# US 12,114,407 B2 · LED string control system, LED modules, and method of controlling the same

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- Number: US 12,114,407 B2
- Document ID: US12114407B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/072,991
- Filed: 2022-12-01
- Published: 2023-11-30
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2022-05-27
- Assignees: Semisilicon Technology Corp.
- Applicants: Semisilicon Technology Corp.
- Inventors: Wen-Chi Peng
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12114407B2

## CPC

- F21S 4/00: Lighting devices or systems using a string or strip of light sources
- H05B 47/165: following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
- F21S 4/22: flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape
- F21V 23/003: {the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array}
- H05B 45/10: Controlling the intensity of the light
- F21Y 2103/10: comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
- F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED]
- H05B 47/185: via power line carrier transmission
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED

## Abstract

An LED string control system includes an LED string and a control module. The LED string incudes a plurality of LED modules. The control module is coupled to the LED modules, and provides a control signal to control the LED modules to generate lighting behavior based on a light command. The light command is composed of a plurality of first digital logics and a plurality of second digital logics in a specific sequence. The control module respectively provides a plurality of first voltage levels and a plurality of second voltage levels to form the control signal based on the first digital logics and the second digital logics of the light command.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A light emitting diode (LED) string control system, comprising:
an LED string, comprising a plurality of LED modules, and
a control module, coupled to the LED modules, and configured to provide a control signal to control the LED modules to generate lighting behavior based on a light command,
wherein the light command is composed of a plurality of first digital logics and a plurality of second digital logics in a specific sequence; the control module respectively provides a plurality of first voltage levels and a plurality of second voltage levels to form the control signal based on the first digital logics and the second digital logics of the light command,
wherein when the light command comprises the first digital logics and the second digital logics interlaced to each other, the control module directly adjusts the voltage level of the control signal from the first voltage level to the second voltage level or from the second voltage level to the first voltage level based on the interlaced sequence,
wherein when the light command comprises consecutive first digital logics, the control module adjusts a voltage level of the control signal from the first voltage level to the second voltage level as a distinction voltage level for distinguishing two consecutive first voltage levels;
when the light command comprises consecutive second digital logics, the control module adjusts the voltage level of the control signal from the second voltage level to the first voltage level as the distinction voltage level for distinguishing two consecutive second voltage levels,
wherein the distinction voltage has a first time width, the first voltage level has a second time width, and the second voltage level has a third time width; the first time width is different from the second time width and the third time width.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The LED string control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control module comprises:
a voltage generation apparatus, coupled to the LED string, and
a controller, coupled to the voltage generation apparatus, and configured to control the voltage generation apparatus to adjust a DC voltage received by the LED string to the control signal based on the light command.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The LED string control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the voltage generation apparatus comprises:
a first voltage generation circuit, coupled to the LED string and the controller, and
a second voltage generation circuit, coupled to the LED string and the controller,
wherein the controller controls the first voltage generation circuit to generate a first voltage to adjust the control signal to the first voltage level, and the controller controls the second voltage generation circuit to generate a second voltage to adjust the control signal to the second voltage level.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The LED string control system as claimed in claim 3,
wherein the first voltage generation circuit comprises:
a first switch, coupled to the LED string and the controller,
wherein the controller turns on the first switch to make a ground voltage as the first voltage so that a DC voltage received by the LED string is used as the first voltage level.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The LED string control system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second voltage generation circuit is connected to the first voltage generation circuit in parallel, and comprises:
a first regulation component, coupled to the LED string, and
a second switch, coupled to the first regulation component and the controller,
wherein the first regulation component generates the second voltage due to the turned-on second switch controlled by the controller so as to adjust the control signal to the second voltage level that is equal to the DC voltage minus the second voltage.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The LED string control system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second voltage generation circuit comprises:
a first voltage generation module, coupled to a node between the LED string and the first switch, and
a first unidirectional conduction component, coupled to the node and the first voltage generation module, and configured for unidirectional conduction of a path from the node to the first voltage generation module,
wherein the controller controls the first voltage generation module to generate the second voltage so as to adjust the control signal to the second voltage level that is equal to the DC voltage minus the second voltage.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The LED string control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first-time width is less than the second-time width, and/or the first-time width is less than the third-time width.

### Claim 8

An LED module, configured to receive a control signal comprising a plurality of first voltage levels and a plurality of second voltage levels, and the LED module comprising:
an LED controller, configured to receive an input voltage required for operation through a positive end and a negative end, and receive the control signal through a signal-receiving end, and
at least one LED, coupled to the LED controller,
wherein the control signal is composed according to a specific sequence, and comprising a first voltage level with direct change in voltage level and a second voltage level with direct change in voltage, and the first voltage level and/or the second voltage level as a distinction voltage level for distinguishing two consecutive first voltage levels and/or two consecutive second voltage levels; when two consecutive first voltage levels and/or two consecutive second voltage levels are distinguished by the distinction voltage level, the LED controller correspondingly generates a drive command according to the first voltage levels and/or the second voltage levels, and controls the at least one LED to generate lighting behavior based on the drive command,
wherein the distinction voltage has a first time width, the first voltage level has a second time width, and the second voltage level has a third time width.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The LED module as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
a signal output end, configured to provide the control signal received by the LED controller to an expansion module coupled to a rear end.

### Claim 10

A method of controlling an LED string control system, configured to provide a control signal to control at least one LED module of an LED string to generate lighting behavior based on a light command, and the light command composed of a plurality of first digital logics and a plurality of second digital logics in a specific sequence, the method comprising steps of:
adjusting a voltage level of the control signal to a plurality of first voltage levels according to the first digital logics,
adjusting the voltage level of the control signal to a plurality of second voltage levels according to the second digital logics,
interlacedly sequencing the voltage level of the control signal based on the first digital logics and the second digital logics interlaced to each other, and directly adjusting the first voltage level to the second voltage level, or directly adjusting the second voltage level to the first voltage level,
adjusting the voltage level of the control signal from the first voltage level to the second voltage level as a distinction voltage level for distinguishing two consecutive first voltage levels based on the consecutive first digital logics, and/or
adjusting the voltage level of the control signal from the second voltage level to the first voltage level as the distinction voltage level for distinguishing two consecutive second voltage levels based on the consecutive second digital logics,
wherein the distinction voltage has a first time width, the first voltage level has a second time width, and the second voltage level has a third time width; the first time width is different from the second time width and the third time width.