Switched constant current driving and control circuit
First Claim
1. A driving and control device for providing a desired switched current to a load including a string of one or more electronic devices, said device comprising:
- a) a voltage converter adapted for connection to a power supply, said voltage converter for converting voltage from the power supply from a first magnitude voltage to a second magnitude voltage, said voltage converter responsive to a control signal;
b) a dimming control device receiving said second magnitude voltage and controlling transmission of the second magnitude voltage to said string thereby controlling activation of said string;
c) a voltage sensing device electrically connected to the output of said voltage converter to generate a first signal and a current sensing device in series with said string to generate a second signal indicative of current flowing though said string; and
d) a feedback device electrically coupled to said voltage converter, said voltage sensing device and said current sensing device, said feedback device receiving said first and second signals and providing the control signal to the voltage converter, said control signal based on the first and second signals;
wherein said voltage converter changes the second magnitude voltage based on the control signal received from the feedback device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The driving and control device according to the present invention provides a desired switched current to a load including a string of one or more electronic devices, and comprises one or more voltage conversion means, one or more dimming control means, one or more feedback means and one or more sensing means. The voltage conversion means may be a DC-to-DC converter for example and based on an input control signal converts the magnitude of the voltage from the power supply to another magnitude that is desired at the high side of the load. The dimming control means may comprise a switch such as a FET, BJT, relay, or any other type of switching device, for example, and provides control for activation and deactivation of the load. The feedback means is coupled to the voltage conversion means and a current sensing means and provides a feedback signal to the voltage conversion means that is indicative of the voltage drop across the current sensing means which thus represents the current flowing through the load. The current sensing means may comprise a fixed resistor, variable resistor, inductor, or some other element which has a predictable voltage-current relationship and thus will provide a measurement of the current flowing through the load based on a collected voltage signal. Based on the feedback signal received, the voltage conversion means can subsequently adjust its output voltage such that a constant switched current is provided to the load.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A driving and control device for providing a desired switched current to a load including a string of one or more electronic devices, said device comprising:
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a) a voltage converter adapted for connection to a power supply, said voltage converter for converting voltage from the power supply from a first magnitude voltage to a second magnitude voltage, said voltage converter responsive to a control signal;
b) a dimming control device receiving said second magnitude voltage and controlling transmission of the second magnitude voltage to said string thereby controlling activation of said string;
c) a voltage sensing device electrically connected to the output of said voltage converter to generate a first signal and a current sensing device in series with said string to generate a second signal indicative of current flowing though said string; and
d) a feedback device electrically coupled to said voltage converter, said voltage sensing device and said current sensing device, said feedback device receiving said first and second signals and providing the control signal to the voltage converter, said control signal based on the first and second signals;
wherein said voltage converter changes the second magnitude voltage based on the control signal received from the feedback device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A driving and control device for providing a desired switched current to a load including two or more strings of one or more electronic devices, said device comprising:
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a) a voltage converter adapted for connection to a power supply, said voltage converter for converting voltage from the power supply from a first magnitude voltage to a second magnitude voltage, said voltage converter responsive to a control signal;
b) two or more dimming control devices receiving the second magnitude voltage and each dimming control device controlling transmission of the second magnitude voltage to a respective one of said two or more strings thereby controlling activation of the two or more said strings;
c) a voltage sensing device electrically connected to the output of said voltage converter to generate a first signal and a current sensing device in series with said one of said two or more strings to generate a second signal indicative of current flowing though the one of said two or more strings; and
d) a feedback device electrically coupled to said voltage converter, said voltage sensing device and said current sensing device, said feedback device receiving said first and second signals and providing the control signal to the voltage converter, said control signal based on the first and second signals;
wherein said voltage converter changes the second magnitude based on the control signal received from the feedback device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A driving and control device for providing a desired switched current to a load including a string of one or more electronic devices, said device comprising:
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a) a voltage converter adapted for connection to a power supply, said voltage converter for converting voltage from the power supply from a first magnitude voltage to a second magnitude voltage, said voltage converter responsive to a control signal;
b) a dimming control device receiving said second magnitude voltage and controlling transmission of the second magnitude voltage to said string thereby controlling activation of said string;
c) a current sensing device in series with said string to generate a sense signal representative of current flowing though said string; and
d) a feedback device electrically coupled to said voltage converter and said sensing device, said feedback device receiving said sense signal and providing the control signal to the voltage converter, said control signal based on the sense signal;
wherein said voltage converter changes the second magnitude voltage based on the control signal received from the feedback device. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A driving and control device for providing a desired switched current to a load including two or more strings of one or more electronic devices, said device comprising:
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a) a voltage converter adapted for connection to a power supply, said voltage converter for converting voltage from the power supply from a first magnitude voltage to a second magnitude voltage, said voltage converter responsive to a control signal;
b) two or more dimming control devices receiving the second magnitude voltage and each dimming control device controlling transmission of the second magnitude voltage to a respective one of said two or more strings thereby controlling activation of the two or more said strings;
c) a current sensing device in series with one or said two or more strings to generate a sense signal representative of current flowing though said one of said two or more strings; and
d) a feedback device electrically coupled to said voltage converter and said current sensing device, said feedback device receiving said sense signal and providing the control signal to the voltage converter, said control signal based on the sense signal;
wherein said voltage converter changes the second magnitude based on the control signals received from the feedback devices. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification