IP Library Granted Patent US 12,382,559
Granted Patent B2
US 12,382,559 · App. 18/602,360 · Granted Aug 5, 2025

Load control device for a light-emitting diode light source

Inventors: Timothy P. Gredler (Center Valley, PA); Matthew R. Zartman (Bethlehem, PA)
Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
H05B45/3725H05B45/10H05B45/335H05B45/375H05B45/385H05B45/395
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,382,559
App. No.
18/602,360
Granted
Aug 5, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A load control device for controlling the intensity of a lighting load, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) light source, may include a power converter circuit operable to receive a rectified AC voltage and to generate a DC bus voltage, a load regulation circuit operable to receive the bus voltage and to control the magnitude of a load current conducted through the lighting load, and a control circuit operatively coupled to the load regulation circuit for pulse width modulating or pulse frequency modulating the load current to control the intensity of the lighting load to a target intensity. The control circuit may control the intensity of the lighting load by pulse width modulating the load current when the target intensity is above a predetermined threshold and control the intensity of the lighting load by pulse frequency modulating the load current when the target intensity is below the predetermined threshold.

Claims (49)

1. A lighting controller to adjust a luminous output of a light-emitting diode (LED) fixture, comprising:

LED drive circuitry;

control circuitry operatively coupled to the LED drive circuitry, the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to one or more LED sources operatively coupled to the LED drive circuitry using a first power modulation method for luminous intensities between a defined low-end luminous intensity and a defined minimum luminous intensity; and

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a second power modulation method different from the first power modulation method for luminous intensities between the defined minimum luminous intensity and a defined ultra-low luminous intensity.

2. The lighting controller of claim 1 wherein to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using the first power modulation method, the control circuitry to further:

adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse frequency modulation method that includes varying the pulse frequency while holding feed current constant at a first current to adjust the luminous output of the one or more LED sources between the defined minimum luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

3. The lighting controller of claim 2 wherein to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using the second power modulation method, the control circuitry to further:

adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse width modulation method that includes varying the current pulse width while holding frequency constant at a first frequency to adjust the luminous output of the one or more LED sources between the defined low-end luminous intensity and the defined ultra-low luminous intensity.

4. The lighting controller of claim 3 , the control circuitry to further:

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a third power modulation method for luminous intensities between a defined high-end luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

5. The lighting controller of claim 4 wherein to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using the third power modulation method, the control circuitry to further:

adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse width modulation method that includes varying the current pulse width while holding frequency constant at a second frequency to adjust the luminous intensity of the one or more LED sources between the defined high-end luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

6. The lighting controller of claim 5 , the control circuitry to further:

cause the LED drive circuitry to autonomously transition between the first power modulation method and the second power modulation method responsive to an LED luminous intensity equal to the defined minimum luminous intensity.

7. The lighting controller of claim 6 , the control circuitry to further:

cause the LED drive circuitry to autonomously transition between the first power modulation method and the third power modulation method responsive to an LED luminous intensity equal to the defined low-end luminous intensity.

8. The lighting controller of claim 1 wherein the one or more LED sources comprise a plurality of LED sources.

9. A method to control luminous output of a light-emitting diode (LED) fixture, the method comprising:

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to one or more LED sources operatively coupled to the LED drive circuitry using a first power modulation method for luminous intensities between a defined low-end luminous intensity and a defined minimum luminous intensity; and

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, the LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a second power modulation method different from the first power modulation method for luminous intensities between the defined minimum luminous intensity and a defined ultra-low luminous intensity.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein causing the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using the first power modulation method further comprises:

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse frequency modulation method that includes varying the pulse frequency while holding feed current constant at a first current to adjust the luminous output of the one or more LED sources between the defined minimum luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein causing the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using the second power modulation method further comprises:

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse width modulation method that includes varying the current pulse width while holding frequency constant at a first frequency to adjust the luminous output of the one or more LED sources between the defined low-end luminous intensity and the defined ultra-low luminous intensity.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, the LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a third power modulation method for luminous intensities between a defined high-end luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein causing the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using the third power modulation method, the control circuitry to further:

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse width modulation method that includes varying the current pulse width while holding frequency constant at a second frequency to adjust the luminous intensity of the one or more LED sources between the defined high-end luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, the LED drive circuitry to autonomously transition between the first power modulation method and the second power modulation method responsive to an LED luminous intensity equal to the defined minimum luminous intensity.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

causing, by LED controller control circuitry, the LED drive circuitry to autonomously transition between the first power modulation method and the third power modulation method responsive to an LED luminous intensity equal to the defined low-end luminous intensity.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more LED sources comprise a plurality of LED sources.

17. A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by control circuitry in a light-emitting diode (LED) controller couplable to LED drive circuitry, cause the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources operatively coupled to the LED drive circuitry using a first power modulation method for luminous intensities between a defined low-end luminous intensity and a defined minimum luminous intensity; and

cause LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a second power modulation method different from the first power modulation method for luminous intensities between the defined minimum luminous intensity and a defined ultra-low luminous intensity.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 17 wherein the instructions that cause the control circuitry to cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using the first power modulation method further cause the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse frequency modulation method that includes varying the pulse frequency while holding feed current constant at a first current to adjust the luminous output of the one or more LED sources between the defined minimum luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

19. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 18 wherein the instructions that cause the control circuitry to cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using the second power modulation method further cause the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse width modulation method that includes varying the current pulse width while holding frequency constant at a first frequency to adjust the luminous output of the one or more LED sources between the defined low-end luminous intensity and the defined ultra-low luminous intensity.

20. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 19 wherein the instructions, when executed by the control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust power provided to the one or more LED sources using a third power modulation method for luminous intensities between a defined high-end luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

21. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 20 wherein the instructions that cause the control circuitry to cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using the third power modulation method, further cause the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to adjust the power provided to the one or more LED sources using a pulse width modulation method that includes varying the current pulse width while holding frequency constant at a second frequency to adjust the luminous intensity of the one or more LED sources between the defined high-end luminous intensity and the defined low-end luminous intensity.

22. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 21 wherein the instructions, when executed by the control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to autonomously transition between the first power modulation method and the second power modulation method responsive to an LED luminous intensity equal to the defined minimum luminous intensity.

23. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 21 wherein the instructions, when executed by the control circuitry, further cause the control circuitry to:

cause the LED drive circuitry to autonomously transition between the first power modulation method and the third power modulation method responsive to an LED luminous intensity equal to the defined low-end luminous intensity.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 16, 2024
From: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
To: LUTRON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 067455/0135 →
Continuity (13)
Continuation 18297697 · Apr 10, 2023
Continuation 17881774 · Aug 5, 2022
Continuation 17001050 · Aug 24, 2020
Continuation 16601845 · Oct 15, 2019
Continuation 16378134 · Apr 8, 2019
Continuation 15953812 · Apr 16, 2018
Continuation 15717123 · Sep 27, 2017
Continuation 15460973 · Mar 16, 2017
Continuation 15291308 · Oct 12, 2016
Continuation 14796278 · Jul 10, 2015
Continuation 14290584 · May 29, 2014
Provisional Application 61828337 · May 29, 2013
Related Publication 20240215130A1 · Jun 27, 2024
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