WO2012176097A1

WO2012176097A1 - Lighting apparatus and method using multiple dimming schemes

Info

Publication number: WO2012176097A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/052994
Authority: WO
Inventors: Raman Nair Harish Gopala Pillai; Kaustuva Acharya; Yimin Chen; Ajay Tripathi
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2011-06-21
Filing date: 2012-06-14
Publication date: 2012-12-27
Also published as: TW201306661A

Abstract

A lighting assembly comprises an electronic driver that operates according to different dimming schemes. Some of the dimming schemes can provide dimmer inputs to the electronic driver through dimming interfaces comprising at least one shared wire. In addition, the electronic driver can allow one dimming interface to communicate with an external device while another dimming interface provides dimming inputs to control a light source. The electronic driver can also allow a selected dimming scheme to be dynamically changed in response to inputs received through a user interface or a dimming interface.

Description

LIGHTING APPARATUS AND METHOD USING MULTIPLE DIMMING SCHEMES

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is directed generally to control of solid state lighting devices. More particularly, various inventive apparatuses and methods disclosed herein relate to control of solid state lighting devices using an electronic driver supporting multiple dimming schemes.

Background

[0002] Digital lighting technologies, i.e. illumination based on semiconductor light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), offer a viable alternative to traditional fluorescent, HID, and incandescent lamps. Functional advantages and benefits of LEDs include high energy conversion and optical efficiency, durability, lower operating costs, and many others. Recent advances in LED technology have provided efficient and robust full-spectrum lighting sources that enable a variety of lighting effects in many applications. Some of the fixtures embodying these sources feature a lighting module, including one or more LEDs capable of producing different colors, e.g. red, green, and blue, as well as a processor for independently controlling the output of the LEDs in order to generate a variety of colors and color-changing lighting effects, for example, as discussed in detail in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,016,038 and 6,211,626, incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Many lighting applications use dimmers to control the amount of light produced by the light sources. These dimmers can be implemented with a variety of dimming schemes, such as digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) dimming, 1-lOV dimming, and mains dimming. The adoption of these different schemes can be determined by numerous factors including user preference, availability, and environment.

[0004] In a typical lighting application, an electronic driver receives one or more control signals, or dimming inputs, from a controller employing a dimming scheme such as DALI or 1- 10V. In response to the dimming inputs, the electronic driver provides operating currents and voltages to corresponding light sources. As an example, in an application using 1-lOV dimming, the electronic driver receives a direct current (DC) control signal between IV and 10V from a controller, and drives the light source according to the magnitude of the DC control signal.

[0005] Although most conventional electronic drivers are configured to support only one dimming scheme, some electronic drivers have been developed to support at least two dimming schemes. This can allow the same electronic driver to be used in different environments or applications according to user preference or other specifications.

[0006] The adoption of multiple dimming schemes can create various complications for an electronic driver and/or other components. For instance, it can increase the number of input wires of the electronic driver. It can also require the controller or related network components to store multiple stock keeping unit (SKU) identifiers to address the electronic driver in each of the different schemes, e.g., a first SKU for 1-lOV operation, a second SKU for DALI operation, and so on. In addition, it can require all but one of the dimming schemes to be disabled while one dimming scheme is in use, making certain features unavailable.

[0007] Thus, there is a need in the art to improve electronic drivers to allow multiple dimming schemes to be employed more effectively.

Summary

[0008] The present disclosure is directed to inventive apparatuses and methods for controlling solid state lighting devices. For example, the present disclosure reveals

embodiments of apparatuses and methods in which an electronic driver supports multiple dimming schemes, such as 1-lOV, DALI, mains dimming, and dynadimmer dimming. In some embodiments, the electronic driver performs communication via a DALI interface while driving a light source with a dimming scheme other than DALI. In some embodiments, the electronic driver uses only three input wires to support both the DALI and 1-lOV dimming schemes. In some embodiments, the electronic driver allows dynamic switching between different dimming inputs using DALI communication.

[0009] Generally, in one aspect, an apparatus for controlling a lighting assembly comprises a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming schemes, an output driver configured to drive a light source according to the plurality of dimming schemes, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive dimming inputs through the plu rality of input interfaces, to select one of the dimming schemes to be applied to the light source, and to control the output driver to operate according to the selected dimming scheme and the received dimming inputs while performing communication via one of the input interfaces according to another one of the plu rality of dimming schemes and the received dimming inputs.

