TW201306661A - Lighting apparatus and method using multiple dimming schemes - Google Patents

Abstract

A lighting assembly comprises an electronic driver that operates according to different dimming schemes. Some of the dimming schemes can provide dimmer inputs to the electronic driver through dimming interfaces comprising at least one shared wire. In addition, the electronic driver can allow one dimming interface to communicate with an external device while another dimming interface provides dimming inputs to control a light source. The electronic driver can also allow a selected dimming scheme to be dynamically changed in response to inputs received through a user interface or a dimming interface.

Description

Lighting device and method using multiple dimming architecture

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the control of solid state lighting devices. More particularly, the various inventive devices and methods disclosed herein relate to the control of solid state lighting devices using an electronic driver that supports one of the multiple dimming architectures.

Digital lighting technology (ie, illumination based on semiconductor light sources such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs)) provides a viable alternative to conventional fluorescent, HID and incandescent lamps. The functional advantages and benefits of LEDs include high energy conversion and optical efficiency, durability, low operating costs, and many other advantages. Recent advances in LED technology have provided an efficient and robust full spectrum illumination source that can achieve a variety of lighting effects in a variety of applications. Some of the appliances embodying such sources are characterized by a lighting module that includes one or more LEDs capable of producing different colors (eg, red, green, and blue) and for independent control of the The output of the LEDs, for example, to produce a variety of color and color-changing illumination effects, for example, as discussed in detail in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,016,038 and 6,211,626, each incorporated herein by reference.

Many lighting applications use dimmers to control the amount of light produced by the light source. These dimmers can be implemented with a variety of dimming architectures, such as digital addressable illumination interface (DALI) dimming, 1 to 10 V dimming, and trunk dimming. The adoption of these different architectures can be determined by a variety of factors including user preferences, usability and the environment.

In a typical lighting application, an electronic driver receives one or more controls from one of the controllers using a dimming architecture such as DALI or 1 to 10 V Signal or dimming input. In response to the dimming inputs, the electronic driver provides operating current and voltage to the corresponding source. As an example, in an application using 1 to 10 V dimming, the electronic driver receives a direct current (DC) control signal between 1 V and 10 V from a controller, and according to the DC control signal The magnitude drives the light source.

While most conventional electronic drives are configured to support only one dimming architecture, certain electronic drivers have been developed to support at least two dimming architectures. This may allow the same electronic drive to be used in different environments or applications based on user preferences or other instructions.

The use of multiple dimming architectures can create a variety of complications for an electronic driver and/or other components. For example, it can increase the number of input wires of an electronic driver. It may also require the controller or associated network component to store multiple inventory unit of measure (SKU) identifiers to address the electronic drivers in each of the different architectures, for example, for 1 to 10 V operation. A first SKU, a second SKU for DALI operations, and the like. In addition, it may require that all other dimming architectures other than this dimming architecture be disabled when using a dimming architecture such that certain features are not available.

Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve electronic drivers to allow for more efficient use of multiple dimming architectures.

The present invention relates to inventive devices and methods for controlling solid state lighting devices. For example, the present invention discloses an embodiment of an apparatus and method in which an electronic driver supports multiple dimming architectures, such as 1 to 10 V, DALI, trunk dimming, and dynamic dimmer dimming. In some embodiments, the electronic drive The communication is performed via a DALI interface when driving a light source by means of a dimming architecture other than DALI. In some embodiments, the electronic driver uses only three input wires to support both DALI and 1 to 10 V dimming architecture. In some embodiments, the electronic driver allows for dynamic switching between different dimming inputs using DALI communication.

In general, in one aspect, an apparatus for controlling a lighting assembly includes a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming architectures configured to drive a light source according to the plurality of dimming architectures One output driver and one controller. The controller is configured to: receive a dimming input through the plurality of input interfaces, select one of the dimming architectures to be applied to the light source, and select a dimming architecture and the received dimming input based on the selected dimming architecture The output driver is controlled to operate while performing communication via one of the input interfaces based on the other of the plurality of dimming architectures and the received dimming input.

In some embodiments, at least two of the input interfaces share an input conductor. In some versions, the two input interfaces include one of two input conductors DALI, and one of the two input conductors, the 1 to 10 V interface, wherein one of the input conductors of the DALI is connected to the One of the input wires of the 1 to 10 V interface.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to dynamically change the selected dimming architecture in response to the communication. In some versions, communication is performed via a DALI.

In some embodiments, the controller selects a dimming architecture to be applied to the light source in response to receiving a control input from a personal computer. In some versions The control input is received from the personal computer through a network.

In some embodiments, the controller operates at least two of the plurality of dimming architectures based on the same SKU identifier.

In some embodiments, the plurality of dimming architectures include 1 to 10 V dimming, DALI dimming, trunk dimming, and dynamic dimmer dimming.

In some embodiments, the light source includes a plurality of light emitting diodes.

