SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A LIGHT EMITTING DIODE FIXTURE

• US 20140191675A1
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Godbole, Kedar, Vargha, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,095,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/193
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/31 Phase-control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/357 specially adapted for retrofit LED light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/36 Circuits for reducing or suppressing harmonics, ripples or electromagnetic interferences [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

One embodiment in accordance with the invention can include a circuit for controlling a light emitting diode (LED) lighting fixture via a power line. The circuit can include a power switch coupled to the power line and is for outputting a firing angle. Additionally, the circuit can include a control circuit coupled to the power switch and is for implementing firing angle control of the power switch. Furthermore, the circuit can include a translator coupled to receive the firing angle and for mapping the firing angle to a function of the LED lighting fixture.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. An apparatus comprising a circuit coupled to a light emitting diode (LED) driver circuit, wherein the circuit is operative to control functionality of the LED driver circuit based on a firing angle from a power switch.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the circuit comprises a translator circuit coupled to receive the firing angle from the power switch.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the translator circuit is operative to map the firing angle to one of a plurality of commands of a LED lighting fixture coupled to the LED driver circuit, wherein the LED lighting fixture is configurable to provide a plurality of functions controllable based on the plurality of commands.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the translator circuit is operative to determine a parameter associated with the firing angle received from the power switch and operative to generate a control signal based, at least in part, on, the parameter associated with the firing angle, wherein the control signal is operative to prompt the LED driver circuit to control functionality of the LED lighting fixture, wherein the firing angle is encoded with a plurality of functions of the LED lighting fixture, wherein a first pulse of the firing angle is encoded with a first of the plurality of functions and a second pulse of the firing angle is encoded with a second of the plurality of functions.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the control signal comprises at least one of an intensity command for the LED lighting fixture, a color command for the LED lighting fixture, a power factor command for the LED lighting fixture, or a power dissipation command for the LED lighting fixture.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the translator circuit further comprising a control device operative to identify a type of operation for the LED lighting fixture to perform based on the parameter associated with the firing angle, and to generate the control signal based on the type of operation for the LED lighting fixture to perform.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the translator circuit further comprises a mapping between parameters associated with firing angles and operations for the LED lighting fixture to perform, wherein the control device is operative to utilize the mapping and the parameter to identify the type of operation for the LED lighting fixture to perform.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the firing angle is an alternating power signal encoded with information corresponding to the parameter.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

wherein the translator circuit further comprising;

a bridge rectifier operative to generate a non-alternating power signal from the alternating power signal; and

a comparator circuit operative to compare the non-alternating power signal with a reference voltage to generate an output signal, wherein the parameter associated with the firing angle corresponds to a width of a pulse in the output signal.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the LED lighting fixture comprises a plurality of LEDs coupled in series or in parallel.

31. A method comprising:

determining, by a circuit, a parameter associated with a firing angle received from a power switch; and

generating, by the circuit, a control signal in view of the parameter, wherein the control signal is operative to control a light emitting diode (LED) driver circuit.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the control signal is operative to prompt the LED driver circuit to control operation of a light emitting diode (LED) lighting fixture, wherein the LED lighting fixture is configurable to provide a plurality of functions controllable based on the plurality of commands.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the firing angle is encoded with a plurality of functions of the LED lighting fixture.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the control signal comprises at least one of an intensity command for the LED lighting fixture, a color command for the LED lighting fixture, a power factor command for the LED lighting fixture, or a power dissipation command for the LED lighting fixture.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising identifying, by a translator circuit of the circuit, a type of operation for the LED lighting fixture to perform based on the parameter associated with the firing angle, wherein generating the control signal is based on the type of operation for the LED lighting fixture to perform.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein identifying the type of operation for the LED lighting fixture to perform further comprising utilizing, by the translator circuit, a mapping between parameters associated with firing angles and operations for the LED lighting fixture to perform to identify the type of operation for the LED lighting fixture to perform.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the firing angle is an alternating power signal encoded with information corresponding to the parameter.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein determining the parameter associated with the firing angle further comprising:

generating, by a translator circuit of the circuit, a non-alternating power signal from the alternating power signal; and

comparing, by the translator circuit, the non-alternating power signal with a reference voltage to generate an output signal, wherein the parameter associated with the firing angle corresponds to a width of a pulse in the output signal.

39. An apparatus comprising

a translation device operative to decode a firing angle of a power signal to identify an operation for a light emitting diode (LED) lighting device to perform, and to receive the firing angle from a power switch comprising a control circuit that controls the firing angle of the power switch and to generate a command signal based, at least in part, on the firing angle to control an operation of the LED lighting device.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the command signal comprises at least one of an intensity command for the LED lighting device, a color command for the LED lighting device, a power factor command for the LED lighting device, or a power dissipation command for the LED lighting device.