LED driving device

• US 20040233145A1
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Add Microtech Corp.
• Inventors: Chiang, Johnson
• Granted Patent: US 6,989,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/82
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/48 having LEDs organised in strings and incorporating parallel shunting devices

Abstract

A LED driving device includes a plurality of LEDs, a voltage detecting circuit, and a current switching circuit. When the voltage detecting circuit detects the different voltage level of power source without coupling to a filtering capacitor, it sends a signal to the current switching circuit and then the current switching circuit is automatically activated to electrically rearrange the configuration of LEDs with a predetermined current value by lighting the greatest number of LEDs that improving the power factor and efficiency.

Claims

1. A LED driving device lighting a plurality of LEDs by the positive part of a power source directly without the existing of a filtering capacitor so that said LED driving device has better power factor and better efficiency in comparison with conventional LED driving device, said LED driving device comprising:

a LED array connected in parallel across said power source;

said LED array composed of one LED string or at least two LED strings connected in parallel, each of said LED strings is composed of series of connected LED sets, each of said LED sets is composed of at least one LED in any electric configuration;

a voltage detecting circuit detecting the voltage level of said power source; and

a current switching circuit coupled to said voltage detecting circuit and to said LED sets so that when said voltage detecting circuit detects the different voltage level of said power source, said voltage detecting circuit sends a signal to said current switching circuit and said current switching circuit is automatically activated to electrically rearrange said configuration of LED sets with a predetermined current value by lighting the greatest number of LEDs.

2. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein said power source is coupled to a bridge rectifier for converting the negative part of said power source to positive part.

3. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein said voltage detecting circuit and said current switching circuit are supplied by a DC voltage derived from said power source.

4. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein said voltage detecting circuit and said current switching circuit are supplied by a DC voltage derived from another power source.

5. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein said current switching circuit comprises at least one current controlling unit, each being coupled to one of said LED sets and comprising at least one transistor.

6. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein the current value of said current switching circuit is designed to be limited.

7. A LED driving device according to claim 5 wherein the current value of said current controlling unit is designed to be limited.

8. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein the current value of said current switching circuit is designed to be fixed.

9. A LED driving device according to claim 5 wherein the current value of said current controlling unit is designed to be fixed.

10. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein the current value of said current switching circuit is adjustable.

11. A LED driving device according to claim 5 wherein the current value of said current controlling unit is adjustable.

12. A LED driving device according to claim 6 wherein the current value of said current switching circuit is adjustable.

13. A LED driving device according to claim 7 wherein the current value of said current controlling unit is adjustable.

14. A LED driving device according to claim 8 wherein the current value of said current switching circuit is adjustable.

15. A LED driving device according to claim 9 wherein the current value of said current controlling unit is adjustable.

16. A LED driving device according to claim 1 wherein the voltage levels of said voltage detecting circuit are adjustable.