Control circuit, control method, drive circuit, and lighting device

Abstract

The application discloses a control circuit, a control method, a driving circuit and a lighting device, and relates to the field of control of circuit load. The control circuit comprises a control unit, n-1 switch units connected in series, and n controlled current sources. The negative polarity end of the first controlled current source is connected to a common ground terminal, the positive polarity end of each of the remaining n-1 controlled current sources is connected to the negative pole of each of the n-1 switch units through a one-way switch, the one-way switch is configured to block the current between the corresponding switch unit and the controlled current source, the negative polarity end of each of the n-1 controlled current sources is connected to the common ground terminal, and the control end of each of the n controlled current sources and the control end of each of the n-1 switch units are connected to the control unit. Wherein, n is an integer, and n is greater than or equal to 2. In this way, the continuity / smoothness during the switching process between different LED array combinations is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of driving circuit technology, and particularly to the field of control circuit technology for solid-state light emitters, and relates to a control circuit, control method, driving circuit and lighting device. Background Technology

[0002] A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light in various colors through a PN diode, which is a compound semiconductor. This type of light-emitting element has advantages such as long lifespan, miniaturization and lightweight design, and low-voltage driving capability. Furthermore, LEDs are highly resistant to shock and vibration, require no warm-up time, and have complex driving mechanisms. They can be packaged in various forms within a substrate or LED frame, allowing for modular design for diverse applications, such as backlight units and various lighting devices.

[0003] Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to provide individual lighting effects, and these LEDs can be connected in series. LEDs have unidirectional conductivity; therefore, AC power is typically converted to DC power, i.e., rectified voltage, to be suitable for LEDs.

[0004] Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can also be connected in series, and the conduction state of each LED will switch according to the changing rectified voltage. Therefore, the disadvantage of this approach is that, due to the difference in the conduction state of each LED, the utilization rate of each LED will also be different, resulting in an overall decrease in light output efficiency.

[0005] Furthermore, the peak voltage of commercial AC power supplies varies across different regions. If LED lighting fixtures are used with AC power supplies of different sizes, the brightness and power efficiency of these fixtures will differ. Therefore, considering the varying sizes of AC power supplies, there is a need for LED lighting fixtures that are compatible with AC power supplies and can exhibit uniform light output power and high energy conversion efficiency.

[0006] To improve the efficiency of lighting fixtures, it is known to break down series arrangements into individual, series-connected strings of LEDs. These LED strings are connected to a rectified power supply. These LED strings can be dynamically combined according to changes in external voltages such as the mains voltage, so that the effective voltage of the LEDs follows the mains voltage as closely as possible. This configuration is often referred to as a linear LED driver.

[0007] Due to this LED string configuration, based on the fluctuation characteristics of the mains voltage, an LED string (or LED group, LED combination) with a higher on-state voltage drop will be activated at a higher voltage value than an LED string with a lower on-state voltage drop. Furthermore, it is known that when the rectified voltage of the mains voltage spans the range of (0, maximum value), the number of LED voltage groups that are turned on is the same as the number of current sources controlling the on-state current. To achieve higher efficiency, a larger number of segments is required, which complicates the circuit structure and leads to higher costs.

[0008] Furthermore, since the electrical characteristics of LEDs in different LED groups may not be consistent, the on-state voltage drop or on-state threshold of LEDs is not completely constant, but varies with operating temperature, operating current, etc., making it difficult to calculate. The characteristics between the voltage of the LED string and the current of the LED lack a simple, accurate, and quantitative correspondence. In order to ensure that the supply voltage before and after switching between different LED groups is sufficient to drive the LED string, it is often necessary to perform a switching action to switch different LED strings into or out of the power supply circuit when the supply voltage is greater than the on-state voltage drop of the LED string and leaves a sufficient margin. This switching with sufficient margin will lead to reduced efficiency, and the switching is usually instantaneous, which also brings greater electromagnetic interference (EMI). Summary of the Invention

[0009] It would be beneficial to improve the switching of load combinations (e.g., LED arrays) in response to changes in supply voltage, and to enhance the continuity / smoothness of the transition process during load combination switching.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling circuit loads is provided, operable at a control circuit for driving multiple circuit loads powered by a variable power source, wherein the control circuit includes multiple controlled sources operable to selectively conduct to establish multiple loops via the multiple circuit loads respectively; the control method includes:

[0011] S-1) Before the output of the variable power supply is adapted to at least a portion of the plurality of loops, each of the at least a portion of the plurality of loops is dynamically pre-established;

[0012] S-3) As the output changes, it adapts to the multiple loops respectively, and the multiple loops are sequentially turned on by the controlled source in the multiple loops.

[0013] Optionally, in some embodiments, the control circuit further includes at least one switching unit and a control unit, wherein the at least one switching unit and the plurality of controlled sources are respectively connected to the control unit through their respective control terminals; the at least one switching unit and the plurality of controlled sources are operable to cooperate in state switching, thereby establishing the plurality of loops respectively, wherein the number of the plurality of loops is greater than or equal to the number of controlled sources;

[0014] During the process of sequentially activating the plurality of loops, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the activation of the current loop, the next loop is established through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the associated switching units and controlled sources among the plurality of controlled sources; or,

[0015] During the conduction of the current circuit, the next two circuits of the current circuit are established through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the plurality of controlled sources.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an LED array is provided for controlling n mutually coupled LED arrays powered by a variable DC power supply. The control circuit includes a control unit and a plurality of controlled current sources, each of which is connected to the control unit via a respective control terminal; wherein n≥2; when the n LED arrays are coupled to the control circuit, the plurality of controlled current sources are operable to selectively conduct to select from the n LED arrays to obtain a plurality of LED array combinations to correspondingly establish a plurality of loops, wherein the plurality of LED array combinations have at least partially different on-state voltage drops from each other;

[0017] The control unit is configured to: i) dynamically pre-establish each of the at least some of the plurality of circuits before the output voltage of the DC power supply is adapted to at least a portion of the plurality of circuits;

[0018] ii) In response to the change of the output voltage, the controlled current sources in the multiple circuits are adapted to each other and coordinated to activate the multiple LED array combinations by sequentially turning on in a predetermined order.

[0019] Optionally, in some embodiments, the control circuit further includes at least one switching unit configured to correspondingly bridge at least a portion of the n LED arrays when the n LED arrays are coupled to the control circuit; each of the switching units is connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal; the plurality of controlled current sources are coupled to the at least one switching unit to cooperate in state switching, thereby establishing at least a portion of the plurality of loops respectively;

[0020] The control unit is further configured to: during the conduction of the current circuit, while at least a portion of the plurality of circuits are successively turned on, establish the next circuit through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the associated switching unit and controlled current source among the plurality of controlled current sources.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an LED array is provided for controlling n mutually coupled LED arrays powered by a variable DC power supply. The control circuit includes a control unit and n light-emitting driving units, each of the n light-emitting driving units including a controlled current source. Each of the controlled current sources is configured to couple at least a portion of the n LED arrays when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays. Each of the controlled current sources is connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal. Wherein, n≥2.

[0022] Each of the controlled current sources in the n light-emitting driving units is operable to selectively turn on, thereby selecting multiple LED array combinations from the n LED arrays and establishing multiple corresponding circuits, wherein the multiple LED array combinations have different on-state voltage drops.

[0023] The control unit is configured to: i) dynamically pre-establish each of the at least some of the plurality of circuits before the output voltage of the DC power supply is adapted to at least a portion of the plurality of circuits; and

[0024] ii) Coordinate the controlled current sources in the plurality of loops as the output of the variable power supply changes: in response to the change of the output voltage, the controlled current sources in the plurality of loops are adapted to each of the plurality of loops and turned on, thereby turning on the plurality of loops sequentially.

[0025] Optionally, in some embodiments, at least some of the n light-emitting driving units further include a switching unit, configured to bridging at least a portion of the n LED arrays when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays; each of the switching units is connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal;

[0026] Each of the aforementioned switching units is controlled by the control unit to cooperate with each of the aforementioned controlled current sources to turn on / off, thereby establishing at least a portion of the plurality of loops; and

[0027] The control unit is further configured to: during the sequential conduction of the plurality of loops, during the conduction of the current loop, establish the next loop through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the associated switching unit and controlled current source among the plurality of controlled current sources.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an array of n LEDs powered by a variable DC power supply is provided, comprising:

[0029] Control unit

[0030] n-1 switching units are connected in series;

[0031] There are n controlled current sources, wherein the negative terminal of the first controlled current source is connected to the common ground terminal, and the positive terminals of the remaining n-1 controlled current sources are respectively connected to the negative terminals of the respective n-1 switching units through an anti-reverse current unit; the anti-reverse current unit is configured to block the current between the corresponding switching unit and the controlled current source.

[0032] The negative terminals of each of the n-1 controlled current sources are connected to the common ground terminal; and the control terminals of each of the n controlled current sources and the control terminals of each of the n-1 switching units are respectively connected to the control unit; wherein n is an integer, n≥2.

[0033] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays, the n LED arrays are respectively connected along the current direction between the positive terminal of the corresponding switching unit and the positive terminal of the controlled current source, and between the negative terminal of the last switching unit in the n-1 switching units along the current direction and the positive terminal of the first controlled current source.

[0034] When the DC power supply powers the n LED array, the anode of the first switching unit in the n-1 switching units along the current direction is coupled to the positive terminal of the DC power supply; the common ground terminal is coupled to the negative terminal of the DC power supply.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an array of n LEDs powered by a variable DC power supply is provided, comprising:

[0036] Control unit

[0037] n-1 switching units are connected in series;

[0038] There are n controlled current sources, wherein the positive terminal of the first controlled current source is connected to the first terminal, and the negative terminals of the remaining n-1 controlled current sources are respectively connected to the positive terminals of the respective n-1 switching units through an anti-reverse current unit; the anti-reverse current unit is configured to block the current between the corresponding switching unit and the controlled current source.

[0039] The positive terminals of each of the n-1 controlled current sources are connected to the first terminal; and the control terminals of each of the n controlled current sources and the control terminals of each of the n-1 switching units are respectively connected to the control unit; wherein n is an integer, n≥2.

[0040] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays, the n LED arrays are respectively connected along the current direction to the negative terminal of the corresponding switching unit and the negative terminal of the controlled current source, and between the positive terminal of the upstream switching unit along the current direction among the n-1 switching units and the negative terminal of the first controlled current source.

[0041] When the DC power supply powers the n LED array, the cathode of the downstreammost switching unit in the current direction among the n-1 switching units is coupled to the negative terminal of the DC power supply; the first terminal is coupled to the positive terminal of the DC power supply.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an array of n LEDs powered by a DC power supply is provided, comprising:

[0043] Control unit

[0044] n-1 switching units are connected in series;

[0045] There are n controlled current sources, where the negative terminal of the first controlled current source is connected to a common ground terminal, and the positive terminals of the remaining n-1 controlled current sources are each connected to the negative terminal of one of the n-1 switching units via a one-way switch. The one-way switches are configured to block the current between the corresponding switching unit and the controlled current source.

[0046] The negative terminals of each of the n-1 controlled current sources are connected to the common ground terminal; and the control terminals of each of the n controlled current sources and the control terminals of each of the n-1 switching units are respectively connected to the control unit; wherein n is an integer, n≥2.

[0047] Specifically, the one-way switch's ability to block the current between the corresponding switching unit and the controlled current source means that, among the controlled current source, the one-way switch, and the switching unit, the positive terminal of the controlled current source is connected to the positive terminal of the one-way switch, and the negative terminal of the one-way switch is connected to the negative terminal of the switching unit. Therefore, when an LED array is coupled, with the corresponding switching unit connected in parallel to the LED array and the one-way switch, the one-way switch can block the current flow from the switching unit to the corresponding controlled current source.

[0048] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays, the n LED arrays are respectively connected along the current direction between the positive terminal of the corresponding switching unit and the positive terminal of the controlled current source, and between the negative terminal of the last switching unit of the n-1 switching units along the current direction and the positive terminal of the first controlled current source; and

[0049] When the DC power supply powers the n LED array, or in other words, the anode of the first switching unit in the current direction among the n-1 switching units is configured to couple the positive terminal of the DC power supply; the common ground terminal is configured to couple the negative terminal of the DC power supply.

[0050] Optionally, the coupling between the positive terminal of the DC power supply and the anode of the first switching unit can be a direct connection or an (indirect) coupling formed through other light-emitting loads besides the n LED array. Similarly, the coupling between the common ground terminal and the negative terminal of the DC power supply can also be a direct connection or an indirect connection formed through devices such as current-limiting resistors.

[0051] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, along the current direction, the on-state voltage drop of any upstream LED array is greater than i) the sum of the on-state voltage drops of all downstream LED arrays, or ii) the on-state voltage drop of any downstream LED array.

[0052] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the on-state voltage drop ratio of the n LED array is 2 along the current direction. n-1 :...:2 2 :2 1 :2 0 .

[0053] Optionally, for the circuit structure in which the above-mentioned n-1 switching units are connected in series, if n>2, then a series structure / channel of two or more controllable switching units is formed; if n=2, then the n-1 switching units connected in series means that the control circuit includes only one controllable switching unit, located in the position of the series structure when n>2; in other words, the series connection of a single switching unit is the single switching unit itself.

[0054] In addition, when the LED array is coupled between the positive terminal of the switching unit and the positive terminal of the unidirectional switch, the corresponding switching unit forms a parallel structure with the LED array and the unidirectional switch. The negative terminal of the unidirectional switch is connected to the negative terminal of the corresponding switching unit. Through this connection, the current flow from the switching unit to the corresponding controlled current source can be blocked.

[0055] Furthermore, the fact that n-1 switching units are connected in series means that the n-1 switching units are connected in series as a whole, but it does not exclude that two of the switching units may be connected in series through circuit components such as resistors and current limiting devices.

[0056] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each of the n-1 switching units is controlled by the control unit to cooperate with the n controlled current sources to perform state switching, thereby selecting multiple LED array groups from the n LED arrays to establish multiple series circuits in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0057] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of LED array groups include 2 n -1 LED array groups, each comprising one or more LED arrays connected in series from the n LED arrays.

[0058] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of series circuits include 2 n -1 series loop, each via at least the 2 n -1 LED array group and one of the n controlled current sources are established;

[0059] The control unit is further configured to: before the controlled current source in the last n-1 series circuits along the current direction is turned on, by controlling the state switching of at least a portion of the n-1 switching units, respectively turn on the switching units in the last n-1 series circuits along the current direction and / or turn off the bypass of the last n-1 series circuits.

[0060] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: during the switching process from the current loop to the next loop in the plurality of series loops, during the conduction period of the current loop, turn off all switching units except the current loop and the next loop, and / or turn on all switching units in the next loop that are in the off state; thereby, in the time domain, the establishment of the current loop overlaps with the conduction of the next loop and / or the conduction of the previous loop.

[0061] The controlled current source in the next loop is operable to: turn on once the voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array group and the turned-on switch unit in the next loop is higher than its turn-on threshold, thereby causing the current loop to turn off synchronously; or, the controlled current source in the current loop is operable to: turn off once the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its turn-on threshold, thereby causing the next loop to turn on synchronously.

[0062] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source or the switching unit is an N-type field-effect transistor, triode, transistor, power transistor, or MOSFET; the anti-reverse current unit is a diode; n = 2, 3, or 4; and the anode of the diode is connected to the positive terminal of the corresponding controlled current source, and the cathode of the diode is connected to the cathode of the switching unit; the anode and cathode of each of the n LED arrays are respectively connected to the anode of the corresponding switching unit and the positive terminal of the controlled current source.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an array of n LEDs powered by a DC power supply is also provided, comprising:

[0064] Control unit

[0065] n-1 switching units are connected in series;

[0066] There are n controlled current sources, wherein the positive terminal of the first controlled current source is connected to the first terminal, and the negative terminals of the remaining n-1 controlled current sources are respectively connected to the positive terminals of the respective n-1 switching units through an anti-reverse current unit; the anti-reverse current unit is configured to block the current between the corresponding switching unit and the controlled current source.

[0067] The positive terminals of each of the n-1 controlled current sources are connected to the first terminal; and the control terminals of each of the n controlled current sources and the control terminals of each of the n-1 switching units are respectively connected to the control unit; wherein n is an integer, n≥2.

[0068] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays, the n LED arrays are respectively connected along the current direction to the negative terminal of the corresponding switching unit and the negative terminal of the controlled current source, and between the positive terminal of the upstream switching unit along the current direction of the n-1 switching units and the negative terminal of the first controlled current source.

[0069] When the DC power supply powers the n LED array, the cathode of the downstreammost switching unit in the current direction among the n-1 switching units is coupled to the negative terminal of the DC power supply; the first terminal is coupled to the positive terminal of the DC power supply.

[0070] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, along the current direction, the on-state voltage drop of any downstream LED array is greater than i) the sum of the on-state voltage drops of all upstream LED arrays, or ii) the on-state voltage drop of any upstream LED array.

[0071] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the on-state voltage drop ratio of the n LED array is 2 along the current direction. 0 :2 1 :2 2 :...:2 n-1 .

[0072] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each of the n-1 switching units is controlled by the control unit to cooperate with the n controlled current sources to perform state switching, thereby selecting multiple LED array groups from the n LED arrays to establish multiple series circuits in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0073] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of LED array groups include 2 n -1 LED array groups, each comprising one or more LED arrays connected in series from the n LED arrays.

[0074] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of series circuits include 2 n -1 series loop, each via at least the 2 n -1 LED array group and one of the n controlled current sources are established;

[0075] The control unit is further configured to: before the controlled current source in the last n-1 series circuits along the current direction is turned on, by controlling the state switching of at least a portion of the n-1 switching units, respectively turn on the switching units in the last n-1 series circuits along the current direction and / or turn off the bypass of the last n-1 series circuits.

[0076] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: during the switching process from the current circuit to the next circuit in the plurality of series circuits, during the conduction period of the current circuit, turn off all switching units except the current circuit and the next circuit, and / or turn on all switching units in the next circuit that are in the off state; and

[0077] The controlled current source in the next loop is operable to: turn on once the voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array group and the turned-on switch unit in the next loop is higher than its turn-on threshold, thereby causing the current loop to turn off synchronously; or, the controlled current source in the current loop is operable to: turn off once the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its turn-on threshold, thereby causing the next loop to turn on synchronously.

[0078] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source or the switching unit is a P-type field-effect transistor, triode, transistor, power transistor, or MOSFET; the anti-reverse current unit is a diode; n = 2, 3, or 4; and the negative terminal of the diode is connected to the negative terminal of the corresponding controlled current source, and the positive terminal of the diode is connected to the anode of the switching unit; the anode and cathode of each of the n LED arrays are respectively connected to the negative terminal of the corresponding controlled current source and the cathode of the switching unit.

[0079] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: coordinate the conduction priority of the n controlled current sources according to the order of the conduction voltage drops of the plurality of LED array groups, so that the n controlled current sources are operable to: conduct sequentially according to the priority once / in response to the voltage difference at their respective output terminals exceeding the conduction threshold, thereby successively conducting the plurality of loops and activating the plurality of LED array groups.

[0080] In some embodiments, "in sequence" can mean: in a predetermined order, such as a predetermined priority order, an order defined by a priority set by a control unit, an order in which the control unit coordinates the conduction of multiple circuits or multiple controlled current sources according to the DC / rectified voltage, and so on.

[0081] Optionally, the control unit is further configured to set the conduction priority of the currently conducting controlled current source to be lower than the conduction priority of its downstream controlled current source along the cascading direction.

[0082] To enable the dynamic setting of the priority of each controlled source (e.g., voltage-controlled current source) in a predetermined order, in some embodiments, the control unit includes a voltage divider unit and a decoding unit. The voltage divider unit is connected to both ends of a DC power supply, and the voltage divider unit is coupled to the control terminals of the controlled current sources in each stage of the light-emitting driving unit through the decoding unit, so as to set the priority of each voltage-controlled current source in a predetermined order.

[0083] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the next loop is operable to automatically turn on once the voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array group and switching unit in the next loop exceeds its conduction threshold and its conduction priority is higher than that of the current loop; and / or,

[0084] The controlled current source in the current loop is operable to turn off synchronously with the turn-on of the next loop once i) the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its turn-on threshold or ii) the voltage difference at its output terminal is higher than its turn-on threshold and its turn-on priority is lower than that of the next loop.

[0085] Of course, the voltage difference and other electrical signals at the output of the controlled current source can be generated by the LED array group and switching unit in the next loop, and can also be generated by other circuit components such as current limiting devices.

[0086] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, perform, in a synchronous / simultaneous / sequential timing sequence, the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop, and / or the state switching of the switching unit in the next loop;

[0087] The conduction period does not include the transition / falling edge from conduction to deactivation, or the transition / rising edge from deactivation to conduction; the state switching includes switching from conduction to deactivation, or switching from deactivation to conduction.

[0088] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to:

[0089] The occurrence of the conduction period of the controlled current source is determined by the voltage difference at the output terminal of the controlled current source in the current circuit. If the voltage at the output terminal of the controlled current source is higher than the switching threshold, the controlled current source enters the conduction state; otherwise, the current source is in the cutoff state.

[0090] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: i) synchronize with the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop, and set / reset the priority of the n controlled current sources; or

[0091] ii) During the output voltage rise, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, after the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of the n controlled current sources; during the output voltage fall, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, before the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of the n controlled current sources.

[0092] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to:

[0093] i) During the rise of the output voltage, the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits are automatically turned on sequentially according to the ascending order of the on-state voltage drop; during the fall of the output voltage, the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits are automatically turned on sequentially according to the descending order of the on-state voltage drop; or

[0094] ii) Prioritize the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits in descending order of the on-state voltage drop of the LED array groups, or...

[0095] iii) Set a higher conduction priority for the controlled current source in the series circuit with a higher conduction voltage drop among the plurality of series circuits.

[0096] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each of the n controlled current sources is further operable to: i) automatically turn on according to the priority once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being higher than a turn-on threshold; and / or, ii) turn off once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being lower than a turn-on threshold; and / or, iii) synchronously turn off in response to the turn-on of a controlled current source among the n controlled current sources having a higher turn-on priority; or

[0097] The n controlled current sources are further operable to: when the voltage difference between the output terminals of at least two of the n controlled current sources is higher than their respective conduction thresholds, the highest priority controlled current source among the at least two is preferentially turned on and the other controlled current sources among the at least two are synchronously / simultaneously turned off.

[0098] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is configured to: for the (k-1), k, and k+1th loops sequentially turned on according to the priority, in the 2 n Before the kth circuit currently in a series circuit is turned off, all the switching units in the (k+1)th circuit are turned on.

[0099] The controlled current source in the (k-1)th loop is operable to turn off synchronously with the turn-on of the kth loop in response to a) the voltage difference at its output terminal being lower than the turn-on threshold, or b) the turn-on of the kth loop having a higher priority.

[0100] The controlled current source in the (k+1)th loop is operable to: i) automatically turn on and thus turn on the (k+1)th loop once / in response to a voltage difference exceeding its turn-on threshold generated at its output through the switching unit and LED array group in the (k+1)th loop; or, ii) automatically turn on and thus turn on the (k+1)th loop once / in response to a voltage difference exceeding the turn-on threshold generated at its output through the LED array group in the (k+1)th loop, and having the highest priority among the n controlled current sources; and,

[0101] The controlled current source in the k-th loop is operable to: turn off once a) the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than the conduction threshold, or b) the voltage difference at its output terminal is higher than the conduction threshold, but the conduction priority of the controlled current source in the k-th loop is lower than the conduction priority of the controlled current source in the (k+1)-th loop; 2≤k≤2 n -2.

[0102] Here, and in some other embodiments, the kth loop and the (k+1)th loop may correspond to the currently active loop (or simply the current loop) and the next loop in some embodiments.

[0103] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is configured to: for the transition from the k-th loop to the (k+1)-th loop, in the 2 n Before the kth circuit currently in a series circuit is turned off, turn off all the switching units except the kth circuit and the (k+1)th circuit, and / or turn on all the switching units in the (k+1)th circuit.

[0104] During the rise of the output voltage, the controlled current source in the (k+1)th loop has a higher priority than the controlled current source in the kth loop; the controlled current source in the (k+1)th loop is operable to: i) turn on and thus turn on the (k+1)th loop once / in response to a voltage difference exceeding its turn-on threshold generated at its output terminal through the switching unit and LED array group in the (k+1)th loop; the controlled current source in the kth loop is operable to: turn off synchronously with the turn-on of the controlled current source in the (k+1)th loop;

[0105] During the decrease of the output voltage, the controlled current source in the (k+1)th loop has a lower priority than the controlled current source in the kth loop; the controlled current source in the kth loop is operable to turn off once the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its turn-on threshold; the controlled current source in the (k+1)th loop is operable to turn on synchronously with the turn-off of the kth loop by generating a voltage difference exceeding its turn-on threshold at its output terminal through the switching unit and LED array group in the (k+1)th loop; wherein, 1≤k≤2 n -2.

[0106] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the 2 n -1 LED array group corresponds to 2 of the output voltage of the DC power supply. n -1 voltage range; n is an integer, n≥2.

[0107] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each of the 2n The lower limits of the -1 voltage ranges correspond to the respective 2... n -1 LED array group's on-state voltage drop.

[0108] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, wherein the 2 n The lower limit of each voltage range in the -1 voltage range is greater than the on-state voltage drop of the corresponding LED array group by any proportion in [0.01%, 5%].

[0109] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the output voltage is a periodic DC voltage; the control unit is configured to coordinate the n-1 switching units with the n controlled current sources to turn on / off, so that i) as the output voltage changes, the control unit adjusts the on-state voltage according to the minimum change in on-state voltage. n -1 LED array group switching activation, or

[0110] ii) As the output voltage increases, the two [unclear] are connected in series and turned on sequentially according to the increasing order of the on-state voltage drop. n - Part or all of the LED array group; or, as the output voltage decreases, the two LED array groups are connected in series and turned on in descending order of on-state voltage drop. n - Part or all of one LED array group; or

[0111] iii) Selectively / dynamically connect and turn on the 2 in series as the output voltage changes. n -1 LED array group whose on-state voltage drop is closest to or second closest to the current value of the output voltage; or

[0112] iiii) As the output voltage changes, in the 2 n -1 LED array group to switch and activate the LED array group whose on-state voltage drop corresponds to the current value of the output voltage.

[0113] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, for example for N-type devices (controlled current sources, switching units, etc.), through the priority setting, the n controlled current sources are operable to conduct to the 2 according to the following correspondence. n In the -1 voltage range: the first-stage controlled current source along the current direction is turned on at: the second n-1 Within each voltage range;

[0114] The k-th controlled current source along the current direction is turned on at 2 n-k In the voltage range: the 2nd k-1 Voltage range, 3×2 k-1 Voltage range, ..., the (2m-1)×2th k-1Voltage range, ...; where m is an integer, m∈[1,2] n-k ], where k is an integer, 1 ≤ k ≤ n;

[0115] The nth controlled current source along the current direction is turned on in the 2 n -1 voltage range in 2 n-1 Within the voltage ranges: voltage range 1, voltage range 3, voltage range 5, ..., voltage range 2 n -1 voltage range.

[0116] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, for example for P-type devices (controlled current sources, switching units, etc.), through the priority setting, the n controlled current sources are operable to conduct to the 2 according to the following correspondence. n -1 voltage range:

[0117] The nth controlled current source along the current direction is turned on at: the 2nd n-1 Within each voltage range;

[0118] The k-th controlled current source along the current direction is turned on at 2 n-k In the voltage range: the 2nd k-1 Voltage range, 3×2 k-1 Voltage range, ..., the (2m-1)×2th k-1 Voltage range, ...; where m is an integer, m∈[1,2] n-k ], 1≤k≤n;

[0119] The first-stage controlled current source along the current direction is turned on in the 2 n -1 voltage range in 2 n-1 Within the voltage ranges: voltage range 1, voltage range 3, voltage range 5, ..., voltage range 2 n-1 Voltage range.

[0120] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the n-1 switching units are controlled by the control unit to achieve the following in the 2 n -1 voltage ranges are connected in conjunction with the n controlled current sources to conduct, thereby providing the 2 n -1 LED array group establishes 2 sequentially conductive n -1 loop.

[0121] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source or the switching unit is an N-type field-effect transistor, bipolar junction transistor, power transistor, or MOSFET; the anti-reverse current unit is a diode; n = 2, 3, or 4; and

[0122] The positive terminal of the diode is connected to the positive terminal of the corresponding controlled current source, and the negative terminal of the diode is connected to the cathode of the switching unit; the anode and cathode of each of the n LED arrays are respectively connected to the anode of the corresponding switching unit and the positive terminal of the controlled current source.

[0123] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the periodic DC voltage is: a triangular wave voltage, a square wave voltage, a pulsating voltage, or a rectified sinusoidal voltage; and the rising process of the periodic DC voltage is the 0°-90° phase interval of the rectified sinusoidal voltage, and the falling process is the 90°-180° phase interval of the rectified sinusoidal voltage.

[0124] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, i) each switching unit, controlled current source and the 2 during the 90°-180° phase interval of the sinusoidal voltage or the falling period of the pulsating voltage. n -1 The correspondence between voltage ranges, ii) the switching units and controlled current sources in the 0°-90° phase range of the sinusoidal voltage and the 2 n The correspondence between the -1 voltage range and the two are basically symmetrical along the peak value of the sinusoidal voltage.

[0125] One embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for circuit loads, operable at a control circuit for driving multiple circuit loads powered by a variable power source, wherein the control circuit is operable to selectively establish multiple loops via the multiple circuit loads respectively, and the variable power source is capable of periodically outputting output quantities adapted to the multiple loops respectively; the control method includes:

[0126] S-1) On a dynamic or temporary basis, before the output quantity is adapted to the corresponding loop, the corresponding loop is established in advance, and the multiple loops are established periodically as the output quantity changes;

[0127] S-3) In response to the output quantity being adapted to the corresponding loop, the corresponding loop is turned on, and the plurality of loops are periodically turned on as the output quantity changes.

[0128] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control circuit includes at least one switching unit, a plurality of controlled sources, and a control unit. The at least one switching unit and the plurality of controlled sources are respectively connected to the control unit through their respective control terminals. The at least one switching unit and the plurality of controlled sources are operable to cooperate in state switching, thereby establishing the plurality of loops respectively. The number of the plurality of loops is greater than or equal to the number of controlled sources.

[0129] During the periodic activation of the multiple loops, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the activation of the current loop, establishing the next loop through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the multiple controlled sources; or

[0130] During the conduction of the current circuit, the next two circuits / subsequent two circuits of the current circuit are established through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the plurality of controlled sources.

[0131] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the sequential conduction of the plurality of loops, during the conduction period of the current loop, the next loop is established through the cooperation (state switching) of the at least one switching unit and the corresponding switching unit and controlled source among the plurality of controlled sources; or,

[0132] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the process of the plurality of loops being turned on in sequence, during the turn-on period of the current loop, the next two loops of the current loop are established through the cooperation (state switching) of the at least one switching unit and the corresponding switching unit and controlled source among the plurality of controlled sources.

[0133] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the sequential conduction of the plurality of loops, during the conduction period of the current loop, the next loop is established through the cooperation (state switching) of the relevant / corresponding switching unit and the controlled source; or,

[0134] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the process of the plurality of loops being turned on in sequence, during the turn-on period of the current loop, the next two loops of the current loop are established through the cooperation (state switching) of the relevant / corresponding switching unit and the controlled source.

[0135] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the sequential conduction of the plurality of loops, during the conduction period of the current loop, a next loop is established through the cooperation (state switching) of the switching unit and the controlled source associated with / related to the next loop; or,

[0136] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the process of the plurality of loops being turned on in sequence, during the turn-on period of the current loop, the next two loops of the current loop are established by the cooperation (state switching) of the switching units and controlled sources associated with / related to the subsequent two loops of the current loop.

[0137] One embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for a circuit load (e.g., a light-emitting load), operable at a control circuit for driving multiple circuit loads, wherein the multiple circuit loads are coupled to each other and powered by a variable power source; the control circuit includes a control unit and multiple controlled sources, each of the multiple controlled sources being connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal; when the control circuit is applied to the multiple circuit loads, the multiple controlled sources are operable to selectively conduct, thereby respectively conducting multiple series loops via the multiple circuit loads; the control method includes:

[0138] S-1) As the output of the variable power supply changes, at least a portion of the plurality of circuits are pre-established before the output is adapted to the corresponding series circuit;

[0139] S-3) Control / coordinate the controlled sources in the plurality of series loops: turn on in response to the output quantity being adapted to the corresponding series loop, thereby sequentially turning on the plurality of series loops.