In another aspect, a method for operating a lighting assembly is provided, the lighting assembly including a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming architectures configured to be driven in accordance with the plurality of dimming architectures An output driver of a light source and configured to control a controller of the output driver based on signals received through the input interfaces. The method includes receiving a plurality of dimming inputs through the plurality of input interfaces, selecting one of the dimming structures to be applied to the light source, and simultaneously selecting the dimming architecture and the received dimming input according to the selected dimming structure The output driver is controlled to operate and communicate with a remote device via one of the plurality of dimming architectures and the received dimming input via one of the input interfaces.

In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a dimming input of at least two of the dimming architectures by sharing one of the wires by the one of the input interfaces. In some versions, it consists of at least two dimming architectures including a 1 to 10 V dimming architecture and a DALI dimming architecture.

In some embodiments, the method further includes dynamically changing the selected dimming architecture in response to the communication.

In some embodiments, the method further includes overriding the selected dimming frame in response to an input signal received through one of the plurality of input interfaces Structure. In some versions, the selected dimming architecture is overridden in response to a short circuit formed between two wires of a 1 to 10 V input interface.

In some embodiments, the method further includes selecting a dimming architecture to be applied to the light source in response to receiving a control input from a personal computer.

In some embodiments, communicating with the remote device via one of the input interfaces includes receiving a query from the remote device and transmitting a query response to the remote device.

As used herein for the purposes of the present invention, the term "LED" shall be taken to include any type of electroluminescent diode or other type of carrier injection/bonding system capable of generating radiation in response to an electrical signal. Thus, the term LED includes, but is not limited to, various semiconductor-based structures that emit light in response to electrical current, luminescent polymers, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), electroluminescent strips, and the like. In particular, the term LED refers to one or more of various portions that can be configured to produce various portions of the infrared, ultraviolet, and visible spectrum (typically comprising radiation wavelengths from about 400 nanometers to about 700 nanometers). Light-emitting diodes of all types of radiation, including semiconductors and organic light-emitting diodes. Some examples of LEDs include, but are not limited to, various types of infrared, ultraviolet, red, blue, green, yellow, amber, orange, and white LEDs (discussed further below). It should also be appreciated that the LEDs can be configured and/or controlled to produce various bandwidths (eg, half-wave full width or FWHM) and a predetermined total color for a given spectrum (eg, narrow bandwidth, wide bandwidth). Radiation of various dominant wavelengths within the classification.

For example, an LED configured to generate substantially white light (eg, For example, an embodiment of a white LED can include a plurality of grains that respectively emit different electroluminescence spectra that are combined in a combination to substantially form white light. In another embodiment, a white light LED can be associated with a phosphor material that converts electroluminescence having a first spectrum into a different second spectrum. In one embodiment of this embodiment, electroluminescence having a relatively short wavelength and narrow bandwidth spectrum "pumps" the phosphor material, and the phosphor material has a slightly broader spectrum of radiation. Long wavelength radiation.

It should also be understood that the term LED does not limit the physical and/or electrical package type of an LED. For example, as discussed above, an LED can refer to a single illumination device having a plurality of dies (eg, which may or may not be individually controllable) configured to respectively emit different radiation spectra. Moreover, an LED can be associated with a phosphor that is considered to be an integral part of the LED (eg, certain types of white LEDs). In general, the term LED can refer to packaged LEDs, unpackaged LEDs, surface mount LEDs, on-board wafer LEDs, T-package mounted LEDs, radial packaged LEDs, power packaged LEDs, including a certain type of enclosure and/or Or an LED of an optical component (for example, a diffuse lens).

The term "light source" is understood to mean any one or more of a variety of radiation sources including, but not limited to, an LED-based source (including one or more LEDs as defined above), an incandescent source (eg, Tungsten lamps, halogen lamps, fluorescent sources, phosphor sources, high-intensity discharge sources (eg sodium vapor, mercury vapor and metal halide lamps), lasers, other types of electroluminescent sources, pyro-luminescent Source (eg, flame), non-high temperature luminescent (eg, hood, carbon arc radiation source), photoluminescence (photo-luminescent) source (eg, gas discharge source), cathodoluminescence source using electron saturation, galvano-luminescent source, crystallo-luminescent source, kine-luminescent source, A thermo-luminescent source, a triboluminescent source, a sonoluminescent source, a radioluminescent source, and a luminescent polymer.

A given light source can be configured to produce electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum, outside the visible spectrum, or a combination of both. Therefore, the terms "light" and "radiation" are used interchangeably herein. Additionally, a light source can include one or more filters (eg, color filters), lenses, or other optical components as a component. Moreover, it should be understood that the light source can be configured for a variety of applications including, but not limited to, indication, display, and/or illumination. An "light source" is specifically configured to produce a light source having a radiation sufficient to effectively illuminate the intensity of an interior or exterior space. In this context, "sufficient intensity" means sufficient in the visible spectrum produced in space or environment to provide ambient illumination (ie, light that can be indirectly perceived and, for example, can be in various intervening surfaces before being perceived) The radiant power of one or more of the light that is totally or partially reflected off (in terms of radiant power or "light flux", the unit "lumen" is usually used to indicate the total light output from a source in all directions).

