IP Library Granted Patent US 9,668,307
Granted Patent B2
US 9,668,307 · App. 14/809,892 · Granted May 30, 2017

Warm dimming for an LED light source

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,668,307
App. No.
14/809,892
Granted
May 30, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A lighting device includes a first LED light source having a first color temperature, a second LED light source having a second, lower color temperature connected in parallel with the first LED light source, and control circuitry operable to apply variable duty cycle frequency modulated power to the first LED light source while continuous power is provided to the second LED light source. A method of operating a lighting device includes providing variable duty cycle frequency modulated power to a first LED light source having a first color temperature, and providing continuous power to a second LED light source having a second, lower color temperature connected in parallel with the first LED light source.

Claims (30)

1. A lighting device comprising:

a first LED light source having a first color temperature;

a second LED light source having a second color temperature connected in parallel with the first LED light source, wherein the second color temperature is lower in value than the first color temperature; and

a microcontroller with power connections directly in parallel with one or more LEDs of the second LED light source and operable to apply variable duty cycle frequency modulated power to the first LED light source while continuous power is provided to the second LED light source.

2. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the first color temperature is 3000° K.

3. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the second color temperature is 2000° K.

4. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is operable to vary the frequency according to a percentage of current supplied to the lighting device.

5. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is operable to increase the frequency as the percentage of current supplied to the lighting device increases and decrease the frequency as the percentage of current supplied to the lighting device decreases.

6. The lighting device of claim 5 , wherein the microcontroller is operable to increase the frequency by holding an active time of the frequency modulated power constant while decreasing an inactive time of the frequency modulated power, and is operable to decrease the frequency by holding the active time constant while increasing the inactive time.

7. The lighting device of claim 5 , wherein the microcontroller is operable to increase the frequency by holding an inactive time of the frequency modulated power constant while decreasing an active time of the frequency modulated power, and is operable to decrease the frequency by holding the inactive time constant while increasing the active time.

8. The lighting device of claim 5 , wherein the microcontroller is operable to:

provide an FM signal to the first LED light source at a first preselected current point; and

vary the FM signal until a second preselected current point is reached, wherein power is applied to only the second LED light source.

9. The lighting device of claim 8 , wherein the first preselected current point is approximately 70% of full current supplied to the lighting device, and the second preselected current point is approximately 10% of full current supplied to the lighting device.

10. The lighting device of claim 9 , wherein the microcontroller is operable to vary the frequency between approximately 2 KHz and 345 Hz as the percentage of current supplied to the lighting device varies between the first and second preselected current points, respectively.

11. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the first LED light source, the second LED light source, and the microcontroller share a common mounting structure.

12. A method of operating a lighting device comprising:

using a microcontroller for providing variable duty cycle frequency modulated power to a first LED light source having a first color temperature;

providing continuous power to a second LED light source having a second color temperature connected in parallel with the first LED light source, wherein the second color temperature is lower in value than the first color temperature; and

providing power to the microcontroller by connecting the microcontroller directly in parallel with one or more LEDs of the second LED light source.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first color temperature is 3000° K.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second color temperature is 2000° K.

15. The method of claim 12 , comprising varying a frequency of the frequency modulated power according to a percentage of current supplied to the lighting device.

16. The method of claim 15 , comprising increasing the frequency as the percentage of current supplied to the lighting device increases and decreasing the frequency as the percentage of current supplied to the lighting device decreases.

17. The method of claim 15 , comprising:

providing an FM signal to the first LED light source at a first preselected current point; and

varying the FM signal until a second preselected current point is reached, wherein power is applied to only the second LED light source.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first preselected current point is approximately 70% of full current supplied to the lighting device, and the second preselected current point is approximately 10% of full current supplied to the lighting device.

19. The method of claim 18 , comprising varying the frequency between approximately 2 KHz and 345 Hz as the percentage of full current supplied to the lighting device varies between the first and second preselected current points, respectively.

20. The method of claim 12 , comprising mounting the first LED light source, the second LED light source, and the microcontroller on a common mounting structure.

Assignments (7)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2026
From: SAVANT TECHNOLOGIES LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 075090/0369 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 21, 2022
From: GE LIGHTING SOLUTIONS, LLC
To: CURRENT LIGHTING SOLUTIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 060390/0276 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 15, 2022
From: CONSUMER LIGHTING LLC
To: SAVANT TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 059721/0943 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 14, 2022
From: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: SAVANT SYSTEMS, INC.; SAVANT TECHNOLOGIES LLC; RACEPOINT ENERGY, LLC
Reel/Frame 059910/0312 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 4, 2022
From: CURRENT LIGHTING SOLUTIONS, LLC (FKA - GE LIGHTING SOLUTIONS, LLC)
To: CONSUMER LIGHTING, LLC
Reel/Frame 059582/0748 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 30, 2020
From: SAVANT SYSTEMS, INC.; CONSUMER LIGHTING (U.S.), LLC
To: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 053095/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 27, 2015
From: ROBERTS, BRUCE RICHARD; TAUBERT, TIMOTHY ALAN
To: GE LIGHTING SOLUTIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 036186/0350 →