[0010] In some embodiments, at least two of the input interfaces share an input wire. In certain versions, the two input interfaces comprise a DALI having two input wires, and a 1-lOV interface having two input wires, wherein one of the input wires of the DALI is connected to one of the input wires of the 1-lOV interface.

[0011] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to dynamically change the selected dimming scheme in response to the communication. In certain versions, the communication is performed via a DALI .

[0012] In some embodiments, the controller selects the dimming scheme to be applied to the light source in response to a control input received from a personal computer. In certain versions, the control input is received from the personal computer through a network.

[0013] In some embodiments, the controller operates at least two of the plurality of dimming schemes according to the same SKU identifier.

[0014] In some embodiments, the plurality of dimming schemes comprise 1-lOV dimming, DALI dimming, mains dimming, and dynadimmer dim ming.

[0015] In some embodiments, the light source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.

[0016] In another aspect, a method is provided for operating a lighting assembly comprising a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming schemes, an output driver configured to drive a light source according to the plurality of dimming schemes, and a controller configured to control the output driver according to signals received through the input interfaces. The method comprises receiving a plurality of dimming inputs through the plurality of input interfaces, selecting one of the dimming schemes to be applied to the light source, and simultaneously controlling the output driver to operate according to the selected dimming scheme and the received dimming inputs, and communicating with a remote device via one of the input interfaces according to another one of the plurality of dimming schemes and the received dimming inputs.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving the dimming inputs for at least two of the dimming schemes through a wire shared by two of the input interfaces. In certain versions, it consists of at least two dimming schemes include a 1-lOV dimming scheme and a DALI dimming scheme.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further comprises dynamically changing the selected dimming scheme in response to the communication.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further comprises overriding the selected dimming scheme in response to input signals received through one of the plurality of input interfaces. I n certain versions, the selected dimming scheme is overridden in response to a short circuit created between two wires of a 1-lOV input interface.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further comprises selecting the dimming scheme to be applied to the light source in response to a control input received from a personal computer.

[0021] In some embodiments, the com municating with the remote device via one of the input interfaces comprises receiving a query from the remote device and transmitting a query response to the remote device.

[0022] As used herein for purposes of the present disclosure, the term "LED" should be understood to include any electroluminescent diode or other type of carrier injection/junction- based system that is capable of generating radiation in response to an electric signal. Thus, the term LED includes, but is not limited to, various semiconductor-based structures that emit light in response to current, light emitting polymers, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), electroluminescent strips, and the like. In particular, the term LED refers to light emitting diodes of all types (including semi-conductor and organic light emitting diodes) that may be configured to generate radiation in one or more of the infrared spectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, and various portions of the visible spectrum (generally including radiation wavelengths from approximately 400 nanometers to approximately 700 nanometers). Some examples of LEDs include, but are not limited to, various types of infrared LEDs, ultraviolet LEDs, red LEDs, blue LEDs, green LEDs, yellow LEDs, amber LEDs, orange LEDs, and white LEDs (discussed further below). It also should be appreciated that LEDs may be configured and/or controlled to generate radiation having various bandwidths (e.g., full widths at half maximum, or FWHM) for a given spectrum (e.g., narrow bandwidth, broad bandwidth), and a variety of dominant wavelengths within a given general color categorization.

[0023] For example, one implementation of an LED configured to generate essentially white light (e.g., a white LED) may include a number of dies which respectively emit different spectra of electroluminescence that, in combination, mix to form essentially white light. In another implementation, a white light LED may be associated with a phosphor material that converts electroluminescence having a first spectrum to a different second spectrum. In one example of this implementation, electroluminescence having a relatively short wavelength and narrow bandwidth spectrum "pumps" the phosphor material, which in turn radiates longer wavelength radiation having a somewhat broader spectrum.

[0024] It should also be understood that the term LED does not limit the physical and/or electrical package type of an LED. For example, as discussed above, an LED may refer to a single light emitting device having multiple dies that are configured to respectively emit different spectra of radiation (e.g., that may or may not be individually controllable). Also, an LED may be associated with a phosphor that is considered as an integral part of the LED (e.g., some types of white LEDs). In general, the term LED may refer to packaged LEDs, non-packaged LEDs, surface mount LEDs, chip-on-board LEDs, T-package mount LEDs, radial package LEDs, power package LEDs, LEDs including some type of encasement and/or optical element (e.g., a diffusing lens), etc.

[0025] The term "light source" should be understood to refer to any one or more of a variety of radiation sources, including, but not limited to, LED-based sources (including one or more LEDs as defined above), incandescent sources (e.g., filament lamps, halogen lamps), fluorescent sources, phosphorescent sources, high-intensity discharge sources (e.g., sodium vapor, mercury vapor, and metal halide lamps), lasers, other types of electroluminescent sources, pyro-luminescent sources (e.g., flames), candle-luminescent sources (e.g., gas mantles, carbon arc radiation sources), photo-luminescent sources (e.g., gaseous discharge sources), cathode luminescent sources using electronic satiation, galvano-luminescent sources, crystallo- luminescent sources, kine-luminescent sources, thermo-luminescent sources, triboluminescent sources, sonoluminescent sources, radioluminescent sources, and luminescent polymers.

[0026] A given light source may be configured to generate electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum, outside the visible spectrum, or a combination of both. Hence, the terms "light" and "radiation" are used interchangeably herein. Additionally, a light source may include as an integral component one or more filters (e.g., color filters), lenses, or other optical components. Also, it should be understood that light sources may be configured for a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, indication, display, and/or illumination. An

"illumination source" is a light source that is particularly configured to generate radiation having a sufficient intensity to effectively illuminate an interior or exterior space. In this context, "sufficient intensity" refers to sufficient radiant power in the visible spectrum generated in the space or environment (the unit "lumens" often is employed to represent the total light output from a light source in all directions, in terms of radiant power or "luminous flux") to provide ambient illumination (i.e., light that may be perceived indirectly and that may be, for example, reflected off of one or more of a variety of intervening surfaces before being perceived in whole or in part).

[0027] The term "spectrum" should be understood to refer to any one or more frequencies (or wavelengths) of radiation produced by one or more light sources. Accordingly, the term "spectrum" refers to frequencies (or wavelengths) not only in the visible range, but also frequencies (or wavelengths) in the infrared, ultraviolet, and other areas of the overall electromagnetic spectrum. Also, a given spectrum may have a relatively narrow bandwidth (e.g., a FWHM having essentially few frequency or wavelength components) or a relatively wide bandwidth (several frequency or wavelength components having various relative strengths). It should also be appreciated that a given spectrum may be the result of a mixing of two or more other spectra (e.g., mixing radiation respectively emitted from multiple light sources). [0028] For purposes of this disclosure, the term "color" is used interchangeably with the term "spectrum." However, the term "color" generally is used to refer primarily to a property of radiation that is perceivable by an observer (although this usage is not intended to limit the scope of this term). Accordingly, the terms "different colors" implicitly refer to multiple spectra having different wavelength components and/or bandwidths. It also should be appreciated that the term "color" may be used in connection with both white and non-white light.

[0029] The term "color temperature" generally is used herein in connection with white light, although this usage is not intended to limit the scope of this term. Color temperature essentially refers to a particular color content or shade (e.g., reddish, bluish) of white light. The color temperature of a given radiation sample conventionally is characterized according to the temperature in degrees Kelvin (K) of a black body radiator that radiates essentially the same spectrum as the radiation sample in question. Black body radiator color temperatures generally fall within a range of from approximately 700 degrees K (typically considered the first visible to the human eye) to over 10,000 degrees K; white light generally is perceived at color temperatures above 1500-2000 degrees K.

[0030] Lower color temperatures generally indicate white light having a more significant red component or a "warmer feel," while higher color temperatures generally indicate white light having a more significant blue component or a "cooler feel." By way of example, fire has a color temperature of approximately 1,800 degrees K, a conventional incandescent bulb has a color temperature of approximately 2,848 degrees K, early morning daylight has a color temperature of approximately 3,000 degrees K, and overcast midday skies have a color temperature of approximately 10,000 degrees K. A color image viewed under white light having a color temperature of approximately 3,000 degree K has a relatively reddish tone, whereas the same color image viewed under white light having a color temperature of approximately 10,000 degrees K has a relatively bluish tone.

[0031] The term "lighting fixture" is used herein to refer to an implementation or arrangement of one or more lighting units in a particular form factor, assembly, or package. The term "lighting unit" is used herein to refer to an apparatus including one or more light sources of same or different types. A given lighting unit may have any one of a variety of mounting arrangements for the light source(s), enclosure/housing arrangements and shapes, and/or electrical and mechanical connection configurations. Additionally, a given lighting unit optionally may be associated with (e.g., include, be coupled to and/or packaged together with) various other components (e.g., control circuitry) relating to the operation of the light source(s). An "LED-based lighting unit" refers to a lighting unit that includes one or more LED- based light sources as discussed above, alone or in combination with other non LED-based light sources. A "multi-channel" lighting unit refers to an LED-based or non LED-based lighting unit that includes at least two light sources configured to respectively generate different spectrums of radiation, wherein each different source spectrum may be referred to as a "channel" of the multi-channel lighting unit.

