LED transceiver front end circuitry and related methods

• US 8,674,913 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Ketra, Inc. (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Knapp, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHENG, TOM V
• Application Number:
  US12/924,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20110253915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 345/76, 345/81, 345/82, 250/552, 250/553, 398/138
• US Class Current: 345/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/43 with synchronous transmission, e.g. time division multiplex [TDM], slotted rings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/437 Ring fault isolation or reconfiguration for SDH/SONET ring networks H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

LED transceiver front end circuitry and related methods are disclosed that use an LED or LEDs to transmit light in a transmit state and to receive incident light in a receive state while helping to reduce effects of power supply noise and ripple and device leakage currents on incident light measurements in applications where such conditions exist. In the disclosed embodiments and implementations, a controlled voltage is applied across an LED or LEDs or a reference voltage is applied to an LED chain or LED to help reduce the effects of power supply noise and ripple and device leakage currents on incident light measurements during a receive state of operation. Further, with respect to the LED chain, one or more resistors are coupled in parallel to the LEDs in the LED chain.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transmitting and receiving light, comprising:

current source circuitry coupled to an LED and configured to force a first current through the LED to produce light during a transmit state;

control circuitry coupled to the LED and configured to apply a controlled voltage across the LED during a receive state, wherein the control circuitry comprises switch circuitry configured to couple an anode of the LED to a power supply voltage in the transmit state and to couple the anode of the LED to near ground in the receive state; and

measurement circuitry coupled to the LED and configured to measure a second current induced in the LED by incident light during the receive state.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the LED comprises a chain of LEDs.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlled voltage applied across the LED is substantially zero volts.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlled voltage applied across the LED is configured to reverse bias the LED.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises a trans-impedance amplifier coupled to a cathode of the LED.

6. An apparatus for transmitting and receiving light, comprising

an LED chain, the LED chain comprising one or more serially connected LEDs with at least one LED in the LED chain coupled in parallel with a resistor;

current source circuitry coupled to the LED chain and configured to force a first current through the LED chain to produce light during a transmit state;

control circuitry coupled to the LED chain and configured to apply a reference voltage to the LED chain during a receive state; and

measurement circuitry coupled to the LED chain and configured to measure a voltage induced in the LED chain by incident light during the receive state; and

wherein the control circuit is further configured to vary the reference voltage based upon a measurement of the voltage induced in the LED chain by incident light during the receive state.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each LED in the LED chain is coupled in parallel with a resistor.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain and a cathode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain are coupled to amplifier circuitry configured to amplify a voltage between the anode and the cathode.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain and a cathode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain are coupled to analog to digital converter circuitry configured to digitize the voltage between the anode and the cathode.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the control circuitry comprises switch circuitry configured to couple an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain to a power supply voltage in the transmit state and to the reference voltage in the receive state.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the reference voltage is within 1 volt from ground.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the control circuitry comprises switch circuitry configured to couple a cathode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain to the reference voltage in the receive state and not to couple the cathode to the reference voltage in the transmit state.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain is coupled to a power supply voltage in the transmit state, and wherein the reference voltage is within 1 volt from the power supply voltage.

14. A method for transmitting and receiving light, comprising:

forcing a first current through an LED to produce light during a transmit state by coupling an anode of the LED to a power supply voltage in the transmit state;

applying a controlled voltage across the LED during a receive state by coupling the anode of the LED to ground in the receive state; and

measuring a second current induced in the LED by incident light during the receive state.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the LED comprises a chain of LEDs.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the applying step comprises applying a controlled voltage of substantially zero volts across the LED.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the applying step comprises reverse biasing the LED with the controlled voltage.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the applying step utilizes a trans-impedance amplifier coupled to a cathode of the LED.

19. A method for transmitting and receiving light, comprising

forcing a first current through an LED chain to produce light during a transmit state, the LED chain comprising one or more LEDs with at least one LED in the LED chain coupled in parallel with a resistor;

applying a reference voltage to the LED chain during a receive state;

measuring a voltage induced in the LED chain by incident light during the receive state; and

varying the reference voltage based upon the measuring step.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein each LED in the LED chain is coupled in parallel with a resistor.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising amplifying a voltage between an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain and a cathode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain.

22. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising digitizing a voltage between an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain and a cathode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain.

23. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the applying step comprises coupling an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain to a power supply voltage in the transmit state and to the reference voltage in the receive state.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the reference voltage is within 1 volt from ground.

25. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the applying step comprises coupling a cathode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain to the reference voltage in the receive state and not coupling the cathode to the voltage reference in the transmit state.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising coupling an anode of one of the LEDs in the LED chain to a supply voltage in the transmit state, and wherein the reference voltage is within 1 volt from the power supply voltage.

27. An apparatus for transmitting and receiving light, comprising:

current source circuitry coupled to an LED and configured to force a first current through the LED to produce light during a transmit state;

control circuitry coupled to the LED and configured to apply a controlled voltage across the LED during a receive state, wherein the control circuitry comprises switch circuitry configured to couple an anode of the LED to a power supply voltage in the transmit state and not to couple the anode of the LED to the power supply voltage in the receive state; and

measurement circuitry coupled to the LED and configured to measure a second current induced in the LED by incident light during the receive state.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein the control circuitry comprises a trans-impedance amplifier, which is coupled to the anode of the LED in the receive state.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 28, wherein the switch circuitry is further configured to couple a cathode of the LED to the power supply voltage in the receive state.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein the control circuitry comprises a trans-impedance amplifier, which is coupled to the cathode of the LED in the receive state.

31. The apparatus as recited in claim 30, wherein the switch circuitry is further configured to couple the anode of the LED to a reference voltage in the receive state.

32. A method for transmitting and receiving light, comprising:

forcing a first current through an LED to produce light during a transmit state by coupling an anode of the LED to a power supply voltage in the transmit state;

applying a controlled voltage across the LED during a receive state by not coupling the anode of the LED to the power supply voltage in the receive state; and

measuring a second current induced in the LED by incident light during the receive state.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein the applying step utilizes a trans-impedance amplifier coupled to an anode of the LED.

34. The method as recited in claim 32, further comprising coupling a cathode of the LED to the power supply voltage in the receive state.