Automatic input impedance control

• US 8,836,244 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dialight Corporation (Dialight PLC)
• Original Assignee: Dialight Corporation (Dialight PLC)
• Inventors: Hebborn, Kevin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, ANH Q
• Application Number:
  US13/731,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 315/311
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/04 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/355 Power factor correction [PFC]; Reactive power compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/395 Linear regulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an input impedance control circuit. In one embodiment, the automatic input impedance control circuit includes a circuit controller that comprises a module for calculating an impedance and a control logic module, wherein the control logic module provides a current enable signal and a current control output signal, a driver in communication with the circuit controller for receiving the current enable signal and the current control output signal, an input voltage sensing circuit in communication with the module for calculating the impedance and the control logic module and an input current sensing circuit in communication with the module for calculating the impedance.

Claims

1. An input impedance control circuit, comprising:

a circuit controller comprising;

a module for calculating an impedance; and

a control logic module, wherein the control logic module provides a current enable signal and a current control output signal;

a driver in communication with the circuit controller for receiving the current enable signal and the current control output signal;

an input voltage sensing circuit in communication with the module for calculating the impedance and the control logic module; and

an input current sensing circuit in communication with the module for calculating the impedance.

2. The input impedance control circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a supply voltage coupled to the circuit controller and the driver.

3. The input impedance control circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a light emitting diode (LED) coupled to the driver.

4. The input impedance control circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) coupled to the driver in a Y with floating neutral configuration.

5. The input impedance control circuit of claim 1, wherein the input voltage sensing circuit comprises a voltage divider.

6. The input impedance control circuit of claim 1, wherein the voltage divider comprises a first resistor and a second resistor, wherein the first resistor has a higher resistance than the second resistor.

7. The input impedance control circuit of claim 6, wherein the first resistor has a resistance of at least 1,000,000 ohms and the second resistor has a resistance of at least 5,000 ohms.

8. The input impedance control circuit of claim 1, wherein the input circuit sensing circuit comprises a resistor having a resistance of less than 1 ohm.

9. A method for controlling an impedance of a circuit, comprising:

determining a threshold based upon an initial supply voltage;

determining a minimum operating impedance;

monitoring a supply voltage;

determining the supply voltage is below the threshold; and

enabling a constant impedance mode of a driver in response to determining that the supply voltage is below the threshold by controlling a current to the driver to maintain the minimum operating impedance within a range based upon the supply voltage.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the initial supply voltage and the minimum operating impedance are determined upon an initial connection of the circuit to a power supply.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the supply voltage is obtained by an input voltage sensing circuit.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the current is obtained by an input current sensing circuit.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold comprises approximately 10 percent of the initial supply voltage.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the range comprises approximately −

5 percent to +5 percent of the operating impedance.

15. A tangible computer readable medium to store a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for controlling an impedance of a circuit, the operations comprising:

determining a threshold based upon an initial supply voltage;

determining a minimum operating impedance;

monitoring a supply voltage;

determining the supply voltage is below the threshold; and

enabling a constant impedance mode of a driver in response to determining that the supply voltage is below the threshold by controlling a current to the driver to maintain the minimum operating impedance within a range based upon the supply voltage.

16. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the initial supply voltage and the minimum operating impedance are determined upon an initial connection of the circuit to a power supply.

17. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the supply voltage is obtained by an input voltage sensing circuit.

18. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the current is obtained by an input current sensing circuit.

19. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the threshold comprises approximately 10 percent of the initial supply voltage.

20. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the range comprises approximately −

5 percent to +5 percent of the operating impedance.