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US-RE50882-E1 - Configurable LED driver/dimmer for solid state lighting applications

Abstract

The disclosure is directed at a method and apparatus for configuring and powering light fixture loads for a LED low voltage distribution system. The method and apparatus include converting power being supplied for powering the set of light fixture loads and then limiting this converted power to a set of multiple current outputs supplied to the light fixture loads. The multiple current outputs are then split or regrouped prior to being delivered to the light fixture loads.

Inventors

  • David Tikkanen
  • Jason Neudorf
  • Steven Lyons
  • Kyle HATHAWAY

Assignees

  • MATE. LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20231226

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A configurable light emitting diode (LED) driver/dimmer for controlling a set of light fixture loads comprising: a power circuit including: an inrush current limit; a DC/DC converter; a power factor correction (PFC) boost connected to the inrush current limit and the DC/DC converter; a regulated output voltage bus connected to the DC/DC converter; and a primary controller for controlling the power circuit; a set of output current drivers, each of the set of output current drivers connected to one of the set of light fixture loads for controlling the associated light fixture load; and at least one power limit associated with the set of output current drivers; a secondary controller for controlling the set of output current drivers; wherein the secondary controller transmits LED control information to control outputs of the set of output current drivers; and wherein the secondary controller receives a program comprising an algorithm for converting an input signal to the LED control information and establishes a conversion between the input signal and the LED control information based on the algorithm.
  2. 2 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising: a programming port associated with the secondary controller for configuring the LED driver/dimmer.
  3. 3 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising a communication interface for receiving data from an external transmitter and for transmitting the data to the secondary controller wherein the data is a communication protocol.
  4. 4 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 3 further comprising an isolation barrier for separating the secondary controller and the communication interface.
  5. 5 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 3 wherein the communication interface is either DMX512A, 0-10 Vdc analog control, Zigbee wireless or Remote Device Management (RDM) compatible.
  6. 6 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 3 further comprising an auxiliary flyback converter to provide power to the primary controller, secondary controller, and communication interface.
  7. 7 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 wherein the algorithm is based on one or more parameters of at least one of the power circuit, the set of light fixture loads or the set of output current drivers.
  8. 8 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 7 wherein the one or more parameters is/are configurable.
  9. 9 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 8 wherein the one or more configurable parameters provided to the secondary controller via the algorithm enables an operating mode of the LED driver/dimmer to be changed.
  10. 10 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 wherein each of the set of output current drivers comprises a converter with hysteretic control.
  11. 11 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 1 further comprising: a set of in-circuit serial programming (ICSP) ports, each of the set of ICSP ports associated with one of the set of output current drivers for configuration of the set of output current drivers.
  12. 12 . A configurable light emitting diode (LED) driver/dimmer for controlling a set of light fixture loads comprising: a power circuit including: an inrush current limit; a DC/DC converter; a power factor correction (PFC) boost connected to the inrush current limit and the DC/DC converter; a regulated output voltage bus connected to the DC/DC converter; and a primary controller for controlling the power circuit; a set of output current drivers, each of the set of output current drivers connected to one of the set of light fixture loads for controlling the associated light fixture load; and at least one power limit associated with the set of output current drivers; a set of load controllers for controlling the set of output current drivers; wherein the set of load controllers receive LED control information to control outputs of the set of output current drivers; and wherein the set of load controllers receive a program comprising an algorithm for converting LED control information and establish a conversion between the LED control information and the output power channel based on the algorithm.
  13. 13 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 12 further comprising: a programming port associated with at least one of the set of load controllers for configuring the LED driver/dimmer.
  14. 14 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 12 further comprising a communication interface for receiving data from an external transmitter and for transmitting the data to at least one of the set of load controllers, via a secondary controller, wherein the data is a communication protocol.
  15. 15 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 14 further comprising an isolation barrier for separating the set of load controllers and the communication interface.
  16. 16 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 14 wherein the communication interface is either DMX512A, 0-10 Vdc analog control, Zigbee wireless or Remote Device Management (RDM) compatible.
  17. 17 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 14 further comprising an auxiliary flyback converter to provide power to the primary controller and communication interface.
  18. 18 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 12 wherein the algorithm is based on one or more parameters of at least one of the set of light fixture loads or the set of output current drivers.
  19. 19 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 18 wherein the one or more parameters is/are configurable.
  20. 20 . The LED driver/dimmer of claim 19 wherein the one or more configurable parameters provided to at least one of the set of load controllers via the algorithm enables an operating mode of the LED driver/dimmer to be changed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 10,187,946. The reissue applications are U.S. application Ser. No. 17/153,989 (a parent reissue application), and Ser. No. 18/396,107 (the present application, which is a continuation reissue of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/153,989). This application is a continuation reissue of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/153,989, filed Jan. 21, 2021, which is itself an application for reissue of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/688,055, filed Aug. 28, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,187,946, which is itself a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/070,502, filed Mar. 15, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,775,207, which is itself a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/590,045, filed Jan. 6, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,320,093 which is itself a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/466,509, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,957,601, filed May 8, 2012, which is itself a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/059,336, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,525,446, filed Feb. 16, 2011, which is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 of International Patent Application PCT/CA2009/001295, filed on Sep. 17, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/097,963, filed Sep. 18, 2008, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE With the rapid increase in light emitting diode (LED) efficacies for high powered LEDs, the latest technologies have exceeded incandescent and halogen sources and are now starting to compete with fluorescent, mercury vapour, metal halide and sodium lighting. In addition to better energy usage, LEDs also have considerable advantages over traditional light sources such as long life, better durability and improved color generating abilities. The advancement of LED technology by various manufacturers has produced high power LEDs with various recommended drive currents such as 350 mA, 500 mA, 700 mA, 1000 mA, and 1400 mA or higher. In recent years, controllable power sources for Solid State Lighting (SSL) applications have entered the market with integrated features. In addition, digital controllers within power sources have enabled the development of configurable options to provide a wider flexibility of solutions for Solid State Lighting applications. The ability to dim the light output of LEDs is also important to reduce energy consumption. However, lighting companies are faced with considerable challenges in adopting SSL technology due to their unfamiliarity and lack of expertise in the driving and dimming requirements for LEDs. Therefore, there is provided a novel LED Driver/dimmer for solid state lighting applications. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE With the wide variety of communication interface options and LED drive currents available for numerous architectural and entertainment Solid State Lighting applications, the configurable LED Driver/dimmer of the current disclosure includes at least one of the following advantages: configurable output current options that maximize the available power in the “front end” PFC and isolated power conversion converter stage; multiple drive current options for the multiple LED drive current options for various LEDs; elimination of a cooling fan which can present issues with audible noise and flexibility in where the power source is located, relatively low standby power consumption during “black out” lighting conditions, where “black out” refers to no load operation on the output of the dimmer/driver; multiple communication interface options; the ability to map output current sources/channels to different DMX512A addresses and the ability to configure multiple groups of output current sources/channels such that each group is controlled by one 0-10 Vdc analog signal. Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a highly efficient enclosed, configurable power source, controllable by various external communication interfaces and a method for driving and dimming LEDs or OLEDs in lighting fixtures such as used for architectural or entertainment lighting applications. Such applications can include, but are not limited to, theater, convention centers, cruise ships, architectural building features, amusement parks, museums, and hospitality lighting in restaurants and bars. In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a configurable light emitting diode (LED) driver/dimmer for controlling a set of light fixture loads comprising: a power circuit; a primary digital controller for controlling the power circuit; a set of output current drivers, each of the set of output current drivers connected to one of the set of light fixture loads for controlling the associated light fixture load; a secondary digital controller for controlling the set of output current drivers; wherein the secondary controller transmits LED control information to co