Gate voltage threshold turn off for maintaining voltage supply during standby mode of a lighting system

• US 9,544,972 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Scheidegger, Nina Rose, Yao, Gang, Scheidegger, Carre
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaiser, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US14/537,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 315/250, 315/194, 315/294, 315/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/60 Circuit arrangements for operating LEDs comprising organic material, e.g. for operating organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] or polymer light-emitting diodes [PLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/17 Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Provided is a lighting system that includes a plurality of lighting elements to emit light, a power supply to supply power, a lighting driver including a microcontroller and to output power to the plurality of lighting elements for operation thereof, a control system to transmit a control signal to the microcontroller to initiate a standby mode of the plurality of lighting elements, and a semiconductor device configured to receive voltage from the microcontroller, and selectively enable and disable a low power consumption mode of the lighting driver, to thereby maintain voltage for communication between the microcontroller and the control system during the standby mode.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a plurality of lighting elements configured to emit light;

a power supply configured to supply power;

a lighting driver comprising a microcontroller and configured to output power to the plurality of lighting elements for operation thereof;

a control system configured to transmit a control signal to the microcontroller to initiate a standby mode of the plurality of lighting elements; and

a semiconductor device configured to (i) receive voltage from the microcontroller, and (ii) selectively enable and disable a low power consumption mode of the lighting driver, wherein the semiconductor device is configured to receive a first predetermined voltage level from the microcontroller, to enable a low power consumption mode, and receive a second predetermined voltage level to disable the low power consumption mode, for maintaining communication between the microcontroller and the control system during standby mode.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to receive the control signal and decrease output power supplied to the plurality of lighting elements during the standby mode.

3. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the power supply is configured to supply alternate current (AC) power to the lighting driver, for operating the plurality of lighting elements.

4. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is programmable.

5. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the lighting driver further comprises:

a circuit including the semiconductor device and controllable by the microcontroller, and configured to receive a predetermined voltage level from the microcontroller during standby mode.

6. The lighting system of claim 5, wherein the semiconductor device is a transistor having a gate configured to receive the first predetermined voltage level from the microcontroller.

7. The lighting system of claim 6, wherein when the gate is open, the lighting driver operates in a high power consumption mode, and when the gate is closed, the lighting driver operates in a low power consumption mode.

8. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein when the gate is open, the voltage is adjusted to be increased to the second predetermined voltage level, after which the gate closes and the lighting driver operates in the low power consumption mode.

9. A method comprising:

outputting power to a plurality of lighting elements within a lighting system;

transmitting a control signal from a control system to a microcontroller of a lighting driver, to initiate a standby mode; and

selectively enabling and disabling a low power consumption mode of the lighting driver via a semiconductor device receiving voltage from the microcontroller, wherein the semiconductor device mode receiving a first predetermined voltage level from the microcontroller, to enable a low power consumption mode; and

receiving a second predetermined voltage level to disable the low power consumption mode, for maintaining communication between the microcontroller and the control system during standby mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating the standby mode comprises:

decreasing power supply from the lighting driver to the plurality of lighting elements based on the control signal received at the microcontroller.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein selectively enabling and disabling the low power consumption mode comprises:

controlling voltage at a circuit in communication with the microcontroller based on a voltage level of the microcontroller for maintaining communication between the microcontroller and the control system during standby mode.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the microcontroller is programmable.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor device is a transistor having a gate, and the method further comprises:

receiving at the gate, the voltage from the microcontroller; and

adjusting the voltage to maintain the voltage for performing communication between the microcontroller and the control system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising operating the lighting driver in the low power consumption mode when the gate is closed, and operating the lighting driver in a high power consumption mode when the gate is open.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, adjusting the voltage to be increased to the second predetermined voltage level when the gate is open, and after which closing the gate and operating the lighting driver in the low power consumption mode.