Systems and methods for continuous adjustment of reference signal to control chip

• US 9,420,665 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Integrated Illumination Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Integrated Illumination Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Valois, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fernandez, Pedro C
• Application Number:
  US13/729,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 315/312
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0025 Arrangements for modifying reference values, feedback values or error values in the control loop of a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/40 Regulating or controlling the amount of current drawn or delivered by the motor for controlling the mechanical load
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/50 Reduction of harmonics
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/14 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/39 Circuits containing inverter bridges
• 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 solution provides continuous adjustment of a reference signal to a control chip to facilitate controlling the average output power. In some aspects, a system may facilitate continuous adjustment of power provided to a device by providing a reference signal with a slope to a control pin (e.g., current control pin) of a control chip (e.g., power regulator or LED driver). Providing a reference signal with a slope (e.g., a triangle or a sinusoidal wave) can increase the control range of the control chip and improve control chip performance. For example, systems and methods of the present disclosure may increase the dimming range of an LED from less than 0.1% to 100%.

Claims

1. A system for managing power supplied to a device comprising:

a power regulator having a first output coupled to a power input of the device, the power regulator configured to control one of a voltage or a current;

a wave shape generator having an output coupled to a current control input of the power regulator, the wave shape generator configured to generate a wave with a triangular wave shape having a slope, a first portion of the wave being above a minimum threshold to turn on the power regulator, the generated wave provided to the current control input of the power regulator; and

wherein the power regulator is responsive to the wave and controls an intensity level of the device responsive to the wave shape and the first portion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wave further comprises a second portion being below the minimum threshold to turn off the power regulator and the power regulator is further configured to reduce the intensity level of the device responsive to the second portion.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the slope, first portion, and second portion is predetermined based on a desired intensity level.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wave shape comprises a voltage changing slower than the rise-time of the wave.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a current feedback output coupled to the control input of the power regulator, a signal of the current feedback output being summed or multiplied with the wave.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the power regulator comprises a light emitting diode (LED) driver, the device comprises an LED, and the intensity level comprises a dimming level of the LED.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises an electric motor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wave shape generator is configured to generate at least one of a triangle wave or a sine wave.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the wave shape generator comprises a digital-to-analog convertor, the wave shape generator further configured to:

generate the wave shape with a plurality of steps from the digital-to-analog convertor.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wave shape generator further comprises an interface, the wave shape generator configured to:

receive a wave from a wave source; and

condition the received wave such that the conditioned wave comprises the slope.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the interface is configured to round at least one edge of the received wave, the interface comprising at least one of:

a transistor push-pull with a resistor and capacitor;

a transistor push up with a resistor pull-down with a resistor and capacitor;

a constant-current source and constant-current sink with a capacitor;

a constant-current source with a resistor pull-down with a capacitor;

a constant-current sink with a resistor pull-up with a capacitor;

an inductor; and

a capacitor.

12. The system of claim 1, further configured to:

control the intensity level of the device from 1% to 100%.

13. The system of claim 1, further configured to:

control the intensity level of the device from 0.1% to 100%.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the power regulator is a first power regulator and the device is a first device, further comprising:

a second power regulator having a first output coupled to an input of a second device, and a current control input coupled to the output of the wave shape generator.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a third device coupled to the first device and the first power regulator in series; and

a fourth device coupled to the second device and the second power regulator in series.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the power regulator is further configured to:

responsive to the second portion of the wave, stop sending current to the device.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a direct current (DC) source coupled to the current control input, the DC source configured to move the second portion of the wave above the minimum threshold.

18. A system for managing a light emitting diode (LED), the system comprising a wave shape generator in communication with a dimming controller, the wave shape generator configured to:

identify, via the dimming controller, a desired dimming level for the LED;

responsive to the indication, generate a wave with a triangular wave shape having a slope, at a least a portion of the wave being above a minimum threshold to turn on an LED driver; and

transmit, to a current control input of the LED driver, the wave to control a dimming level of the LED.

19. A method for managing a light emitting diodes (LED), the method comprising:

identifying, by a dimming controller, a desired dimming level for the LED;

generating, responsive to the identification, a wave with a triangular wave shape comprising a slope, at a least a portion of the wave being above a minimum threshold to turn on an LED driver; and

transmitting, to a current control pin of the LED driver, the wave to control a dimming level of the LED.