EMERGENCY BACKUP SYSTEMS PROVIDING DIMMED POWER

• US 20170244278A1
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DeNovo Lighting, LLC
• Original Assignee: DeNovo Lighting, LLC
• Inventors: Luk, John F.
• Granted Patent: US 10,333,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/022 Emergency lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/065 for lighting purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/31 Phase-control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/345 Current stabilisation; Maintaining constant current
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/17 Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations

Abstract

A dimmer device for connection to a conventional uninterruptible power supply (UPS) may include a dimmer and a switch assembly that can be configured to provide an automatically switched dimming output to LED loads during a power failure. An integrated emergency backup system may include a charging circuit, a battery, an inverter, a dimmer and a switch circuit that provides an automatically switched dimming output to LED loads during a power failure. The system may operate in either phase dimming mode or 0-10 v low voltage dimming mode. A lighting fixture that includes a light fixture with built-in emergency backup system is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An emergency backup system, comprising:

an inverter operable to convert a direct current (DC) power to an alternating current (AC) power;

a dimmer operable to dim the AC power from the inverter to output a dimmed AC power;

a charging circuit operable to;

deliver a charging voltage from an AC power source received at an input connector to a battery when the AC power source is on, and

provide a DC power, directly or indirectly, to the inverter; and

a switch assembly operable to;

when the AC power source is on, supply a full power of the AC power source to a load via an output connector, and

when the AC power source is interrupted, supply a DC power from the battery to the inverter and to the dimmer, and output the dimmed AC power from the dimmer to the load via the output connector.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery is an internal battery.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the dimmer is an AC phase dimmer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging circuit comprises:

a charging controller connecting between the input connector and an input of the battery, and is operable to deliver the charging voltage from the AC power source to the battery when the AC power source is on; and

an inverter switch coupling an output of the battery to an input of the inverter, and is operable to connect a path between the battery and the inverter when the AC power source is interrupted and to cause an open circuit between the battery and the inverter when the AC power source is on.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch assembly comprises:

a first dimmer switch coupling the dimmer to the output connector, and is operable to connect the dimmer to the output connector or to bypass the dimmer; and

a second dimmer switch connecting a path between the input connector and the first dimmer switch, and is operable to trigger the first dimmer switch to bypass the dimmer when the AC power source is on and to connect a path between the dimmer and the output connector when the AC power source is interrupted.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch assembly comprises:

a first dimmer switch coupling the dimmer to the output connector, and is operable to connect the dimmer to the output connector or to bypass the dimmer; and

a second dimmer switch connecting a path between the input connector and the first dimmer switch, and is operable to trigger the first dimmer switch to connect a path between the dimmer and the output connector when the AC power source is on and to bypass the dimmer when the AC power source is interrupted.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the switch assembly is an electromechanical relay or a solid state relay.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the switch assembly further comprises a third dimmer switch connecting to the inverter, the input connector and the dimmer, and is operable to:

connect a path between the input connector and the dimmer when the AC power source is on; and

connect a path between the inverter and the dimmer when the AC power source is interrupted.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the switch assembly further comprises a third dimmer switch connecting to the inverter, the input connector and the dimmer, and is operable to:

connect a path between the inverter and the dimmer when the AC power source is on; and

connect a path between the input connector and the dimmer when the AC power source is interrupted.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising a test switch connecting to the input connector and operable to interrupt the AC power source to the input connector.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging circuit comprises:

a power supply unit connecting to the input connector;

a charging controller connecting to a battery, and is operated to deliver the charging voltage from the AC power source to the battery when the AC power source is on; and

a charging switch connected between the power supply unit and the charging controller and is operated to connect the power supply unit to the charging controller when the AC power source is on, and to disconnect when the AC power source is interrupted.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the switch assembly comprises:

a first dimmer switch coupling the dimmer to the output connector, and is operated to connect the dimmer to the output connector or to bypass the dimmer; and

a second dimmer switch connecting to the input connector and the first dimmer switch, and is operated to trigger the first dimmer switch to pass the dimmer when the AC power source is on and to connect the dimmer to the output connector when the AC power source is interrupted.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the switch assembly comprises:

