Switchable luminance LED light bulb

• US 9,730,282 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Munday, David, Baker, Ryan, Dahan, Julian, Petersen, Russell, Sloan, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US14/818,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20150382416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 315291, 315247, 315307, 315312, 315224
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/345 Current stabilisation; Maintaining constant current
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/375 using buck topology
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

A switchable luminance LED light bulb, including embodiments that may be used with any common commercial fitting.

Claims

1. A switchable luminance LED light bulb device comprising:

an AC input component in functional communication with a driver board, the driver board comprising a rectifier, wherein a DC current is fed into a switch, the switch having a single input pole and multiple output poles and a plurality of selectable positions, wherein the switch directs the current through one of a plurality of selectable capacitors and/or resistors corresponding to one of a plurality of different DC output currents, wherein the selected DC output current is fed into at least one of a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the selected DC output current corresponds to the light output of the light emitting diodes and wherein the device further comprises a current regulating device functionally associated with the driver board and at least one transistor, wherein the current regulating device modulates the gate of the output transistor by measuring a voltage, thereby regulating current wherein any selectable DC output current is sufficient to cause at least one of a plurality of light emitting diodes to emit light.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the current regulating device is a current regulating integrated circuit.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the switch is selected from a slide switch, a push-button switch, a rotary switch, a pull switch, a toggle switch, a knife switch, a wireless switch and a touch switch.

4. The device of claim 1 further comprising a noise suppression capacitor downstream of the AC input.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the driver board is mechanically attached to a cap adapted to be releasably fitted to an AC electrical output socket.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said cap is an Edison-style screw cap.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said cap is bayonet-mount cap.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein said cap is an Edison-style screw cap.

9. The device of claim 5 wherein said cap is bayonet-mount cap.

10. A switchable luminance LED light bulb device comprising:

an AC input component in functional communication with a driver board, the driver board comprising a rectifier, wherein a DC current is fed into a switch, the switch having a single input pole and multiple output poles and a plurality of selectable positions, wherein the switch directs the current through one of a plurality of selectable capacitors and/or resistors corresponding to one of a plurality of different DC output currents, wherein the selected DC output current is fed into at least one of a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the selected DC output current corresponds to the light output of the light emitting diodes and wherein the device further comprises a current regulating device functionally associated with the driver board and at least one transistor, wherein the current regulating device modulates the gate of the output transistor by measuring a voltage, thereby regulating current wherein at least one selectable DC output current corresponds to an “

off”

position and is insufficient to cause at least one of a plurality of light emitting diodes to emit light.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the current regulating device is a current regulating integrated circuit.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein the switch is selected from a slide switch, a push-button switch, a rotary switch, a pull switch, a toggle switch, a knife switch, a wireless switch and a touch switch.

13. The device of claim 10 further comprising a noise suppression capacitor downstream of the AC input.

14. The device of claim 10 wherein the driver board is mechanically attached to a cap adapted to be releasably fitted to an AC electrical output socket.