Supply unit

• US 20040056774A1
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Patent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft Fur Elektrische Gluhlampen mbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Schleicher, Gotthard
• Granted Patent: US 6,975,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/815.45
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/14 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules

Abstract

The invention relates to a supply unit (1) for detecting the identity of and for supplying power to LED units (2). The supply unit (1) firstly determines, by means of a detection unit (7), the identity of a connected LED unit (2) by the application of an electrical quantity and reception of a further electrical quantity generated in response thereto by an identification unit (3). By means of a control unit (6), the power supply required for the LED unit (2) can subsequently be determined using the identity determined and said power supply can be output to the LED unit (2) via an output unit (5). In this case, both the detection of the identity and the power supply are effected via the supply terminals (4a, 4b).

Claims

1. A supply unit for at least one LED unit , which supply unit has:

a detection unit , designed for detecting the identity of the LED unit by means of electrical quantities,

supply terminals for the supply of power to the LED unit by the supply unit,

wherein the identity of the LED unit is detected via the supply terminals.

2. The supply unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply unit furthermore contains a control unit , which controls the power supply of the LED unit on the basis of the detected identity of the LED unit.

3. The supply unit as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the detection and the power supply are effected exclusively via the supply terminals.

9. A LED unit for connection to a supply unit as claimed in claim 1, having:

at least one LED,

supply terminals for the power supply of the supply unit and, an identification unit with technical properties that can be registered during the detection of the identity of the LED unit,

furthermore the identification unit can be identified via the supply terminals.

10. The LED unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the detection and power supply can be effected exclusively via two supply terminals.

11. The LED unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the identification unit can be switched off.

12. The LED unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the impedance of the identification unit is small with respect to the LED impedance that is effective at a voltage that is applied to the LED unit and is small in relation to the power supply.

13. A system comprising a supply unit as claimed in claim 1 and at least one LED unit as claimed in claim 9.

4. A method for detecting the identity of at least one LED unit , which has the following steps:

provision of a first electrical quantity for the LED unit to be detected, detection of the identity of the LED unit using a second electrical quantity, which is provided by the LED unit in response to the first electrical quantity,

wherein the identity is detected via supply terminals , which serve for supplying power to the LED unit.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein it furthermore comprises the control of the power supply of the at least one LED unit on the basis of the detected identity of the LED unit.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein it is performed repeatedly during the operation of the LED unit.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the detection and the power supply of the LED unit are effected exclusively via the supply terminals.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein in order to detect the identity of the LED unit, a voltage that is small in relation to the power supply is applied and the LED unit is detected by an impedance of an identification unit, the impedance of the identification unit being small with respect to the LED impedance that is effective at the small voltage applied.