The term "spectrum" is understood to mean any one or more frequencies (or wavelengths) of radiation produced by one or more light sources. Thus, the term "spectrum" refers not only to the frequency (or wavelength) in the visible range, but also to the frequency (or wavelength) in the infrared, ultraviolet, and other regions of the total electromagnetic spectrum. Moreover, a given spectrum can have a relatively narrow bandwidth (eg, having a basic There is very little frequency or one of the wavelength components (FWHM) or a relatively wide bandwidth (several frequencies or wavelength components with various relative intensities). It should also be appreciated that a given spectrum may be the result of mixing one of two or more other spectra (eg, mixing radiation emitted from multiple sources).

For the purposes of the present invention, the term "color" is used interchangeably with the term "spectrum." However, the term "color" is generally used to refer primarily to one of the attributes that an observer perceives (but this usage is not intended to limit the scope of the term). Thus, the term "different colors" refers to multiple spectra having different wavelength components and/or bandwidth. It should also be understood that the term "color" can be used in conjunction with both white light and non-white light.

The term "color temperature" is generally used herein in connection with white light, but this usage is not intended to limit the scope of the term. Color temperature essentially refers to a particular color content or color of white light (eg, reddish, bluish). Conventionally, the color temperature of a given radiation sample is characterized by the temperature of the black body radiator (in Kelvin temperature (K)) of the radiation that is substantially identical to the radiation sample in question. The color temperature of the black body radiator generally falls within a range from about 700 degrees K (generally regarded as the human eye first visible) to more than 10,000 degrees K; white light is generally perceived at a color temperature of 1500 to 2000 degrees K or more.

A lower color temperature generally indicates white light having a more pronounced red component or a "warm sensation", while a higher color temperature generally indicates white light having a more pronounced blue component or a "cold feel". For example, a fire has a color temperature of about 1,800 degrees K, a conventional incandescent bulb has a color temperature of about 2,848 degrees K, an early morning daylight has a color temperature of about 3,000 degrees K, and a cloudy noon sky has a color of about 10,000 degrees K. Color temperature. With about One color image viewed under white light at a color temperature of 3,000 degrees K has a relatively reddish hue, while the same color image viewed under white light having a color temperature of about 10,000 degrees K has a relatively bluish hue.

The term "lighting fixture" is used herein to refer to an embodiment or configuration of one or more lighting units in a particular apparent size, assembly or package. The term "lighting unit" is used herein to refer to a device that includes one or more of the same or different types of light sources. A given lighting unit can have any of a variety of mounting configurations, encapsulation/packaging configurations, and shapes and/or electrical and mechanical connection configurations for the source. Additionally, a given lighting unit can be associated with (eg, included, coupled to, and/or packaged with) various other components (eg, control circuitry) with respect to operation of the light source, as appropriate. An "LED-based lighting unit" refers to a lighting unit that includes one or more LED-based light sources as discussed above, alone or in combination with other non-LED based light sources. A "multi-channel" lighting unit refers to an LED-based or non-LED-based lighting unit that includes at least two light sources configured to generate different radiation spectra, each of which may be referred to as the multi-channel illumination One of the units is "channel".

The term "controller" is generally used herein to describe various devices relating to the operation of one or more light sources. A controller can be implemented in a variety of ways (e.g., by means of dedicated hardware) to perform the various functions discussed herein. A "processor" is an example of a controller of one or more microprocessors that can be programmed using software (eg, microcode) to perform the operations discussed herein. Various functions. A controller can be implemented with or without a processor, and can also be implemented to perform some The specialized hardware of these functions is combined with one of the processors (eg, one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuits) for performing other functions. Examples of controller components that may be employed in various embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, special application integrated circuits (ASICs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

In various embodiments, a processor or controller can be associated with one or more storage media (generally referred to herein as "memory", such as volatile and non-volatile computer memory such as RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. Body, floppy disk, compact disk, CD, tape, etc.). In some embodiments, the storage medium may be encoded by one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and/or controllers, perform at least one of the functions discussed herein. Some features. Various storage media may be fixed in a processor or controller or transportable so that one or more programs stored thereon can be loaded into a processor or controller to perform the various aspects of the invention discussed herein. kind. The term "program" or "computer program" is used in this context to refer to any type of computer code (eg, software or microcode) that can be programmed to program one or more processors or controllers. ).

The term "addressable" is used herein to refer to a device configured to receive information (eg, data) intended to be used by a plurality of devices including itself and to selectively respond to a particular information intended for the device (eg, In general, a light source, a lighting unit or appliance, a controller or processor associated with one or more light sources or lighting units, other non-lighting related devices, etc.). The term "addressable" is often combined with a networked environment (or discussed further below) One of the "networks" is used in which multiple devices are coupled together via a certain communication medium or some communication medium.

In one network implementation, one or more devices coupled to a network may be used as one of the controllers coupled to one or more other devices (eg, in a master/slave relationship) of the network. In another embodiment, a networked environment can include one or more dedicated controllers configured to control one or more of the devices coupled to the network. In general, a plurality of devices coupled to the network can each have access to data present on the or the communication medium; however, a given device can be "addressable", ie, configured Selectively exchange data with the network based on, for example, one or more specific identifiers (eg, "addresses") assigned to the network (ie, receiving data from the network and/or Transfer data to the network).

The term "network" as used herein refers to any interconnection of two or more devices (including controllers or processors) that facilitate information (eg, for device control, data storage, Data exchange, etc.) transport between any two or more devices and/or between multiple devices coupled to the network. As should be readily appreciated, various implementations of networks suitable for interconnecting multiple devices can include any of a variety of network topologies and employ any of a variety of communication protocols. Additionally, in various networks in accordance with the present invention, any connection between two devices may represent a dedicated connection between two systems, or another selection may be a non-dedicated connection. In addition to carrying information intended for the two devices, the non-dedicated connection may carry information that is not intended for use in either of the two devices (eg, an open network connection). In addition, it should be easy to understand, as various devices as discussed herein. The network may employ one or more wireless, wire/cable, and/or fiber optic links to facilitate information transfer throughout the network.

The term "user interface" as used herein refers to an interface between a human user or operator and one or more devices that enables communication between the user and the device. Examples of user interfaces that may be employed in various embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to: switches, potentiometers, buttons, dials, sliders, a mouse, keyboard, keypad, various types of game controllers (eg, joystick), trackball, display screen, various types of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), touch screens, microphones, and other signals that can receive a stimulus generated by a form of human being and respond to this Type of sensor.

The term "electronic driver" as used herein refers to one or more components that generate signals for driving one or more light sources. An electronic driver typically receives an input signal and generates a signal for driving the light source based on the input signals. For example, in some embodiments, an electronic driver includes a microcontroller that receives a plurality of dimming inputs and selects one of the dimming inputs to control signals that drive the light sources. Additionally, to provide communication using various dimming architectures, an electronic driver can incorporate interfaces such as a DALI interface, a 1 to 10 V interface, and a trunk dimming interface.

The term "dimming architecture" as used herein refers to a set of operations and relationships in which the dimming is accomplished by a lighting assembly. For example, in a 1 to 10 V dimming architecture, dimming is done according to one of the dimming inputs in the range between 1 V and 10 V. The amount of light output by a corresponding light source varies in proportion to the magnitude of the dimming input. On the other hand, in DALI In the optical architecture, dimming is accomplished based on dimming input including one of the digital information. The digital information is decoded to determine the amount of light output by a corresponding light source. Some dimming architectures (such as 1 to 10 V dimming and DALI dimming) are controlled by industry standards. However, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to standardized dimming architectures.

It is to be understood that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in more detail below (assuming that such concepts are not inconsistent) are considered to be part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter at the end of the disclosure are considered to be a part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It is also to be understood that the terminology that is used in any of the disclosures that are incorporated by reference in the claims herein

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily to scale,

Applicants have recognized various shortcomings of conventional electronic drivers used to control solid state light sources and the need to effectively employ different dimming architectures to provide electronic drivers depending on the context and user preferences.

More specifically, Applicants have recognized and appreciated that providing a controller or associated network component capable of not requiring an excessive number of input wires, not requiring storage of multiple SKU identifiers, and not relying on a dimming architecture An electronic driver that supports multiple dimming architectures in the case of communication functions would be advantageous.

In view of the above, various embodiments and embodiments of the present invention are directed to An apparatus and method for controlling solid state lighting devices using an electronic driver that supports one of a plurality of dimming architectures. In some embodiments, the electronic driver supports at least two of 1 to 10 V, DALI, trunk dimming, and dynamic dimmer dimming. In some embodiments, the electronic driver performs communication via a DALI interface while using a dimming architecture other than DALI to drive a light source. In some embodiments, the electronic driver uses only three input wires to support both DALI and 1 to 10 V dimming architecture. In some embodiments, the electronic driver allows for dynamic switching between different dimming inputs using DALI communication.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one illumination system 100 in accordance with some embodiments. In various embodiments, the illumination system 100 can be used for an indoor lighting installation, an outdoor installation, or both.

The illumination system 100 is designed to control the amount of light provided by a light source in response to user input or an automated mechanism. For example, illumination system 100 can manage the on or off time of the light source, and it can also manage the brightness of light source 110. Such operations may be performed in response to various factors or inputs such as time of day, presence or absence of daylight or other light sources, detection of motion, and many other factors.

Referring to FIG. 1, the illumination system 100 includes an electronic driver 105, a light source 110, a user interface 115, and a network 120.

The electronic driver 105 controls the amount of current and voltage applied to the light source 110. Thus, it can turn the light source 110 on or off, and it can also implement various dimming architectures, such as 1 to 10 V, DALI, trunk dimming, and dynamic dimmer dimming. In some embodiments, the electronic driver 105 includes incorporated therein for use in One of the microcontrollers on the dimming architecture is solid state silicon.

