TRIAC-based light dimmer

• US 20110316429A1
• Filed: 06/26/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chia Chieh Liu
• Original Assignee: Chia Chieh Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Chia Chieh
• Application Number:
  US12/824,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20110316429A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/158
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A lamp system includes a dimmer comprising a temperature sensor, a TRIAC, and a rectifier; a lamp electrically connected to the TRIAC and mounted on the dimmer; and a controller electrically connected to the rectifier and comprising a processor electrically connected to a gate electrode of the TRIAC, a presence sensor for sensing presence of an object, a photosensor, and a time delay button. A first signal is generated by the temperature sensor when ambient temperature is over a predetermined value, the first signal is sent to the processor to generate a first trigger pulse, and the first trigger pulse is sent to the gate electrode of the TRIAC so that current flowing through the TRIAC to the lamp can be decreased.

Claims

1. A lamp system comprising:

dimming means comprising a temperature sensor, a TRIAC, and a full wave rectifier for converting AC into DC to be consumed by the TRIAC and the temperature sensor;

a lamp electrically connected to the TRIAC and mounted on the dimming means; and

control means electrically connected to the full wave rectifier and comprising a processor electrically connected to a gate electrode of the TRIAC, a presence sensor for sensing presence of an object, a photosensor, and a time delay button,

wherein a first signal is generated by the temperature sensor when ambient temperature is over a predetermined value, the first signal is sent to the processor to generate a first trigger pulse, and the first trigger pulse is sent to the gate electrode of the TRIAC so that current flowing through the TRIAC to the lamp can be decreased; and

wherein a second signal is generated by both the presence sensor and the photosensor when no object is detected, the second signal is sent to the processor to generate a second trigger pulse, and the second trigger pulse is sent to the gate electrode of the TRIAC after a predetermined amount of time set by the time delay button so that current flowing through the TRIAC to the lamp can be decreased.

2. The lamp system of claim 1, wherein the time delay button is programmable.

3. The lamp system of claim 1, wherein the lamp is a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL).