阅读说明：本技术 Led照明电路和包括其的照明设备 (LED lighting circuit and lighting device comprising same ) 是由 陈执权 戴冕 石亮 王刚 于 2019-09-03 设计创作，主要内容包括：为了减少抽头式线性驱动器的能量损失,提出了一种LED照明电路,该LED照明电路包括：输入(Vbus、GND),适于接收输入电压；多个LED段(LED1、LED2、LED3、LED),被串联连接并其被连接到输入；缓冲组件(C9),用相应开关被连接到多个LED段中的至少两个LED段的串联串的阳极和阴极；电流源电路(B1),跨输入与缓冲组件(C9)和至少两个LED段的并联连接串联连接；还包括跨电流源电路(B1)的另外的缓冲组件(C5),其中所述缓冲组件(C9)和另外的缓冲组件(C5)串联连接。(In order to reduce the energy loss of a tapped linear driver, an LED lighting circuit is proposed, comprising: an input (Vbus, GND) adapted to receive an input voltage; a plurality of LED segments (LED1, LED2, LED3, LED) connected in series and which are connected to the input; a buffer assembly (C9) connected with respective switches to the anode and cathode of the series string of at least two of the plurality of LED segments; a current source circuit (B1) connected in series across the input and the parallel connection of the buffer assembly (C9) and the at least two LED segments; further comprising a further snubber assembly (C5) across the current source circuit (B1), wherein the snubber assembly (C9) and the further snubber assembly (C5) are connected in series.)

1. An LED lighting circuit comprising:

an input (Vbus, GND) adapted to receive an input voltage,

a plurality of LED segments (LED1, LED2, LED3, LED4), connected in series, and connected to the input,

a buffer assembly (C9) connected to the anode and cathode of the series string of at least two of the plurality of LED segments;

a current source circuit (B1) connected in series with the parallel connection of the buffer assembly (C9) and the at least two LED segments across the input;

further comprising a further snubber assembly (C5) across the current source circuit (B1), wherein the snubber assembly (C9) and the further snubber assembly (C5) are connected in series.

2. The LED lighting circuit of claim 1, wherein the buffer component comprises a capacitor adapted to:

buffering a voltage across the at least two LED segments when the switch of the at least two LED segments is open, an

Discharging via the switch of one LED segment and the other LED segment when the switch of the other LED segment is closed and the switch of the one LED segment is still open.

3. The LED lighting circuit of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a switching arrangement comprising a plurality of switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4), each of the plurality of switches being connected in parallel with a respective LED segment to selectively bypass none or at least one LED segment in order to match the forward voltage of the remaining LED segments of the plurality of LED segments to the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage.

4. The LED lighting circuit of claim 3, wherein the snubber assembly (C9) is adapted to stabilize the voltage across the at least two LED segments when the switches of the at least two LED segments are switched, thereby stabilizing the voltage across the current source circuit (B1).

5. The LED lighting circuit of claim 3, wherein the input comprises: a positive terminal (Vbus) for connecting anodes of the plurality of LED segments in series; and a negative terminal (GND) for connecting the cathodes of the plurality of LED segments in series via the current source circuit (B1), and

the buffer assembly (C9) is connected across the anode and the cathode of the plurality of LED segments in series.

6. The LED lighting circuit of claim 1, further comprising a diode (D5), the diode (D5) being forward from the cathode of the plurality of LED segments in series to the interconnection of the buffer assembly (C9) with the further buffer assembly (C5).

7. The LED lighting circuit of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of capacitors (C1, C2, C3, C4), each of the plurality of capacitors connected in parallel with one LED segment, respectively; and a plurality of diodes (D1, D2, D3, D4), each diode of the plurality of diodes between a switch and a capacitor to prevent the capacitor from discharging through the switch such that the current flow terminals of the switches are decoupled from the discharge energy of the parallel capacitor.

8. The LED lighting circuit of claim 1, wherein the input is adapted to receive a rectified AC mains voltage as the input voltage.

9. The LED lighting circuit of claim 1, wherein the switching arrangement is adapted to:

bypassing a first LED segment and bypassing a second LED segment when the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage is within a first range;

bypassing the first LED segment and not bypassing the second LED segment when the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage is within a second range that is higher than the first range; and

not bypass the first LED segment and the second LED segment when the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage is within a third range that is higher than the second range.

10. A lighting device comprising the LED lighting circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an LED lighting circuit.

Background

Tapped linear drivers (or stepping LED drivers) are a low cost LED driving technique that does not require a switched mode power supply. The tapped linear driver dynamically bypasses one or more of the series connections of LED segments such that the forward voltage of the remaining LED segments in the electrical loop matches the magnitude of the input voltage. The input voltage is typically an AC mains voltage. US20150108909a1 discloses such a tapped linear driver. Even further, the tapped linear driver bypasses the LED segments in a binary manner. More specifically, using the states of the three segments as 3-bit binary code, one bit for each segment, a1 means that one segment is not bypassed and a 0 means that the segment is bypassed, the three segments are switched to 000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110, and 111.

Disclosure of Invention

The basic idea of an embodiment of the invention is to clamp the voltage of the switch to avoid current spikes via a buffer component connected to the anode and cathode of the series string of at least two LED segments. The discharge of the buffer assembly still flows through the LED segments to prevent power loss. Preferably, the snubber assembly also clamps the voltage of the current source circuit. Another basic idea of an embodiment of the invention is: a circuit with robust surge protection is provided by using snubber assemblies in parallel with the LEDs, respectively, and with current sources for the LEDs.

According to a basic embodiment, there is provided an LED lighting circuit comprising: an input adapted to receive an input voltage; a plurality of LED segments connected in series and connected to an input; a buffer assembly connected to the anode and cathode of the series string of at least two of the plurality of LED segments with respective switches; a current source circuit connected in series across the parallel connection of the input and buffer assembly and the at least two LED segments; further comprising a further snubber assembly across the current source circuit, wherein the snubber assembly and the further snubber assembly are connected in series.

This embodiment further improves efficiency, EMI tolerance and THD. Efficiency can be improved by about 5%, EMI tolerance is 20dB, and THD is 3% compared to known circuits. This embodiment may also mitigate the risk of surges to the LED and current source, as the snubber assembly may also shunt the surge current to ground (the other polarity of the input). Thus, a dual function of two cushioning assemblies is provided.

In another embodiment, the buffer assembly comprises a capacitor adapted to: the voltage across the at least two LED segments is buffered when the switches of the at least two LED segments are open, and the discharge is performed via the switch of one LED segment and the other LED segment when the switch of the one LED segment is closed while the switch of the other LED segment is still open.

This embodiment further defines the operation of the buffer assembly in reducing input current spikes.

In another embodiment, the embodiment further comprises a switching arrangement comprising a plurality of switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4), each switch of the plurality of switches being connected in parallel with a respective LED segment to selectively bypass none or at least one of the LED segments in order to match the forward voltage of the remaining LED segments of the plurality of LED segments to the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage.

In this embodiment, a tapped linear driver (switching section) topology is used. Voltage changes will not be applied to the current source circuit and there are fewer input current spikes.

In another embodiment, the buffer assembly is adapted to stabilize the voltage across the at least two LED segments when the switches of the at least two LED segments are switched, thereby stabilizing the voltage across the current source circuit.

This embodiment further defines the operation of the buffer assembly in reducing input current spikes.

In another embodiment, the input comprises: a positive terminal connecting anodes of the plurality of LED segments in series; and a negative terminal connecting the cathodes of the plurality of LED segments in series via the current source circuit, and the buffer assembly is connected across the anodes and cathodes of the plurality of LED segments in series.

In this embodiment, the buffer assembly is connected across the entire series of multiple LED segments.

Alternatively, the buffer assembly may be connected to a series connection of only a subset of the plurality of LED segments.

And the embodiment further comprises a diode that is forward from the cathode of the plurality of LED segments in series to the interconnection of the buffer assembly with the further buffer assembly.

In another embodiment, the buffer assembly further comprises: a plurality of capacitors, each capacitor connected in parallel with a respective one of the LED segments; and a plurality of diodes, each diode between one switch and one capacitor to prevent the capacitor from discharging via the switch such that the current flow terminals of the switches are decoupled from the discharge energy of the parallel capacitor.

These capacitors further reduce the flicker of the LED segments.

In another embodiment, the input is adapted to receive a rectified AC mains voltage as the input voltage. The AC mains voltage may be 110V AC in the united states or japan, or 220/230V AC in europe and china.

In another embodiment, the switching arrangement is adapted to: bypassing the first LED segment and bypassing the second LED segment when the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage is within a first range; bypassing the first LED segment and not the second LED segment when the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage is within a second range that is higher than the first range; and not bypassing the first LED segment and the second LED segment when the instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage is within a third range that is higher than the second range.

This embodiment provides the application of the basic embodiment in binary tapped linearity. Alternatively, the basic embodiment may also be used with a normally tapped linear driver, where the LED segments are gradually/cumulatively turned on/off in 001, 011 and 111, where three bits indicate the state of the respective LED segment.

Another aspect of the invention provides a lighting device comprising an LED lighting circuit according to the above embodiments. The lighting device may preferably be a street lamp.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a circuit schematic of a typical tapped linear driver;

FIG. 2 shows an input current waveform of the circuit of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 shows a circuit schematic of another typical tapped linear driver;

fig. 4 shows a circuit schematic of a tapped linear driver according to a basic embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 shows a circuit schematic of a tapped linear driver according to an improved embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 6 shows an input current waveform of the circuit in fig. 5.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a general circuit schematic of a tapped linear driver. V1 represents the input voltage, which is, for example, 230V RMS AC voltage. U3 represents a rectifier bridge, which may be diode-based. Alternatively, the rectifier bridge may be based on active rectification implemented by active switches (such as bipolar transistors or MOSFETs). C9 is a large buffer capacitor connected to the positive and negative outputs of the rectifier for providing some buffering. The LEDs 1-4 represent switched LED segments, while the MOSFETs S1-S4 are connected in parallel with the LEDs 1-4, respectively, for bypassing or not bypassing one LED segment. These MOSFETs are driven by a switch control block, which may be an IC, or implemented by discrete components. The current source circuit B1 is connected in series with the LED segment, and the current source circuit B1 and the LED segment are connected to the positive and negative outputs of the rectifier. Each LED segment has a buffer capacitor C1 to C4. Isolation diodes D1-D4 are connected between the MOSFET and the snubber capacitor to prevent the snubber capacitor from discharging through the MOSFET.

During the switching period, there is a high dv/dt across the switching MOSFETs Q1-Q4. Since the rectified input voltage (between Vbus and GND) at switching is considered constant, there is a large voltage spike across the current source circuit B1, which makes EMI poor. In addition, since the impedance response of the current source circuit B1 is slow, a high spike of the input current is caused, which deteriorates THD, and also generates some noise due to oscillation of the circuit. Fig. 2 shows the current spike at the top, the AC mains input voltage in the middle, and the voltage across the current source circuit B1 at the bottom. It can be seen that the current spikes and voltage spikes are very large.

Another circuit is shown in FIG. 3, with the addition of capacitors between the gate/source and drain/source of the MOSFETs S1-S4. Taking MOSFET S1 as an example, C10 is added between the gate and the source, and C5 is added between the drain and the source. The circuit reduces the switching speed to overcome the current spikes and the voltage across the MOSFET is clamped by capacitor C5 so there is no transient voltage change on current source circuit B1, resulting in fewer current spikes. However, this circuit brings about some side effects: the efficiency is low since the energy stored in the capacitors C5-C8 is consumed by the MOSFETs; and cross-switching between MOSFETs can affect the input current shape, degrading THD and PF performance.

The basic embodiment of the invention proposes a buffer assembly connected to the anode and cathode of a series string of at least two LED segments. The buffer assembly buffers the voltage across the at least two LED segments when the switches of the at least two LED segments are open, and discharges via one switch of one LED segment and the other LED segment when the switch of the one LED segment is closed while the switch of the other LED segment is still open. Thus, the voltage across at least two LED segments is stabilized against voltage/current spikes, and the energy discharged by the buffer assembly still flows through another LED segment and is efficient.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the capacitor across the drain and source of the MOSFET is removed so that its discharge loss is prevented. A capacitor C9 is added to connect the anodes and cathodes of the series string of all LED segments LED1 to LED4 with the respective switches Q1 to Q4. Alternatively, the capacitor C9 may be connected to the anode and cathode of a series string of only two or three LED segments (e.g., LED1 and LED2, LED2 and LED3, or LED3 and LED4, or LED1, LED2 and LED3, or LED2, LED3 and LED 4).

When the instantaneous amplitude of the AC mains voltage is at a peak, Q1 to Q4 are all turned off. As the amplitude decreases, Q1 switches from off to on to bypass LED segment LED 1. At the switching point, the input voltage is considered constant. C9 holds the voltage from the positive output of the rectifier to the cathode of the LED segment. Therefore, the voltage across the current source circuit B1 is also maintained. There are no voltage/current spikes. C9 was discharged by the following rounds:

Q1-DS→D2→C2//LED2→D3→C3//LED3→D4→C4//LED4→D5

where DS means from drain to source and// means connected in parallel.

The discharge current drives the LED segments LED2 to LED4, so the embodiment has higher efficiency than the circuit in fig. 3, where the discharge current of C5 is fully consumed by the MOSFET.

Another embodiment is to add an additional buffer component in parallel with the current source circuit. As shown in fig. 5, a further buffer component C5 is provided across the current source circuit B1. Between the (rectified) input voltages, the snubber assembly C9 and the further snubber assembly C5 are connected in series. This embodiment also includes a diode that is forward from the cathodes of the plurality of LED segments in series to the interconnection of the buffer assembly C9 with the further buffer assembly C5.

The capacitor C5 also stabilizes the voltage across the current source circuit. If the MOSFET is turned on, the voltage across the current source circuit is intended to increase, but it will first be clamped by the voltage of C5 plus the forward voltage of D5.

C5 was discharged by the following rounds:

C9→Q1-DS→D2→C2//LED2→D3→C3//LED3→D4→C4//LED4→B1

during Q1 switching, the voltage drop across LED1 will be applied to the source pole of B1 in a very short time.

V_soruce1＝V_bus-Vled1-Vled2-Vled3-Vled4 (1) (Q1 to Q4 open)

V_soruce2＝V_bus-V_Rdson-Vled2-Vled3-Vled4 (2) (Q1 on, Q2 to Q3 off)

From equation 2 to equation 1, we can obtain the voltage change on B1 during the turn on of Q1.

ΔV_source＝V_led1-V_Rdson (3)

B1 is a linear current source, and the resistance of B1 at the time of the period when Q1 is turned on can be calculated by equation (4).

R_B1＝V_source1/I_in (4)

Current increment during Ql conduction:

I_peak＝ΔV_source/R_B1 (5)

the peak Ipeak is calculated by equation 5. This spike current can degrade EMI, THD. In addition, the spike current oscillates between the pins of Q1, which degrade high potential performance.

Without C9, the response speed of B1 is much slower than the turn-on speed of Q1. With C1, we can see that Δ Vsource across the current source is reduced, R_B1Is increased. Obviously, Ipeak becomes smaller and the input current becomes smooth (green channel in fig. 7). For the circuit, we select C9330 nF and C533 nF. During the discharge of C9, energy is almost entirely consumed by the led. Additionally, with the help of D9, no additional power is stored in capacitor C9, while B1 consumes C5. Therefore, the efficiency is high.

Fig. 6 shows the input current waveform of the embodiment in fig. 5. It can be seen that the current spikes are much smaller than in fig. 2.

The current source circuit may be implemented by a bipolar transistor or a MOSFET. Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. For example, the current source circuit may be moved from the cathode of the LED segment to the anode of the LED segment, i.e. high side drive. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. A computer program may be stored/distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.