In general, electronic driver 105 receives control signals for different dimming architectures, power signals for driving one of light sources 110, and user inputs for programming, configuring, or otherwise managing the operation of electronic driver 105. The electronic driver 105 selects one of the dimming architectures based on the selected dimming architecture and associated control signals and controls the current and voltage supplied to the source 110. It manipulates the power signal to provide current and voltage to source 110.

Light source 110 produces light based on the currents and voltages supplied from electronic driver 105. It typically includes one or more LEDs or other solid state lighting devices in which brightness can be adjusted according to different dimming architectures to provide different amounts of light in different contexts. For example, it can be adjusted to provide more or less light depending on a schedule, detected environmental factors, or specific user input.

The user interface 115 allows a user to submit information to control the operation of the electronic drive 105. For example, the user interface 115 can be implemented by a personal computer (PC) application. In the example of FIG. 1, information is submitted remotely via network 120, but may also be submitted without transmission over a network. In addition, the user interface 115 can be connected to the electronic driver 105 through various types of communication interfaces, such as a wired or wireless network connection, a remote control, and the like.

This user information can be used to select one of the dimming modes used by the electronic driver 105. It can also be used to configure or override one or more of the dimming modes, or to submit a query and receive a response from the electronic driver 105. another In addition, user interface 115 can be used to present information to a user, such as one of light sources 110. In some embodiments, queries and other forms of two-way communication with the electronic drive 105 are performed using DALI.

2 is a block diagram illustrating one of the electronic drivers 200 for use in an illumination system in accordance with some embodiments. For example, electronic driver 200 can be used as electronic driver 105 in illumination system 100.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic driver 200 includes a plurality of dimming interfaces 205, a microcontroller 210, and an output driver 215. The electronic driver 200 is used to drive a light source 220 similar to the light source 110 of FIG.

The dimming interface 205 includes a 1 to 10 V dimming interface 225, a DALI dimming interface 230, and a trunk dimming interface 235. Each of these interfaces can be operated according to established standards.

The 1 to 10 V dimming interface 225 receives an analog input voltage ranging from 1 V to 10 V and provides an input to the microcontroller 210 based on the magnitude of the input voltage. This magnitude of the input voltage determines the amount of dimming performed by the electronic driver 200 under a 1 to 10 V dimming architecture. In particular, reducing the magnitude of the input voltage increases the amount of dimming, and vice versa. The 1 to 10 V dimming interface 225 uses two wires to provide an analog input voltage.

The DALI dimming interface 230 receives a digital signal that defines a dimming amount to be performed by the electronic driver 200. It communicates with the microcontroller 210 to control dimming based on the received digital signal. The DALI dimming interface 230 communicates with external devices using one of the standard digital communication protocols employed by the lighting industry. By using the DALI command, a user or an automated mechanism can communicate via the DALI dimming interface 230 to set the dimming position and query the electronic driver 200 or source. State of 220. Like the 1 to 10 V dimming interface 225, the DALI dimming interface 230 also requires two wires as inputs.

The trunk dimming interface 235 receives a mains power signal and provides an input to the microcontroller 210 based on the received signal. For example, the mains dimming can be performed by reducing the magnitude of the received mains signal according to a desired amount of dimming and applying the reduced mains signal to the source 220 via the output driver 215. In some embodiments, the mains dimming is performed in accordance with one of the user-defined starting and stopping input voltages and one of the starting and stopping dimming bits.

The 1 to 10 V dimming interface 225 and the DALI dimming interface 230 share one of their input conductors. This common wire reduces the total number of input wires to the electronic driver 200, thereby simplifying its design.

Microcontroller 210 receives input signals through dimming interface 205 and selects a subset of the input signals in accordance with a selected dimming architecture. Microcontroller 210 provides a dimming command to output driver 215 in accordance with the selected dimming architecture and input signal. The dimming command indicates the amount of current and voltage to be applied to the light source 220.

Microcontroller 210 also communicates with an external device, such as a user PC, through an input/output (I/O) interface. For example, the communication can be used to select a dimming architecture or to output status information about the electronic driver 200 or the light source 220.

The microcontroller 210 includes a dimming selector 240 and an integrated dynamic dimmer module 245. The dimming selector 240 selects one of the dimming architectures of the dimming interface 205 or the integrated dynamic dimmer module 245. For example, in response to user input or detected environmental conditions (such as natural lighting or sports) Choose this.

The integrated dynamic dimmer module 245 implements a dimming architecture developed by Philips and referred to as a dynamic dimmer. The dynamic dimmer architecture uses the information of one of the on-time durations of the electronic driver 200 to perform dimming to a predefined light level. The dynamic dimmer architecture can be implemented in the microcontroller 210 by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

The output driver 215 receives the dimming command from the microcontroller 210 and a power signal and provides current and voltage to the light source 220 in accordance with the dimming command.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a more detailed example of one of the dimming interface 205, the microcontroller 210, and the output driver 215.

In the example of FIG. 3, the electronic driver 200 includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI) circuit that reduces electromagnetic interference to the mains input signal, shapes an input current, and controls a bus factor voltage, a power factor correction (PFC) circuit, and performs One-to-half bridge of DC to AC power conversion, controlling one of the half-bridge duty cycles to control one of the average power of the mains dimming, a pulse width modulation (PWM) integrated circuit (IC) and for generating a step-down voltage (such as One of the 18 V, 12 V, and 5 V) low voltage power supply (LVPS) converters.

The output driver 215 includes a half bridge, a rectifier and output filter, and a voltage and current feedback control module. These components are used to generate the voltage and current to be applied to the light source 220.

The DALI dimming interface 230 has a receiver and transmitter for bidirectional communication with the microcontroller. The receiver 埠 allows the dimming interface to receive control signals from an external device, and the transmitter allows the information to be received (such as Query output and status information) is provided to an external device.

4 is a flow chart illustrating one method of operating an electronic driver in accordance with some embodiments. For example, the method of FIG. 4 can be performed by illumination system 100 of FIG. 1 or electronic driver 200 of FIGS. 2 and 3. In the following description, example method steps will be indicated by parentheses.

Referring to Figure 4, the method begins by receiving a plurality of dimming inputs (405). For example, such dimming inputs can be received through dimming interfaces, such as those illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The dimming inputs can correspond to various types of dimming architectures, such as 1 to 10 V dimming, DALI dimming, trunk dimming, or dynamic dimmer dimming. Moreover, dimming inputs of at least two of the dimming architectures are receivable through a conductor shared by both of the input interfaces. For example, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the dimming input for the 1 to 10 V dimming architecture and the DALI dimming architecture can be achieved by a 1 to 10 V dimming interface and a DALI dimming interface. One of the wires is shared.

Subsequently, the method selects a dimming architecture (410) from a plurality of dimming architectures supported by the electronic driver. For example, the selection can be made by a microcontroller in response to user input, a software program, an environment input, or another selection mechanism. This selection determines the dimming input used by the microcontroller to control a light source. For example, in the case where the method selects a 1 to 10 V dimming architecture, the microcontroller determines the dimming position of the light source by means of a dimming input received through a 1 to 10 V dimming interface.

Additionally, the selected dimming architecture can be dynamically changed in response to input to the electronic driver. For example, during operation of a 1 to 10 V dimming architecture, a user or other entity can make a selection through a PC or network interface. Enter the submission to the electronic drive. The electronic driver can then change the dimming input used to determine the position of the light source.

Further, the selected dimming architecture can be overridden in response to other inputs to the electronic driver. For example, an override signal is applied to the electronic driver by forming a short between the two wires of the 1 to 10 V dimming interface. The override signal can cause the electronic driver to temporarily override the dynamic dimmer architecture.

After selecting the dimming architecture, the method applies the selected architecture to an output driver (415). In other words, the electronic driver controls the output driver based on a dimming input corresponding to the selected architecture. Under the control of the electronic driver, the output driver applies current and voltage based on one of the dimming inputs to the light source.

While the selected dimming architecture is being applied to the output driver, the method also performs communication with a remote device (420). For example, while the 1 to 10 V dimming architecture is applied to the output driver, the electronic driver can transmit and receive messages using a DALI dimming interface and a remote device, such as a PC. The transmitted message can provide information such as the light source or status information of the electronic drive. Thus, even though the 1 to 10V dimming architecture itself does not provide for outgoing communications, the DALI interface can be used to provide status information about the 1 to 10 V dimming architecture. In addition, the 1 to 10 V dimming architecture and the synchronous operation of the DALI communication can be performed by sharing the wires with one of the 1 to 10 V and DALI interfaces as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating one of illumination systems 500 including one of electronic drivers 505 having an override mechanism in accordance with some embodiments. The overtaking machine The electronic driver 505 is allowed to preferentially execute a currently selected dimming architecture. The override mechanism is provided through an input lead used by an existing dimming interface such that the override mechanism can be implemented without complicating the input configuration of the electronic driver 505.

In the example of Figure 5, the override mechanism is used to override the dynamic dimmer architecture. The dynamic dimmer architecture performs dimming according to a predetermined dimming specification. The specification is typically operated according to one of the schedules for lighting modes (eg, dawn, daylight, dusk, etc.). The override mechanism, for example, allows a user or other entity to interrupt the predetermined dimming specification by providing brighter light at a time that is scheduled to have a darker light.

Referring to FIG. 5, the illumination system 500 includes an electronic driver 505 and a light source 510. As indicated by the indicia in Figure 5, light source 510 is an LED light source and electronic driver 505 is an LED driver.

The electronic driver 505 receives the dimming input through a 1 to 10 V dimming interface 515, a DALI dimming interface 520, a trunk dimming interface 525, and an integrated dynamic dimmer interface. The 1 to 10 V dimming interface 515 operates as a switching input signal when the electronic driver 505 operates in accordance with the dynamic dimmer dimming architecture. In particular, the two wires of the 1 to 10 V dimming interface 515 are electrically coupled together to preferentially perform the dynamic dimmer architecture. This dual use of the 1 to 10 V wires is possible due to the integration of multiple dimming interfaces in a single LED driver.

Figure 6 contains two diagrams illustrating the override mechanism of Figure 5 in accordance with some embodiments. In Figure 6, an (a) graphic illustrates one of the dimming bits defined by the dynamic dimmer architecture according to an example, and one (b) graphical illustration. The voltage level of one of the 1 to 10 V dimming interfaces 515 of the dynamic dimmer architecture is overridden.

As an illustration of (a) the graphic, an example of the dynamic dimmer architecture causes the dimming position of the light source 510 to decrease at a predetermined point in time and then increase at a predetermined point in time. For example, this can be performed to provide room illumination for varying locations for an indoor situation. As indicated by the pattern in (b), a short circuit is formed across the two wires of the dimming interface 515 of 1 to 10 V at a point in time indicated by an arrow. This causes the voltage on the 1 to 10 V dimming interface 515 to drop. The electronic driver 505 detects this voltage drop and responds by raising the dimming position of the light source 510 to 100%. This can be done, for example, if an emergency event occurs that requires room lighting to be illuminated immediately.

Although the example of FIG. 6 illustrates one of the override mechanisms for raising the dimming position of a light source, the override mechanism can be used to make other changes to the dimming position, including any increase or decrease.

As indicated above, various embodiments of the apparatus and method allow an electronic driver to function according to different dimming architectures. In some embodiments, at least two of the dimming architectures operate through a dimming interface of a common wire. In some embodiments, the electronic driver allows one dimming interface to communicate with an external device while the other dimming interface provides a dimming input to control a light source. Moreover, in some embodiments, the electronic driver allows a dimming architecture to dynamically change in response to input received through a user interface or a dimming interface.

Although a number of inventive embodiments have been illustrated and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the function can be performed and/or obtained. Various other trunks and/or structures of one or more of the results and/or advantages described herein, and each of these variations and/or modifications are considered to be the inventive implementations described herein. Within the scope of the example. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all of the parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are intended to be exemplary, and such actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend on One or more specific applications for which the teachings of the present invention are directed. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to identify, the equivalents of the specific inventive embodiments described herein. Therefore, the present invention is to be construed as being limited to the details of the embodiments of the invention. The inventive embodiments of the present invention are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, if the features, systems, articles, materials, kits and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, any combination of two or more of these features, systems, articles, materials, kits and/or methods All are included in the inventive scope of the invention.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, are understood to be in the meaning of the meaning of the definition of the dictionary, the definition in the document incorporated by reference, and/or the meaning of the defined terms.

The indefinite articles "a", "an" and "an" are used to mean "at least one".

The phrase "and/or" as used herein in the specification and claims is to be understood as meaning , that is, elements that are presented in a combined manner and in other cases in a separate manner in some cases. The components listed in "and/or" should be interpreted in the same manner, that is, "one or more" of the components so combined. Elements other than those specifically identified by the "and/or" clause may be used as appropriate, regardless of whether they are related to the particular identified component or not. Thus, as a non-limiting example, when used in conjunction with an open-ended language such as "include," a reference to "A and/or B" may refer to only A in one embodiment (including B except as appropriate). In other embodiments, it refers to only B (as the case may include elements other than A); in still another embodiment, both A and B (including other components as appropriate); etc. Wait.

"or" as used herein in the specification and the claims are intended to have the meaning of the meaning of "and/or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and/or" should be interpreted as being inclusive, that is, including at least one of the elements or a list of items (but also including More than one) and, depending on the situation, additional items not listed. The term "only" clearly indicates the opposite, such as "only one of" or "just one of" or used in the scope of patent application, "consisting of" shall mean that it contains several components or components. Just one component in the list. In general, the term "or" as used herein is preceded by an exclusive term (such as "or", "one of", "only one of" or "the one of them") It should only be interpreted as indicating an exclusive selection (ie, "one or the other, not both"). "consisting essentially of" (when used in the scope of patent application) should have its use as a patent law The ordinary meaning in the field of law.

The phrase "at least one of," when used in the context of the claims and the claims, is to be understood to mean that any one or more of the elements in the list of elements are selected. At least one of, but not necessarily, at least one of each of the elements listed in the list of elements, and does not exclude any combination of several elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows for the appearance of elements other than the specifically identified elements in the list of elements, unless the phrase "at least one" is used in the context, whether related or unrelated to the particular element. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or equivalently, "at least one of A or B", or equivalently, at least "A and/or B" One" may, in one embodiment, refer to at least one (including more than one) A, and without B (and optionally include elements other than B); in another embodiment, at least one (including one or more as appropriate) B, without A (and optionally including elements other than A); in still another embodiment, referring to at least one (including one or more) A and at least one (as appropriate) Contains more than one) B (and other components as appropriate); and so on.

It is also understood that the order of the steps or actions of the method is not necessarily limited to the order of the steps or actions of the method.

In the scope of the patent application and in the above description, all transitional phrases (such as "including", "including", "carrying", "having", "containing", "involving", "holding", " It is understood to be open-ended, that is, to include but not limited to. As in the US in the patent approval process As explained in Section 2111.03 of the Patent Office Handbook, only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" should be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

100‧‧‧Lighting system

105‧‧‧Electronic drive

110‧‧‧Light source

115‧‧‧User interface

120‧‧‧Network

200‧‧‧Electronic drive

205‧‧‧ dimming interface

210‧‧‧Microcontroller

215‧‧‧output driver

220‧‧‧Light source

225‧‧1 to 10 V dimming interface

230‧‧‧Digital addressable lighting interface dimming interface

235‧‧‧Trunk line dimming interface

240‧‧‧ dimming selector

245‧‧‧Integral Dynamic Dimmer Module

500‧‧‧Lighting system

505‧‧‧Electronic drive

510‧‧‧Light source

515‧‧1 to 10 V dimming interface

525‧‧‧Trunk line dimming interface

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one illumination system 100 in accordance with some embodiments.

2 is a block diagram illustrating one of the electronic drivers for an illumination system in accordance with some embodiments.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a dimming interface associated with an electronic driver in accordance with some embodiments.

4 is a flow chart illustrating one method of operating an electronic driver in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating one illumination system including an electronic driver having one of the override mechanisms in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 6 contains two diagrams illustrating the override mechanism of Figure 5 in accordance with some embodiments.

200‧‧‧Electronic drive

205‧‧‧ dimming interface

210‧‧‧Microcontroller

215‧‧‧output driver

220‧‧‧Light source

225‧‧1 to 10 V dimming interface

230‧‧‧Digital addressable lighting interface dimming interface

235‧‧‧Trunk line dimming interface

240‧‧‧ dimming selector

245‧‧‧Integral Dynamic Dimmer Module

Claims (20)

An apparatus for controlling a lighting assembly, comprising: a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming architectures; an output driver configured to drive a light source according to the plurality of dimming architectures; and a controller configured to receive a dimming input through the plurality of input interfaces to select one of the dimming architectures to be applied to the light source, and based on the selected dimming architecture and the received dimming An optical input controls the output driver to operate while performing communication via one of the input interfaces based on the other of the plurality of dimming architectures and the received dimming inputs. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of input interfaces comprise at least two input interfaces sharing an input conductor. The device of claim 2, wherein the two input interfaces comprise: a digital addressable illumination interface (DALI) having two input wires; and a 1 to 10 V interface having two input wires, wherein the DALI One of the input wires is connected to one of the input wires of the 1 to 10 V interface. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to dynamically change the selected dimming architecture in response to the communication. The device of claim 4, wherein the communication is performed via a digital addressable illumination interface (DALI). The device of claim 1, wherein the controller responds to a computer A control input is received to select the dimming architecture to be applied to the light source. The device of claim 6, wherein the control input is received from the personal computer over a network. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller operates at least two of the plurality of dimming architectures based on a same inventory unit of measure (SKU) identifier. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dimming architectures include 1 to 10 V dimming, digital addressable illumination interface (DALI) dimming, trunk dimming, and dynamic dimmer dimming. The device of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes. A method for operating a lighting assembly, the lighting assembly including a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming architectures, configured to drive an output driver of a light source according to the plurality of dimming architectures, and Configuring to control a controller of the output driver based on signals received through the input interfaces, the method comprising: receiving a plurality of dimming inputs through the plurality of input interfaces; selecting the ones to be applied to the light source One of the dimming architectures; and simultaneously controlling the output driver to operate according to the selected dimming architecture and the received dimming inputs and according to the other of the plurality of dimming architectures and the A dimming input is received to communicate with a remote device via one of the input interfaces. The method of claim 11, further comprising passing through the input interfaces One of the wires shares one of the dimming inputs of at least two of the dimming architectures. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least two dimming architectures comprise a 1 to 10 V dimming architecture and a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) dimming architecture. The method of claim 11, further comprising dynamically changing the selected dimming architecture in response to the communication. The method of claim 11, wherein the communicating is performed via a digital addressable illumination interface (DALI). The method of claim 11, further comprising overriding the selected dimming architecture in response to an input signal received through one of the plurality of input interfaces. The method of claim 16, wherein the selected dimming architecture is overridden in response to a short circuit formed between two wires of a 1 to 10 V input interface. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of dimming architectures comprise 1 to 10 V dimming, digital addressable illumination interface (DALI) dimming, trunk dimming, and dynamic dimmer dimming. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting the dimming architecture to be applied to the light source in response to receiving a control input from a personal computer. The method of claim 11, wherein communicating with a remote device via one of the input interfaces comprises receiving a query from the remote device and transmitting a query response to the remote device.