Dimming control apparatus, light system driving apparatus and dimming control method

A lighting system driving apparatus, comprising:

• a voltage converting unit converting a dimming signal from a dimmer into dimming voltage;
• an analog-to-digital (A/D) converting unit converting the dimming voltage into a digital dimming value;
• a dimming setting unit determining whether or not the digital dimming value is included in a preset dimming value range, and when the digital dimming value is not included in the preset dimming value range, resetting the dimming value range so as to allow the digital dimming value to be included in the reset dimming value range;
• a memory unit storing a dimming control value corresponding to the digital dimming value;
• a dimming control unit generating a dimming control signal based on the dimming control value corresponding to the digital dimming value from the A/D converting unit;
• and
• a driving unit generating a lighting system driving signal according to the dimming control signal.

A dimming control method performed in a dimming control apparatus, the dimming control method comprising:

• converting a dimming signal from a dimmer into dimming voltage;
• converting the dimming voltage into a digital dimming value;
• determining whether or not the digital dimming value is included in a preset dimming value range;
• resetting the dimming value range so as to allow the digital dimming value to be included in the reset dimming value range when the digital dimming value is not included in the preset dimming value range, and storing a dimming control value corresponding to the digital dimming value;
• and
• generating a dimming control signal based on the dimming control value corresponding to the digital dimming value.