a first dimmer switch coupling the dimmer to the output connector, and is operated to connect the dimmer to the output connector or to bypass the dimmer; and

a second dimmer switch connecting to the input connector and the first dimmer switch, and is operated to trigger the first dimmer switch to connect the dimmer to the output connector when the AC power source is on and to bypass the dimmer when the AC power source is interrupted.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a DC connector, operated to output a DC low voltage for controlling a low voltage dimmer to a LED load.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising an output switch having a phase dimming mode and a low voltage output dimming mode, and is operated to:

in the phase dimming mode;

cause the output connector to output the dimmed AC power when the AC power source is interrupted, and

cause the output connector to output a full power of the AC power source when the AC power source is on; and

in the low voltage output dimming mode;

cause the output connector to output a full power of the AC power source and cause the DC connector to output the DC low voltage when the AC power source is interrupted, and

cause the output connector to output a full power of the AC power source when the AC power source is on.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the output switch is a jumper to header pins.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising an AC dimmer setting switch operated to preset a dimming level for the dimmer.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the low voltage dimming mode is 0-10 v dimming mode, further comprising a DC dimmer setting switch operated to preset a dimming level for the DC low voltage ranging between 0 and 9 volts.

19. A lighting system, comprising:

a light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixture comprising one or more LEDs;

a LED load coupled to the LED lighting fixture for providing power to the one or more LEDs;

an inverter configured to convert a direct current (DC) power to an alternating current (AC) power;

a dimmer configured to dim the AC power from the inverter to output a dimmed AC power;

a charging circuit operated to;

deliver a charging voltage from an AC power source via an input connector to a backup battery when the AC power source is on, and

provide a DC power, directly or indirectly, to the inverter; and

a switch assembly operated to;

when the AC power source is on, supply a full power of the AC power source to the LED load, and

when the AC power source is interrupted, supply a DC power from the backup battery to the inverter and to the dimmer, and output the dimmed AC power from the dimmer to the LED load.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the switch assembly comprises:

a first dimmer switch coupling the dimmer to the LED load, and is operated to connect the dimmer to the LED load or to bypass the dimmer; and

a second dimmer switch connecting to the input connector and the first dimmer switch, and is operated to enable the first dimmer switch to bypass the dimmer when the AC power source is on and to connect the dimmer to the LED load when the AC power source is interrupted.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the switch assembly comprises:

a first dimmer switch coupling the dimmer to the LED load, and is operated to connect the dimmer to the LED load or to bypass the dimmer; and

a second dimmer switch connecting to the input connector and the first dimmer switch, and is operated to enable the first dimmer switch to connect the dimmer to the LED load when the AC power source is on and to bypass the dimmer when the AC power source is interrupted.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the LED driver is dimmable by phase control, is further configured to:

output a full power of the AC power source when the AC power source is on; and

output the dimmed AC power to the LED load when the AC power source is interrupted.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the LED driver is dimmable by phase control, is further configured to:

output the dimmed AC power to the LED load when the AC power source is on; and

output a full power of the AC power source when the AC power source is interrupted.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the LED load is dimmable by a low 0-10 v voltage, is further configured to:

output a full power of the AC power source to the LED load when the AC power source is on; and

output a full power of the AC power source and a DC low voltage to the LED load when the AC power source is interrupted.

25. A LED dimmer apparatus couplable to a uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system, comprising:

a dimmer connecting to an input connector and operable to dim an alternating current (AC) power from a UPS received at the input connector to output a dimmed AC power to a LED load via an output connector, wherein the UPS is configured to provide the AC power continuously;

a first switch connecting to the input connector, the dimmer and the output connector, and is operable to connect a path between the dimmer and the output connector or connect a path between the input connector and the output connector bypassing the dimmer; and

a trigger device connecting between the input connector and the first switch, and is operated to;

trigger the first switch to connect the path between the input connector and the output connector to provide a full power of the AC power to the LED load when the AC power is on, and

trigger the first switch to connect the path between the dimmer and the output connector to output the dimmed AC power to the LED load when the AC power is interrupted.

26. The LED dimmable apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a trigger connector configured to receive AC power from an AC power source or a power switch of the UPS system, wherein the AC power received at the trigger connector causes the trigger device to control the first switch.