[0032] The term "controller" is used herein generally to describe various apparatus relating to the operation of one or more light sources. A controller can be implemented in numerous ways (e.g., such as with dedicated hardware) to perform various functions discussed herein. A "processor" is one example of a controller which employs one or more microprocessors that may be programmed using software (e.g., microcode) to perform various functions discussed herein. A controller may be implemented with or without employing a processor, and also may be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry) to perform other functions. Examples of controller components that may be employed in various embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0033] In various implementations, a processor or controller may be associated with one or more storage media (generically referred to herein as "memory," e.g., volatile and non-volatile computer memory such as RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM, floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks, magnetic tape, etc.). In some implementations, the storage media may be encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and/or controllers, perform at least some of the functions discussed herein. Various storage media may be fixed within a processor or controller or may be transportable, such that the one or more programs stored thereon can be loaded into a processor or controller so as to implement various aspects of the present invention discussed herein. The terms "program" or "computer program" are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code (e.g., software or microcode) that can be employed to program one or more processors or controllers.

[0034] The term "addressable" is used herein to refer to a device (e.g., a light source in general, a lighting unit or fixture, a controller or processor associated with one or more light sources or lighting units, other non-lighting related devices, etc.) that is configured to receive information (e.g., data) intended for multiple devices, including itself, and to selectively respond to particular information intended for it. The term "addressable" often is used in connection with a networked environment (or a "network," discussed further below), in which multiple devices are coupled together via some communications medium or media.

[0035] In one network implementation, one or more devices coupled to a network may serve as a controller for one or more other devices coupled to the network (e.g., in a master/slave relationship). In another implementation, a networked environment may include one or more dedicated controllers that are configured to control one or more of the devices coupled to the network. Generally, multiple devices coupled to the network each may have access to data that is present on the communications medium or media; however, a given device may be "addressable" in that it is configured to selectively exchange data with (i.e., receive data from and/or transmit data to) the network, based, for example, on one or more particular identifiers (e.g., "addresses") assigned to it.

[0036] The term "network" as used herein refers to any interconnection of two or more devices (including controllers or processors) that facilitates the transport of information (e.g. for device control, data storage, data exchange, etc.) between any two or more devices and/or among multiple devices coupled to the network. As should be readily appreciated, various implementations of networks suitable for interconnecting multiple devices may include any of a variety of network topologies and employ any of a variety of communication protocols.

Additionally, in various networks according to the present disclosure, any one connection between two devices may represent a dedicated connection between the two systems, or alternatively a non-dedicated connection. In addition to carrying information intended for the two devices, such a non-dedicated connection may carry information not necessarily intended for either of the two devices (e.g., an open network connection). Furthermore, it should be readily appreciated that various networks of devices as discussed herein may employ one or more wireless, wire/cable, and/or fiber optic links to facilitate information transport throughout the network.

[0037] The term "user interface" as used herein refers to an interface between a human user or operator and one or more devices that enable communication between the user and the device(s). Examples of user interfaces that may be employed in various implementations of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, switches, potentiometers, buttons, dials, sliders, a mouse, keyboard, keypad, various types of game controllers (e.g., joysticks), track balls, display screens, various types of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), touch screens, microphones and other types of sensors that may receive some form of human-generated stimulus and generate a signal in response thereto.

[0038] The term "electronic driver" as used herein refers to one or more components that generate signals to drive one or more light sources. An electronic driver typically receives input signals and generates the signals to drive the light sources according to the input signals. For example, in some embodiments, an electronic driver comprises a microcontroller that receives multiple dimming inputs and selects one of the dimming inputs to control the signals driving the light sources. In addition, to provide communication using various dimming schemes, an electronic driver can incorporate interfaces such as a DALI interface, a 1-lOV interface, and a mains dimming interface.

