Dimmable lighting systems and methods of dimming lighting systems
First Claim
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1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:
- a light source;
an AC power input; and
an AC-DC converter having an input connected to the AC power input and an output configured to provide a DC voltage;
an AC detector having an input directly connected to an input of the AC-DC converter and an output configured to provide an indication whether AC power at the AC power input is switched on or off;
a dimming control module connected to the output of the AC detector and configured to generate a dimming control signal operative to change a brightness level of the light source from a first brightness level to a second brightness level in response to toggling of the AC power input within a predetermined time after the power signal is switched on;
a current supply module coupled to the dimming control module and the light source and configured to supply a level of current to the light source in response the dimming control signal output by the dimming control module; and
an energy storage element coupled to the current supply module and configured to maintain a supply of power to the current supply module while the power signal is toggled.
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Abstract
A lighting apparatus includes a light source, a power input coupled to the light source, and a dimming control module coupled to the power input and the light source. The dimming control module is configured to change a brightness level of the light source in response to toggling of a power signal supplied at the power input. Related methods of operating a lighting apparatus are also disclosed.
37 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:
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a light source; an AC power input; and an AC-DC converter having an input connected to the AC power input and an output configured to provide a DC voltage; an AC detector having an input directly connected to an input of the AC-DC converter and an output configured to provide an indication whether AC power at the AC power input is switched on or off; a dimming control module connected to the output of the AC detector and configured to generate a dimming control signal operative to change a brightness level of the light source from a first brightness level to a second brightness level in response to toggling of the AC power input within a predetermined time after the power signal is switched on; a current supply module coupled to the dimming control module and the light source and configured to supply a level of current to the light source in response the dimming control signal output by the dimming control module; and an energy storage element coupled to the current supply module and configured to maintain a supply of power to the current supply module while the power signal is toggled. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of operating a lighting device including a light source, comprising:
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receiving a power signal at the lighting device; changing a brightness level of the light source from a first brightness level to a second brightness level in response to toggling of the power signal; controlling the brightness level of the light source in response to toggling of the power signal and in response to an external dimming control signal provided to the lighting device, wherein the external dimming control signal sets a baseline maximum brightness level and the brightness level of the light source is cycled through different brightness levels up to the baseline maximum brightness level set by the external dimming control signal in response to toggling of the power signal; and maintaining a supply of power to the light source while the power signal is toggled. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A solid state lighting apparatus, comprising:
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an array of solid state lighting sources; a power input configured to receive an AC power signal; an AC-DC converter coupled to the power input and configured to convert the AC power signal to a DC power signal; a current supply circuit coupled to the AC-DC converter and to the array of solid state lighting sources and configured to supply a drive current to the array of solid state lighting sources; an AC detector coupled between the power input and the AC-DC converter, wherein the AC detector is configured to detect toggling of the AC power signal supplied at the power input within a predetermined time after the AC power signal is switched on; and a dimming control circuit coupled to the AC detector and to the current supply circuit and configured to generate a brightness control signal in response to the toggling of the AC power signal supplied at the power input within a predetermined time after the AC power signal is switched on; wherein the current supply circuit is configured to receive the brightness control signal from the dimming control circuit and to set a level of the drive current supplied to the array of solid state lighting sources in response to the brightness control signal. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification