LED ILLUMINATION APPARATUS AND LED ILLUMINATION SYSTEM

• US 20130241428A1
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CMC Magnetics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: TAKEDA, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 9,198,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/210
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/46 having LEDs disposed in parallel lines

Abstract

An LED lighting apparatus connected to a power source via two electric lines, includes first and second LEDs having different emission spectrum or chromaticity, a switching unit to monitor ON time length of power supplied from the two electric lines periodically to switch a control mode of the first and second LEDs between first and second modes as a condition that the ON time is not changed continues for more than a threshold value, a first control unit to determine, in the first mode, a total amount of average current to be supplied to the first LED and to the second LED depending on the ON time length of the electric power, and a second control unit to determine, in the second mode, a ratio of average currents to be supplied to the first LED and to the second LED depending on the ON time length.

Claims

1. An LED illumination apparatus configured to be connected with a light adjustment apparatus, which is connected with a power source via a single first power feeding line, via a single second power feeding line, configured to be connected with the power source via a single third power feeding line, and configured to receive an AC current supplied from the power source during a conduction time depending on an ignition phase angle of a conduction control unit in response to an operation amount of a user interface included in the light adjustment apparatus, the LED illumination apparatus comprising:

first and second LED modules configured to emit lights having a same color with different emission spectra or lights having different colors;

a measurement unit configured to measure the ignition phase angle and time change of the ignition phase angle;

light adjusting means configured to supply a driving current, by using the received AC current, for the first and second LED modules emitting a light having a luminance depending on the ignition phase angle;

a color adjusting unit configured to supply a driving current, by using the received AC current, for the first and second LED modules emitting a light having a color temperature depending on the ignition phase angle;

a selecting unit configured to switch a control mode to be select based on the time change of the ignition phase angle between a light adjustment mode that a driving current adjusted by the light adjusting unit is supplied to the first and second LED modules and a color adjustment mode that a driving current adjusted by the color adjusting unit is supplied to the first and second LED modules;

a light adjustment control unit configured to control the light adjusting means so that the first and second LED modules emit a light having a luminance based on the ignition phase angle in a state that the light adjustment mode is selected;

a color adjustment control unit configured to control the color adjusting unit so that the first and second LED modules emit a light having a color temperature depending on the ignition phase angle in a state that the color adjustment mode is selected.

2. The LED illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selecting unit selects either the light adjustment mode or the color adjustment mode when a main power source of the LED illumination apparatus is turned on, and switches one of the light adjustment mode and the color adjustment mode into the other mode in a condition that a time for the ignition phase angle not to change exceeds a threshold value in one of the light adjustment mode and the color adjustment mode.

3. The LED illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selecting unit maintains the light adjustment mode when the time change of the ignition phase angle is within a given range in a state that the light adjustment mode is selected, and

the light adjusting unit supplies a driving current of an average current value corresponding to magnitude of the ignition phase angle.

4. The LED illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color adjusting unit, in a state that the color adjustment mode is selected, adjusts a ratio of driving currents which are supplied to the first and second LED modules so that the color temperature is raised in a reduction tendency of the ignition phase angle while the color temperature is decreased in an increasing tendency of the ignition phase angle.

5. The LED illumination apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of two terminals consisting of a first terminal connected with the light adjustment apparatus via one of a pair of power feeding lines and a second terminal connected with the power source via the other of the pair of power feeding lines.

6. The LED illumination apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electric storage unit configured to store electrical charge for the light adjusting unit or the color adjusting unit continuing supply of the driving current using the received AC current after the conduction time.

7. An LED illumination system, comprising:

a light and color adjusting apparatus connected with a power source via a single feeding line; and

an LED illumination apparatus including a first terminal connected with the light and color adjusting apparatus via one of a pair of feeding lines and a second terminal connected with the power source via the other of the pair of feeding lines,

wherein the light and color adjusting apparatus including;

a first user interface to adjust a luminance;

a second user interface to adjust a color temperature;

a first shaping unit configured to shape an AC voltage waveform supplied form the power source so as to include a luminance control signal corresponding to an operation amount of the first user interface; and

a second shaping unit configured to shape an AC voltage waveform supplied from the power source so as to include a color temperature control signal corresponding to an operation amount of the second user interface,

wherein the LED illumination apparatus including;

a pair of terminals, one of the pair of terminals being connected with the light and color adjusting apparatus and the other of the pair of terminals being connected with the power source;

first and second LED modules configured to emit lights having a same color with different emission spectra or lights having different colors;

a judging unit configured to determine whether the AC voltage waveform received from the light and color adjusting apparatus includes the luminance control signal or includes the color temperature control signal;

a light adjusting unit configured to supply a driving current for adjusting a luminance to the first and second LED modules;

a color adjusting unit configured to supply a driving current for adjusting a color temperature to the first and second LED modules;

a light adjustment control unit configured to control the light adjusting unit so that the first and second LED modules emit a light having a luminance corresponding to the luminance control signal; and

a color adjustment control unit configured to control the color adjusting unit so that the first and second LED modules emit a light having a color temperature corresponding to the color temperature control signal.

8. The LED illumination system according to claim 7, wherein one of the first shaping unit and the second shaping unit generates a section that a voltage of a given amount is reduced in both of positive and negative cycles of the AC voltage waveform depending on an operation amount of the first user interface or the second user interface;

the other of the first shaping unit and the second shaping unit generates a section that a voltage of a given amount is reduced in one of positive and negative cycles of the AC voltage waveform depending on an operation amount of the first user interface or the second user interface;

the judging unit judges whether the AC voltage waveform includes the luminance control signal or includes the color temperature control signal by determining whether the section that the voltage of the given amount is reduced is changed in both of the positive and negative cycles of the AC voltage waveform or not.

9. The LED illumination system according to claim 7, wherein the light adjustment control unit controls the light adjusting unit so that the luminance becomes lower according to decrease of a phase angle indicating a position of the luminance control signal within the AC voltage waveform.

10. The LED illumination system according to claim 7, wherein the color temperature adjustment control unit controls the color adjusting unit so that a color temperature becomes higher according to decrease of a phase angle indicating a position of the luminance control signal within the AC voltage waveform.

11. A light and color adjustment apparatus, comprising:

a first terminal connected to a power source;

a second terminal connected to one of a pair of terminals included in an LED illumination apparatus, the other of the pair of terminals being connected to the power source;

a first user interface to adjust a luminance;

a second user interface to adjust a color temperature;

a first shaping unit configured to shape an AC voltage waveform supplied from the power source via the first terminal so as to include a luminance control signal corresponding to an operation amount of the first user interface; and

a second shaping unit configured to shape an AC voltage waveform supplied from the power source via the first terminal so as to include a color temperature control signal corresponding to an operation amount of the second user interface, wherein the AC voltage waveform shaped by the first shaping unit and the second shaping unit is sent to the LED illumination apparatus via the second terminal.

12. An LED illumination apparatus, comprising:

a pair of terminals consisting of a first terminal connected with a light and color adjustment apparatus, which is connected to a power source, and a second terminal connected with the power source;

first and second LED modules configured to emit lights having a same color with different emission spectra or lights having different colors;

a judging unit configured to judge whether an AC voltage waveform received from the light and color adjusting apparatus includes the luminance control signal or includes the color temperature control signal;

a light adjusting unit configured to supply a driving current for adjusting luminance to the first and second LED modules;

a color adjusting unit configured to supply a driving current for adjusting color temperature to the first and second LED modules;

a light adjustment control unit configured to control the light adjusting unit so that the first and second LED modules emit a light having a luminance corresponding to the luminance control signal; and

a color adjustment control unit configured to control the color adjusting unit so that the first and second LED modules emit a light having a color temperature corresponding to the color temperature control signal.

13. An LED lighting apparatus connected to a power source via two electric lines, comprising:

a first LED and a second LED which have different emission spectrum or chromaticity each other;

a switching unit configured to monitor a length of ON time of electric power being supplied by the two electric lines periodically to switch a control mode of the first LED and the second LED between a first mode and a second mode as a condition that a state that the ON time is not changed continues more than a threshold value;

a first control unit configured to determine, in the first mode, a total amount of an average current to be supplied to the first LED and an average current to be supplied to the second LED depending on the length of the ON time of the electric power; and

a second control unit configured to determine, in the second mode, a ratio of an average current to be supplied to the first LED and an average current to be supplied to the second LED depending on the length of the ON time of the electric power.

14. The LED lighting apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a non-volatility storage medium configured to store mode information indicating the control mode in a current, and the total amount and the ratio in a current.

15. An LED lighting apparatus connected to a power source via two electric lines, comprising:

a first LED and a second LED which have different emission spectrum or chromaticity each other;

a detecting unit configured to detect light adjustment information and color adjustment information from a periodical voltage or current waveform supplied by the two electric lines;

a first control unit configured to determine a total amount of an average current to be supplied to the first LED and an average current to be supplied to the second LED depending on the light adjustment information; and

a second control unit configured to determine a ratio of an average current to be supplied to the first LED and an average current to be supplied to the second LED depending on the color adjustment information.

16. The LED lighting apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a non-volatility storage medium configured to store the total amount and the ratio in a current.