Power factor dimming
AssigneeAzoteq (Pty) Ltd
InventorFrederick Johannes Bruwer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An intelligent mains power supply dimmer unit and LED lamp combination with improved power factor. The dimmer applies phase-cutting at a first angle for a first period to a mains voltage supplied to the lamp, whereafter the dimmer removes the phase-cutting. The lamp interprets the first angle as a first power level, which is then stored. The lamp retrieves the level after the first period and regulates its consumption accordingly.
Claims16
A mains power supply dimmer unit and LED lamp(s) combination, wherein said dimmer applies, for a predetermined first period, phase-cutting of a first angle to a mains voltage supplied through said dimmer to said lamp, where-after said dimmer supplies a mains voltage with limited or no phase-cutting to said lamp, and wherein said lamp interprets said first angle as a first power level, wherein said first power level is stored, and wherein the lamp retrieves the first power level after said first period and sets its power level of light emission according to said first power level.
An intelligent LED lamp comprising phase-cut angle detection circuitry and circuitry for the detection of a toggling event on the mains supply, wherein said lamp detects a first phase-cut angle in a mains voltage supplied to said lamp before or after detecting a toggling event, and wherein said lamp stores a first value corresponding to its power level at said first angle in a memory within said lamp, with the power level in said lamp regulated according to said first value subsequent to said toggling event, whether a phase-cut angle of said mains voltage remains at said first angle or reduces to a lesser angle.
A two wire dimmer circuit with an internal dimmer pool capacitor, wherein said dimmer conducts load current towards a load, and wherein said dimmer is characterised by the use of a controllable variable resistance in a series switching element within said dimmer to derive a dimmer supply voltage, said supply voltage falling across said variable resistance of the switching element, due to load current through said variable resistance, wherein said dimmer supply voltage is of sufficient magnitude to facilitate charging of said internal dimmer pool capacitor to a predetermined voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.