LED luminaire driving circuit and method

1. A circuit for driving at least one light emitting diode (LED) luminaire, said circuit comprising:

a resonant mode controller;

a converter comprising a transformer having a primary winding and a plurality of secondary windings each magnetically coupled to said primary winding, a bridge circuit arranged to switch responsive to said resonant mode controller, and a primary side capacitance element in electrical communication with said primary winding;

a first output associated with a first of said plurality of secondary windings, said resonant mode controller arranged to adjust the switching frequency of said bridge circuit so as to maintain said first output at a predetermined level;

a second output associated with a second of said plurality of secondary windings;

a secondary side capacitance element arranged in series between said second of said plurality of secondary windings and said second output;

an LED controller;

a first LED luminaire arranged to provide a first illumination responsive to a power signal on said second output; and

a first current regulator arranged to regulate current flowing through said first LED luminaire responsive to said LED controller,

wherein the second of said plurality of secondary windings exhibits a leakage inductance, and wherein the combination of the leakage inductance and capacitance of the secondary side capacitance element forms a resonant circuit with a resonance greater than a maximum switching frequency of said bridge circuit.

2. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said first current regulator comprises a first electronically controlled switch arranged to be alternately in a closed state and an open state responsive to said LED controller, said first LED luminaire arranged to provide the first illumination when said first electronically controlled switch is in a first of said closed and open states and not provide the first illumination when said first electronically controlled switch is in a second of said closed and open states, and

wherein said LED controller is arranged to alternately set said first electronically controlled switch in said first state and said second state in synchronization with said switching of said bridge circuit.

3. The circuit according to claim 2 , wherein said second output power signal exhibits an active portion which provides sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination and an inactive portion which does not provide sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination, and wherein said LED controller is arranged to synchronize said alternate opening and closing of said first electronically controlled switch with leading edge modulation such that said first electronically controlled switch is switched to the second of said closed and open states, from the first of said open and closed states, from the first of said closed and open states, in synchronization with said second output power signal inactive portion.

4. The circuit according to claim 2 , wherein said second output power signal exhibits an active portion which provides sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination and an inactive portion which does not provide sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination, and wherein said LED controller is arranged to synchronize said alternate opening and closing of said first electronically controlled switch with falling edge modulation such that said first electronically controlled switch is switched to the first of said closed and open states, from the second of said closed and open states, during said second output power signal inactive portion in synchronization with the beginning of said second output power signal active portion.

5. The circuit according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a second current regulator, said second current regulator comprising a second electronically controlled switch arranged to be alternately in a closed state and an open state responsive to said LED controller; and

a second LED luminaire coupled in parallel with said first LED luminaire, said second LED luminaire arranged in cooperation with said second electronically controlled switch to provide a second illumination therefrom responsive to the power signal from said second output when said second electronically controlled switch is in a first of said closed and open states and not provide the second illumination when said second electronically controlled switch is in a second of said closed and open states,

wherein said second output power signal exhibits an active portion which provides sufficient voltage to provide the second illumination and an inactive portion which does not provide sufficient voltage to provide the second illumination,

wherein said LED controller is arranged to synchronize said alternate closing and opening of said first electronically controlled switch with leading edge modulation such that said first electronically controlled switch is switched to the second of said closed and open states, from the first of said closed and open states, in synchronization with said second output power signal inactive portion, and

wherein said LED controller is arranged to synchronize said alternate opening and closing of said second electronically controlled switch with falling edge modulation such that said second electronically controlled switch is switched to the first of said closed and open states, from the second of said closed and open states, during said second output power signal inactive portion in synchronization with the beginning of said second output power signal active portion.

6. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein said LED controller is arranged to identify which of a plurality of LED luminaires responsive thereto is the first LED luminaire, to be controlled with leading edge modulation, and which is the second LED luminaire, to be controlled with falling edge modulation, responsive to an electrical characteristic of each of said first and second LED luminaires.

7. A method of driving at least one light emitting diode (LED) luminaire, said method comprising:

switching a bridge circuit so as to produce a first output power signal, associated with a first of a plurality of secondary windings of a transformer, each of the plurality of secondary windings of the transformer magnetically coupled to a primary winding of the transformer, the primary winding of the transformer coupled to a primary side capacitance element;

controlling the frequency of the bridge circuit switching so as to maintain the first output power signal at a predetermined level, by reducing the switching frequency responsive to a falling first output power signal and increasing the switching frequency responsive to a rising first output power signal;

responsive to said increasing of the switching frequency, a leakage inductance of a second of the plurality of secondary windings, and the capacitance of a secondary side capacitance element arranged in series between a second output and the second of the plurality of secondary windings, decreasing an impedance presented to the second of the plurality of secondary windings;

responsive to said decreasing of the switching frequency, the leakage inductance of the second of the plurality of secondary windings, and the capacitance of the secondary side capacitance element, increasing the impedance presented to the second of the plurality of secondary windings;

enabling a first LED luminaire to provide a first illumination responsive to a second power signal on the second output; and

regulating said provided first illumination.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said frequency controlling is between a predetermined minimum resonant frequency of a resonant mode controller and a predetermined maximum resonant frequency of the resonant mode controller, and

wherein the secondary side capacitance element and the leakage inductance of the second of the plurality of secondary windings form a secondary side resonant circuit exhibiting a resonant frequency greater than the predetermined maximum resonant frequency of the resonant mode controller.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said regulating said provided first illumination comprises alternately enabling the first LED luminaire to provide the first illumination and disabling the first LED luminaire so as not to provide the first illumination, the method further comprising synchronizing said alternate enabling and disabling of the first LED luminaire with said switching of said bridge circuit.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the second output power signal exhibits an active portion which provides sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination and an inactive portion which does not provide sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination, and

wherein said synchronizing comprises leading edge modulation such that said disabling of the first illumination is in synchronization with the second output power signal inactive portion.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the second output power signal exhibits an active portion which provides sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination and an inactive portion which does not provide sufficient voltage to provide the first illumination, and

wherein said synchronizing comprises falling edge modulation such that said enabling of the first illumination is during the second output power signal inactive portion in synchronization with the beginning of the second output power signal active portion.

12. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising alternately enabling a second LED luminaire, coupled in parallel with the first LED luminaire, to provide a second illumination from the second power signal and disabling the second LED luminaire so as not to provide the second illumination,

wherein the second output power signal exhibits an active portion which provides sufficient voltage to provide one of the first and the second illumination and an inactive portion which does not provide sufficient voltage to provide any of the first and the second illumination,

wherein said synchronizing of the first LED luminaire comprises leading edge modulation such that said disabling of the first illumination is in synchronization with the second output power signal inactive portion, and

wherein said alternate enabling and disabling of the second LED luminaire comprises falling edge modulation synchronized with said switching of the bridge circuit such that said enabling of the second illumination is during the second output power signal inactive portion in synchronization with the beginning of the second output power signal active portion.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising identifying which of a plurality of LED luminaires responsive thereto is the first LED luminaire, to be controlled with leading edge modulation, and which is the second LED luminaire, to be controlled with falling edge modulation, responsive to an electrical characteristic of each of said first and second LED luminaires.