Controlling color temperature of lighting fixture

• US 7,352,137 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teknoware Oy (Teknopower Oy)
• Original Assignee: Teknoware Oy (Teknopower Oy)
• Inventors: Tabell, Jari
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thuy V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, JIMMY T
• Application Number:
  US10/861,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20040264186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 315/156, 315/158, 315/159, 315/149, 315/312, 315/169.1, 315/169.3, 315/307, 315/209.R, 315/245, 315/291, 315/302, 315/320, 315/360, 315/362, 250/205, 362227-231, 362/240, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/46 having LEDs disposed in parallel lines

Abstract

A method for controlling the color temperature of a lighting fixture, and a lighting fixture, whereby the lighting fixture is implemented using differently colored light emitting diodes. The method comprises steps of generating light by differently colored light emitting diodes (R, G, B) and controlling a current (IdR, IdG, IdB) flowing through the differently colored light emitting diodes in order to provide the lighting fixture with a desired color temperature.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the color temperature of a lighting fixture, wherein the lighting fixture is implemented using differently colored light emitting diodes, the method comprising the steps of

generating light using the differently colored light emitting diodes, and

controlling a respective current flowing through the differently colored light emitting diodes,

wherein the step of controlling the current flowing through the light emitting diodes comprises the steps of:

generating a control voltage in order to control the light emitting diodes,

generating from the control voltage separate base voltages to each of the differently colored light emitting diodes, and

controlling each differently colored light emitting diode proportionally to the control voltage using the base voltages by controlling the current flowing through the differently colored light emitting diodes in order to provide the lighting fixture with a desired color temperature.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises a step of controlling the sum of the currents of the differently colored light emitting diodes to be substantially constant.

3. A lighting fixture comprising light sources formed of light emitting diodes and a controller in order to control the lighting generated by the light sources, the light emitting diodes of the lighting fixtures comprising light emitting diodes of at least two different colors, the controller being arranged to control the light intensity generated by the differently colored light emitting diodes in order to control the color temperature of the lighting fixture, the controller comprising means for controlling a respective current flowing through each differently colored light emitting diode in response to a control voltage, said means for controlling the respective current flowing through each differently colored light emitting diode comprising transistors connected in series with the light emitting diodes of each color and a resistance coupling defining a base voltage for each transistor in response to the control voltage.

4. The lighting fixture as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lighting fixture further comprises a constant-current regulator in order to maintain the light level generated by the light emitting diodes substantially constant when controlling the color temperature of the lighting fixture.

5. The lighting fixture as claimed in claim 3, wherein said controller is arranged to control the color temperature of the lighting fixture in response to the light level control so that the controller sets the color temperature lower when the light level is set lower and sets the color temperature higher when the light level is set higher.

6. The lighting fixture as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lighting fixture comprises red, green and blue light emitting diodes.