Organic light emitting diode arrangement

• US 8,188,673 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hente, Dirk, Verjans, Conrad Wilhelmus Adriaan, Waffenschmidt, Eberhard, Jacobs, Joseph Hendrik Anna Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Vibol
• Application Number:
  US12/523,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 315/210, 315/211, 315/216, 315/224, 315/209.R, 315/291, 315/247, 315/307, 315/308
• US Class Current: 315/247
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/60 Circuit arrangements for operating LEDs comprising organic material, e.g. for operating organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] or polymer light-emitting diodes [PLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

Organic light emitting diode arrangement Organic light emitting diode arrangements (1) are, to protect them against an effect of a switch-on, provided with circuits (31-36) for, during a first time interval that follows a switch-on, limiting a current through the organic light emitting diode arrangement (1) more and for, during a second time interval that follows the first time interval, limiting the current less. The circuit (31-36) may be passive such as a negative temperature coefficient resistor (31) or a series inductor (32) possibly with a freewheel diode (40) or may be active such as a switchable resistor (33) that is not bridged during the first time interval and that is bridged during the second time interval or a switchable resistor that is bridged in response to a detection of a value of the current exceeding a threshold value or such as a part of a converter (63) that is controlled in response to a detection of a value of the current.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting diode arrangement comprising a circuit for, during a first time interval that follows a switch-on, limiting a current through the organic light emitting diode arrangement more than during a second time interval that follows the first time interval, wherein the circuit comprises an active circuit including a switchable resistor that is not bridged during the first time interval and that is bridged during the second time interval.

2. An organic light emitting diode arrangement comprising a circuit for, during a first time interval that follows a switch-on, limiting a current through the organic light emitting diode arrangement more than during a second time interval that follows the first time interval, wherein the circuit comprises an active circuit including a switchable resistor that is bridged in response to a detection of a value of the current exceeding a threshold value.

3. The organic light emitting diode arrangement of claim 2, further comprising a voltage detector for detecting a voltage across an organic light emitting diode, wherein the value of the current is determined from a voltage detected by the voltage detector.

4. A device, comprising:

a driver configured to receive an input voltage from a switchable supply and in response thereto to supply power to a load comprising at least one organic light emitting diode, the driver including;

a pulse width modulator (PWM) configured to output a PWM control signal, and

a switching device configured to control a current supplied to the load; and

a current detector configured to detect the current supplied to the load,

wherein the device further comprises an inrush current limiting circuit configured to respond to a switch-on of the switchable power supply to limit the current supplied to the load for a first time period more than during a second time interval that immediately follows the first time interval, wherein the inrush current limiting circuit comprises;

a comparator configured to compare the detected current to a threshold value and in response thereto to output a gating signal; and

a gating device configured to receive the gating signal and the PWM control signal, wherein the gating device is further configured to supply the PWM control signal to a control terminal of the switching device when the detected current is less than the threshold value, and to disable connection of the PWM control signal to the control terminal of the switching device when the detected current is greater than the threshold value.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising the load comprising at least one organic light emitting diode.