Semiconductor device for outputting a control parameter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10779382-B2
Application number	US-201916595823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2019
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A semiconductor device for outputting a control parameter includes a receiving unit, a storage unit and an output unit. The semiconductor device also contains antenna connections, supply connections and at least one output connection for outputting a control parameter signal. The receiving unit contains connections for connection to an antenna, from which the receiving unit receives signals. The receiving unit converts the signals received from the antenna into data. The data are stored in the storage unit. The semiconductor device outputs an output signal at the output connection on the basis of the data stored in the storage unit. The semiconductor device additionally contains a calculation unit which determines the operating hours (time) of the semiconductor device. The output signal depends both on the data stored in the storage unit and on the determined operating hours (time).

First claim

We claim:

1. A semiconductor device operative to generate a control signal, the semiconductor device comprising: a receiving unit, a storage unit, and an output unit, the semiconductor device further comprising:
multiple antenna connections including a first antenna connection and a second antenna connection, each of the first antenna connection and the second antenna connection operative to connect the semiconductor device to an antenna,
multiple supply connections including a first supply connection and a second supply connection operative to supply the semiconductor device with electrical energy,
an output connection operative to output the control signal, the control signal outputted from the output connection controlling a magnitude of light emitted from a light source,

the receiving unit being connected to the multiple antenna connections, from which the receiving unit: receives input signals, converts the input signals into data and stores the data in the storage unit, and wherein the output unit outputs the control signal from the output connection based on the data stored in the storage unit, a calculation unit of the semiconductor device operative to determine a duration of time in which the semiconductor device previously generated the control signal to control supply of power to illuminate the light source, the calculation unit deriving a setting of the control signal that controls operation of the light source based at least in part on the determined duration of time.

2. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 further comprising: a counter operative to track the duration of time.

3. The semiconductor device as in claim 2 , wherein a counter value generated by the counter is stored in the storage unit, and wherein the counter is operative to read the counter value from the storage unit before resuming operation of the counter to monitor passage of time in which the light source is activated via the control signal.

4. The semiconductor device as in claim 3 , wherein the counter value is programmed via signals received at the multiple antenna connections.

5. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control signal is an analog voltage.

6. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 , wherein the control signal is a pulse-width-modulated signal.

7. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor device is powered via a first voltage received over the multiple supply connections in a first mode and is powered by energy obtained from the signals received over the antenna connections in a second mode.

8. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 , wherein storage space for characteristic values describing a dependence of the output signal on operating times of the semiconductor device is stored in the storage unit, and wherein the characteristic values can be changed by the receiving unit.

9. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 further comprising: an antenna driver operative to read data from the storage unit and drive the multiple antenna connections to wirelessly transmit said data.

10. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 , wherein the calculation unit is operative to receive a factor value, a magnitude of which varies depending on the duration of time.

11. The semiconductor device as in claim 10 , wherein the calculation unit is operative to generate the control signal via multiplying the factor value by a control value.

12. The semiconductor device as in claim 11 , wherein the magnitude of the factor value increases as the magnitude of the duration of time increases.

13. The semiconductor device as in claim 11 , wherein the control value is received over the antenna, the control value indicating an intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

14. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 further comprising:
a counter operative to track the duration of time via retrieval of the data from the storage unit.

15. The semiconductor device as in claim 1 , wherein the data indicates a setting of an intensity of the light emitted from the light source; and
wherein the setting as specified by the data is multiplied by a factor to produce the control signal.

16. The semiconductor device as in claim 15 , wherein the magnitude of the factor depends on the duration of time.

17. A luminaire including the semiconductor device and the light source as in claim 1 , wherein the control signal from the semiconductor device is supplied to a luminaire driver that drives the light source based on the control signal.

18. An apparatus comprising the semiconductor device as in claim 1 , the apparatus further comprising:
a driver operative to receive the control signal and supply current to the light source depending on the setting of the control signal; and
a voltage monitor resource operative to monitor a power supply voltage powering the driver, the voltage monitor resource disabling a respective counter that tracks the duration of time that the control signal activates the light source in response to detecting that the power supply voltage falls below a threshold value.

19. The apparatus as in claim 18 , wherein the semiconductor device is further operative to wirelessly communicate a value indicative of the duration of time over the antenna to a communication device.

20. An apparatus comprising the semiconductor device of claim 1 , the apparatus further comprising:
a filter operative to receive the control signal and produce voltage value that controls a current driver, the current driver controlling a magnitude of the light emitted from the light source.

21. A method comprising:
via a semiconductor device:
receiving input signals;
converting the input signals into data;
storing the data in a storage unit;
updating the data in the storage unit over time to track a duration of time of activating a light source;
deriving a control signal from the updated data in the storage unit, the control signal controlling operation of the light source, a setting of the control signal derived based at least in part on the duration of time; and
outputting the control signal to control the light source.

22. The method further as in claim 21 , wherein the updated data tracks the duration of time that the control signal controls the light source to an illuminated state over time.

23. The method as in claim 21 further comprising: producing the control signal as an analog voltage.

24. The method as in claim 21 further comprising: producing the control signal as a pulse-width-modulated signal.

25. The method as in claim 21 further comprising: switching between operating the semiconductor device in: i) a first mode in which the semiconductor device is powered via an input voltage from a first input of the semiconductor, and ii) a second mode in which the semiconductor device is powered via wireless energy received from an antenna.

26. The method as in claim 21 further comprising: programming a counter of the semiconductor device via the data received over multiple antenna connections of the semiconductor device.

27. The method as in claim 21 further comprising:
retrieving the updated data from the storage unit of the semiconductor device; and
wirelessly transmitting the updated data to a remote communication device.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag
• Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Inventors

• Keitel-Schulz Doris
• Schneider Matthias
• Zhu Qi
• Zipprick Dieter

Classifications

• H05B47/19 Primary

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• H05B45/10 Primary

  Controlling the intensity of the light · CPC title

• H05B47/10

  Controlling the light source · CPC title

• H05B47/20

  Responsive to malfunctions or to light source life; for protection · CPC title

• H05B45/20

  Controlling the colour of the light · CPC title