US 8,552,660 B2Granted

Drive circuit for parallel array of light emitting diodes

OwnerZutao Liu, Kun Cheng +2inventors

InventorsZutao Liu, Kun Cheng, Jianbo Sun, Gang Shi

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a parallel light emitting diode (“LED”) drive circuit and provides a drive circuit configured to drive a parallel array of LEDs. The drive circuit comprises: a plurality of switches, a plurality of sampling resistors, and a plurality of chopper amplifiers. Each switch is coupled to a respective LED in the LED array. Each chopper operational amplifier configured to receive a reference voltage and a switching control signal and generate an input offset voltage. Each chopper operational amplifier includes a differential amplifier including an input transistor pair and a current mirror transistor pair, of which the electrical positions can be reserved when the switching control signal is switched between a first state and a second state, wherein the offset voltage, which causes the lightness mismatching in a parallel LED circuit, can be cancelled.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A drive circuit configured to drive a parallel array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the drive circuit comprising:

a plurality of switches, each configured to be coupled to a respective LED in the parallel array of LEDs;
a plurality of sampling resistors, each coupled to a respective switch in the plurality of switches and configured to receive a drive current when the respective switch is in a closed state;
a plurality of chopper operational amplifiers, each chopper operational amplifier configured to receive a reference voltage at a positive feedback input terminal, a voltage taken across one of the plurality of sampling resistors at a negative feedback input terminal, and a switching control signal at a switching control signal terminal and generate an input offset voltage configured to control a respective switch in the plurality of switches using the reference voltage, the voltage taken across one of the plurality of sampling resistors, and the switching control signal, wherein each chopper operational amplifier includes a differential amplifier including an input transistor pair, a current mirror transistor pair, and a Miller compensation capacitor;
wherein the input transistor pair and current mirror transistor pair are mismatched, such that when the switching control signal is switched between a first state and a second state, electrical positions of the input transistor pair switch and electrical positions of the current mirror transistor pair switch to thereby cause a reversing of polarity of the input offset voltage of the chopper operational amplifier;
and
wherein:
when the switching signal is in the first state:
a first transistor in the current mirror transistor pair of each of the plurality of chopper operational amplifiers is connected to the Miller compensation capacitor of the respective chopper operational amplifier, the first transistor being an output tube of the respective chopper operational amplifier, and
a gate terminal of the first transistor in the input transistor pair is connected to the positive feedback terminal, and
when the switching signal is in the second state:
a second transistor in the current mirror transistor pair of each of the plurality of chopper operational amplifiers is connected to the Miller compensation capacitor of the corresponding chopper operational amplifier, the second transistor being the output tube of the respective chopper operational amplifier, and
the gate terminal of the first transistor in the input transistor pair is connected to the negative feedback terminal.

9 more elements

A parallel light emitting diode (LED) lighting system comprising:

a power source configured to drive the parallel LED lighting system;
an array of LEDs coupled together in parallel, each LED including an anode coupled to the power source to receive a drive current (ILED) and a cathode;
a drive circuit having a plurality of sub-circuits each coupled to the cathode of a respective LED in the array of LEDs and comprising:
a sampling resistor having a value R;
a drive transistor having a drain, gate, and source, wherein the drain is connected to the respective LED through the cathode and the source is connected to a ground through the sampling resistor;
a chopper operational amplifier having an output terminal coupled to the gate of the drive transistor, a positive feedback input terminal connected to a reference voltage (RV), a negative feedback input terminal connected to the source of the drive transistor, and a control signal input terminal connected to a switching control signal, the chopper operational amplifier including:
a first transistor and a second transistor having a common gate connection connected to a gate electrode bias voltage and a common source connection connected to a working voltage;
a third transistor and a fourth transistor having a common source connection connected to a drain electrode of the first transistor;
a fifth transistor and a sixth transistor having drain electrodes connected to a drain of the third transistor and fourth transistor, respectively, and having a common gate electrode connection and a common source connection connected to ground;
a seventh transistor having a drain connected to a drain electrode of the second transistor and a source electrode connected to ground;
and
a Miller compensation capacitor connected between a drain electrode and a gate electrode of the seventh transistor;
and
wherein:
I
LED
=
RV
R
.
when the control signal is in a first state, a gate of the seventh transistor is connected to a drain of the third transistor to make the fifth transistor an output tube of the chopper operational amplifier, and
when the control signal is in a second state, the gate of the seventh transistor is connected to a drain of the fourth transistor to make the sixth transistor an output tube of the chopper operational amplifier.

19 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/777,079Filed 10 May 2010
Published: US 2011/0215727 A18 Sep 2011
Granted: 8 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H05B 45/10
Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]: controlling the intensity of the light
H05B 45/37
Driver circuits: converter circuits
H05B 45/46
With an active control inside an LED matrix: having LEDs disposed in parallel lines
Y02B 20/40
Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps: control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart…