Operating device for operating a light source, in particular LED

• US 8,384,302 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tridonicatco GmbH & Co. KG. (Zumtobel Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co. KG (Zumtobel Group AG)
• Inventors: Zudrell-Koch, Stefan, Barth, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, Crystal L
• Application Number:
  US12/664,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20100301766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/385 using flyback topology
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

The invention relates to an operating device for operating an LED light source. The device includes a first power converter stage (P1) supplied with mains voltage with a first reference potential (Z1), a second power converter stage (P2) with a second reference potential (Z2), which is connected to the secondary side of the first power converter stage (P1) via a first potential isolation unit (G1), a digital control unit (C1), which, via a second potential isolation unit (G2), controls the first power converter stage (P1) and the second power converter stage (P2) without potential isolation, at least one power switch (S2) which clocks the converter stage (P2), and an illuminant (L), which is supplied with energy by the second converter stage (P2).

Claims

1. An operating device for operating a light source, comprising:

a first power converter stage supplied with mains voltage with a first reference potential,

a second power converter stage with a second reference potential, which is connected to the secondary side of the first power converter stage via a first potential isolation element,

a control unit which via a second potential isolation element controls a power switch of the first power converter stage and the second power converter stage without potential isolation,

at least one power switch which clocks the converter stage, and

an illuminant, which is supplied with energy by the second converter stage.

2. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the second converter stage provides at least one power switch, which is controlled by the control unit preferably without potential isolation, or both the first and second converter stages provide at least one power switch.

3. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a LED, the control system is a digital control system and the second potential isolation element is either integrated in the control unit or is formed as an external transformer.

4. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein on the secondary side of the first potential isolation element an energy storage element is provided in the form of a capacitor or a battery, in which a stabilized intermediate voltage is provided for the supply of the second converter stage.

5. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the illuminant can be supplied selectively starting from an energy store via the second converter stage or directly starting from a supply or mains voltage via the first converter stage.

6. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the first converter stage is a combined converter stage, which forms a combined fly-back converter or forward converter, wherein one of fly-back converter and forward converter supplies the illuminant directly and the other charges an energy store.

7. An emergency lighting unit, providing an operating device according to claim 1.

8. An integrated control unit which is designed for an operating device according to claim 1.

9. The integrated control unit according to claim 8 which is an ASIC.

10. An operating device for operating a light source, comprising:

a first power converter stage supplied with mains voltage with a first reference potential,

a second power converter stage with a second reference potential, which is connected to the secondary side of the first power converter stage via a first potential isolation element,

a digital control unit, which without potential isolation controls a power switch of the first power converter stage and via a second potential isolation element the second power converter stage,

at least one power switch which clocks the converter stage, and

an illuminant, which is supplied with energy by the second converter stage.

11. The operating device according to claim 10, wherein signals are fed back to the control unit, which are all picked up on the primary side of the first potential isolation element.

12. The operating device according to claim 10, wherein signals from the secondary side of the first potential isolation element are fed back to the control unit with potential isolation or in an optical manner.

13. The operating device according to claim 12, wherein the first converter stage and the first potential isolation unit are designed in the form of a forward converter.

14. The operating device according to claim 13, wherein the forward converter is operated in a discontinuous manner.

15. The operating device according to claim 10, wherein the light source is a LED, the control system is a digital control system and wherein the first converter stage and the first potential isolation unit are integrated in a circuit.

16. The operating device according to claim 10 to which external information or instructions are supplied.

17. An operating device for operating a light source, comprising:

a first power converter stage with a first reference potential,

a second power converter stage, which is connected to the first power converter stage,

a control unit, which without potential isolation controls a power switch of the first power converter stage and via a second potential isolation element at least one power switch, which clocks the power converter stage, and

an illuminant, in particular an LED, which is supplied with energy by the second power converter stage and connected to a second reference potential, which is isolated relative to the first power converter stage via a first potential isolation unit.

18. The operating device according to claim 17, wherein the second potential isolation unit is integrated in the control unit, for example, by means of integrated air-core coil or formed as an external transformer.

19. The operating device according to claim 17, wherein signals from the secondary side of the potential isolation element and accordingly with reference to the second reference potential are supplied to the control unit with potential isolation or in an optical manner.