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US 8,569,972 B2Granted
Dimmer output emulation
AssigneeCirrus Logic, Inc.
InventorJohn L. Melanson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lighting system includes a dimmer output voltage emulator to cause a power converter interface circuit to generate an emulated dimmer output voltage. In at least one embodiment, the emulated dimmer output voltage corresponds to an actual dimmer output voltage but is unaffected by non-idealities in the dimmer output voltage, such as premature shut-down of a triac-based dimmer. By generating an emulated dimmer output voltage, the energy delivered to a load, such as a lamp, corresponds to a dimming level setting.
Claims21
An apparatus comprising:
- a dimmer output voltage emulator configured to cause a power converter interface circuit to draw current from a capacitor in the power converter interface during a period of time when a dimmer coupled to the power converter interface circuit is non-conducting to generate an emulated dimmer output voltage, wherein the emulated dimmer output voltage emulates part of a cycle of a non-zero alternating current dimmer output voltage of the dimmer after a triac of the dimmer prematurely stops conducting that would occur if the triac continued conducting during the part of the cycle.
A method comprising:
- causing a power converter interface circuit to draw current from a capacitor in the power converter interface during a period of time when a dimmer coupled to the power converter interface circuit is non-conducting to generate an emulated dimmer output voltage, wherein the emulated dimmer output voltage emulates part of a cycle of a non-zero alternating current dimmer output voltage of the dimmer after a triac of the dimmer prematurely stops conducting that would occur if the triac continued conducting during the part of the cycle.
An apparatus comprising:
- a dimmer;
- a power converter interface circuit coupled to the dimmer;
- a dimmer output voltage emulator, coupled to the power converter interface circuit, wherein (i) the dimmer output voltage emulator is configured to cause the power converter interface circuit to draw current from a capacitor in the power converter interface during a period of time when the dimmer coupled to the power converter interface circuit is non-conducting to generate an emulated dimmer output voltage and (ii) the emulated dimmer output voltage emulates part of a cycle of an alternating current dimmer output voltage of the dimmer;
- a power converter coupled to the dimmer output voltage emulator;
- and
- a controller coupled to the dimmer output voltage emulator and the power converter, wherein the controller is configured to control the power converter in accordance with the emulated dimmer output voltage.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- means for causing a power converter interface circuit to draw current from a capacitor in the power converter interface during a period of time when a dimmer coupled to the power converter interface circuit is non-conducting to generate an emulated dimmer output voltage, wherein the emulated dimmer output voltage emulates part of a cycle of a non-zero alternating current dimmer output voltage of the dimmer after a triac of the dimmer prematurely stops conducting that would occur if the triac continued conducting during the part of the cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.