Lighting apparatus having plural analog outputs

• US 8,547,262 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Light-Based Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Jackson, Verne S., Jackson, Jeanette Elisabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): LAUTURE, JOSEPH J
• Application Number:
  US13/174,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20110254466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 341/133, 341/110, 345/204, 327/12, 315/294, 315/295, 315/297, 315/312, 315/362
• US Class Current: 341/133
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 7/00 Multiplex systems in which the amplitudes or durations of the signals in individual channels are characteristic of those channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0264 Arrangements for coupling to transmission lines duplexing arrangements H04L5/14; line equalisers, line build-out devices H04L25/03878
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0272 Arrangements for coupling to multiple lines, e.g. for differential transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/49 using code conversion at the transmitter; using predistortion; using insertion of idle bits for obtaining a desired frequency spectrum; using three or more amplitude levels ; Baseband coding techniques specific to data transmission systems spectral shaping H04L25/03828
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission

Abstract

The invention provides a system of generation of multi-channel analog output signals, from a single analog input signal, and the controlled activation of peripheral devices responsive to the multi-channel analog output signals. A single-channel to multi-channel analog-to-analog converter is provided to convert the single analog input signal to multiple output channels. Uni-directional coupling is used for coupling and mixing the multi-channel outputs and transferring the mixed outputs to a data bus. Signals on the data bus are used to drive the multiple peripheral devices.

Claims

1. Lighting apparatus comprising:

an analog input;

a plurality of driving circuits each capable of driving a light source;

a control circuit configured to provide a plurality of analog output signals in response to an analog input signal presented at the analog input, the control circuit embodying a plurality of mappings, each of the mappings relating values of one of the analog output signals to values of the analog input signal presented at the analog input;

wherein each of the plurality of driving circuits is connected to be controlled by one of the analog output signals;

wherein the mappings are such that, for each of the analog output signals, changing the value of the analog input signal within a range causes the analog output signal to vary according to a profile specified by the one of the plurality of mappings associated with the analog output signal.

2. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a light source of a first type is connected to be driven by the driving circuit associated with a first one of the analog outputs and a light source of a second type is connected to be driven by the driving circuit associated with a second one of the analog outputs wherein the first and second types are different.

3. Lighting apparatus according to claim 2 wherein a light source of a third type is connected to be driven by the driving circuit associated with a third one of the analog outputs wherein the first, second and third types are different.

4. Lighting apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the light source of the first type comprises a light-emitting diode configured to emit light of a first color and the light source of the second type comprises a light-emitting diode configured to emit light of a second color different from the first color.

5. Lighting apparatus according to claim 2 wherein a first one of the outputs is connected to drive at least one red light-emitting diode, a second one of the outputs is connected to drive at least one green light-emitting diode and a third one of the outputs is connected to drive at least one blue light-emitting diode.

6. Lighting apparatus according to claim 5 wherein a fourth one of the outputs is connected to drive at least one additional light source.

7. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of analog outputs comprises at least first, second and third analog outputs, the first analog output is connected to drive a source of red light, the second analog output is connected to drive a source of green light and the third analog output is connected to drive a source of blue light.

8. Lighting apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the sources of red, green and blue light comprise light-emitting diodes.

9. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the input signal represents a characteristic of ambient light.

10. Lighting apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the characteristic is a brightness of the ambient light.

11. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the input signal comprises an electrical signal representing an accumulated value.

12. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the analog input is connected to receive the analog input signal from a power supply wire.

13. Lighting apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the power supply wire is connected to supply electrical power to the control circuit.

14. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the input signal comprises an externally adjustable electric voltage or current.

15. Lighting apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the input signal comprises a user adjustable electric voltage or current.

16. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the input signal comprises a composition of signals represented in a cumulated analog form.

17. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the input signal comprises a stepped analog signal.

18. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein one or more of the profiles comprises a ramp region wherein an increase in the value of the analog input signal provides a corresponding increase in the value of the corresponding analog output signal and a peak region wherein the value of the corresponding analog output signal remains generally constant as the analog input signal changes.

19. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein one or more of the profiles comprises a decay region wherein an increase in the value of the analog input signal provides a corresponding decrease in the value of the corresponding analog output signal.

20. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of the profiles has at least one energized portion wherein the value of the corresponding output signal is non-zero and wherein the energized portions of at least two of the profiles overlap.

21. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to partition an input range of the input signal into a plurality of sub-ranges.

22. Lighting apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the sub-ranges each correspond to one of the outputs and, for each of the outputs, the control circuit is configured to control the corresponding output signal to be off when the input signal has a value outside of all sub-ranges corresponding to the output.

23. Lighting apparatus according to claim 22 wherein a plurality of non-overlapping ones of the sub-ranges correspond to one of the outputs.

24. Lighting apparatus according to claim 22 wherein neighboring ones of the sub-ranges overlap.

25. Lighting apparatus according to claim 21 wherein at least two of the sub-ranges completely overlap to provide simultaneous turning on of a plurality of the output signals in response to an increase in the input signal into the at least two of the sub-ranges.

26. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein one or more of the mappings comprises a non-linear mapping.

27. Lighting apparatus according to claim 26 wherein one or more of the mappings specifies a non-linear increase in the corresponding output signal in response to an increase in the input signal over a sub-range of the input signal.

28. Lighting apparatus according to claim 26 wherein one or more of the mappings specifies a non-linear decrease in the corresponding output signal in response to an increase in the input signal over a sub-range of the input signal.

29. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of the profiles has at least one energized portion wherein the value of the corresponding output signal is non-zero and the energized portions of different ones of the profiles correspond to different sub-ranges of values of the analog input signal.

30. Lighting apparatus according to claim 29 wherein at least one of the profiles comprises a plurality of distinct energized portions.

31. Lighting apparatus according to claim 29 wherein two or more of the sub-ranges overlap.

32. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, for at least some values of the analog input signal, all of the analog output signals are off.

33. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the outputs is connected to an input of an analog-to-digital converter.

34. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a photoelectric monitor configured to generate a signal in response to light incident on the photoelectric monitor and connected to provide the signal at the input.

35. Lighting apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of light sources, different ones of the light sources operable to emit light of different colors, each of the light sources connected to be driven by one of the driving circuits such that the light sources are controllable in response to the analog input signal to provide color mixing.