U.S. patent application number 15/387491 was filed with the patent office on 2017-04-13 for dimmer with motion and light sensing.
The applicant listed for this patent is Laurence P. Sadwick. Invention is credited to Laurence P. Sadwick.
Application Number | 20170105266 15/387491 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50621726 |
Filed Date | 2017-04-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170105266 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sadwick; Laurence P. |
April 13, 2017 |
Dimmer with Motion and Light Sensing
Abstract
A dimming system including a motion and/or light sensor.
Inventors: |
Sadwick; Laurence P.; (Salt
Lake City, UT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sadwick; Laurence P. |
Salt Lake City |
UT |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50621726 |
Appl. No.: |
15/387491 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14071345 |
Nov 4, 2013 |
9560718 |
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15387491 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02B 20/40 20130101;
Y02B 20/46 20130101; H05B 47/11 20200101; H05B 47/19 20200101; H05B
47/105 20200101 |
International
Class: |
H05B 37/02 20060101
H05B037/02 |
Claims
1. A dimming system comprising: an alternating current input; a
reference crossing detector operable to detect when a signal
derived from the alternating current input crosses a reference
level; a dimming signal input; a motion sensor operable to detect
motion; a switch operable to control a current derived from the
alternating current input to a load output; a switch driver
operable to control the switch based at least in part on an output
of the reference crossing detector, the dimming signal input, and
an output of the motion sensor.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/071,345, entitled "Dimmer with Motion and
Light Sensing", and filed Nov. 4, 2013 by Sadwick, and to U.S.
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/721,601, entitled "Dimmer with
Motion and Light Sensing", and filed Nov. 2, 2012 by Sadwick, the
entirety of both being incorporated herein by reference for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electricity is generated and distributed in alternating
current (AC) form, wherein the voltage varies sinusoidally between
a positive and a negative value. However, many electrical devices
require a direct current (DC) supply of electricity having a
constant voltage level, or at least a supply that remains positive
even if the level is allowed to vary to some extent. For example,
light emitting diodes (LEDs) and similar devices such as organic
light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are being increasingly considered for
use as light sources in residential, commercial and municipal
applications. However, in general, unlike incandescent light
sources, LEDs and OLEDs cannot be powered directly from an AC power
supply unless, for example, the LEDs are configured in some back to
back formation. Electrical current flows through an individual LED
easily in only one direction, and if a negative voltage which
exceeds the reverse breakdown voltage of the LED is applied, the
LED can be damaged or destroyed. Furthermore, the standard, nominal
residential voltage level is typically something like 120 V or 240
V, both of which are often higher than may be desired for a high
efficiency LED light. Some conversion of the available power may
therefore be necessary or highly desired with loads such as an LED
light.
SUMMARY
[0003] Various embodiments of the present invention provide a
dimmer with motion and/or light sensing. In some embodiments, a
dimming system includes an alternating current input, a reference
crossing detector operable to detect when a signal derived from the
alternating current input crosses a reference level, a ramp signal
generator operable to generate a ramp signal with a changing
voltage, wherein the ramp signal generator is operable to restart
the ramp signal based on an output of the reference crossing
detector, a switch operable to control a current derived from the
alternating current input to a load output, and a switch driver
operable to control the switch based at least in part on the ramp
signal.
[0004] This summary provides only a general outline of some
embodiments of the invention. The phrases "in one embodiment,"
"according to one embodiment," "in various embodiments", "in one or
more embodiments", "in particular embodiments" and the like
generally mean the particular feature, structure, or characteristic
following the phrase is included in at least one embodiment of the
present invention, and may be included in more than one embodiment
of the present invention. Importantly, such phrases do not
necessarily refer to the same embodiment. This summary provides
only a general outline of some embodiments of the invention.
Additional embodiments are disclosed in the following detailed
description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0005] A further understanding of the various embodiments of the
present invention may be realized by reference to the figures which
are described in remaining portions of the specification. In the
figures, like reference numerals may be used throughout several
drawings to refer to similar components. In the figures, like
reference numerals are used throughout several figures to refer to
similar components.
[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a dimmer circuit in accordance with
some embodiments of the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a dimmer circuit in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a dimmer circuit with multiple
controllers in accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a dimmer reference source with
photosensor input in accordance with some embodiments of the
present invention;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an analog dimmer reference
source with photosensor input in accordance with some embodiments
of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 6 depicts a schematic diagram of a dimmer controller
with motion detector input in accordance with some embodiments of
the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 7 depicts a schematic diagram of an opto-isolator
coupled motion sensor input for a dimmer in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 8 depicts a schematic diagram of a transistor coupled
motion sensor input for a dimmer in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention; and
[0014] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an operation to dim a load
output in accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] A dimmer for LED drivers and other types of lighting sources
is disclosed herein that can be used to provide power for lights
such as LEDs of any type, including organic LEDs (OLEDs), as well
as other loads, including but not limited to, fluorescent lamps
(FLs) including, and also not limited to, compact fluorescent lamps
(CFLs), energy efficient FLs, cold cathode FLs (CCFLs),
incandescent lamps, etc. The inventions disclosed herein are not
limited to the example circuits and applications illustrated, and
may be adapted to use with, for example but not limited to, the
circuits and applications disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Ser.
No. 61/646,289 filed May 12, 2012 for a "Current Limiting LED
Driver", and in U.S. Pat. No. 8,148,907 issued Apr. 3, 2012 for a
"Dimmable Power Supply", which are incorporated herein by reference
for all purposes.
[0016] Many dimmers currently available cause and produce flicker,
flashing and other undesirable effects when used with, for example,
LED lighting and LED lighting drivers. In addition, it is often
difficult to dim to very low levels (i.e., deep dimming) with Triac
dimmers. In certain cases there is not symmetry in the turn on and
turn off characteristics. The behavior of many dimmers, including
Triac dimmers, are often also influenced by the impedance of the AC
lines and due to, for example, other electrical devices and
apparatus on the AC lines. Although dimmers exist that do not use
triacs as the dimming elements and, instead, for example, use
transistors and can be of either the forward type (i.e., Triac
waveform like--turning on after zero crossings depending on the
dimming level) or the reverse type (i.e., turning on at zero
crossings and then turning off depending on the dimming level),
these dimmers are often expensive and have other limitations.
[0017] Dimming of lighting is important for numerous reasons and
aspects including energy efficiency and meeting the needs of the
users under and in various applications. Although there exist
numerous dimmers for use with alternating current (AC) sources of
power including many based on the use of Triacs to form the active
component of the dimmer, dimmers based on Triacs often have
negative performance aspects associated the physical principles
that underlie, dictate and control the behavior of the Triacs
including the need for a minimum trigger current and holding
current.
[0018] Turning to FIG. 1, an example simplified block diagram
depicts a dimming system 100 in accordance with some embodiments of
the present invention. Power for the dimming system 100 is derived
from an AC input 102 and converted in a power supply 104 to a DC
rail 106. In other embodiments, the dimming system 100 may be
operated directly from a DC power source, an AC power source, or
any suitable power source including alternative power sources. The
power supply 104 can provide power for the load 110 and/or for
various components of the dimming system 100, such as, but not
limited to, various electronics, sensors, detectors, controls,
monitors, interfaces, etc. The power supply 104 can be any suitable
power source including but not limited to linear regulators and/or
switching power supplies and regulators, transformers, including,
but not limited to, forward converters, flyback converters,
buck-boost, buck, boost, boost-buck, cuk, etc.
[0019] A zero detection circuit 112 detects when an alternating
current from AC input 102 crosses a threshold, such as zero volts.
In general, the zero detection circuit 112 is an embodiment of a
reference crossing detector that detects when the alternating
current signal crosses a reference level, for example when the
changing voltage or current crosses a reference level such as, but
not limited to, zero volts or amps. A zero crossing signal 114 from
zero detection circuit 112 is used to time, trigger, restart etc. a
ramp signal 116 generated by a ramp generator circuit 120. The ramp
signal 116 thus restarts as controlled by the zero detection
circuit 112, with the voltage of the ramp signal 116 then ramping
up or increasing over time.
[0020] A switch drive circuit 120 controls a switching element 122,
either passing or blocking current from DC rail 106 to a load 110.
For example, in some embodiments, switch drive circuit 120 compares
the ramp signal 116 with a reference or control signal 124, opening
and closing switching element(s) 122 based on whether the ramp
signal 116 is greater or less than control signal 124. The dimming
system 100 can be used to supply power to any type of load 110.
[0021] Turning to FIG. 2, an example simplified circuit
implementation of a dimming system 200 is depicted in accordance
with some embodiments of the invention. In the dimming system 200,
rectifier or diode bridge 202, resistor 204, diode 206 and
optocoupler/optoisolator 210 form a zero detection circuit 208
suitable for operation in the frequency range of 47 Hz to 63 Hz
and, of course, to lower frequencies and practical useful higher
frequencies. Not shown but represented by a voltage source, V3, is
the power supply to power the circuit and associated electronics,
sensor, detectors, controls, monitors, interfaces, etc. Capacitors
214, 216 and Zener diode 220 may typically form part of an example
power source for the present invention. The power source for the
present invention can be any suitable power source including but
not limited to linear regulators and/or switching power supplies
and regulators, transformers, including, but not limited to,
forward converters, flyback converters, buck-boost, buck, boost,
boost-buck, cuk, etc. Note that, although the example zero detector
circuit 208 is shown attached to the DC side of the diode bridge
202, other embodiments of the present invention can use dual/AC
opto-couplers/opto-isolators/etc., coils, transformers, windings,
etc. The present invention is not limited to the choices discussed
above and any suitable circuit, topology, design, implementation,
method, approach, etc. may be used with the present invention. In
addition the present invention is extremely well suited for use in
both manual and automated/automatic applications including
applications that utilize remote control and monitoring.
[0022] Resistors 222, 224 in FIG. 2 are for illustration purposes
and form a voltage divider to provide a reference voltage for the
zero detector. The present invention can be adjusted for, for
example, 60 Hz or 50 Hz operation and can be selected by a number
of methods including fixed, switch-selectable, automatic,
auto-detect, manually set, auto-set, fixed/set for 50 Hz operation,
fixed/set for 60 Hz operation, etc. Many of the embodiments of the
present invention may operate in a variety of different
environments and do not need to have the input frequency set for
operation. Although two passive elements are shown, in general any
number of resistors and/or capacitors, N, where N is equal to or
greater than 1, can be used for the present invention. In addition,
other implementations and embodiments of the present invention can
be realized without the direct use of capacitors such as 226.
[0023] As mentioned above resistors 222, 224 form a voltage divider
which is used as a reference to comparator 230. Comparator 230 in
conjunction with transistors 232, 234 and resistor 236 and
capacitor 226 attached to the output of the comparator 230 allow a
momentary negative going pulse from the zero detector 208 to occur
at the negative input of comparator 230 resulting in the output of
comparator 230 resetting and going to zero volts after which the
output of comparator 230 rises in a linear voltage ramp dependent
mode, for example, on resistor 236 and capacitor 226 in the example
embodiment shown. Notably, resistor 236 could consist of a single
resistor or any number of resistors in series and/or parallel;
capacitor 226 could consist of a single capacitor or any number of
capacitors in parallel and/or series. In a typical embodiment,
resistor 236 and capacitor 226 may each be a single
element/component.
[0024] For the forward dimmer operation, the output of comparator
230 is fed to the positive input of comparator 240; the output of
comparator 240 goes and stays high when the voltage at the positive
input is higher than the voltage at the negative input with the
voltage at the negative input being set by the control input
voltage 238. The output of comparator 240 is fed to a suitable
switch or switching circuit such as the example one consisting of
source-to-source common gate connected metal oxide semi-conductor
field effect transistors (MOSFETs) 242 and 244 as illustrated in
FIG. 2.
[0025] For the reverse dimmer, the output of comparator 230 is fed
to the negative input of comparator 240; the output of comparator
240 goes and stays high when the voltage at the positive input is
higher than the voltage at the negative input with the voltage at
the positive input being set by the control input voltage 238. The
output of comparator 240 goes and stays low when the voltage at the
negative input of comparator 240 is higher than the voltage of the
positive input to comparator 240. The output of comparator 240 is
fed to a suitable switch or switching circuit such as the one
consisting of source-to-source common gate connected metal oxide
semi-conductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) 242 and 244 as
illustrated in FIG. 2.
[0026] Although MOSFETs were used and illustrated in FIG. 2, any
suitable switch including any suitable transistor including, but
not limited to, bipolar junction transistor (BJT), field effect
transistor (FET), junction FET (JFET), unijunction FET (UFET),
metal emitter semiconductor (MESFET), Darlington transistors, etc.
can be used to control current to load 246.
[0027] The switch circuit may contain other elements and
components, including, for example, but not limited to, diodes and
diode bridges.
[0028] Although the example embodiments shown in FIG. 2 and
discussed above used comparators, the choice of comparators in
these example embodiments should not be construed to be limiting in
any way or form; other choices including, but not limited to, op
amps, difference amplifiers, difference circuits, etc. can be used
with and for the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 3 provides a simple block diagram 300 of certain
embodiments of the present invention showing some of the various
and diverse controls and monitors that can be used and work with
the present invention. Dimmer circuit 302 receives power from AC
input 304 and dimmably supplies power to load 306. Dimmer circuit
302 receives dimming control signal(s) 310 from one or more
controllers, such as, but not limited to, a 0 to 10 V dimming
signal 312, motion sensor 314, photosensor 316, wireless control
320, powerline control 322, wired control 324, and/or other analog
or digital controls 326. Motion sensor 314 can be used to cause
dimmer circuit 302 to change from a dimmed state to a full on
state, or from an off state to a dimmed or full on state, etc. In
some embodiments, dimmer circuit 302 is triac-based.
[0030] FIG. 4 shows one simple example of an embodiment of a
digital control 400 for the photodetector/light dimming control.
