4 comprising a plurality of said stop control means, the plurality of claim 2 including a plurality of said switching means. A gaming machine comprising the light emitting diode driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , or the light emitting diode driving system according to any one of claims 5 and 6 .

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