# US 2013/0154504 A1 · Dimming and control arrangement and method for solid state lamps > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0154504 A1 - Document ID: US20130154504A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/328,707 - Filed: 2011-12-16 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-16 - Assignees: Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc. - Inventors: Robert L. Hick; Richard A. Leinen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130154504A1 ## CPC - H05B 45/10: Controlling the intensity of the light - H05B 47/198: {Grouping of control procedures or address assignation to light sources} - H05B 47/196: {characterised by user interface arrangements} - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A system and method are disclosed for dimming light emitting diode (LED) lamps. A control unit is coupled to a dimmer and LED lamp. The dimmer receives power from an AC source and determines a phase angle of the AC power. The dimmer provides DC power to the lamp based on the phase angle. The control unit sends a control signal to the dimmer during a first portion of each half sine-wave of the received AC power. The control signal causes the dimmer to modify at least one function of the lamp. A plurality of LED lamps may be associated with a single dimmer, and the dimmer may individually instruct the lamps to modify their operational characteristics. The dimmer may send an operational signal back to the control unit. The operational signal may represent end of life information for the associated LED lamp. Other embodiments are described and claimed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for dimming a light emitting diode (LED) lamp, comprising: an LED lamp, and an LED dimmer coupled to the LED lamp, the dimmer configured to receive electrical power from an alternating current (AC) source, the dimmer further configured to determine a phase angle of said received AC power and to provide direct current (DC) power to the LED lamp based on said determined phase angle, the dimmer additionally configured to provide a dimming range of the LED lamp in a range between a maximum brightness condition of the LED lamp and an off condition of the LED lamp; wherein when the LED lamp is in the off condition the received electrical power provides a constant minimum level of electrical power to circuit components associated with at least one of the dimmer and the LED lamp. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the dimmer is configured to receive a control signal from a control unit during a first portion of each half sine-wave of the received AC power, and to control an operating function of the LED lamp based on the control signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the dimmer is configured to send an operational signal to the control unit during certain half sine-waves of the AC power signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the control signal comprises a voltage pulse. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, the dimmer further comprising an LED power supply. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the operational characteristic comprises a color of light emitted by the LED lamp. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, comprising a plurality of LED lamps associated with the dimmer, and wherein the control signal includes address information associated with a selected on of said plurality of LED lamps, the control signal instructing modification of an operational characteristic of only said selected one of said LED lamps. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the dimmer and the control unit each include a respective processor with associated memory. ### Claim 9 A method for controlling brightness of an LED lamp, comprising: receiving, at an LED dimmer, electrical power from an alternating current (AC) source; determining, at the LED dimmer, a phase angle of said received AC power, and sending, from the LED dimmer, power to the LED lamp to operate the LED lamp at a brightness based on the determined AC phase angle, wherein the brightness level is in a range between a maximum brightness condition of the LED lamp and an off condition of the LED lamp; wherein when the LED lamp is in the off condition the received electrical power provides a constant minimum level of electrical power to circuit components associated with at least one of the dimmer and the LED lamp. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the received electrical power comprises a duty cycle of from about 30-degrees to about 150 degrees of each half sine-wave of the AC source. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a control signal at the dimmer during a first portion of each half sine-wave of the received electrical power. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the control signal comprises a voltage pulse impressed on a wire coupled to the dimmer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the control signal instructs the dimmer to modify at least one operational characteristic of the LED lamp. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the operational characteristic comprises a color of light emitted by the LED lamp. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the control signal includes address information associated with one of a plurality of LED lamps, the control signal instructing modification of an operational characteristic of only said one of said LED lamps. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising sending an operational signal from the dimmer to a control unit during certain half sine-waves of the received AC power. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the operational signal includes end of life information for the LED lamp. ### Claim 18 A system for controlling a light emitting diode lamp for use in a system comprising an LED lamp connected to and in communication with a dimmer, and a non-transient machine readable storage medium encoded with a computer program code such that, when the computer program code is executed by a processor, the processor performs a method comprising: receiving, at the dimmer, electrical power from an alternating current (AC) source; determining, at the LED dimmer, a phase angle of said received AC power, and providing direct current (DC) power from the dimmer to an LED lamp, the DC power representative of a predetermined brightness of the LED lamp, the DC power based on the determined AC phase angle, wherein the predetermined brightness level is in a range between a maximum brightness condition of the LED lamp and an off condition of the LED lamp; wherein when the LED lamp is in the off condition said received electrical power is sufficient to maintain a functionality of a circuit component associated with at least one of the dimmer and the LED lamp. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, further comprising receiving, at the dimmer, a control signal during a first portion of each half sine-wave of the received electrical power. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the control signal comprises a voltage pulse impressed on a wire coupled to the dimmer. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the control signal instructs modification of at least one operational function of said LED lamp. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21, wherein said operational function comprises a color of light emitted by the LED lamp. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the control signal includes address information associated with a selected one of a plurality of LED lamps, the control signal instructing modification of an operational characteristic of only said selected one of said LED lamps. ### Claim 24 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, further comprising sending, from the dimmer, an operational signal to a control unit during a second portion certain half sine-waves of the received electrical power. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the received electrical power comprises a duty cycle of from about 30-degrees to about 150 degrees of each half sine-wave of the AC source.