The present invention relates to a power supply circuit, and more particularly to a power supply circuit for powering LEDs with reduced power conversion loss.
In recent years, light emitting diodes (LEDs) capable of emitting light with high luminance and high illuminating efficiency have been developed. In comparison with a common incandescent light, a LED has lower power consumption, long service life, and quick response speed. With the maturity of the LED technology, LEDs will replace all conventional lighting facilities. Until now, LEDs are widely used in many aspects of daily lives, such as automobile lighting devices, handheld lighting devices, backlight sources for LCD panels, traffic lights, indicator board displays, and the like.
For increasing the overall brightness values, a plurality of LEDs are connected in series to form a LED string. Due to the fabricating processes, the initiating voltages of different LEDs are somewhat distinguished. Generally, the initiating voltage of respective LED is ranged between 3.2V and 3.6V. That is, the initiating voltage of a specified LED string falls into a specified range. For example, a LED string consisting of thirty serially-connected LEDs has an initiating voltage in the range of between 96V and 108V.
Generally, the LED string is connected to a power supply circuit. The power supply circuit is used to drive illumination of the LED string. Since the initiating voltage of the LED string is in a specified range, a rear-stage converting circuit of the power supply circuit will receive an input voltage from power source (e.g. a utility source) and convert the input voltage into the initiating voltage required for driving illumination of the LED string. By adjusting the initiating voltage, the current passing through the LED string is controlled to a constant value and thus uniform brightness is obtained.
As the number of LEDs contained in the LED string is increased, the input voltage is converted into higher voltage-level driving voltage by the rear-stage converting circuit. Since the input voltage is converted into the higher voltage level, the rear-stage converting circuit has a high power conversion loss and the operating efficiency is impaired. In addition, the rear-stage converting circuit should contain high pressure-resistant components, and thus the conventional power supply circuit is not cost-effective.
For obviating the drawbacks encountered from the prior art, there is a need of providing a power supply circuit for powering LEDs with reduced power conversion loss.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a power supply circuit for powering at least one LED string, in which the input voltage is converted into a low voltage level by the rear-stage converting circuit in order to reduce the power conversion loss.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a power supply circuit, in which the rear-stage converting circuit has low pressure-resistant components in order to reduce the fabricating cost.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply circuit for receiving an input voltage through a first positive output terminal and a first negative output terminal of a power-providing device, and outputting a driving voltage to at least one LED string. The power supply circuit includes a second positive output terminal, a second negative output terminal, a rear-stage converting circuit and a control circuit. The second positive output terminal is connected to a first terminal of the LED string. The second negative output terminal is connected to a second terminal of the LED string. The rear-stage converting circuit is used for receiving the input voltage and converting the input voltage into a compensating voltage. The rear-stage converting circuit includes a third positive output terminal and a third negative output terminal. The third positive output terminal is connected to the second positive output terminal, and the third negative output terminal is connected to the first positive output terminal. The control circuit is connected to the rear-stage converting circuit and the LED string for detecting the magnitude of a current passing through the LED string, thereby controlling the current passing through the LED string to be identical. The driving voltage is outputted from the power supply circuit through the second positive output terminal and the second negative output terminal. The driving voltage is a summation of the input voltage and the compensating voltage.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply circuit for receiving an input voltage and outputting a driving voltage to at least one LED string. The power supply circuit includes a front-stage converting circuit, a second positive output terminal, a second negative output terminal, a rear-stage converting circuit and a control circuit. The front-stage converting circuit is used for receiving the input voltage and converting the input voltage into a transition voltage. The front-stage converting circuit includes a first positive output terminal and a first negative output terminal. The second positive output terminal is connected to a first terminal of the LED string. The second negative output terminal is connected to a second terminal of the LED string. The rear-stage converting circuit is connected to the front-stage converting circuit for receiving the transition voltage and converting the transition voltage. The rear-stage converting circuit includes a third positive output terminal and a third negative output terminal. The third positive output terminal is connected to the second positive output terminal. The third negative output terminal is connected to the first positive output terminal. The control circuit is connected to the rear-stage converting circuit and the LED string for detecting the magnitude of a current passing through the LED string, thereby controlling the current passing through the LED string to be identical. The driving voltage is outputted from the power supply circuit through the second positive output terminal and the second negative output terminal. The driving voltage is a summation of the transition voltage and the compensating voltage.
The above contents of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
The power supply circuit 1 comprises a second positive output terminal 12, a second negative output terminal 13, a rear-stage converting circuit 14 and a control circuit 15. The second positive output terminal 12 is connected to a first terminal of the LED string 11. The second negative output terminal 13 is connected to a second terminal of the LED string 11, a common terminal G and the first negative output terminal 102 of the power-providing device 10. The input voltage Vin from the power-providing device 10 is received by the rear-stage converting circuit 14. By the rear-stage converting circuit 14, the input voltage Vin is converted into a compensating voltage Vcom. The rear-stage converting circuit 14 comprises a third positive output terminal 141 and a third negative output terminal 142. The third positive output terminal 141 is connected to the second positive output terminal 12 of the power supply circuit 1. The third negative output terminal 142 is connected to the first positive output terminal 101 of the power-providing device 10. The control circuit 15 is connected to the rear-stage converting circuit 14 and the LED string 11 for detecting the magnitude of the current passing through the LED string 11, thereby controlling the current passing through the LED string 11 to be identical.
In this embodiment, the driving voltage Vo is outputted from the power supply circuit 1 to the LED string 11 through the second positive output terminal 12 and the second negative output terminal 13. The third positive output terminal 141 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14 is connected to the second positive output terminal 12 of the power supply circuit 1. The third negative output terminal 142 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14 is connected to the first positive output terminal 101 of the power-providing device 10. The second negative output terminal 13 of the power supply circuit 1 is connected to the first negative output terminal 102 of the power-providing device 10. A difference between the second positive output terminal 12 and the second negative output terminal 13 of the power supply circuit 1 is substantially equal to a summation of the compensating voltage Vcom and the input voltage Vin. In other words, the driving voltage Vo outputted from the power supply circuit 1 is equal to the summation of the compensating voltage Vcom and the input voltage Vin.
Since the driving voltage Vo outputted from the power supply circuit 1 is equal to the summation of the compensating voltage Vcom and the input voltage Vin, the power-providing device 10 could directly provide most electrical energy required for powering the LED string 11. Under this circumstance, the rear-stage converting circuit 14 only needs to provide the electrical energy for compensating the variation of the initiating voltage of the LED string 11. In other words, by the rear-stage converting circuit 14, the input voltage Vin is converted into the compensating voltage Vcom, which has a relatively lower voltage level. Since the input voltage Vin is converted into a low voltage level, the rear-stage converting circuit 14 has a low energy conversion ratio. Under this circumstance, the power conversion loss of the power supply circuit 1 is reduced and the operating efficiency is enhanced. Moreover, in views of cost-effectiveness, the components of the rear-stage converting circuit 14 are low pressure-resistant components.
For example, in an embodiment, the LED string 11 comprises thirty LEDs G1. The initiating voltage of each LED G1 is ranged between 3.2V and 3.6V. As such, the initiating voltage of the LED string 11 is in the range of between 96V and 108V. If the input voltage Vin provided by the power-providing device 10 is 80V, the rear-stage converting circuit 14 will convert the input voltage Vin into a compensating voltage Vcom having a voltage level in the range of between 16V and 28V. Since the driving voltage Vo outputted from the power supply circuit 1 is equal to the summation of the compensating voltage Vcom and the input voltage Vin, the LED string 11 will be driven to illuminate. In addition, since the compensating voltage Vcom has a low voltage level, the rear-stage converting circuit 14 has a low energy conversion ratio. Under this circumstance, the power conversion loss of the power supply circuit 1 is reduced and the operating efficiency is enhanced. Moreover, in views of cost-effectiveness, the components of the rear-stage converting circuit 14 are low pressure-resistant components.
In an embodiment, the rear-stage converting circuit 14 is a DC-to-DC converting circuit. Correspondingly, the input voltage Vin received by the rear-stage converting circuit 14 is a DC voltage.
In some embodiments, the input voltage Vin has a constant voltage level. According to the number of LEDs G1 contained in the LED string 11, the voltage level of the input voltage Vin is determined or adjusted. In some embodiments, the power-providing device 10 is a power factor correction circuit.
The first rectifier-filter circuit 143 is used for rectifying and filtering the electrical energy of first secondary winding assembly Ns1, thereby outputting the compensating voltage Vcom. In an embodiment, the first rectifier-filter circuit 143 comprises a first diode D1 and a first capacitor C1. The anode of the first diode D1 is connected to the first secondary winding assembly Ns1 of the first transformer T1. The cathode of the first diode D1 is connected to the third positive output terminal 141 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14. An end of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the cathode of the first diode D1 and the third positive output terminal 141 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14. The other end of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the third negative output terminal 142 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14. Through the third negative output terminal 142, the first capacitor C1 is connected to the first positive output terminal 101 of the power-providing device 10.
The third rectifier-filter circuit 144 is used for rectifying and filtering stepped-up voltage, thereby outputting the compensating voltage Vcom. In an embodiment, the third rectifier-filter circuit 144 comprises a fourth diode D4 and a fifth capacitor C5. The anode of the fourth diode D4 is connected to the boost inductor L. The cathode of the fourth diode D4 is connected to the third positive output terminal 141 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14. An end of the fifth capacitor C5 is connected to the cathode of the fourth diode D41 and the third positive output terminal 141 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14. The other end of the fifth capacitor C5 is connected to the third negative output terminal 142 of the rear-stage converting circuit 14. Through the third negative output terminal 142, the fifth capacitor C5 is connected to the first positive output terminal 101 of the power-providing device 10.
Since the driving voltage Vo outputted from the power supply circuit 4 is equal to the summation of the compensating voltage Vcom and the transition voltage Vin′, the front-stage converting circuit 51 could directly provide most electrical energy required for powering the LED string 11. Under this circumstance, the rear-stage converting circuit 14 only needs to provide the electrical energy for compensating the variation of the initiating voltage of the LED string 11. In other words, by the rear-stage converting circuit 14, the transition voltage Vin′ is converted into the compensating voltage Vcom, which has a relatively lower voltage level. Since the transition voltage Vin′ is converted into a low voltage level, the rear-stage converting circuit 14 has a low energy conversion ratio. Under this circumstance, the power conversion loss of the power supply circuit 4 is reduced and the operating efficiency is enhanced. Moreover, in views of cost-effectiveness, the components of the rear-stage converting circuit 14 are low pressure-resistant components.
In an embodiment, the front-stage converting circuit 51 is an AC-to-DC converting circuit. Correspondingly, the input voltage Vin received by the front-stage converting circuit 51 is an AC voltage.
As shown in
An end of the second capacitor C2 is connected to the second switch element Q2 and the third switch element Q3. The second capacitor C2 is used for filtering off noise. The second transformer T2 comprises a second primary winding assembly Nf2 and a second secondary winding assembly Ns2. Both ends of the second primary winding assembly Nf2 are respectively connected to the other end of the second capacitor C2 and the common terminal G. The center-tapped head of the second secondary winding assembly Ns2 is connected to the common terminal G. Since the second switch element Q2 and the third switch element Q3 are alternately conducted or shut off, the electrical energy received by the second primary winding assembly Nf2 is electromagnetically transmitted to the second secondary winding assembly Ns2, and the second secondary winding assembly Ns2 generates induction energy.
The second rectifier-filter circuit 514 is connected to the second secondary winding assembly Ns2 of the second transformer T2, the fourth positive output terminal 511 and the fourth negative output terminal 512 of the front-stage converting circuit 51 for rectifying and filtering electrical energy. In an embodiment, the second rectifier-filter circuit 514 comprises a second diode D2, a third diode D3 and a fourth capacitor C4. The anodes of the second diode D2 and the third diode D3 are respectively connected to both ends of the second secondary winding assembly Ns2 of the second transformer T2. The cathode of the second diode D2 is connected to the anode of the third diode D3. An end of the fourth capacitor C4 is connected to the cathodes of the second diode D2 and the third diode D3 and the fourth positive output terminal 511 of the front-stage converting circuit 51. The other end of the fourth capacitor C4 is connected to the fourth negative output terminal 512 of the front-stage converting circuit 51 and the common terminal G.
From the above description, the driving voltage outputted by the power supply circuit of the present invention for powering the LED string is mostly provided by the input voltage. The rear-stage converting circuit only needs to provide the electrical energy for compensating the variation of the initiating voltage of the LED string. In other words, by the rear-stage converting circuit, the input voltage is converted into the compensating voltage, which has a relatively lower voltage level. Since the input voltage is converted into a low voltage level, the rear-stage converting circuit has a low energy conversion ratio. Under this circumstance, the power conversion loss of the power supply circuit is reduced and the operating efficiency is enhanced. Moreover, in views of cost-effectiveness, the components of the rear-stage converting circuit are low pressure-resistant components.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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098120746 | Jun 2009 | TW | national |