Granted Patent B2

US 12,652,735 · App. 18/657,149 · Granted Jun 9, 2026

Inventors: Christopher J. Salvestrini (Allentown, PA); Ryan S. Bedell (Breinigsville, PA); Matthew V. Harte (Breinigsville, PA)

Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC

H05B45/14H02M1/082H02M5/2576H05B45/10H05B45/3725H05B45/44H05B47/175H05B47/196

Abstract

Claims (61)

1 . A light-emitting diode (LED) control apparatus, comprising:

rectifier circuitry couplable to an AC power source to provide a phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage;

controllable load circuitry to receive, as an input, the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

LED driver control circuitry operatively coupled to the controllable load circuitry, the LED driver control circuitry to;

determine whether the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage is indicative of forward-phase control voltage or reverse-phase control voltage; and

responsive to the determination the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage is indicative of forward-phase control voltage;

generate a first output to enable the controllable load circuitry;

cause a controllable load current to follow the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage to cause a controllably conductive device to latch during a first period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage;

reduce the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state during a second period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

cause the controllable load current to follow the rectified voltage to cause the controllably conductive device to unlatch during third period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage.

2 . The LED control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the LED driver control circuitry to further:

detect a change in phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

responsive to a detected change in the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage:

repeatedly measure the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage and, for the duration that the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage changes:

cause the controllable load current to a maximum to cause the controllably conductive device to latch;

detect a stabilization of the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

reduce the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state responsive to the detected stabilization of the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage.

3 . The LED control apparatus of claim 1 wherein the LED driver control circuitry to further, responsive to the determination the rectified voltage waveform is indicative of reverse-phase control voltage:

disable the controllable load circuitry; and

cause the controllable load current to follow the rectified voltage.

4 . The LED control apparatus of claim 1 wherein to reduce the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state, the LED driver control circuitry to further:

incrementally reduce the controllable load current to the determined minimum controllable load current.

5 . A light-emitting diode (LED) control method, comprising:

determining, by LED driver control circuitry, whether a phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage is indicative of forward-phase control voltage or reverse-phase control voltage; and

responsive to the determination by the LED driver control circuitry that the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage is indicative of forward-phase control voltage;

generating, by the LED driver control circuitry, a first output to enable controllable load circuitry operatively coupled to the LED driver control circuitry;

causing, by the LED driver control circuitry, a controllable load current to follow the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage to cause a controllably conductive device to latch during a first period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage;

reducing, by the LED driver control circuitry, the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state during a second period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

causing, by the LED driver control circuitry, the controllable load current to follow the rectified voltage to cause the controllably conductive device to unlatch during third period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage.

6 . The LED lighting control method of claim 5 , further comprising:

detecting, by the LED driver control circuitry, a change in phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

responsive to a detected change in the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage by the LED driver control circuitry:

repeatedly measuring, by the LED driver control circuitry, the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage and, for the duration that the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage changes:

causing, by the LED driver control circuitry, the controllable load current to a maximum to cause the controllably conductive device to latch;

detecting, by the LED driver control circuitry, a stabilization of the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

reducing, by the LED driver control circuitry, the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state responsive to the detected stabilization of the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage.

7 . The LED lighting control method of claim 5 , further comprising, responsive to the determination, by the LED driver control circuitry, that the rectified voltage waveform is indicative of reverse-phase control voltage:

disabling, by the LED driver control circuitry, the controllable load circuitry; and

causing, by the LED driver control circuitry, the controllable load current to follow the rectified voltage.

8 . The LED lighting control method of claim 5 wherein reducing the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state further comprises:

incrementally reducing, by the LED driver control circuitry, the controllable load current to the determined minimum controllable load current.

9 . A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by light-emitting diode (LED) driver control circuitry, causes the LED driver control circuitry to:

determine whether a phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage is indicative of forward-phase control voltage or reverse-phase control voltage; and

responsive to the determination by the LED driver control circuitry that the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage is indicative of forward-phase control voltage;

generate a first output to enable controllable load circuitry operatively coupled to the LED driver control circuitry;

cause a controllable load current to follow the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage to cause a controllably conductive device to latch during a first period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage;

reduce the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state during a second period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

cause the controllable load current to follow the rectified voltage to cause the controllably conductive device to unlatch during third period of each half cycle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage.

10 . The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 9 wherein the instructions, when executed by the LED driver control circuitry, further cause the LED driver control circuitry to:

detect a change in phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

responsive to the detection of the change in the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage by the LED driver control circuitry:

repeatedly measure the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage and, for the duration that the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage changes:

cause the controllable load current to a maximum to cause the controllably conductive device to latch;

detect a stabilization of the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage; and

reduce the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state responsive to the detected stabilization of the phase angle of the phase-controlled, rectified, output voltage.

11 . The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 9 wherein the instructions, when executed by the LED driver control circuitry, further cause the LED driver control circuitry to:

responsive to the determination that the rectified voltage waveform is indicative of reverse-phase control voltage:

disable the controllable load circuitry; and

cause the controllable load current to follow the rectified voltage.

12 . The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 9 wherein the instructions that cause the LED driver control circuitry to reduce the controllable load current to a determined minimum controllable load current to hold the controllably conductive device in a conductive state further cause the LED driver control circuitry to:

incrementally reduce the controllable load current to the determined minimum controllable load current.

Continuity (7)

References Cited (27)