Power source unit for LED lamps, and LED lamp system

• US 9,066,407 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Terasaka, Hiroshi, Kubota, Hiroshi, Kamata, Masahiko, Iwai, Naoko, Nakagawa, Hiroki, Hamamoto, Katsunobu, Sako, Hiroyuki, Saito, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILOGENE, HAISSA
• Application Number:
  US13/188,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 315/291, 315/294, 315306-308, 315/312, 315/224, 315/247, 362/800, 362/311.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/355 Power factor correction [PFC]; Reactive power compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3578 Emulating the electrical or functional characteristics of discharge lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/375 using buck topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/395 Linear regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/50 responsive to malfunctions or undesirable behaviour of LEDs; responsive to LED life; Protective circuits

Abstract

A dedicated power source for LED lamps capable of reliably detecting attachment of an LED lamp is provided.

A dedicated power source has a DC power source portion, and includes a lighting circuit which receives power supplied from the DC power source portion and light-controls an LED lamp including an LED element and a detection resistor connected in parallel to the LED element and an attachment detecting portion for detecting attachment of the LED lamp based on a voltage level changing in accordance with attachment/detachment of the detection resistor by attachment/detachment of the LED lamp.

Claims

1. An LED lamp system comprising:

an LED lamp including;

an LED element, and

a detection resistor connected in parallel to the LED element, a resistance value of the detection resistor being not less than four and not more than six times a load impedance of the LED element at a dimming lower limit; and

a power source unit for the LED lamp including;

a DC power source portion,

a lighting circuit which receives power supplied from the DC power source portion and light-controls the LED lamp, and

an attachment detecting portion for detecting attachment of the LED lamp based on a voltage level changing in accordance with attachment/detachment of the detection resistor by attachment/detachment of the LED lamp.

2. The LED lamp system according to claim 1, wherein

the attachment detecting portion includes a plurality of voltage dividing resistors connected in parallel to at least either the LED element or detection resistor of the LED lamp, compares a voltage division level of at least any of the voltage dividing resistors with a predetermined threshold voltage, and detects attachment of the LED lamp by the comparing of the voltage division level with the predetermined threshold voltage.

3. The LED lamp system according to claim 1, wherein

the attachment detecting portion can vary a threshold voltage in accordance with an input voltage of the power supplied from the DC power source portion to the lighting circuit.

4. The LED lamp system according to claim 1, wherein

the LED lamp has a same tube length and tube diameter as those of a straight-tube type fluorescent lamp.

5. An LED lamp system comprising:

an LED lamp including;

an LED element which has a rated current value of 350 mA in a full-lighting state and a dimming lower limit of 0.5% of the full-lighting state, and

a detection resistor connected in parallel to the LED element, a resistance value of the detection resistor being not less than 270 and not more than 330 kΩ and

a power source unit for the LED lamp including;

a DC power source portion,

a lighting circuit which receives power supplied from the DC power source portion and light-controls the LED lamp, and

an attachment detecting portion for detecting attachment of the LED lamp based on a voltage level changing in accordance with attachment/detachment of the detection resistor by attachment/detachment of the LED lamp.

6. The LED lamp system according to claim 5, wherein the attachment detecting portion includes a plurality of voltage dividing resistors connected in parallel to at least either the LED element or detection resistor of the LED lamp, compares a voltage division level of at least any of the voltage dividing resistors with a predetermined threshold voltage, and detects attachment of the LED lamp by the comparing of the voltage division level with the predetermined threshold voltage.

7. The LED lamp system according to claim 5, wherein the attachment detecting portion can vary a threshold voltage in accordance with an input voltage of the power supplied from the DC power source portion to the lighting circuit.

8. The LED lamp system according to claim 5, wherein the LED lamp has a same tube length and tube diameter as those of a straight-tube type fluorescent lamp.

9. An LED lamp system comprising:

an LED lamp including;

an LED element which has a rated current value of 350 mA in a full-lighting state and a dimming lower limit of 0.5% of the full-lighting state, and

a detection resistor connected in parallel to the LED element, a resistance value of the detection resistor being not less than 130 and not more than 170 kΩ and

a power source unit for the LED lamp including;

a DC power source portion,

a lighting circuit which receives power supplied from the DC power source portion and light-controls the LED lamp, and

an attachment detecting portion for detecting attachment of the LED lamp based on a voltage level changing in accordance with attachment/detachment of the detection resistor by attachment/detachment of the LED lamp.

10. The LED lamp system according to claim 9, wherein the attachment detecting portion includes a plurality of voltage dividing resistors connected in parallel to at least either the LED element or detection resistor of the LED lamp, compares a voltage division level of at least any of the voltage dividing resistors with a predetermined threshold voltage, and detects attachment of the LED lamp by the comparing of the voltage division level with the predetermined threshold voltage.

11. The LED lamp system according to claim 9, wherein the attachment detecting portion can vary a threshold voltage in accordance with an input voltage of the power supplied from the DC power source portion to the lighting circuit.

12. The LED lamp system according to claim 9, wherein the LED lamp has a same tube length and tube diameter as those of a straight-tube type fluorescent lamp.