[0039] The term "dimming scheme" as used herein refers to a set of operations and relationships that determine the manner in which dimming is accomplished by a lighting assembly. For example, in the 1-lOV dimming scheme, dimming is accomplished according to a dimmer input that ranges between IV and 10V. The amount of light output by a corresponding light source varies in proportion to the magnitude of the dimmer input. In the DALI dimming scheme, on the other hand, dimming is accomplished according to a dimmer input comprising digital information. The digital information is decoded to determine the amount of light output by a corresponding light source. Some dimming schemes, such as 1-lOV dimming and DALI dimming, are governed by industry standards. However, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to standardized dimming schemes.

[0040] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It should also be appreciated that terminology explicitly employed herein that also may appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference should be accorded a meaning most consistent with the particular concepts disclosed herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0041] In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

[0042] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a lighting system 100 in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0043] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic driver for a lighting system in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating dimming interfaces associated with an electronic driver in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic driver in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a lighting system comprising an electronic driver having an override mechanism in accordance with certain embodiments. [0047] FIG. 6 includes two graphs illustrating the override mechanism of FIG. 5 in accordance with certain embodiments.

Detailed Description

[0048] Applicants have recognized various shortcomings of conventional electronic drivers used to control solid state light sources, and the need to provide electronic drivers that effectively employ different dimming schemes according to context and user preference.

[0049] More specifically, Applicants have recognized and appreciated that it would be beneficial to provide an electronic driver capable of supporting multiple dimming schemes without requiring an excessive number of input wires, without requiring a controller or related network components to store multiple SKU identifiers, and without disabling communication functions according to the dimming scheme.

[0050] In view of the foregoing, various embodiments and implementations of the present invention are directed to apparatuses and methods for controlling solid state lighting devices using an electronic driver supporting multiple dimming schemes. In some embodiments, the electronic driver supports at least two of 1-lOV, DALI, mains dimming, and dynadimmer dimming. In some embodiments, the electronic driver performs communication via a DALI interface while driving a light source with a dimming scheme other than DALI. In some embodiments, the electronic driver uses only three input wires to support both the DALI and 1- 10V dimming schemes. In some embodiments, the electronic driver allows dynamic switching between different dimming inputs using DALI communication.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a lighting system 100 in accordance with certain embodiments. In various embodiments, lighting system 100 can be used in an indoor lighting installation, an outdoor installation, or both.

[0052] Lighting system 100 is designed to control the amount of light provided by a light source in response to user input or an automated mechanism. For example, lighting system 100 can manage on or off times of the light source, and it can also manage the brightness of the light source 110. These operations can be performed in response to various factors or inputs, such as the time of day, the presence or absence of daylight or other light sources, the detection of motion, and many others.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 1, lighting system 100 comprises an electronic driver 105, a light source 110, a user interface 115, and a network 120.

[0054] Electronic driver 105 controls the amount of current and voltage applied to light source 110. Accordingly, it can turn light source 110 on or off, and it can also implement various dimming schemes, such as 1-lOV, DALI, mains dimming, and dynadimmer dimming. In some embodiments, electronic driver 105 comprises a solid state chip incorporating a microcontroller for processing information related to the dimming schemes.

[0055] In general, electronic driver 105 receives control signals for the different dimming schemes, a power signal for driving light source 110, and user inputs used to program, configure, or otherwise manage the operation of electronic driver 105. Electronic driver 105 selects one of the dimming schemes and controls the current and voltage supplied to light source 110 according to the selected dimming scheme and related control signals. It manipulates the power signal to provide the currents and voltages for light source 110.

[0056] Light source 110 generates light according to the currents and voltages provided from electronic driver 105. It typically comprises one or more LEDs or other solid state lighting devices in which brightness can be adjusted according to the different dimming schemes to provide different amounts of lights in different contexts. For instance, it can be adjusted to provide more or less light according to a schedule, detected environmental factors, or specific user inputs.

[0057] User interface 115 allows a user to submit information to control the operation of electronic driver 105. User interface 115 can be implemented, for example, by a personal computer (PC) application. In the example of FIG. 1, the information is submitted remotely via network 120, but it can also be submitted without transmission through a network. In addition, user interface 115 can be connected to electronic driver 105 through various types of communication interfaces, such as a wired or wireless network connection, a remote control, and so on. [0058] The user information can be used to select a dimming mode used by electronic driver 105. It can also be used to configure or override one or more of the dimming modes, or to submit queries and receive responses from electronic driver 105. In addition, user interface 115 can be used to present information to a user, such as a status of light source 110. In certain embodiments, queries and other forms of two way communication with electronic driver 105 are performed using DALI.

