Multi-mode LED illumination system
First Claim
1. A lighting emitting diode (LED) illumination system that operates in a first mode and a second mode, comprising:
- a plurality of LEDs that are coupled to form an LED string;
a plurality of bypass elements, each bypass element being configured to bypass a subset of the LEDs;
a microcontroller unit that controls the plurality of bypass elements to select one of a plurality of LED subsets in the second mode, wherein at least two of the plurality of LED subsets include distinct LED members to illuminate different regions of a field of view; and
a boost converter coupled to the microcontroller and the plurality of LEDs, wherein the boost converter is configured to generate a drive voltage to drive the plurality of LEDs;
wherein in the first mode the boost converter is configured to drive the LED string by a boosted drive voltage, and in the second mode the boost converter is configured to drive the selected one of the plurality of LED subsets by a regular drive voltage that is lower than the boosted drive voltage.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This application discloses a lighting emitting diode (LED) illumination system that operates at least in a boost mode and a bypass mode. The LED illumination system includes a plurality of LEDs and bypass elements. Each bypass element is coupled in parallel with one or more LEDs, and configured to bypass them selectively in the bypass mode. A boost converter is configured to drive the LEDs. The boost converter includes a boost controller that is configured to enable the boost mode in response to a boost enable signal. In the boost mode, the boost controller is electrically coupled to control the boost converter to drive the LEDs by a boosted drive voltage, and in the bypass mode, the boost controller is deactivated to allow the boost converter to drive a subset of the LEDs by a regular drive voltage that is substantially lower than the boosted drive voltage.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A lighting emitting diode (LED) illumination system that operates in a first mode and a second mode, comprising:
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a plurality of LEDs that are coupled to form an LED string; a plurality of bypass elements, each bypass element being configured to bypass a subset of the LEDs; a microcontroller unit that controls the plurality of bypass elements to select one of a plurality of LED subsets in the second mode, wherein at least two of the plurality of LED subsets include distinct LED members to illuminate different regions of a field of view; and a boost converter coupled to the microcontroller and the plurality of LEDs, wherein the boost converter is configured to generate a drive voltage to drive the plurality of LEDs; wherein in the first mode the boost converter is configured to drive the LED string by a boosted drive voltage, and in the second mode the boost converter is configured to drive the selected one of the plurality of LED subsets by a regular drive voltage that is lower than the boosted drive voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A camera device that operates in two or more modes, comprising:
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a camera portion; and an LED illumination system that operates in a first mode and a second mode of the two or more modes of the camera device, including; a plurality of LEDs that are coupled to form an LED string; a plurality of bypass elements, each bypass element being configured to bypass a subset of the LEDs; a microcontroller unit that controls the plurality of bypass elements to select one of a plurality of LED subsets in the second mode, wherein at least two of the plurality of LED subsets include distinct LED members to illuminate different regions of a field of view; and a boost converter coupled to the microcontroller and the plurality of LEDs, wherein the boost converter is configured to generate a drive voltage to drive the plurality of LEDs; wherein in the first mode the boost converter is configured to drive the LED string by a boosted drive voltage, and in the second mode the boost converter is configured to drive the selected one of the plurality of LED subsets by a regular drive voltage that is lower than the boosted drive voltage. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of manufacturing an LED illumination system that operates in a first mode and a second mode, comprising:
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providing a plurality of LEDs that are coupled to form an LED string; providing a plurality of bypass elements, each bypass element being configured to bypass a subset of the LEDs; providing a microcontroller unit that controls the plurality of bypass elements to select one of a plurality of LED subsets in the second mode, wherein at least two of the plurality of LED subsets include distinct LED members to illuminate different regions of a field of view; and providing a boost converter coupled to the microcontroller and the plurality of LEDs, wherein the boost converter is configured to generate a drive voltage to drive the plurality of LEDs; wherein in the first mode the boost converter is configured to drive the LED string by a boosted drive voltage, and in the second mode the boost converter is configured to drive the selected one of the plurality of LED subsets by a regular drive voltage that is lower than the boosted drive voltage. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification