Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
  • H05B45/00—Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
  • H05B45/30—Driver circuits
  • H05B45/37—Converter circuits
  • H05B45/3725—Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
  • H05B45/385—Switched mode power supply [SMPS] using flyback topology
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
  • H05B47/00—Circuit arrangements for operating light sources in general, i.e. where the type of light source is not relevant
  • H05B47/10—Controlling the light source
  • H05B47/175—Controlling the light source by remote control
  • H05B47/18—Controlling the light source by remote control via data-bus transmission
  • H05B47/183—Controlling the light source by remote control via data-bus transmission using digital addressable lighting interface [DALI] communication protocols
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
  • H05B47/00—Circuit arrangements for operating light sources in general, i.e. where the type of light source is not relevant
  • H05B47/10—Controlling the light source
  • H05B47/105—Controlling the light source in response to determined parameters

Definitions

• the invention relates to a driver device for driving a load, e.g. for driving a lighting means, and in particular to switched driver devices, e.g. in a flyback topology, implementing an isolation barrier.
• the invention concerns a circuit and a method for determining a mains supply voltage of the driver device.
• SPS switched mode power supply
• Isolated driver devices implement an isolation barrier between a first circuit and a second circuit of the driver device using a transformer.
• the isolation barrier between the first circuit on a primary side of the transformer and the second circuit on the secondary side of the transformer enables to isolate galvanically circuit parts with high voltages from circuit parts with safe lower voltages, thereby fulfilling SELV (Safety Extra Low Voltage) requirements.
• the first circuit on the primary side of the isolation barrier (SELV barrier) includes the mains supply interface, and therefore includes portions on a mains supply voltage level.
• the second circuit on the secondary side of the isolation barrier provides a load current to connected lighting devices, which the driving device supplies.
• a control circuit often implemented based on a microcontroller, controls the switch arranged in the primary circuit of the driver device implemented in flyback topology.
• the driver device may arrange the microcontroller for controlling the switch on the primary side of the isolation barrier.
• the microcontroller may also provide the capability to measure, monitor, process, and/ or record a mains supply voltage.
• Monitoring the mains supply voltage is a characteristic feature for emergency driver devices, which switch into an emergency mode of operation backed by a battery when detecting a mains supply failure. Thus, information on mains supply voltage needs not to be transferred over the isolation barrier.
• the information on the actual mains supply voltage needs to be transferred over the isolation barrier in order to process the transferred information in a control circuit on the secondary side of the isolation barrier.
• optocoupler In order to transfer information such as an actual value or an actual state of the mains supply voltage over the isolation barrier, additional electronic circuit elements such as an optocoupler (sometimes called opto-isolator, optical isolator, photocoupler) are necessary.
• the optocoupler represents an additional and expensive circuit element and requires additional space on a printed circuit board, and therefore increases cost and complexity of the driver device when monitoring or measuring the supply voltage is a requirement.
• US 2021/ 006161 At discloses a power converter that powers an LED fixture from a power supply
• the power converter comprises a primary circuit with a primary winding, and a switch in series connection with the primary winding. In a conductive state, the switch connects the primary winding to the power supply.
• a secondary circuit comprises a secondary winding that is coupled magnetically with the primary winding for providing power to the LED fixture in response to a switching of the switch.
• the power converter further comprises a sensing circuit configured to generate a signal representative of the output voltage of the secondary winding.
• An edge of the signal represents an edge of the output voltage of the secondary winding in response to the switching of the switch.
• a detecting circuit derives timing data from the edges of the signal, to estimate a load of the power converter from at least one output parameter of the power converter, and to determine a momentary value of a voltage of the power supply from the timing data and the estimated load of the power converter.
• the driver comprises terminals for connecting at least one LED load, a circuit for providing a constant DC voltage starting from a mains voltage supply, a control unit, a switch in series with the LED load when connected to the terminals. The end of the switch opposite to the terminals is connected to ground potential.
• the control unit controls the switch with pulse width modulation for dimming.
• the driver comprises a detection circuit in parallel with the switch, which outputs a detection signal via a pin, the detection signal representing the potential at a connection point between the switch and the LED load.
• the driver device in a first aspect and the method for operating the driver device in a second aspect according to the independent claims define the invention and provide solutions to the problem.
• the dependent claims define further advantageous features of the invention.
• the driver device comprises a primary circuit including a controlled switch and supplied by a mains supply voltage, and a secondary circuit providing a load current.
• the driver device further comprises an isolation stage including a transformer with a primary winding and a secondary winding.
• the isolation stage is configured to isolate the primary circuit on a primary side and the secondary circuit on a secondary side by an isolation barrier.
• the driver device comprises a control circuit arranged on the secondary side of the isolation barrier.
• the transformer further comprises an additional secondary winding arranged on the secondary side. The additional secondary winding is in phase with the primary winding.
• the control circuit is configured to determine presence and/ or a value of the mains supply voltage for a time in which the controlled switch is conducting based on a voltage signal provided by the additional secondary winding.
• the driver device may, for example be a switched mode power supply (SMPS) in a flyback topology.
• SMPS switched mode power supply
• the flyback topology provides isolation between a primary side and a secondary side by a SELV barrier.
• the voltage signal provided by the additional secondary winding provides the basis for the control circuit on the secondary side of the transformer for determining presence of absence of the mains supply voltage.
• the voltage signal is in phase with the voltage across the primary winding of the transformer.
• the voltage induced in the secondary winding when the controlled switch is switched on (in a conducting state) is converted depending on a winding ratio between the primary winding and the additional secondary winding (measurement winding or auxiliary winding).
• the control circuit may accordingly determine presence or absence of a voltage over the primary winding of the transformer based on the voltage signal provided by the additional secondary winding.
• the control circuit may even determine (measure) a value of the voltage over the primary winding based on the voltage signal provided by the additional secondary winding, as long as this voltage signal depends on predetermined circuit parameters of the electronic circuit layout.
• the predetermined circuit parameters are in particular a winding ratio of the primary winding and the additional secondary winding
• Further predetermined electronic circuit parameters of the electronic circuitry are, e.g. for example electronic circuit parameters of resistive voltage divider stages, that process the voltage signal before it is supplied to the control circuit in form of a DC voltage.
• a DC voltage provided to the control circuit tracks an actual value of the (rectified) mains supply voltage over the primary winding while the controlled switch is conducting.
• the rectified mains supply voltage depends on the mains supply voltage provided to the primary circuit of the driver circuit.
• the control circuit is enabled to convert the supplied DC voltage accordingly to an actual value (voltage amplitude value) of the mains supply voltage currently present at a mains supply input of the driver circuit.
• the driver device provides the capability to determine presence, absence, or even an actual value of the mains supply voltage using the control circuit arranged on the secondary side of the isolation barrier without requiring an expensive optocoupler.
• the voltage signal which is induced in the additional secondary winding is independent from a current load at a load output of the secondary circuit, as the voltage signal is induced during a time in which the switch of the primary circuit is in a conducting state. Thus load variations do not adversely affect the measurement of the mains supply voltage.
• Determining values for the mains supply voltage enables to determine power consumption of the driver device and thereby to provide a key parameter for building automation and monitoring system, e.g. in order to perform power metering and collect power metering data from the individual devices connected to the communication interface.
• the mains supply voltage may be a rectified AC mains supply voltage.
• a dedicated primary side control circuit arranged on the primary side of the isolation barrier typically controls operation of the controlled switch of the primary circuit.
• the driver device comprises a rectifier circuit arranged on the secondary side of the isolation barrier.
• the rectifier circuit is configured to rectify the voltage signal provided by the additional secondary winding in order to generate a rectified voltage signal.
• the rectifier circuit may include a first diode and a second diode.
• the rectifier circuit may comprise a first resistor and a second resistor, wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are connected in series with the first diode.
• the driver device comprises a peak detector circuit arranged on the secondary side of the isolation barrier for generating a DC voltage from the rectified voltage signal provided by the rectifier circuit.
• the peak detector circuit can include a capacitor and a resistive divider network arranged in parallel with the capacitor.
• the resistive divider network is configured to generate a DC voltage in a first voltage range from the rectified voltage signal for the AC mains supply voltage in a second voltage range.
• the first voltage range may be smaller than the second voltage range by at least one order of magnitude, in particular the second voltage range reaches from 0 V to 240 V and the first voltage range reaches from 0 V to 4 V.
• the mains supply voltage can be measured by the control circuit after converting it into a usual voltage range for application to an analogue input of a microcontroller.
• the voltage applied to the control circuit is a stable DC voltage, which can be measured by the analogue to digital converter present in most current microcontroller circuits.
• the control circuit comprises an analogue-to-digital converter circuit configured to obtain the DC voltage provided by the peak detector circuit.
• the control circuit can be configured to determine presence or absence of the mains supply voltage based on the DC voltage provided by the peak detector circuit. Alternatively or additionally, the control circuit is configured to calculate an actual value of the mains supply voltage based on the DC voltage provided by the peak detector circuit.
• the control circuit is configured to convert the DC voltage provided by the rectifier circuit to the value of the mains supply voltage based on (using) a predetermined winding ratio of the primary winding and the additional secondary winding.
• the control circuit is configured to convert the DC voltage provided by the rectifier circuit to the value of the mains supply voltage based on (using) electronic circuit parameter values of the rectifier circuit and the peak detector circuit.
• control circuit is configured to determine a frequency of the mains supply voltage based on the DC voltage.
• the control circuit may be configured to record the determined value of the mains supply voltage in a memory.
• the memory may be an internal memory of the control circuit, for example a memory storing a log file including one or more values of operating parameter(s) of the driver device.
• the memory may be a storage device arranged externally to the driver device, for example at a central control facility or a remote server.
• the driver device may comprise a transfer circuit configured to transfer mains supply voltage data determined by the control circuit over the isolation barrier to a communication interface of the driver device arranged on the primary side of the isolation barrier.
• the mains supply voltage data e.g. data on presence or absence of the mains supply voltage at a mains supply input of the driver device, or data including actual or historic voltage values of the mains supply voltage may be available externally to the driver device.
• power consumption calculations based on actual measurements or a monitoring of the mains supply concerning the individual driver device becomes possible without installing additional measurement equipment in the field.
• Optocouplers represent a possibility to implement the transfer circuit.
• the communication interface may perform communication based on a wireless and/ or wire- bound communication standard, in particular based on a DALI standard.
• the Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI RTM ) enables network-based light devices.
• the extension D4i of the certified DALI-2 standard in particular refers to collecting and storing of diagnostic and maintenance data, which explicitly include performance data of driver devices such as driver external supply voltage (mains supply voltage) and driver external supply frequency (electric grid frequency).
• driver devices such as driver external supply voltage (mains supply voltage) and driver external supply frequency (electric grid frequency).
• the driver device according to the first aspect therefore offers advantages for implementing driver devices fulfilling corresponding requirements concerning measurement and/ or monitoring of the external supply voltage of a driver device in a highly economical manner.
• Determining amplitude values for the mains supply voltages enables to determine power consumption of the driver device and thereby to provide a key parameter for building automation and monitoring purposes.
• the driver device includes the control circuit configured to determine a mains supply voltage frequency based on the voltage signal.
• Knowledge on values or stability of the mains supply voltage at the input of the driver device may provide valuable insight into the AC supply network and support failure search in the AC supply network.
• the control circuit is a microcontroller circuit.
• Current microcontroller circuits include AD-converter circuits and corresponding AD-converter inputs and are therefore well suited to process the DC voltage provided by the rectifier circuit.
• the microcontroller circuit has the processing capability to convert the DC voltage to the corresponding value of the mains supply voltage based on the predetermined electric characteristics of the transformer, and the electric circuit parameters of the rectifier circuit and the peak detector circuit.
• the microcontroller circuit further offers the capability to record the determined AC mains supply voltage value in a memory of the driver device, for example in a log file including mains supply voltage data, or to generate a signal to a communication interface.
• the signal to the communication interface may include mains supply voltage data including one or more values for the mains supply voltage, and/ or a time series of amplitude values of the mains supply voltage and/ or frequency values of the mains supply voltage.
• the driver device may have a flyback converter topology.
• the driver device is an emergency driver device, in particular an emergency lighting driver device.
• the second aspect concerns a method for operating a driver device, wherein the driver device comprises a primary circuit including a controlled switch.
• a mains supply voltage supplies the primary circuit.
• the driver device further comprises a secondary circuit providing a load current to a load, and an isolation stage including a transformer with a primary winding and a secondary winding.
• the isolation stage is configured to isolate the primary circuit on a primary side and the secondary circuit on a secondary side by an isolation barrier.
• the driver device comprises a control circuit arranged on the secondary side of the isolation barrier.
• the method is characterized by a step of providing a voltage signal by an additional secondary winding of the transformer on the secondary side, wherein the additional winding is arranged in phase with the primary winding.
• the method further comprises a step of determining, by the control circuit, presence of the mains supply voltage and/ or an actual value (amplitude value) of the mains supply voltage for a time in which the controlled switch is conducting based on the voltage signal.
• Fig. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of a driver device according to a preferred embodiment
• Fig. 2 presents a chart for illustrating peaks of mains supply voltage to a driver device the embodiment uses
• Fig. 3 illustrates the interdependency between mains supply voltage and an input voltage (DC voltage) at an input of the control circuit according to an embodiment
• Fig. 4 shows a block diagram of a driver device according to a preferred embodiment including a communication interface
• Fig. 5 shows a method for operating an isolated, primary side switched driver device according to an embodiment.
• the driver device 1 comprises a primary circuit 5 including a controlled switch 10.
• the driver device 1 may be an isolated switched mode power supply (lamp driver, ballast), preferably in a flyback topology.
• the primary circuit 5 of the driver device 1 comprises a mains supply input 2 for connecting to an AC mains voltage (mains supply voltage VAC)-
• the mains supply voltage VAC may be a 230 V/ 50 FIz mains supply, for example.
• the primary circuit 5 includes characteristic elements of a mains supply interface, for example, an EMI filter 3 and a subsequent bridge rectifier 4.
• the bridge rectifier 4 provides a rectified mains supply voltage VAC_RECT for the primary circuit 5 of the driver device 1.
• the driver device 1 comprises an isolation stage including a transformer 13.
• the transformer 13 comprises a primary winding 6 forming part of the primary circuit 5 and a secondary winding 7 forming part of the secondary circuit 12.
• the isolation stage isolates the primary circuit 5 on a primary side and the secondary circuit on a secondary side by the isolation barrier 9.
• the isolation barrier 9 is a SELV barrier providing galvanic separation (electric isolation) between the primary side and the secondary side. Furthermore, the isolation barrier 9 provides galvanic isolation between the primary circuit 5 and the secondary circuit 12.
• the primary circuit 5 arranges a controlled switch 10 in series with the primary winding 6.
• a primary side control circuit not shown in fig. 1 controls the switch 10 to switch between a conducting state and a non-conducting state in a generally known manner for a SMPS, e.g. a flyback converter.
• the flyback topology provides isolation between the primary side and the secondary side by the isolation barrier 9.
• the load may be a lighting module comprising one or more LEDs.
• the transformer 13 further comprises an additional secondary winding 8 arranged on the secondary side.
• the additional secondary winding 8 is in phase with the primary winding 6 on the primary side.
• the additional secondary winding 8 provides a voltage signal VIND on the secondary side of the isolation barrier.
• the voltage signal VIND induced in the additional secondary winding 8 depends on the rectified mains supply voltage VAC_RECT and therefore also on the mains supply voltage VAC.
• an amplitude value of the induced voltage signal VIND depends on the rectified mains supply voltage VAC_RECT, and further, additionally on a winding ratio of the transformer 13 comprising the additional secondary winding 8 and the primary winding 6.
• the voltage signal VIND is input to a rectifier circuit 16.
• the rectifier circuit 16 applies the voltage signal VIND to a resistor Rl, a resistor R2 and a diode Dl, which are arranged in series.
• the common terminal of the resistor Rl and the resistor R2 is connected to an anode of a (second) diode D2 of the rectifier circuit 16.
• the rectifier circuit 16 provides a rectified voltage VRECT,
• the rectifier circuit 16 in particular enables to suppress influence from the load 14 on the rectified voltage VRECT.
• the rectified voltage VRECT forms the input to a peak detector circuit 17.
• the peak detector circuit 17 applies the rectified voltage VRECT over a capacitor Cl.
• the peak detector circuit 17 arranges a resistive divider network.
• the resistive divider network according to fig. 1 includes two resistors, a resistor R3 and a resistor R4, which are connected in series.
• the peak detector circuit 17 provides at the common terminal of the resistors R3 and R4 an output in form of the DC voltage VDC over the resistor R4.
• the peak detector circuit 17 in particular enables to generate a DC voltage in a suitable voltage range in order to be provided to an analogue-to-digital converter forming part of most current microprocessors.
• the resistive divider network generates the DC voltage VDC in a first voltage range from the rectified voltage signal VRECT,
• the first voltage range is adapted to the input voltage range of the A/D-converter input terminal 11.1 of the control circuit 11.
• the first voltage range may range from 0 V to 4 V, for example.
• the peak detector circuit 17 provides the generated DC voltage VDC to the A/D-converter input 11.1 of the control circuit 11.
• the driver device 1 comprises the control circuit 11 arranged on the secondary side of the isolation barrier 9.
• the control circuit 11 preferably is a microcontroller circuit.
• the control circuit 11 determines presence or absence of the mains supply voltage VAC and VAC_RECT for a time in which the controlled switch 10 is in a conducting state from the voltage signal VDC provided by peak detector circuit 17.
• the voltage signal VDC provided by peak detector circuit 17 bases on the voltage signal VIND provided by the secondary winding 8.
• control circuit 11 determines a value of the mains supply voltage VAC (and VAC_RECT) for a time in which the controlled switch 10 is conducting from the DC voltage VDC provided by peak detector circuit 17.
• the DC voltage VDC provided by peak detector circuit 17 bases on the additional voltage signal VIND provided by the secondary winding 8.
• the control circuit 11 converts the actual value of the DC voltage VDC, which is a value in the first voltage range, into a voltage value for the mains supply voltage VAC, which is a voltage value in a second voltage range.
• the first voltage range is typically smaller than the second voltage range by at least one order of magnitude. For example, the second voltage range reaches from 0 V to 240 V and the first voltage range reaches from 0 V to 4 V.
• control circuit 11 may use a lookup-table.
• control circuit 11 may be adapted to calculate the actual value of the mains supply voltage VAC from the measured actual value of the DC voltage VDC by using a mathematical formula, which regards the respective electric circuit parameters of the transformer 13, the rectifier circuit 16 and the peak detector circuit 17.
• the control circuit 11 determines or measures the actual value of the mains supply voltage VAC_RECT over the primary winding 6 based on the voltage signal provided by the additional secondary winding 8 .
• the DC voltage VDC depends on predetermined circuit parameters of the electronic circuit layout, in particular the winding ratio of the primary winding 6 and the additional secondary winding 8, and predetermined electronic circuit parameters of the electronic circuitry that processes the voltage signal VIND in order to generate the DC voltage VDC-
• the DC voltage VDC provided to the A / D-converter input 11.1 of the control circuit 11 tracks an actual value of the (rectified) mains supply voltage VAC_RECT over the primary winding 6 while the controlled switch 10 is in the conducting state.
• the control circuit 11 is enabled to convert the supplied DC voltage V DC accordingly to an actual value (actual voltage amplitude value) of the mains supply voltage V AC currently present at a mains supply input 2 of the driver circuit 1.
• a dedicated primary side control circuit not shown in fig. 1 and arranged on the primary side of the isolation barrier 9 typically controls operation of the controlled switch 10 of the primary circuit 5.
• the control circuit 11 may determine and/ or calculate further parameters of the AC mains supply to the driver device 1.
• control circuit 11 may determine a frequency of the mains supply voltage VAC based on the voltage signal VIND-
• the control circuit 11 may be configured to record the determined value of the mains supply voltage in a memory internal to the control circuit 11 or external to the control circuit 11.
• the memory may be an internal memory of the control circuit 11, for example, a memory storing a log file including one or more values of operating parameter(s) of the driver device 1.
• the memory may be a storage device externally to the driver device, for example at a central control facility or at a remote server.
• the rectifier circuit 16 and the peak detector circuit 17 correspond to filtering circuitry arranged on the secondary side of the isolation barrier 9 for rectifying and filtering the voltage signal provided by the secondary winding 8 in order to generate the DC voltage signal VDC provided to the control circuit 11.
• the DC voltage VDC represents the filtered and rectified voltage signal VIND provided by the additional secondary winding 8.
• the DC voltage VDC is scaled independently of the load current ILED provided by the secondary circuit 12 to the load 14.
• Fig. 2 presents a chart for illustrating peaks of mains supply voltage to a driver device 1 the embodiment uses for transfer over the isolation barrier 9.
• Fig. 2 depicts characteristic curves for a driver device 1 implemented in a flyback topology.
• the upper curve 18 of fig. 2 depicts the actual mains power supply voltage VAC_ RECT with a first time resolution of 20 ms per division.
• the lower part of fig. 2 depicts a curve 19 showing the actual mains power supply voltage VAC_ RECT with a second time resolution of 50 ps per division.
• the lower curve 19 represents a zoom view of a portion of the upper curve 18.
• the switch 10 on the primary side of the isolation barrier 9 is in a conducting state, peaks of the mains power supply voltage VAC_RECT induce a voltage signal in the further secondary winding 8 .
• the further secondary winding 8 enables to transfer an information on the actual value of the mains power supply voltage VAC_ RECT from the primary side of the isolation barrier 9 to the secondary side of the isolation barrier 9.
• Fig. 3 illustrates the interdependency between mains supply voltage and the DC voltage VDC at an input of the control circuit 11 according to an embodiment.
• the voltage VDC is shown on the abscissa (x-axis) of the diagram in a range from 1200 mV to 2000 mV.
• the depicted range corresponds to a characteristic input voltage range of an A/D- converter input terminal 11.1 of a microcontroller implementing the control circuit 11.
• the corresponding mains supply voltage VAC here the rectified mains supply voltage VAC_RECT, is shown on the ordinate (y-axis) of fig. 3 ranging from 0 to 300 V.
• Fig. 3 shows an almost linear dependency of the mains supply voltage V AC and the DC voltage V DC in a characteristic supply voltage amplitude range from 180 V to 270 V.
• Fig. 3 further shows that the linear dependency is independent from an actual load at the output of the driver device 1. This is achieved by the electric circuit parameters and layout of the rectifier circuit 16 and the peak detection circuit 17 with the resistive divider network.
• Fig. 4 demonstrates that the circuit topology of the rectifier circuit 16 and the peak detection circuit 17 enables to minimize a shift in the conversion from the actual measured DC voltage Voc . 2 to the mains supply voltage VAC.RECT due to different loads 14 at the output of the driver device 1.
• the driver device 1 is therefore capable to provide an actual value for the mains supply voltage VAC_RECT, which is independent from a current load at the output of the driver device 1.
• Fig. 4 shows a block diagram of a driver device F according to an embodiment including a communication interface 22.
• the driver device G corresponds in most aspects to the driver device 1 discussed with reference to fig. 1.
• the driver device G comprises a communication interface 22.
• the communication interface 22 is connected via signal lines 21 to a transfer circuit 20.
• the transfer circuit 21 further is connected via signal lines 24 to the control circuit 11.
• the signal lines 21, 24 in combination with the transfer circuit 20 enable a bidirectional communication between the communication interface 22 arranged on the primary side of the isolation barrier 9 and the control circuit 11 on the secondary side of the isolation barrier 9.
• the transfer circuit 20 may use optocouplers(s) for transferring signals over the isolation barrier 9 without compromising the galvanic isolation between the primary side of the isolation barrier 9 and the secondary side of the isolation barrier 9.
• the control circuit 11 generates a signal including mains supply voltage information and transmit the signal to the communication interface 22 via the transfer circuit 20.
• the communication interface 22 depicted in fig.4 is a DALI R TM interface and connected to an external bus via bus terminals 23.
• the external bus may be a wireless or a wired bus.
• the driver device G can communicate with other devices via the external bus. In particular, the driver device G may generate communication signals for transmission to the other devices including data such as the mains supply voltage information received from the control circuit 11 via the transfer circuit 20.
• Data such as the mains supply voltage information received from the control circuit 11 via the transfer circuit 20 may be used to determine power consumption of the driver device G and thereby to provide a key parameter for a building automation and monitoring system, e.g., in order to perform power metering and collect power metering data from the individual devices as, e.g., driver device G connected to the communication interface 22.
• Fig. 5 illustrates method steps performed by the control circuit 11 for operating an isolated, primary side switched driver device 1, G according to an embodiment.
• step SI the control circuit 11 obtains an actual voltage value V DC at the A/D-converter input terminal 11.1.
• control circuit 11 determines a mains supply voltage information based of the obtained DC voltage value V DC .
• the control circuit 11 converts the obtained DC voltage value V DC into a value of the actual mains supply voltage V AC corresponding to the obtained actual voltage value of the DC voltage V DC -
• the control circuit 11 may determine from the obtained actual voltage value of the DC voltage V DC whether a mains supply voltage V AC is currently present at the mains supply input 2 of the driver device 1, G.
• the control circuit 11 may record the determined actual value of the mains supply voltage V AC in the memory.
• the control circuit 11 then proceeds with step S3 and generates a signal including data comprising mains supply voltage information.
• the data comprising mains supply voltage information may include data indicating whether the mains supply voltage V AC is present or is not present at the mains supply input 2 of the driver device 1, G.
• the data comprising mains supply voltage information may further include data indicating whether the main supply voltage V AC has an actual value within a specific voltage range.
• the mains supply voltage information may further include time series data including values of the mains supply voltage V AC over time.
• control circuit 11 then proceeds with step S4 and transmits the generated signal including data comprising mains supply voltage information via the transfer circuit 20 to the communication interface 22.

Landscapes

• Dc-Dc Converters (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=75746336

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (1)

Citations (3)

• 2021
  • 2021-04-29 EP EP21171328.4A patent/EP4084583A1/de active Pending
• 2022
  • 2022-04-21 WO PCT/EP2022/060619 patent/WO2022229006A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2022-04-21 CN CN202280023926.5A patent/CN117121639A/zh active Pending

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events