Should the light level indicated by a photosensor signal 402 be
below the dimming set point 404, the op-amp or comparator 406 will
generate a control signal 410 that will set the light source to the
dimming set point 404. Should the photodetector/light level 402 be
above the dimming level set point 404, then the dimmed (or full on)
light will be set to turn off. The control signal 410 is used in
some embodiments to supply the reference signal 238 for comparator
240 of FIG. 2. Thus, the dimming system can be caused to limit or
turn off the current to the load if the ambient light is already as
bright as requested by the dimming set point 404. This can be used
to achieve a desired light level, while saving power if the ambient
light, for example from sunlight through windows, is already
sufficient.
[0031] FIG. 5 shows one simple example embodiment of an analog
control 500 that uses a difference amplifier 502 to produce the
difference between the dimming set level 504 and the
photodetector/light level signal 506 and applies the difference
signal 510 to the control input 238 of comparator 240 in FIG. 2 to
set the phase angle control of the dimmer.
[0032] FIG. 6 shows one simple example embodiment of motion
detector signal 602 that produces a full on response from the
present invention. A partial example embodiment circuit is shown in
FIG. 6 which has been modified with the addition of an OR gate 604.
When the output of the motion detector/sensor goes high, the
respective OR gate input 602 produces a high output that drives
switching transistors 242, 244 to turn on resulting in a full on
condition for the load 246 for the duration of the motion detector
signal 602 regardless of the state or condition of the dimming
signal and/or the photosensor/photodetector input for this
particular embodiment of the present invention. Other embodiments
can be readily constructed and implemented that permit, for
example, the dimming level to be sent by the activation signal from
the motion detector using analog, digital and/or pulse width
modulation (PWM) approaches, methods and techniques. Other
embodiments can allow the photodetector(s)/photosensor(s) signals
to set the dimming level and/or override the motion detector
signal, etc.
[0033] The motion detector/sensor may be powered by any suitable
source, such as but not limited to a power source derived from the
input voltage to the dimming circuit, or from other sources such as
a battery, solar power source, mechanical or thermal power source,
etc, or any combination of these, etc. In addition, the sensors,
such as, but not limited to, motion, sound, thermal, mechanical,
voice activated, motion, light, photodetection, etc., can be remote
from the present invention and either powered directly or
indirectly by the present invention or remotely powered via battery
or batteries, battery charger(s), AC or DC power, wired or wireless
power, electrical, mechanical, light, photo, solar cell,
photovoltaic, vibrational, RF, inductive, etc. or a combination of
these. The above is meant to be illustrative and should not be
construed as limiting in any way or form.
[0034] Various embodiments of a dimmer with motion and/or light
sensing may also incorporate soft start turn on and/or soft start
turn off, gradually adjusting the dimming setting in response to
motion detection and/or light sensing. The soft start options may
further be programmable, configurable or controllable, for example
but not limited to by switch selection or by remote configuration
commands.
[0035] FIG. 7 shows another example of a method to control the
on/off/dimming state of the present invention. The partial circuit
shown in FIG. 7 can be configured and used to turn off the output
switching transistors 242, 244 illustrated in FIG. 7 by having the
output of the optocoupler/optoisolator 702 set to effectively short
the gate voltage of the output transistors (which in this example
correspond to Q2 and Q4 in the previous figures and are two
back-to-back MOSFETs with the gates tied together and the sources
tied together). By applying a signal either directly or, for
example, modified by other circuitry from the motion sensor, the
motion detect signal 704 can be used to turn off the input to the
opto-coupler/opto-isolator and to allow the current/set dimming
level to be applied to the output switching transistors and,
therefore, to the connected load. Thus, when motion has not been
detected, the output current is turned off and the light is
extinguished. A time delay can be included so that the light
remains on for a given duration after motion is no longer detected,
although the light can be turned on instantly when motion is
detected.
[0036] FIG. 8 shows another example where the
opto-coupler/opto-isolator 702 of FIG. 7 has been replaced with a
transistor 800. Although an NPN BJT is shown in FIG. 8, in general,
any type of transistor or vacuum tube or other similarly
functioning device can be used including, but not limited to,
MOSFETs, JFETs, GANFETs, depletion or enhancement FETs, N and/or P
FETs, CMOS, PNP BJTs, triodes, Darlington transistors etc. which
can be made of any suitable material and configured to function and
operate to provide the performance, for example, described above.
In addition, other types of devices and components can be used
including, but not limited to transformers, transformers of any
suitable type and form, coils, level shifters, digital logic,
analog circuits, analog and digital, mixed signals,
microprocessors, microcontrollers, FPGAs, CLDs, PLDs, comparators,
op amps, instrumentation amplifiers, and other analog and digital
components, circuits, electronics, systems etc. For all of the
example figures shown, the above analog and/or digital components,
circuits, electronics, systems etc. are, in general, applicable and
usable in and for the present invention.
