Multi-mode LED illumination system

• US 9,866,760 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dorai, Arvind, Nelson, Anders, Conner, Brian Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pasiewicz, Daniel M
• Application Number:
  US15/403,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/38 using boost topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/385 using flyback topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/39 Circuits containing inverter bridges
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/48 having LEDs organised in strings and incorporating parallel shunting devices

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.

Claims

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.

2. The LED illumination system of claim 1, wherein:

a first bypass element is configured to bypass a first subset of the LEDs;

the one of the plurality of LED subsets includes a second subset of the LEDs;

the microcontroller unit is configured to generate an LED bypass control; and

the LED bypass control is applied to control the first bypass element for bypassing the first subset of LEDs in the second mode.

3. The LED illumination system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of LEDs is disposed in a camera module to surround a camera lens, and each LED is tilted with an angle with respect to the optical axis of the camera lens.

4. The LED illumination system of claim 3, wherein each LED is tilted away from the optical axis of the camera with the angle in the range of 20-40 degrees.

5. The LED illumination system of claim 1, wherein when the LED illumination system switches from the first mode to the second mode, the boost converter is deactivated, and a current sink is electrically coupled to the whole LED string for at least a predetermined discharge period, before the one of the plurality of LED subsets is electrically coupled and biased by the regular drive voltage.

6. The LED illumination system of claim 5, wherein the predetermined discharge period is substantially equal to or longer than 40 msec.

7. The LED illumination system of claim 5, wherein the one of the plurality of LED subsets includes a third subset of LEDs, and a fourth subset of the plurality of LEDs is electrically coupled to the boost converter during the predetermined discharge period, the fourth subset of LEDs including more LEDs than the third subset of LEDs.

8. A camera device that operates in two or more modes, comprising:

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.

9. The camera device of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of LEDs is coupled in parallel with one of the plurality of bypass elements configurable to bypass the LED in the second mode.

10. The camera device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of LEDs includes eight LEDs, and wherein in the second mode, six of the eight LEDs are bypassed, and two remaining LEDs are coupled in series between the boost converter and a current sink configured to provide a drive current to drive the two remaining LEDs in the second mode.

11. The camera device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of LEDs includes infrared LEDs.

12. The camera device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of LEDs is grouped into four subsets of LEDs that are configured to illuminate four quadrants of the field of view, respectively, and depth information of the field of view is recovered at night time according to the variation of the field of view illuminated by these four subsets of LEDs.

13. The camera device of claim 8, wherein the voltage level of the regular drive voltage is substantially equal to that of a power supply of the LED illumination system.

14. A method of manufacturing an LED illumination system that operates in a first mode and a second mode, comprising:

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.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing a first current sink and a second current sink, coupled to the plurality of LEDs, that are configured to provide two drive currents to drive the LEDs in the first mode and the second mode, respectively.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein in the first mode, the first current sink is electrically coupled to the whole LED string and enables a first drive current, and in the second mode, the second current sink is electrically coupled to the one of the plurality of LED subsets and enables a second drive current.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second drive currents are distinct.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first current sink is part of the boost converter.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the boost converter and the first and second current sinks are integrated on an integrated circuit substrate.

20. The method of claim 14, where:

a first bypass element is configured to bypass a first subset of LEDs;

the one of the plurality of LED subsets includes a second subset of the LEDs;

the microcontroller unit is configured to generate an LED bypass control; and

the LED bypass control is applied to control the first bypass element for bypassing the first subset of LEDs in the second mode.