[0059] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic driver 200 used in a lighting system in accordance with certain embodiments. Electronic driver 200, for example, could be used as electronic driver 105 in lighting system 100.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 2, electronic driver 200 comprises a plurality of dimming interfaces 205, a microcontroller 210, and an output driver 215. Electronic driver 200 is used to drive a light source 220 similar to light source 110 of FIG. 1.

[0061] Dimming interfaces 205 comprise a 1-lOV dimming interface 225, a DALI dimming interface 230, and a mains dimming interface 235. Each of these interfaces can be operated according to established standards.

[0062] The 1-lOV dimming interface 225 receives an analog input voltage that ranges from IV to 10V and provides an input to microcontroller 210 according to the magnitude of the input voltage. The magnitude of the input voltage determines the amount of dimming performed by electronic driver 200 under the 1-lOV dimming scheme. In particular, lowering the magnitude of the input voltage increases the amount of dimming and vice versa. The 1-lOV dimming interface 225 uses two wires to provide the analog input voltage.

[0063] The DALI dimming interface 230 receives digital signals that define an amount of dimming to be performed by electronic driver 200. It communicates with microcontroller 210 to control dimming according to the received digital signals. DALI dimming interface 230 communicates with external devices using a standard digital communication protocol adopted by the lighting industry. Using DALI commands, a user or automated mechanism can communicate through DALI dimming interface 230 to set dimming levels and to query the status of electronic driver 200 or light source 220. Like the 1-lOV dimming interface 225, DALI dimming interface 230 also requires two wires as input.

[0064] Mains dimming interface 235 receives a mains power signal and provides an input to microcontroller 210 according to the received signal. Mains dimming can be performed, for instance, by reducing the magnitude of the received mains signal according to a desired amount of dimming, and applying the reduced mains signal to light source 220 through output driver 215. In certain embodiments, the mains dimming is performed according to a scheme in which a user defines start and stop input voltages and corresponding start and stop dim levels.

[0065] The 1-lOV dimming interface 225 and the DALI dimming interface 230 share one of their input wires. This common wire can reduce the total number of input wires to electronic driver 200, simplifying its design.

[0066] Microcontroller 210 receives input signals through dimming interfaces 205 and selects a subset of the input signals according to a selected dimming scheme. Microcontroller 210 provides a dimming command to output driver 215 according to the selected dimming scheme and input signals. The dimming command indicates the amount of current and voltage to be applied to light source 220.

[0067] Microcontroller 210 also communicates with an external device, such as a user PC, through an input/output (I/O) interface. This communication can be used, for instance, to select the dimming scheme or to output status information regarding electronic driver 200 or light source 220.

[0068] Microcontroller 210 comprises a dimming selector 240 and an integrated

dynadimmer module 245. Dimming selector 240 selects one of the dimming schemes of dimming interfaces 205 or integrated dynadimmer module 245. This selection can be made, for instance, in response to user inputs or detected environmental conditions such as natural lighting or motion.

[0069] Integrated dynadimmer module 245 implements a dimming scheme developed by Philips and referred to as dynadimmer. The dynadimmer scheme performs dimming to predefined light levels using information of an ON-time duration of electronic driver 200. It can be implemented in microcontroller 210 by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0070] Output driver 215 receives the dimming command from microcontroller 210 and a power signal, and it provides currents and voltages to light source 220 according to the dimming command.

[0071] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a more detailed example of dimming interfaces 205, microcontroller 210, and output driver 215.

[0072] In the example of FIG. 3, electronic driver 200 comprises an electromagnetic interference (EMI) circuit that reduces electromagnetic interference on the mains input signal, a power factor correction (PFC) circuit that shapes an input current and controls a bus voltage, a half bridge that performs DC to AC power conversion, a pulse width modulation (PWM) integrated circuit (IC) that controls a duty cycle of the half bridge to control the average power of mains dimming, and a low voltage power supply (LVPS) converter for producing stepped down voltages such as 18V, 12V and 5V.

[0073] Output driver 215 comprises a half bridge, a rectifier and output filter, and a voltage and current feedback control module. These components are used to generate the voltage and current to be applied to light source 220.

[0074] DALI dimming interface 230 has receiver and transmitter ports for bi-directional communication with microcontroller. The receiver port allows dimmer interface to receive control signals from an external device, and the transmitter port allows it to provide information, such as query outputs and status information, to an external device.

[0075] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic driver in accordance with certain embodiments. The method of FIG. 4 can be performed, for example, by lighting system 100 of FIG. 1 or electronic driver 200 of FIGS. 2 and 3. In the description that follows, example method steps will be indicated by parentheses.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 4, the method begins by receiving a plurality of dimming inputs (405). These dimming inputs can be received, for instance, through dimming interfaces such as those illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The dimming inputs can correspond to various types of dimming schemes, such as 1-lOV dimming, DALI dimming, mains dimming, or dynadimmer dimming. Moreover, dimming inputs for at least two of the dimming schemes can be received through a wire shared by two of the input interfaces. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, dimming inputs for the 1-lOV dimming scheme and the DALI dimming scheme can be received through a wire shared by a 1-lOV dimming interface and a DALI dimming interface.

[0077] Next, the method selects a dimming scheme from among a plurality of dimming schemes supported by the electronic driver (410). This selection can be made, for instance, by a microcontroller in response to user input, a software program, environmental inputs, or another selection mechanism. This selection determines the dimming inputs that are used by the microcontroller to control a light source. For instance, where the method selects the 1-lOV dimming scheme, the microcontroller relies on dimming inputs received through a 1-lOV dimming interface to determine the dimming level of the light source.

[0078] In addition, the selected dimming scheme can be dynamically changed in response to inputs to the electronic driver. For example, during operation of the 1-lOV dimming scheme, a user or other entity can submit a selection input to the electronic driver through a PC or network interface. The electronic driver can then change the dimming inputs that are used to determine the level of the light source.

[0079] Further, the selected dimming scheme can be overridden in response to other inputs to the electronic driver. For example, an override signal can be applied to the electronic driver by creating a short circuit between the two wires of the 1-lOV dimming interface. The override signal can cause the electronic driver to temporarily override the dynadimmer scheme.

[0080] After the dimming scheme is selected, the method applies the selected scheme to an output driver (415). In other words, the electronic driver controls the output driver based on dimmer inputs corresponding to the selected scheme. Under the control of the electronic driver, the output driver applies currents and voltages to the light source with a dimming level based on the dimmer inputs. [0081] While applying the selected dimming scheme to the output driver, the method also performs communication with a remote device (420). For example, while applying the 1-lOV dimming scheme to the output driver, the electronic driver can transmit and receive messages with a remote device such as a PC, using the DALI dimmer interface. The transmitted messages can provide information such as status information of the light source or the electronic driver. Accordingly, even though the 1-lOV dimming scheme does not provide outgoing

communication by itself, the DALI interface can be used to provide status information about the 1-lOV dimming scheme. In addition, the simultaneous operation of the 1-lOV dimming scheme and the DALI communication can be performed by a shared wire of the 1-lOV and DALI interfaces as in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0082] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a lighting system 500 comprising an electronic driver 505 having an override mechanism in accordance with certain embodiments. The override mechanism allows electronic driver 505 to preempt a currently selected dimming scheme. The override mechanism is provided through input wires used by an existing dimming interface, so it can be implemented without complicating the input configuration of electronic driver 505.

[0083] In the example of FIG. 5, the override mechanism is used to override the dynadimmer scheme. The dynadimmer scheme performs dimming according to a predetermined dimming profile. The profile typically operates according to a schedule related to lighting patterns, e.g., dawn, daylight, dusk, etc. The override mechanism allows a user or other entity to interrupt the predetermined dimming profile, e.g., by providing brighter light at a time scheduled to have dimmer light.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 5, lighting system 500 comprises electronic driver 505 and a light source 510. As indicated by the labels in FIG. 5, light source 510 is an LED light source, and electronic driver 505 is an LED driver.

[0085] Electronic driver 505 receives dimmer inputs through a 1-lOV dimming interface 515, a DALI dimming interface 520, a mains dimming interface 525, and an integrated dynadimmer interface. The 1-lOV dimming interface 515 is operated as a switch input signal when electronic driver 505 is operating according to the dynadimmer dimming scheme. In particular, the two wires of the 1-lOV dimming interface 515 are electrically connected together to preempt the dynadimmer scheme. This dual use of the 1-lOV wires is possible due to the integration of multiple dimming interfaces in a single LED driver.

[0086] FIG. 6 includes two graphs illustrating the override mechanism of FIG. 5 in

accordance with certain embodiments. In FIG. 6, an (a) graph illustrates a dimming level defined by the dynadimmer scheme according to one example, and a (b) graph illustrates a voltage level of the 1-lOV dimming interface 515 used to override the dynadimmer scheme.

[0087] As indicated by the (a) graph, one example of the dynadimmer scheme causes the dimming level of light source 510 to decrease at predetermined time points, and then increase at a predetermined time point. This can be performed, for instance, to provide varying levels of house lighting for an indoor event. As indicated by the (b) graph, a short is created across the two wires of the 1-lOV dimming interface 515 at a time point indicated by an arrow. This drops the voltage on the 1-lOV dimming interface 515. Electronic driver 505 detects the voltage drop and responds by raising the dimming level of light source 510 to 100%. This can be performed, for instance, if an emergency occurs, requiring the house lighting to be immediately brightened.

[0088] Although the example of FIG. 6 illustrates an override mechanism used to raise the dimming level of a light source, the override mechanism can be used to make other changes to the dimming level, including arbitrary increases or decreases.

[0089] As indicated by the foregoing, various embodiments of apparatuses and methods allow an electronic driver to function according to different dimming schemes. In some embodiments, at least two of the dimming schemes operate through dimming interfaces that share wires. In some embodiments, the electronic driver allows one dimming interface to communicate with an external device while another dimming interface provides dimming inputs to control a light source. Moreover, in some embodiments, the electronic driver allows a dimming scheme to be dynamically changed in response to inputs received through a user interface or a dimming interface. [0090] While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other mains and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

[0091] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0092] The indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean "at least one."

[0093] The phrase "and/or," as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with "and/or" should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the "and/or" clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to "A and/or B", when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as "comprising" can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

[0094] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and/or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and/or" shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as "only one of" or "exactly one of," or, when used in the claims, "consisting of," will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term "or" as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. "one or the other but not both") when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one of." "Consisting essentially of," when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0095] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase "at least one," in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or, equivalently, "at least one of A or B," or, equivalently "at least one of A and/or B") can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

[0096] It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.

[0097] In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "holding," "composed of," and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling a lighting assembly, comprising:

a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming schemes;

an output driver configured to drive a light source according to the plurality of dimming schemes; and

a controller configured to receive dimming inputs through the plurality of input interfaces, to select one of the dimming schemes to be applied to the light source, and to control the output driver to operate according to the selected dimming scheme and the received dimming inputs while performing communication via one of the input interfaces according to another one of the plurality of dimming schemes and the received dimming inputs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of input interfaces comprise at least two input interfaces that share an input wire.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the two input interfaces comprise:

a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) having two input wires; and

a 1-lOV interface having two input wires,

wherein one of the input wires of the DALI is connected to one of the input wires of the 1-lOV interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to dynamically change the selected dimming scheme in response to the communication.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the communication is performed via a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI).

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller selects the dimming scheme to be applied to the light source in response to a control input received from a personal computer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control input is received from the personal computer through a network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller operates at least two of the plurality of dimming schemes according to the same stock keeping unit (SKU) identifier.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dimming schemes comprise 1-lOV dimming, digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) dimming, mains dimming, and dynadimmer dimming.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.

11. A method of operating a lighting assembly comprising a plurality of input interfaces corresponding to a plurality of dimming schemes, an output driver configured to drive a light source according to the plurality of dimming schemes, and a controller configured to control the output driver according to signals received through the input interfaces, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of dimming inputs through the plurality of input interfaces;

selecting one of the dimming schemes to be applied to the light source; and

simultaneously controlling the output driver to operate according to the selected dimming scheme and the received dimming inputs, and communicating with a remote device via one of the input interfaces according to another one of the plurality of dimming schemes and the received dimming inputs.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the dimming inputs for at least two of the dimming schemes through a wire shared by two of the input interfaces.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least two dimming schemes include a 1-lOV dimming scheme and a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) dimming scheme.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising dynamically changing the selected dimming scheme in response to the communication.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication is performed via a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI).

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising overriding the selected dimming scheme in response to input signals received through one of the plurality of input interfaces.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selected dimming scheme is overridden in response to a short circuit created between two wires of a 1-lOV input interface.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of dimming schemes comprise 1-lOV dimming, digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) dimming, mains dimming, and dynadimmer dimming.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting the dimming scheme to be applied to the light source in response to a control input received from a personal computer.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein communicating with a remote device via one of the input interfaces comprises receiving a query from the remote device and transmitting a query response to the remote device.