[0037] The example embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 through 8 are
merely intended to provide some illustrations of the present
invention and not limiting in any way or form for the present
invention.
[0038] Turning to FIG. 9, an example operation for dimmably
supplying power to a load is shown in flow chart 900 accordance
with some embodiments of the present invention. A ramp signal is
generated (block 902), using any suitable method or circuit. In
some embodiments, the ramp signal is a substantially linearly
increasing voltage. A crossing detection is performed for an
alternating current supply (block 904), for example detecting when
the input voltage crosses zero or any other particular voltage
level. The ramp signal is reset based on the crossing detection
(block 906). The ramp signal is compared with a dimming control
signal to yield a switch control signal (block 910). Current to the
load is controlled based on the switch control signal (block 912).
The dimming control signal is received from an external controller
(block 914), such as, but not limited to, a 0 to 10 V dimming
signal, motion sensor, photosensor, wireless control, powerline
control, wired control, and/or other analog or digital controls,
etc. The dimming state is altered based on sensor input (block
916), for example, by setting the dimming state to full on in
response to motion detected by a motion sensor, or by limiting or
turning off the dimming level in response to a photosensor.
Notably, the elements of the operation of flow chart 900 can be
performed in any order, and some or all of the elements can be
performed in parallel or simultaneously.
[0039] Using digital and/or analog designs and/or microcontrollers
and/or microprocessors any and all practical combinations of
control, sequencing, levels, etc., some examples of which are
listed below for the present invention, can be realized.
[0040] In addition to the examples illustrated in the figures
including in FIG. 3, a potentiometer or similar device such as a
variable resistor may be used to control the dimming level. Such a
potentiometer may be connected across a voltage such that the wiper
of the potentiometer can swing from minimum voltage (i.e., full
dimming) to maximum voltage(i.e., full light). Often the minimum
voltage will be zero volts which may correspond to full off and,
for the example embodiments shown here, the maximum will be equal
to or approximately equal to the voltage on the negative input of
the comparator 240.
[0041] Current sense methods including resistors, current
transformers, current coils and windings, etc. can be used to
measure and monitor the current of the present invention and
provide both monitoring and protection.
[0042] In addition to dimming by adjusting, for example, a
potentiometer, the present invention can also support all
standards, ways, methods, approaches, techniques, etc. for
interfacing, interacting with and supporting, for example, 0 to 10
V dimming by, for example, replacing the 222,224 voltage divider in
FIGS. 1 and 2 with a suitable reference voltage that can be
remotely set or set via an analog or digital input such as
illustrated in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/652,033 filed on
May 25, 2012, for a "Dimmable LED Driver", which is incorporated
herein by reference for all purposes.
[0043] The present invention supports all standards and conventions
for 0 to 10 V dimming or other dimming techniques. In addition the
present invention can support, for example, overcurrent,
overvoltage, short circuit, and over-temperature protection. The
present invention can also measure and monitor electrical
parameters including, but not limited to, input current, input
voltage, power factor, apparent power, real power, inrush current,
harmonic distortion, total harmonic distortion, power consumed,
watthours (WH) or killowatt hours (kWH), etc. of the load or loads
connected to the present invention. In addition, in certain
configurations and embodiments, some or all of the output
electrical parameters may also be monitored and/or controlled
directly for, for example, LED drivers and FL ballasts. Such output
parameters can include, but are not limited to, output current,
output voltage, output power, duty cycle, PWM, dimming level(s),
etc.
[0044] In place of the potentiometer, an encoder or decoder can be
used. The use of such also permits digital signals to be used and
allows digital signals to either or both locally or remotely
control the dimming level and state. A potentiometer with an analog
to digital converter (ADC) or converters (ADCs) could also be used
in many of such implementations of the present invention.
[0045] The present invention can be used and configured in numerous
and diverse ways including, but not limited to: [0046] As a dimmer
with a motion sensor input such that the motion sensor, when motion
is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets the dimmer to
full on. [0047] As a dimmer with a motion sensor input such that
the motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is
activated, sets the dimmer to full on output. [0048] As a dimmer
with a motion sensor input such that the motion sensor, when motion
is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets the dimmer
from the dimming level to full on. [0049] As a dimmer with a motion
sensor input such that the motion sensor, when motion is detected
and the motion sensor is activated, sets the dimmer from full off
to full on. [0050] As a dimmer with a motion sensor input such that
the motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is
activated, sets the dimmer from a minimum dimming level to full on.
[0051] As a dimmer with a motion sensor input such that the motion
sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is activated,
sets the dimmer from a minimum dimming level to the current dimming
level. [0052] As a dimmer with a motion sensor input such that the
motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is
activated, sets the dimmer from a minimum dimming level to the set
dimming level. [0053] As a dimmer with a motion sensor input such
that the motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion
sensor is activated, sets the dimmer from a minimum dimming level
to the specified dimming level. [0054] As a dimmer with a motion
sensor input such that the motion sensor, when motion is detected
and the motion sensor is activated, sets the dimmer from the
current dimming level to another dimming level. [0055] As a dimmer
with a motion sensor input such that the motion sensor, when motion
is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets the dimmer
from the current dimming level to a higher dimming level. [0056] As
a dimmer with a motion sensor input such that the motion sensor,
when motion is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets
the dimmer from full off to the current dimming level. [0057] As a
dimmer with a motion sensor and photosensor/photodetector input
such that the motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion
sensor is activated, sets the dimmer from a minimum dimming level
to the current dimming level or the dimming level set by the
photosensor/photodetector whichever is lower. [0058] As a dimmer
with a motion sensor and photosensor/photodetector input such that
the motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is
activated, sets the dimmer from a minimum or full off to the
current dimming level or the dimming level set by the
photosensor/photodetector. [0059] As a dimmer with a motion sensor
and photosensor/photodetector input such that the motion sensor,
when motion is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets
the dimmer from a minimum dimming level to the current dimming
level or the dimming level set by the photosensor/photodetector.
[0060] As a dimmer with a motion sensor and
photosensor/photodetector input such that the motion sensor, when
motion is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets the
dimmer from full off to the current dimming level or the dimming
level set by the photosensor/photodetector. [0061] As a dimmer with
a motion sensor and photosensor/photodetector input such that the
motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is
activated, sets the dimmer from the current dimming level or the
dimming level set by the photosensor/photodetector to full on.
[0062] As a dimmer with a motion sensor and
photosensor/photodetector input such that the motion sensor, when
motion is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets the
dimmer from the current dimming level or the dimming level set by
the photosensor/photodetector to the same or another level of
dimming depending on the photodetector signal. [0063] As a dimmer
with a motion sensor and photosensor/photodetector input such that
the motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is
activated, ignores the motion sensor depending on the
photosensor/photodetector signal. [0064] As a dimmer with a motion
sensor and photosensor/photodetector input such that the motion
sensor, when motion is detected and the motion sensor is activated,
works in conjunction with the photosensor/photodetector to set the
output level. [0065] As an on/off switch with a motion sensor and
photosensor/photodetector input such that the motion sensor, when
motion is detected and the motion sensor is activated, sets the
switch from full off to the current dimming level or the dimming
level set by the photosensor/photodetector. [0066] As an on/off
switch with a motion sensor and photosensor/photodetector input
such that the motion sensor, when motion is detected and the motion
sensor is activated, sets the switch from full off to full on.
[0067] The above examples and figures are merely meant to provide
illustrations of the present and should not be construed as
limiting in any way or form for the present invention.
[0068] In addition to the examples above and any combinations of
the above examples, the present invention can have multiple dimming
levels set by the dimmer in conjunction with the motion sensor and
photosensor/photodetector and/or other control and monitoring
inputs including, but not limited to, analog (e.g., 0 to 10 V, 0 to
3 V, etc.), digital (RS232, RS485, USB, DMX, SPI, SPC, UART, other
serial interfaces, etc.), a combination of analog and digital,
analog-to-digital converters and interfaces, digital-to-analog
converters and interfaces, wired, wireless (i.e., RF, WiFi, ZigBee,
Zwave, ISM bands, 2.4 GHz, etc.), powerline (PLC) including X-10,
Insteon, HomePlug, etc.), etc. The photocell and/or motion sensor
can be powered by any type of source or sources either directly or
indirectly from the present invention or independently via wired
and/or wireless means, approaches and source(s) and can also use
batteries or the likes that can be stand-alone or recharged by any
means, methods and approaches. The photocell can provide analog
and/or digital signals, information, voltages, etc. The motion
sensor can provide analog and/or digital signals, information,
voltages, etc.
[0069] The present invention is highly configurable and words such
as current, set, specified, etc. when referring to, for example,
the dimming level or levels, may have similar meanings and intent
or may refer to different conditions, situations, etc. For example,
in a simple case, the current dimming level may refer to the
dimming level set by, for example, a control voltage from a digital
or analog source including, but not limited to digital signals,
digital to analog converters (DACs), potentiometer(s), encoders,
etc.
[0070] The present invention can have embodiments and
implementations that include manual, automatic, monitored,
controlled operations and combinations of these operations. The
present invention can have switches, knobs, variable resistors,
encoders, decoders, push buttons, scrolling displays, cursors, etc.
The present invention can use analog and digital circuits, a
combination of analog and digital circuits, microcontrollers and/or
microprocessors including, for example, DSP versions, FPGAs, CLDs,
ASICs, etc. and associated components including, but not limited
to, static, dynamic and/or non-volatile memory, a combination and
any combinations of analog and digital, microcontrollers,
microprocessors, FPGAs, CLDs, etc. Items such as the motion
sensor(s), photodetector(s)/photosensor(s), microcontrollers,
microprocessors, controls, displays, knobs, etc. may be internally
located and integrated/incorporated into the dimmer or externally
located. The switches/switching elements can consist of any type of
semiconductor and/or vacuum technology including but not limited to
triacs, transistors, vacuum tubes, triodes, diodes or any type and
configuration, pentodes, tetrodes, thyristors, silicon controlled
rectifiers, diodes, etc. The transistors can be of any type(s) and
any material(s)--examples of which are listed below and elsewhere
in this document.
[0071] The dimming level(s) can be set by any method and
combinations of methods including, but not limited to, motion,
photodetection/light, sound, vibration, selector/push buttons,
rotary switches, potentiometers, resistors, capacitive sensors,
touch screens, wired, wireless, PLC interfaces, etc. In addition,
both control and monitoring of some or all aspects of the dimming,
motion sensing, light detection level, sound, etc. can be performed
for and with the present invention.
[0072] Other embodiments can use other types of comparators and
comparator configurations, other op amp configurations and
circuits, including but not limited to error amplifiers, summing
amplifiers, log amplifiers, integrating amplifiers, averaging
amplifiers, differentiators and differentiating amplifiers, etc.
and/or other digital and analog circuits, microcontrollers,
microprocessors, complex logic devices (CLDs), field programmable
gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.
[0073] The dimmer for dimmable drivers may use and be configured in
continuous conduction mode (CCM), critical conduction mode (CRM),
discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), resonant conduction modes,
etc., with any type of circuit topology including but not limited
to buck, boost, buck-boost, boost-buck, cuk, SEPIC, flyback,
forward-converters, etc. The present invention works with both
isolated and non-isolated designs including, but not limited to,
buck, boost-buck, buck-boost, boost, cuk, SEPIC, flyback and
forward-converters. The present invention itself may also be
non-isolated or isolated, for example using a tagalong inductor or
transformer winding or other isolating techniques, including, but
not limited to, transformers including signal, gate, isolation,
etc. transformers, optoisolators, optocouplers, etc.
[0074] The present invention may include other implementations that
contain various other control circuits including, but not limited
to, linear, square, square-root, power-law, sine, cosine, other
trigonometric functions, logarithmic, exponential, cubic, cube
root, hyperbolic, etc. in addition to error, difference, summing,
integrating, differentiators, etc. type of op amps. In addition,
logic, including digital and Boolean logic such as AND, NOT
(inverter), OR, Exclusive OR gates, etc., complex logic devices
(CLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microcontrollers,
microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),
etc. can also be used either alone or in combinations including
analog and digital combinations for the present invention. The
present invention can be incorporated into an integrated circuit,
be an integrated circuit, etc.
[0075] The present invention can also incorporate at an appropriate
location or locations one or more thermistors (i.e., either of a
negative temperature coefficient [NTC] or a positive temperature
coefficient [PTC]) to provide temperature-based load current
limiting.
[0076] As an example, when the temperature rises at the selected
monitoring point(s), the phase dimming of the present invention can
be designed and implemented to drop, for example, by a factor of,
for example, two. The output power, no matter where the circuit was
originally in the dimming cycle, will also drop/decrease by a some
factor. Values other than a factor of two (i.e., 50%) can also be
used and are easily implemented in the present invention by, for
example, changing components of the example circuits described here
for the present invention. As an example, a resistor change would
allow and result in a different phase/power decrease than a factor
of two. The present invention can be made to have a rather instant
more digital-like decrease in output power or a more gradual
analog-like decrease, including, for example, a linear decrease in
output phase or power once, for example, the temperature or other
stimulus/signal(s) trigger/activate this thermal or other signal
control.
[0077] In other embodiments, other temperature sensors may be used
or connected to the circuit in other locations. The present
invention also supports external dimming by, for example, an
external analog and/or digital signal input. One or more of the
embodiments discussed above may be used in practice either combined
or separately including having and supporting both 0 to 10 V and
digital dimming. The present invention can also have very high
power factor. The present invention can also be used to support
dimming of a number of circuits, drivers, etc. including in
parallel configurations. For example, more than one driver can be
put together, grouped together with the present invention.
Groupings can be done such that, for example, half of the dimmers
are forward dimmers and half of the dimmers are reverse dimmers.
Again, the present invention allows easy selection between forward
and reverse dimming that can be performed manually, automatically,
dynamically, algorithmically, can employ smart and intelligent
dimming decisions, artificial intelligence, remote control, remote
dimming, etc.
