CONFIGURABLE LED DRIVER/DIMMER FOR SOLID STATE LIGHTING APPLICATIONS

• US 20110204820A1
• Filed: 09/17/2009
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mate, LLC
• Original Assignee: Electronic Craftsmen Corporation
• Inventors: Tikkanen, David, Neudorf, Jason, Jansen, David Wainesworth, Lyons, Steven, Hathaway, Kyle Grahame, Scott, Todd William
• Granted Patent: US 8,525,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/294
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/355 Power factor correction [PFC]; Reactive power compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/375 using buck topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/38 using boost topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/385 using flyback topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/60 Circuit arrangements for operating LEDs comprising organic material, e.g. for operating organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] or polymer light-emitting diodes [PLED]

Abstract

The disclosure is directed at a configurable light emitting diode (LED) driver/dimmer for controlling a set of light fixture loads comprising: a power circuit; a primary digital controller for controlling the power circuit; a set of output current drivers, each of the set of output current drivers connected to one of the set of light fixture loads for controlling the associated light fixture load; a secondary digital controller for controlling the set of output current drivers; wherein the secondary controller transmits LED control information to control outputs of the set of output current drivers; and wherein the secondary digital controller provides digital feedback control information to the primary digital controller.

Claims

1. A configurable light emitting diode (LED) driver/dimmer for controlling a set of light fixture loads comprising:

a power circuit;

a primary digital controller for controlling the power circuit;

a set of output current drivers, each of the set of output current drivers connected to one of the set of light fixture loads for controlling the associated light fixture load;

a secondary digital controller for controlling the set of output current drivers;

wherein the secondary controller transmits LED control information to control outputs of the set of output current drivers; and

wherein the secondary digital controller provides digital feedback control information to the primary digital controller.

2. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 wherein the power circuit comprises:

an inrush current limit;

a power factor conversion (PFC) boost;

a DC/DC converter;

an output voltage bus; and

at least one power limit.

3. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising:

a set of in-circuit serial programming (ICSP) ports, each of the set of ICSP ports associated with one of the set of output current drivers for dynamic control of the output current drivers.

4. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising an in-circuit serial programming (ICSP) port connected to the primary digital controller.

5. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising an in-circuit serial programming (ICSP) port connected to the secondary digital controller.

6. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising a communication interface for receiving data from an external transmitter and for transmitting the data to the secondary digital controller.

7. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further including an isolation barrier for separating the secondary digital controller and the communication interface.

8. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising a housing portion for housing the components of the driver.

9. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 8 wherein the housing portion comprises:

an aluminum heatsink; and

a U-shaped chassis.

10. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 9 wherein the heatsink comprises a plurality of fins.

11. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 10 wherein heatsink acts to cool the driver/dimmer via convection cooling.

12. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 9 further comprising a thermally conductive electrically isolated material for coupling the power circuit to the chassis to further improve heat dissipation.

13. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 6 wherein the communication interface is either DMX512A, 0-10 Vdc analog control, Zigbee wireless or Remote Device Management (RDM) compatible.

14. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 2 wherein the inrush current limit comprises:

a switch;

a relay coil, connected to the switch; and

a thermistor;

wherein the relay coil and the thermistor are in parallel with each other.

15. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 wherein the light fixture load is one of an Organic LED (OLED) load or an LED load.

16. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 2 comprising an auxiliary flyback converter to provide power to the primary digital controller, secondary digital controller, and communication interface

17. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 2 wherein the primary digital controller can disable the PFC boost and DC/DC Converter at zero light intensity state.

18. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 5 comprising a means to map output current drivers to various DMX512 addresses.

19. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 5 comprising a means to map output current drivers to various dimming zones for 0-10 Vdc control.

20. The LED driver/dimmer of claim 5 further comprising an isolated communication bus to transmit the digital feedback control into the PDC.