The present invention pertains to the field of lighting and more specifically to a system and method for control of the colour or colour temperature of light emitted from an array of light-emitting elements such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Recent advances in the development of semiconductor and organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs and OLEDs) have made these solid-state devices suitable for use in general illumination applications, including architectural, entertainment, and roadway lighting, for example. As such, these devices are becoming increasingly competitive with light sources such as incandescent, fluorescent, and high-intensity discharge lamps.
A property used to characterize a light source is the correlated colour temperature (CCT) and there are a number of methods of controlling the CCT of an LED light source. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,046 discloses the calculation of colour temperature of light emitted by a luminaire with an array of multicoloured LEDs with at least one LED in each of a plurality of colours. The colour temperature is calculated based on ambient temperatures and preset values, and each set of coloured LEDs is driven to produce a desired colour temperature. U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,964 describes a method for controlling the colour temperature of white light through optical feedback. Measured light outputs are compared to desired outputs and each LED colour is driven accordingly to reach the desired output. This drive method illustrated in
U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0036418 also discloses a drive method where a DC-to-DC converter is used to vary the current through several LED paths. A current switch and sensor is implemented to provide feedback and control to limit the current to defined levels as illustrated in
In addition, shunting techniques can be used to provide variable current flow through the LEDs. For example, if the forward voltage across an LED within a string of LEDs changes, then the total forward voltage across the string will change by the forward voltage across that specific LED. Switching in this manner requires large inductors to smooth the large changes in forward voltage and current flow. In the absence of large inductors, power losses of significant magnitude will occur in the supply or in the drive circuitry. Drive methods that require large components due to heavy switching, which induces large power losses on the supply or drive circuitry, further do not lend themselves to miniaturization due to the size of these components.
In addition, light sources that use a phosphor coating to produce visible light are typically very sensitive to changes in their junction temperature. Changes in this junction temperature can cause shifts in the center wavelength of blue light, for example. Unfortunately, the excitation spectra of phosphors is typically configured such that the peak excitation wavelengths do not coincide with the center wavelength emitted by the LED, and therefore only minor shifts in the LED emission spectra can cause significant changes in the conversion efficiency of the phosphors. This configuration can produce significant changes in the CCT of the phosphor coated LEDs as they are dimmed or as the ambient temperature changes. These devices thus require additional methods of controlling their CCT. For example, International Patent Application Publication No. WO 03/024269 discloses a method of using amber LEDs in combination with “warm white” (low CCT) and “cool white” (high CCT) phosphor-coated LEDs to dynamically change the CCT of the white light they generate. This method however is limited to adjusting the colour temperature of phosphor coated white LEDs.
Furthermore, as an LED's junction temperature increases the relative luminous flux decreases as illustrated in
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method of controlling the colour and colour temperature of light produced by a digitally controlled light source without significant power losses as well as circuits that have a small part count that can further enhance the efficiency of the circuit while maintaining a low overall system cost.
This background information is provided for the purpose of making known information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling colour and colour temperature of light generated by a digitally controlled luminaire. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling colour temperature or colour of light emitted from an array of light-emitting elements, said apparatus comprising: a power source operatively coupled to primary light-emitting elements and one or more secondary light-emitting elements, the power source for providing current thereto, said primary light-emitting elements emitting light of a particular colour when activated and each of the one or more secondary light-emitting elements emitting light of another colour when activated; a primary path for the current to selectively flow, said primary path including the primary light-emitting elements; one or more secondary paths for the current to selectively flow, each of said one or more secondary paths including one or more secondary light-emitting elements; and a plurality of control means, wherein one or more control means is operatively positioned between the power source and each of the primary path and the one or more secondary paths, the control means for directing the current through one or more of the primary path and the one or more secondary paths; wherein emitted light is mixed to generate a desired colour temperature or colour of light.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for controlling the colour temperature or colour of light emitted from an array of light-emitting elements, said method comprising the steps of: generating a current for activation of one or more of primary light-emitting elements and one or more secondary light-emitting elements, the primary light-emitting elements emitting light of a particular colour when activated and each of the one or more secondary light-emitting elements emitting light of another particular colour when activated; selectively directing the current through a primary path or one or more secondary paths using a plurality of control means thereby selectively activating one or more primary light-emitting elements and/or secondary light-emitting elements, said primary path including primary light-emitting elements, and each of the one or more secondary paths including one or more secondary light-emitting elements; and mixing the light to generate a desired colour temperature or colour of light.
Definitions
The term “light-emitting element” is used to define any device that emits radiation in any region or combination of regions of the electromagnetic spectrum for example the visible region, infrared and/or ultraviolet region, when activated by applying a potential difference across it or passing a current through it, for example. Examples of light-emitting elements include semiconductor, organic, polymer, phosphor coated light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and other similar devices as would be readily understood.
The term “power source” is used to define a means for providing power to an electronic device, for example a light-emitting element and may include various types of power supplies and/or driving circuitry.
As used herein, the term “about” refers to a +/−10% variation from the nominal value. It is to be understood that such a variation is always included in any given value provided herein, whether or not it is specifically identified.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling the correlated colour temperature (CCT) or colour of light produced by an array of light-emitting elements by providing multiple selectable paths for the flow of drive current. The apparatus includes a primary path comprising primary light-emitting elements, and one or more secondary paths comprising secondary light-emitting elements that are used for compensation or correction of the colour of light emitted by the primary light-emitting elements. A plurality of control means, for example switches are used to direct current through particular paths. During operation, the drive current primarily flows through the primary light-emitting elements and is redirected, periodically for example, to a secondary path comprising light-emitting elements of a particular colour that is desired in addition to the colour produced by the primary light-emitting elements. The rate at which the current is switched between the two or more paths is provided in such a manner that the overall effect obtained is the addition of the colour of light produced by the primary light-emitting elements and the colour of light produced by the particular secondary light-emitting elements. This can result in a different overall CCT or colour of light when compared to the CCT or colour of light produced by the primary light-emitting elements only. Additional colours can similarly be effectively added to the colour of the primary light-emitting elements.
In one embodiment, when perceived flicker by a human observer is not desired, the switching rate at which the path of the current is changed can typically be greater than about 60 Hz and in one embodiment greater than about 100 Hz. Under these conditions, a human observer will typically be unable to perceive any illumination flicker due to colour adjustment for example.
The present invention can provide colour correction to light emitted by light-emitting elements by effectively adding light from light-emitting elements of other colours, while keeping the amount of current drawn from the power supply essentially constant. Thus, various colour temperatures or colours of light from an array of light-emitting elements can be achieved without a substantial change in supply voltage or current as is commonly associated with switching style voltage converters which are commonly used in the art.
In one embodiment as illustrated in
In one embodiment, during typical operation, the total current through the system is limited to the rating for one string of light-emitting elements and when light-emitting elements in the primary path are activated, the light-emitting elements in the secondary paths are deactivated, and when elements in the primary path are deactivated, light-emitting elements in one of the alternate paths are activated. The duty cycle of all the paths therefore totals about 100%.
In one embodiment, the drive current is directed through a single path at any given time, however, the current may also be directed through more than one path simultaneously if desired. For example and with reference to
The generation of digital control signals for controlling the light-emitting elements can be performed using Pulsed Width Modulation (PWM), Pulsed Code Modulation (PCM) or any other digital control method as would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art. In one embodiment of the present invention, analog control signals could be used as an alternate means for control of the light-emitting elements, however this format of control may reduce overall efficiency when compared with digital control.
Each of the control means can be designed as any one of a switch, transistor or other device which provides a means for controlling passage of current along a particular path. For example a control means can be a FET switch, BJT switch, relay or any other form of controllable switch as would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art.
In one embodiment, transistor pair 421 and 441 may be operated such that they are complementary to each other, that is, when one transistor is ON the other transistor is OFF, and vice versa. Thus, transistors 421 and 441 can be switched with complementary duty cycles, where one transistor is switched with a duty cycle of D, and the other transistor is switched with a duty cycle of (1-D). The current flowing through each path will be directly proportional to the particular duty cycle associated with that path. For example, according to the embodiment illustrated in
In another embodiment, transistor pairs 421 and 441, 422 and 442, and 423 and 443 may also be turned ON simultaneously if desired to achieve various overall CCTs or colours of light. This configuration however, would lead to the current flowing through multiple paths simultaneously and being shared between these paths, as would be readily understood.
In one embodiment, the switching transients can be relatively low and are related to the forward voltage difference in each LED string. An inductor 45 and resistor 46 may be in the circuit along with a free-wheeling diode 47 to smooth the current being drawn from the power source if required. The resistor can be of a low value, and need only be large enough to allow accurate current sensing for the drive circuitry or power source. The size of the inductance required can be much smaller than that required for alternate methods as is seen in the current state of the art, therefore making the physical size of the inductor used in the present invention relatively small.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In one embodiment, the addition of a string of amber LEDs to the embodiments of
In one embodiment as illustrated in
In another embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in
Transistors 720 to 723 are typically operated such that they are complementary to each other, that is, the sum of their duty cycles totals about 100%. The current is thus shifted from white LED string 710 to LED strings of other colours as desired with these colours contributing to the overall CCT of the emitted light from the LEDs. Thus, in this embodiment, the circuit can provide full colour control where any given colour can be fully turned on while the others are fully turned off. Transistors 720 to 723 may also however be operated such that the drive current flows simultaneously through multiple paths if desired.
Inductor 73, resistor 74 and diode 76 form part of the current control circuitry and are used to smooth the current drawn from power source 70 if required. The control signal for the LEDs can be provided via transistor 75 and can be any control signal known in the art, for example, a PWM signal, PCM signal, or any other signal, as would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art.
According to alternate embodiments of the present invention, the diode and feedback path shown in each of
In another embodiment of the present invention, inductive coupling may be used in the current control circuitry instead of a resistor as in the embodiments of
According to the present invention the phase of the switching waveforms for controlling the light-emitting elements enabling CCT or colour correction can be dynamically adjusted to balance current consumption throughout the full switching period. The overall effect of this form of dynamic adjustment can be increased efficiency and a reduction in the drive components by reducing the need for excessive filtering and smoothing.
In one embodiment, during operation at rated power of the light-emitting elements, avalanching and excessive junction temperatures in light-emitting elements may be reduced. For example, some of the drive current can be redirected from the primary light-emitting elements to secondary light-emitting elements thus allowing the primary light-elements to run at a cooler temperature. In one embodiment, this redirection of current can be configured in a manner that the overall colour temperature or colour of light does not change.
In one embodiment, the apparatus and method of the present invention can be used to correct for long-term lumen depreciation and possible colour shifts of the primary light-emitting elements due to aging and thermal degradation of the package and the light-emitting elements themselves.
As would be readily understood by a worker skilled in the art, LEDs as defined in the various embodiments presented can be replaced with other types of light-emitting elements. In addition, it would be readily understood that the colour of the light-emitting elements, the number of light-emitting elements per string, the number of light-emitting element strings, and the configuration of the circuits may be varied to achieve various desired effects.
The embodiments of the invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/630,731, filed Nov. 23, 2004.
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