Light emitting apparatus generating white light by mixing of light of a plurality of oscillation wavelengths

• US 7,170,234 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2005
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Katoh, Masaaki, Chikugawa, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THUY V
• Application Number:
  US11/158,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20050280375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 315/291, 315/299, 315/307, 315/308, 315/312, 315/209.R, 315/210, 315/211, 315/246, 315/287, 315/362, 362/2, 362/227, 362/230, 362/231
• US Class Current: 315/209.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/22 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/40 Details of LED load circuits

Abstract

A current of the same amount or in a constant ratio is applied to each of a combination of a blue light emitting diode having a small wavelength variation and a green light emitting diode having a large wavelength variation. With this, as an amount of applied current increases, an oscillation wavelength of the green light emitting diode having the large wavelength variation changes from a long wavelength side to a short wavelength side and mixes with a blue color of the blue light emitting diode having the small wavelength variation to gradually change chromaticity as a whole. When desired chromaticity is obtained, the amount of the current is fixed.

Claims

1. A light emitting apparatus generating white light by mixing of light of a plurality of oscillation wavelengths, comprising:

a first light emitting device;

a second light emitting device having an oscillation wavelength different from that of said first light emitting device;

a power supply node for applying a voltage to said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device; and

a modulation circuit for adjusting a lighting time of each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device by controlling an ON/OFF state of a current flowing through each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device to obtain desired intensity of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device;

wherein a value of a current flowing from said power supply node into each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device is gradually changed to adjust chromaticity of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device to obtain a desired white color.

2. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a voltage value of said power supply node is adjusted to obtain chromaticity of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device corresponding to a desired white color.

3. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device are connected in parallel to said power supply node;

said light emitting apparatus further comprising;

a first variable resistance for adjusting a value of a current flowing through said first light emitting device; and

a second variable resistance for adjusting a value of a current flowing through said second light emitting device;

wherein

a resistance value of each of said first variable resistance and said second variable resistance is adjusted to obtain chromaticity of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device corresponding to the desired white color.

4. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device are connected in series to equalize a current flowing through each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device;

said light emitting apparatus further comprising;

a variable resistance for adjusting a value of the current flowing through said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device;

wherein

a resistance value of said variable resistance is adjusted to obtain chromaticity of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device corresponding to the desired white color.

5. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second light emitting device has a larger variation in wavelength for a variation in amount of a current flowing therethrough as compared with said first light emitting device.

6. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said first light emitting device mainly emits blue light and said second light emitting device mainly emits green light.

7. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a constant current circuit for supplying a constant current to said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device;

a chromaticity detection and operation unit for performing a comparison of chromaticity of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device with prescribed chromaticity and outputting a result of the comparison of chromaticity to said constant current circuit; and

an average current measurement circuit for performing a comparison of an average value of a current flowing through each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device with a prescribed current value and outputting a result of the comparison of currents to said modulation circuit;

wherein

said constant current circuit receives said result of the comparison of chromaticity and increases a current supplied to each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device from zero until the chromaticity of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device coincides with said prescribed chromaticity, and

said modulation circuit receives said result of the comparison of currents and adjusts a lighting time of each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device to match the avenge value of the current flowing through each of said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device with said prescribed current value.

8. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said chromaticity detection and operation unit includes

a first filter for transmitting light from said first light emitting device in mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device,

a second filter for transmitting light from said second light emitting device in mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device,

a first photoelectric conversion device for converting light from said first light emitting device transmitted through said first filter into a current,

a second photoelectric conversion device for converting light from said second light emitting device transmitted through said second filter into a current,

a first current-voltage conversion amplifier for converting a current output from said first photoelectric conversion device into a voltage and amplifying the voltage;

a second current-voltage conversion amplifier for converting a current output from said second photoelectric conversion device into a voltage and amplifying the voltage; and

an operation circuit for receiving a voltage output from each of said first current-voltage conversion amplifier and said second current-voltage conversion amplifier, performing a comparison of the voltage with said prescribed chromaticity, and outputting a result of the comparison of chromaticity to said constant current circuit.

9. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a third light emitting device for emitting a complementary color of mixed light from said first light emitting device and said second light emitting device.

10. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said light emitting devices is a light emitting diode.

11. A light emitting apparatus generating white light by mixing of light of a plurality of oscillation wavelengths, comprising:

a light emitting device for emitting light of a plurality of different oscillation wavelengths;

a power supply node far applying a voltage to said light emitting device; and

a variable resistance for adjusting a value of a current flowing through said light emitting device;

wherein a value of a current flowing from said power supply node into said light emitting device is gradually changed to adjust chromaticity of mixed light resulting from the plurality of different oscillation wavelengths of said light emitting device to obtain a desired white color; and

wherein a resistance value of said variable resistance is adjusted to obtain chromaticity of mixed light resulting from the plurality of different wavelengths of said light emitting device corresponding to the desired white color.

12. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

a voltage value of said power supply node is adjusted to obtain chromaticity of mixed light resulting from the plurality of different oscillation wavelengths of said light emitting device corresponding to a desired white color.

13. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

a second oscillation wavelength of said light emitting device has a larger variation for a variation in amount of a current flowing therethrough as compared wit a first oscillation wavelength of said light emitting device.

14. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

said first oscillation wavelength mainly corresponds to a blue color and said second oscillation wavelength mainly corresponds to a green color.

15. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising

a modulation circuit for adjusting a lighting time of said light emitting device by controlling an ON/OFF state of a current flowing through said light emitting device to obtain desired intensity of mixed light resulting from the plurality of different wavelengths of said light emitting device.

16. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a constant current circuit for supplying a constant current to said light emitting device;

a chromaticity detection and operation unit for performing a comparison of chromaticity of mixed light resulting from the plurality of different wavelengths of said light emitting device with prescribed chromaticity and outputting a result of the comparison of chromaticity to said constant current circuit; and

an average current measurement circuit for performing a comparison of an average value of a current flowing through said light emitting device with a prescribed current value and outputting a result of the comparison of currents to said modulation circuit;

wherein

said constant current circuit receives said result of the comparison of chromaticity and increases a current supplied to said light emitting device from zero until the chromaticity of mixed light resulting from the plurality of different wavelengths of said light emitting device coincides with said prescribed chromaticity, and

said modulation circuit receives said result of the comparison of currents and adjusts a lighting time of said light emitting device to match the average value of the current flowing through said light emitting device with said prescribed current value.

17. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

said chromaticity detection and operation unit includes

a first filter for transmitting light of said first oscillation wavelength in mixed light resulting from the plurality of different wavelengths of said light emitting device,

a second filter for transmitting light of said second oscillation wavelength in mixed light resulting from the plurality of different wavelengths of said light emitting device,

a first photoelectric conversion device for converting light of said first oscillation wavelength transmitted through said first filter into a current,

a second photoelectric conversion device for converting light of said second oscillation wavelength transmitted through said second filter into a current,

a first current-voltage conversion amplifier for converting a current output from said first photoelectric conversion device into a voltage and amplifying the voltage,

a second current-voltage conversion amplifier for converting a current output from said second photoelectric conversion device into a voltage and amplifying the voltage, and

an operation circuit for receiving a voltage output from each of said first current-voltage conversion amplifier and said second current-voltage conversion amplifier, performing a comparison of the voltage with said prescribed chromaticity, and outputting a result of the comparison of chromaticity to said constant current circuit.

18. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said light emitting device also emits light of a third oscillation wavelength corresponding to a complementary color of mixed light resulting from said first oscillation wavelength and said second oscillation wavelength.

19. The light emitting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said light emitting device is a light emitting diode.