# US 12,004,275 B2 · Controlling light emitting diodes for switching patterns > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,275 B2 - Document ID: US12004275B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/645,282 - Filed: 2021-12-20 - Published: 2023-06-22 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-20 - Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG - Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG - Inventors: Sang Min Lee; Michael Schrodi; Davide Ghedin; Fausto Borghetti; Alberto Trentin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004275B2 ## CPC - H05B 45/37: Converter circuits - H05B 45/48: having LEDs organised in strings and incorporating parallel shunting devices - H05B 47/155: Coordinated control of two or more light sources - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A device is configured to determine a switching pattern comprising a first time range for activating a first plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of a LED module and a second time range for activating a second plurality of LEDs of the LED module. The first plurality of LEDs and the second plurality of LEDs are different. The device is further configured to determine, for each LED of the first plurality of LEDs, a respective timeslot of a plurality of timeslots of the first time range. The device is further configured to output an instruction to a switching device to cause the switching device to couple each LED of the first plurality of LEDs to a supply during the respective timeslot determined for the LED. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device configured to: determine a switching pattern indicating to activate a first plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) included in a string of LEDs of a LED module during a first time range and to activate a second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs during a second time range, wherein the first plurality of LEDs comprises a first number of LEDs that is different from a second number of LEDs of the second plurality of LEDs; determine, for each LED of the first plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs, a respective timeslot of a plurality of timeslots of the first time range; determine, for each LED of the second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs, a respective timeslot of a plurality of timeslots of the second time range, wherein each timeslot of the plurality of timeslots of both the first time range and the second time range is equal to a time duration; output a first instruction to a switching device to cause the switching device to couple, during the first time range, each LED of the first plurality of LEDs in the string of LEDs to a supply during the respective timeslot determined for the LED of the first plurality of LEDs; and output a second instruction to the switching device to cause the switching device to couple, during the second time range, each LED of the second plurality of LEDs in the string of LEDs to the supply during the respective timeslot determined for the LED of the second plurality of LEDs, wherein the supply is configured to output a voltage or current to the string of LEDs that remains constant during both the first time range when the first instruction causes the switching device to couple each LED of the first plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs to the supply and the second time range when the second instruction causes the switching device to couple each LED of the second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs to the supply. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the respective timeslot for a first LED of the first plurality of LEDs is different from the respective timeslot for each other LED of the first plurality of LEDs. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to generate the first instruction to cause the supply to activate no more than one LED of the first plurality of LEDs during each timeslot of the plurality of timeslots of the first time range. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the switching pattern indicates the first plurality of LEDs for a first sequence of a welcome light function and the second plurality of LEDs for a second sequence of the welcome light function. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the supply comprises a DC to DC converter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5, wherein the supply comprises a dimming switch configured to receive a first voltage signal output by the DC to DC converter and output a second voltage signal to the switching device that has a different duty cycle than the first voltage signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first time range is equal to the second time range. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the switching device comprises a first bypass switch arranged in parallel with a first LED of the string of LEDs and a second bypass switch arranged in parallel with a second LED of the string of LEDs and wherein to output the first instruction, the device is configured to: control, during the respective timeslot for the first LED, the first bypass switch to turn on the first LED and the second bypass switch to refrain from turning on the second LED; and control, during the respective timeslot for the second LED, the second bypass switch to turn on the second LED and the first bypass switch to refrain from turning on the first LED. ### Claim 9 A method comprising: determining a switching pattern indicating to activate a first plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) included in a string of LEDs of a LED module during a first time range and to activate a second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs during a second time range, wherein the first plurality of LEDs comprises a first number of LEDs that is different from a second number of LEDs of the second plurality of LEDs; determining, for each LED of the first plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs, a respective timeslot of a plurality of timeslots of the first time range; determining, for each LED of the second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs, a respective timeslot of a plurality of timeslots of the second time range, wherein each timeslot of the plurality of timeslots of both the first time range and the second time range is equal to a time duration; outputting a first instruction to a switching device to cause the switching device to couple, during the first time range, each LED of the first plurality of LEDs in the string of LEDs to a supply during the respective timeslot determined for the LED of the first plurality of LEDs; and outputting a second instruction to the switching device to cause the switching device to couple, during the second time range, each LED of the second plurality of LEDs in the string of LEDs to the supply during the respective timeslot determined for the LED of the second plurality of LEDs, wherein the supply is configured to output a voltage or current to the string of LEDs that remains constant during both the first time range when the first instruction causes the switching device to couple each LED of the first plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs to the supply and the second time range when the second instruction causes the switching device to couple each LED of the second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs to the supply. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the respective timeslot for a first LED of the first plurality of LEDs is different from the respective timeslot for each other LED of the first plurality of LEDs. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the first instruction to cause the supply to activate no more than one LED of the first plurality of LEDs during each timeslot of the plurality of timeslots of the first time range. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the switching pattern indicates the first plurality of LEDs for a first sequence of a welcome light function and the second plurality of LEDs for a second sequence of the welcome light function. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the switching device comprises a first bypass switch arranged in parallel with a first LED of the string of LEDs and a second bypass switch arranged in parallel with a second LED of the string of LEDs and wherein outputting the first instruction comprises: controlling, during the respective timeslot for the first LED, the first bypass switch to turn on the first LED and the second bypass switch to refrain from turning on the second LED; and controlling, during the respective timeslot for the second LED, the second bypass switch to turn on the second LED and the first bypass switch to refrain from turning on the first LED. ### Claim 14 A system comprising: a light emitting diode (LED) module; a switching device configured to couple each LED included in a string of LEDs of the LED module to a supply; and a controller device configured to: determine a switching pattern indicating to activate a first plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs during a first time range and to activate a second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs during a second time range, wherein the first plurality of LEDs comprises a first number of LEDs that is different from a second number of LEDs of the second plurality of LEDs; determine, for each LED of the first plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs, a respective timeslot of a plurality of timeslots of the first time range; determine, for each LED of the second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs, a respective timeslot of a plurality of timeslots of the second time range, wherein each timeslot of the plurality of timeslots of both the first time range and the second time range is equal to a time duration; output a first instruction to the switching device to cause the switching device to couple, during the first time range, each LED of the first plurality of LEDs in the string of LEDs to the supply during the respective timeslot determined for the LED of the first plurality of LEDs, and output a second instruction to the switching device to cause the switching device to couple, during the second time range, each LED of the second plurality of LEDs in the string of LEDs to the supply during the respective timeslot determined for the LED of the second plurality of LEDs, wherein the supply is configured to output a voltage or current to the string of LEDs that remains constant during both the first time range when the first instruction causes the switching device to couple each LED of the first plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs to the supply and the second time range when the second instruction causes the switching device to couple each LED of the second plurality of LEDs included in the string of LEDs to the supply. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the LED module comprises the switching device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, further comprising the supply. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the supply is configured to output a first voltage during the first time range that corresponds to a second voltage during the second time range. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the switching device comprises a first bypass switch arranged in parallel with a first LED of the string of LEDs and a second bypass switch arranged in parallel with a second LED of the string of LEDs and wherein to output the first instruction, the controller device is configured to: control, during the respective timeslot for the first LED, the first bypass switch to turn on the first LED and the second bypass switch to refrain from turning on the second LED; and control, during the respective timeslot for the second LED, the second bypass switch to turn on the second LED and the first bypass switch to refrain from turning on the first LED.