LED driver, lighting device and LED based lighting application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9357594-B2
Application number	US-201113976214-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2011
Priority date	Dec 28, 2010
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

An LED driver for powering an LED fixture includes a power converter for converting an input power such as a rectified mains supply to an output power for powering the LED fixture; a control unit arranged to control an output characteristic of the power converter; optionally, a network terminal connected to the control unit for connecting the control unit to a network, the control unit being arranged to receive a control signal from the network via the network terminal for controlling the output characteristic; an application terminal connected to the control unit for connecting the control unit to a lighting device; the control unit being arranged to: provide a polling signal to the lighting device; receive, in response to the polling signal, a control signal for controlling the output characteristic.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An LED driver for powering an LED fixture, the LED driver comprising:
a power converter for converting an input power such as a rectified mains supply to an output power for powering the LED fixture;
a control unit arranged to control an output characteristic of the power converter; and
an application terminal connected to the control unit for connecting the control unit to a lighting device; the control unit being arranged to:
provide a polling signal to the lighting device;
receive, in response to the polling signal, a first control signal for controlling the output characteristic;
wherein the lighting device or part thereof is powered via the application terminal; and
wherein the control unit is arranged to interrupt the power supply to the lighting device in order to provide the polling signal and receive the first control signal.

2. The LED driver according to claim 1 wherein the LED fixture is powered via a power terminal of the LED driver.

3. The LED driver according to claim 2 wherein the power terminal and the application terminal have a common ground terminal.

4. The LED driver according to claim 1 wherein the lighting device comprises the LED fixture to be powered.

5. The LED driver according to claim 4 , whereby the application terminal is further arranged to output the output power for powering the LED fixture.

6. The LED driver according to claim 1 wherein the first control signal comprises configuration data or operating data of the lighting device for controlling the power converter.

7. The LED driver according to claim 1 wherein the lighting device comprises a sensor such as an ambient sensor or an occupancy sensor.

8. The LED driver according to claim 1 wherein the polling signal and the first control signal are provided using the uni/o protocol.

9. The LED driver according to claim 1 wherein the polling signal is repeated at a predetermined rate.

10. The LED driver according to claim 1 further comprising an auto-reverse bridge connected at the application terminal.

11. The LED driver according to claim 1 , further comprising a network terminal connected to the control unit for connecting the control unit to a network, the control unit being arranged to receive a second control signal from the network via the network terminal for controlling the output characteristic.

12. LED based lighting application comprising:
an LED driver according to claim 1 and
a lighting device comprising:
an LED fixture or a sensor
an i/o terminal connectable to the application terminal of the LED driver; and
a control unit connected to the i/o terminal for receiving the polling signal from the LED driver and providing the first control signal to the application terminal of the LED driver;

wherein the control unit of the LED driver is further arranged to receive the first control signal via the application terminal and control the output characteristic of the LED driver, based on the control signal.

13. The LED based lighting application according to claim 12 wherein the first control signal is an uni/o signal.

14. The LED based lighting application according to claim 13 wherein the control units of the one or more LED fixtures are arranged to provide a delay to the first control signal relative to a clock signal of the control unit of the LED driver.

15. The LED based lighting application according to claim 14 wherein the delay substantially equals a duration of ¼bit.

16. The LED based lighting application according to claim 12 , further comprising a user interface connectable, via the network, to the network terminal for providing a second control signal.

17. The LED based lighting application according to claim 12 wherein the first control signal comprises an identifier of the one or more LED fixtures.

18. The LED based lighting application according to claim 12 wherein a two-wire connection is provided connecting the application terminal with the i/o terminal.

19. An LED driver for powering an LED fixture, the LED driver comprising:
a power converter for converting an input power such as a rectified mains supply to an output power for powering the LED fixture;
a control unit arranged to control an output characteristic of the power converter; and
an application terminal connected to the control unit for connecting the control unit to a lighting device; the control unit being arranged to:
provide a polling signal to the lighting device;

receive, in response to the polling signal, a first control signal for controlling the output characteristic;
wherein the first control signal is preceded by an analogue response signal from the lighting device for indicating to the LED driver that the lighting device has an event to report.

20. An LED based lighting application comprising:
a LED driver for powering an LED fixture, the LED driver comprising:
a power converter for converting an input power to an output power for powering the LED fixture;
a control unit arranged to control an output characteristic of the power converter; and
an application terminal connected to the control unit for connecting the control unit to a lighting device;

a lighting device comprising:
an LED fixture and/or a sensor an i/o terminal connectable to the application terminal of the LED driver; and
a control unit connected to the i/o terminal for receiving a polling signal from the LED driver and providing a control signal to the application terminal of the LED driver;

wherein the control unit of the LED driver is further arranged to receive the control signal via the application terminal and control an output characteristic of the LED driver, based on the control signal.

21. The LED based lighting application according to claim 20 wherein the output characteristic is controlled by adjusting a configuration parameter stored in the control unit of the LED driver, based on the control signal.

22. The LED based lighting application according to claim 20 wherein the output characteristic is controlled by converting the control signal to a network command and providing the network command to a protocol stack such as a DALI stack of the control unit of the LED driver, the stack further being accessible via a network terminal of the LED driver.

23. The LED based lighting application according to claim 20 wherein the control unit of the lighting device is arranged to receive configuration data or operating data of the LED fixture or sensor and generate the control signal based on the configuration data or operating data.

24. The LED based lighting application according to claim 20 , further comprising:
a network terminal connected to the control unit for connecting the control unit of the LED driver to a communication network, the control unit of the LED driver being arranged to receive a further control signal from the communication network via the network terminal for controlling the output characteristic.

25. The LED based lighting application according to claim 20 wherein a two-wire connection is provided connecting the application terminal and the i/o terminal and wherein the application terminal is further arranged to output the output power for powering the LED fixture and/or sensor.

26. A lighting device comprising:
an LED fixture or a sensor;
an i/o terminal connectable to an application terminal of a LED driver; and
a control unit connected

Assignees

• Saes Marc
• Eldolab Holding Bv

Inventors

• Saes Marc

Classifications

• H05B47/11

  by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21V23/02

  the elements being transformers, impedances {or power supply units, e.g. a transformer with a rectifier} · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H05B47/184

  using digital multiplexed [DMX] communication protocols · CPC title