[0078] The circuit of FIGS. 1 and 2 may be used in conjunction with
dimming to provide thermal control or other types of control to,
for example, a dimming LED driver. For example, the circuit of
FIGS. 1 and 2 or variations thereof may also be adapted to provide
overvoltage or overcurrent protection, short circuit protection
for, for example, a dimming LED driver, CFL, incandescent bulb,
etc., or to override and cut the phase and power to the dimming LED
driver(s) based on any arbitrary external signal(s) and/or
stimulus. The present invention can also be used for purposes and
applications other than lighting--as an example, electrical heating
where a heating element or elements are electrically controlled to,
for example, maintain the temperature at a location at a certain
value. The present invention can also include circuit breakers
including solid state circuit breakers and other devices, circuits,
systems, etc. that limit or trip in the event of an overload
condition/situation. The present invention can also include, for
example analog or digital controls including but not limited to
wired (i.e., 0 to 10 V, RS 232, RS485, IEEE standards, SPI, I2C,
other serial and parallel standards and interfaces, etc.),
wireless, powerline, etc. and can be implemented in any part of the
circuit for the present invention. The present invention can be
used with a buck, a buck-boost, a boost-buck and/or a boost,
flyback, or forward-converter design, topology, implementation,
etc.
[0079] A dimming voltage signal, VDIM, which represents a voltage
from, for example but not limited to, a 0-10 V Dimmer can be used
with the present invention; when such a VDIM signal is connected,
the output as a function time or phase angle (or phase cut) will
correspond to the inputted VDIM.
[0080] Other embodiments can use comparators, other op amp
configurations and circuits, including but not limited to error
amplifiers, summing amplifiers, log amplifiers, integrating
amplifiers, averaging amplifiers, differentiators and
differentiating amplifiers, etc. and/or other digital and analog
circuits, microcontrollers, microprocessors, complex logic devices,
field programmable gate arrays, etc.
[0081] The present invention includes implementations that contain
various other control circuits including, but not limited to,
linear, square, square-root, power-law, sine, cosine, other
trigonometric functions, logarithmic, exponential, cubic, cube
root, hyperbolic, etc. in addition to error, difference, summing,
integrating, differentiators, etc. type of op amps. In addition,
logic, including digital and Boolean logic such as AND, NOT
(inverter), OR, Exclusive OR gates, etc., complex logic devices
(CLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microcontrollers,
microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),
etc. can also be used either alone or in combinations including
analog and digital combinations for the present invention. The
present invention can be incorporated into an integrated circuit,
be an integrated circuit, etc.
[0082] The present invention, although described primarily for
motion and light/photodetection control, can and may also use other
types of stimuli, input, detection, feedback, response, etc.
including but not limited to sound, vibration, frequencies above
and below the typical human hearing range, temperature, humidity,
pressure, light including below the visible (i.e., infrared, IR)
and above the visible (i.e., ultraviolet, UV), radio frequency
signals, combinations of these, etc. For example, the motion sensor
may be replaced or augmented with a sound sensor (including broad,
narrow, notch, tuned, tank, etc. frequency response sound sensors)
and the light sensor could consist of one or more of the following:
visible, IR, UV, etc. sensors. In addition, the light
sensor(s)/detector(s) could also be replaced or augmented by
thermal detector(s)/sensor(s), etc.
[0083] The example embodiments disclosed herein illustrate certain
features of the present invention and not limiting in any way, form
or function of present invention. The present invention is,
likewise, not limited in materials choices including semiconductor
materials such as, but not limited to, silicon (Si), silicon
carbide (SiC), silicon on insulator (SOI), other silicon
combination and alloys such as silicon germanium (SiGe), etc.,
diamond, graphene, gallium nitride (GaN) and GaN-based materials,
gallium arsenide (GaAs) and GaAs-based materials, etc. The present
invention can include any type of switching elements including, but
not limited to, field effect transistors (FETs) of any type such as
metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs)
including either p-channel or n-channel MOSFETs of any type,
junction field effect transistors (JFETs) of any type, metal
emitter semiconductor field effect transistors, etc. again, either
p-channel or n-channel or both, bipolar junction transistors (BJTs)
again, either NPN or PNP or both, Darlington transistors,
heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) of any type, high
electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) of any type, unijunction
transistors of any type, modulation doped field effect transistors
(MODFETs) of any type, etc., again, in general, n-channel or
p-channel or both, vacuum tubes including diodes, triodes,
tetrodes, pentodes, etc. and any other type of switch, etc.
[0084] While detailed descriptions of one or more embodiments of
the invention have been given above, various alternatives,
modifications, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in
the art without varying from the spirit of the invention.
Therefore, the above description should not be taken as limiting
the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *