Power supply for 2-line dimmer

• US 7,489,088 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Frid, Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene; Haissa
• Application Number:
  US11/553,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20070126366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 315/200.R, 315/206, 315/208, 315/287, 315/291, 315/362, 315/DIG.4, 323/220, 323/226, 323/235, 323/330, 323/282, 363/89, 363125-127
• US Class Current: 315/287
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/04 Controlling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 315/04 Dimming circuit for fluorescent lamps

Abstract

A power supply circuit for a dimmer switching device includes a voltage doubler circuit, a filter circuit, a switching power supply, and a linear regulator circuit. In one embodiment, the voltage doubler circuit includes a first stage having a first capacitor and a first diode, and a second stage having a second capacitor and a second diode. The switching power supply may include a feedback circuit, and may be a non-isolated power supply. In an embodiment, the dimmer device is variable between an OFF position and a full ON position, and the circuit is effective to provide power for operation of the switching power supply while the dimmer device is in the full ON position.

Claims

1. A power supply circuit for providing power to internal circuits of a lighting dimmer device adapted to be connected to a source of AC potential, comprising:

a switching device having a line connection terminal adapted to connect to said source of AC potential and a load connection terminal adapted to connect to a load, wherein during an ON state said switching device conducts said source of AC potential through said load and during an OFF state said switching device impedes said source of AC potential from conducting through said load;

a voltage multiplier adapted to be coupled to said source of AC potential and to said load connection terminal to provide an output signal, wherein said voltage multiplier charges said output signal during said OFF state of said switching device to about at least twice a peak voltage of said source of AC potential during when said switching device is in said OFF state;

a switching power supply coupled to said voltage multiplier to receive, as an input potential, said output signal from said voltage multiplier; and

a linear post regulator interposed between said switching power supply and said internal circuits.

2. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage multiplier is a voltage doubler.

3. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the switching power supply is a non-isolated power supply.

4. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the switching power supply includes a feedback circuit.

5. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a filter circuit interposed between the voltage multiplier and the switching power supply.

6. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said source of AC potential includes a line terminal, said line terminal being accessible for direct connection to components of the dimmer device.

7. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said source of AC potential is from one of AC mains power, a transformer, an AC divider, and a filter.

8. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage multiplier is a voltage tripler.

9. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said load terminal being accessible for direct connection to components of the dimmer device.

10. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said source of AC potential represents a train of pulses and the switching power supply is utilized to power devices other than dimmers connected to said source.

11. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said source of AC potential includes a zero-crossing point at time T0 and a time T1 occurs temporally after said zero-crossing point, wherein said voltage multiplier charges said output signal from about time T0 to at least about time T1.

12. A power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein said time T1 occurs about when said switching device transitions from said OFF state to said ON state.

13. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching device is in said OFF state for at least one cycle of said source of AC potential thereby said voltage multiplier charges said output signal during said at least one cycle of said source of AC potential to the about at least twice the peak voltage of said source of AC potential.

14. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage multiplier is one selected from the group consisting of a capacitor-diode network and a transformer.

15. A power supply circuit according to claim 14, wherein the voltage multiplier is a half-wave series multiplier.

16. A power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching device is configured to operate to maximize said conduction of said source of AC potential through said load throughout at least one cycle of said source of AC potential and, said source of AC potential includes a zero-crossing point at time T0, wherein said switching device is configured to transition from said OFF state to said ON state at a time T1 after a predetermined amount of time after said time T0 and said voltage multiplier drives said output signal substantially throughout said predetermined amount of time.

17. A power supply circuit according to claim 16, wherein said about at least twice said peak voltage of said source of AC potential during when said switching device is in said OFF state is about at least twice a voltage of said source of AC potential at said time T1 whereby said output signal is charged by said voltage multiplier to said at least twice said voltage of said source of AC potential at said time T1.

18. A power supply circuit according to claim 16, wherein said time T1 occurs about when said source of AC potential is a minimum working voltage of said switching device, wherein said voltage multiplier is adapted to charge said output signal to at least twice a voltage of said source of AC potential at said time T1.

19. A power supply circuit for connection to a lighting dimmer device, comprising:

a switching device having a line connection terminal adapted to connect to a source of AC potential and a load connection terminal adapted to connect to a load, wherein during an ON state said switching device conducts said source of AC potential through said load and during an OFF state said switching device impedes said source of AC potential from conducting through said load;

a voltage doubler circuit adapted to be coupled to said source of AC potential and to said load connection terminal to provide an output signal, wherein said voltage doubler charges said output signal during said OFF state of said switching device to about twice a peak voltage of said source of AC potential during when said switching device is in said OFF state;

a filter circuit connected to the voltage doubler circuit and adapted to receive said output signal;

a switching power supply connected to the filter circuit; and

a linear regulator circuit connected to the switching power supply and coupled to an internal circuit of said dimmer device.

20. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the voltage doubler circuit includes a first stage having a first capacitor and a first diode, and a second stage having a second capacitor and a second diode.

21. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the filter circuit includes an inductor and a capacitor.

22. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the switching power supply includes a feedback circuit.

23. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the switching device includes a FET.

24. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the switching device includes an IGBT.

25. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the linear regulator circuit includes a linear voltage regulator and a capacitor.

26. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein said source of AC potential is from one of AC mains power, a transformer, an AC divider, and a filter.

27. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the switching power supply is a non-isolated power supply.

28. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein said dimmer device is variable between an OFF position and a full ON position, and said circuit is effective to provide power for operation of the switching power supply while said dimmer device is in the full ON position.

29. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the switching device includes a triac.

30. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein said switching device is configured to operate to maximize said conduction of said source of AC potential through said load throughout at least one cycle of said source of AC potential and, said source of AC potential includes a zero-crossing point at time T0, wherein said switching device is configured to transition from said OFF state to said ON state at a time T1 after a predetermined amount of time after said time T0 and said voltage doubler drives said output signal substantially throughout said predetermined amount of time.

31. A power supply circuit according to claim 30, wherein said about twice said peak voltage of said source of AC potential during when said switching device is in said OFF state is about twice a voltage of said source of AC potential at said time T1 whereby said voltage doubler charges said output signal to said twice said voltage of said source of AC potential at said time T1.

32. A power supply circuit according to claim 30, wherein said time T1 occurs about when said source of AC potential is a minimum working voltage of said switching device, wherein said voltage multiplier is adapted to charge said output signal to twice a voltage of said source of AC potential at said time T1.

33. A power supply circuit according to claim 19, wherein the voltage doubler is one selected from the group consisting of a capacitor-diode network and a transformer.

34. A power supply circuit according to claim 33, wherein the voltage doubler is a half-wave series multiplier.