Power supply for LED signal

• US 7,333,027 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: Lumination LLC
• Inventors: Bourgault, Jean Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene; Haissa
• Application Number:
  US11/014,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20060125418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/82, 315/291, 315/224, 315/200.A, 315/312, 315/DIG.4, 340/457.2, 340/468, 340/469, 340/641, 340/907, 340/931, 340660-664, 340/815.45, 362/800, 362/475, 307/10.8, 307/112
• US Class Current: 340/907
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/44 with an active control inside an LED matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/52 in a parallel array of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/54 in a series array of LEDs

Abstract

A power supply for a Light Emitting Diode (LED) traffic signal that controls the light intensity. The light intensity conforms to a predetermined pattern based on the input voltage root mean square value (V_rms). The input voltage is changed by acting on the amplitude of the sine wave or by using a triac and controlling the angle of fire. The power supply comprises a fuse module, an electromagnetic compatibility filter module, a power supply module, a LED load module, a current monitor module, a RMS-DC conversion module and a fuse blow out module.

Claims

1. A power supply for a light emitting diode (LED) traffic signal lamp comprising:

a fuse module, an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) filter module, a power supply module, a LED load module, a current monitor module, a RMS-to-DC conversion module, and a fuse blow out module.

2. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the fuse module comprises at least one fuse for the power supply circuit.

3. The power supply of claim 2 wherein the fuse module is connected directly to the fuse blow out module and further comprises a device to protect circuitry and the lamp from over-voltage on an AC line coming into the lamp.

4. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the EMC filter module comprises X2-capacitors, and/or Y-capacitors, and/or inductors and/or common mode chokes and said EMC filter is adapted to reduce conducted electromagnetic emissions.

5. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the power supply module is adapted to transform AC voltage from an input into DC voltage, with a regulated current.

6. The power supply of claim 5 wherein the power supply module comprises a switching power supply.

7. The power supply of claim 6 wherein the switching power supply comprises a flyback converter.

8. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the power supply module is adapted to operate within the operating range of the lamp from about 100V_ac to about 285V_ac at 50 HZ_ac.

9. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the power supply module has a variable duty cycle.

10. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the LED load module comprises at least one LED.

11. The power supply of claim 10 wherein the LED load module comprises a plurality of LEDs connected in a series-parallel arrangement.

12. The power supply of claim 10 wherein the LED load module comprises a plurality of LEDs connected in a series arrangement

13. The power supply of claim 10 wherein the at least one LED is mounted on a printed circuit board.

14. The power supply of claim 11 wherein the current monitor module is adapted to read a current flowing through the LEDs and reports the value to a power supply controller.

15. The power supply of claim 11 wherein the current monitor module is acted upon by the RMS-to-DC module to change light intensity of the LEDs.

16. The power supply of claim 14 wherein a gain of the reading is modified to change the current flowing through the LEDs.

17. The power supply of claim 11 wherein the RMS-to-DC module and the fuse blow out modules comprise a microcontroller that monitors an input voltage and a current flowing in the LEDs.

18. The power supply of claim 12 wherein the fuse blow out modules comprise comparators that monitor a current flowing in LEDs strings of the LED load module.

19. The power supply of claim 17 wherein the RMS-to-DC module is adapted to sample the input voltage at 23 kHz.

20. The power supply of claim 17 wherein the RMS-to-DC module is adapted to detect a phase controlled signal that varies by as little as 1 degree at 60 Hz.

21. The power supply of claim 17 wherein the microcontroller uses a true RMS-to-DC algorithm.

22. The power supply of claim 20 wherein the microcontroller is adapted to compute the RMS value of the input voltage (V_rms), to average V_rms over a specified time, and to adjust the current monitor gain to closely follow a specified intensity vs. V_rms graph.

23. The power supply of claim 17 wherein the RMS-to-DC module further comprises four transistors and said transistors are turned off or on to control the current flowing in the LEDs.

24. The power supply of claim 17 wherein the RMS-to-DC module further comprises a voltage controlled current source and said voltage controlled current source controls the current flowing through the LEDs.

25. The power supply of claim 17 wherein the microcontroller is adapted to turn off the power supply when the input voltage is below 95V_{ac rms}.

26. The power supply of claim 17 wherein the microcontroller is adapted to monitor the current through the LEDs and if the current falls below a certain level for a specified length of time and the input voltage is above a minimum during that time, to activate the fuse blow out module.

27. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the fuse blow out module comprises a high power MOSFET adapted to create short between an active and a neutral wire of the traffic signal.