[0140] Optionally, the control or coordination can be performed through the control terminals of multiple controlled current sources. In addition, the control or coordination may also include: disabling the previously dynamically established series loop through the controlled source in the loop.

[0141] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control circuit further includes at least one switching unit, which is connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal; the at least one switching unit is operable to cooperate with the plurality of controlled sources to perform state switching, thereby sequentially establishing at least a portion of the plurality of series loops (hereinafter referred to as the plurality of loops);

[0142] Step S-1) further includes step S-1-1):

[0143] During the conduction of the current loop in at least some of the multiple loops, the next loop is established (e.g., all switching units in the next loop are turned on); or

[0144] As the output of the variable power supply changes, the corresponding control switching unit coordinates with the multiple controlled sources to switch states, thereby dynamically establishing and canceling at least some of the multiple loops, so as to maintain the establishment of the current loop until the conduction period of the adjacent loop; or

[0145] During the conduction of the previous loop of the current loop, the next loop of the current loop is established.

[0146] In some embodiments, all instances of "dynamic" or "dynamically" may be literally replaced with "temporary" or "temporarily" to form new variations.

[0147] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the branch / bypass circuit for canceling the next loop further includes: turning off the switching unit in the branch of the next loop, or turning off the switching unit in the bypass circuit of the circuit load of the next loop.

[0148] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1-1) further includes step S-1-1XY): during the conduction of the current circuit, turning off all switching units except the current circuit and the next circuit, and / or turning on the switching units in the next circuit that are in the off state.

[0149] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1-1) further includes step S-1-1XY): during the conduction of the current circuit, turning off all switching units outside the next circuit, and / or turning on the switching units in the next circuit that are in the off state.

[0150] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the conduction period of the current loop does not include the transition / falling edge from conduction to turn-off, or the transition / rising edge from turn-off to conduction.

[0151] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the next loop is operable to: turn on once the electrical signal generated at its output terminal via the circuit load and switching unit in the next loop exceeds its conduction threshold, thereby synchronously turning off the current loop; or

[0152] The controlled current source in the current loop is operable to turn off once the electrical signal at its output terminal is lower than its conduction threshold, thereby synchronously turning on the next loop.

[0153] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least some of the plurality of circuit loads have different electrical characteristics; step S-3) further includes step S-3-1): according to the order of the electrical characteristics of the plurality of circuit loads, coordinate the conduction priority of the plurality of controlled sources so that the plurality of controlled sources are operable to: automatically conduct sequentially according to the priority once / in response to the electrical signal at their respective output terminals exceeding the conduction threshold.

[0154] Optionally, in step S-3-1), the priority of the controlled current source is set based on the on-state voltage drop of the circuit load in the loop containing the controlled current source, such as a combination of multiple LED arrays, and is set according to the order of these on-state voltage drops. Preferably, the controlled current source corresponding to the LED array combination with a larger on-state voltage drop also has a higher on-state priority. However, this is not limited to this. During the change of output voltage, the following situation may occur within one or more change cycles: the controlled current source corresponding to the LED array combination with the second largest on-state voltage drop is set with the highest on-state priority, while the controlled current source corresponding to the LED array combination with the largest on-state voltage drop is set with the second highest on-state priority. This is also an embodiment of setting the priority of the current sources in the loop according to the order of on-state voltage drops in step S-3-1). With the help of these embodiments, multiple (e.g., 2) current sources can be selectively / dynamically connected in series and turned on. n -1) The LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop is closest to or second closest to the current value of the output voltage.

[0155] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the next loop is operable to automatically turn on once the electrical signal generated at its output via the circuit load and switching unit in the next loop exceeds its conduction threshold and its conduction priority is higher than that of the current loop; and / or

[0156] The controlled current source in the current loop is operable to turn off synchronously with the turn-on of the next loop once i) the electrical signal at its output terminal is lower than its turn-on threshold or ii) the electrical signal at its output terminal is higher than its turn-on threshold and its turn-on priority is lower than that of the next loop.

[0157] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of circuit loads are multiple combinations of light-emitting loads dynamically selected from n light-emitting loads, where n≥2; the electrical characteristics are the on-state voltage drop of each light-emitting load combination, and the n light-emitting loads have at least partially different on-state voltage drops from each other.

[0158] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the variable power supply is a variable voltage source, and the output quantity is an output voltage; the variable power supply further includes a rectifier, and the output voltage is a sinusoidal voltage or a rectified sinusoidal voltage; and the voltage-controlled current source or the switching unit is a field-effect transistor, a transistor, or a MOSFET; the plurality of controlled sources are a plurality of controlled current sources or a plurality of controlled voltage sources; the plurality of controlled current sources are a plurality of current-controlled current sources or a plurality of voltage-controlled current sources; the plurality of controlled voltage sources are a plurality of current-controlled voltage sources or a plurality of voltage-controlled voltage sources; n = 2, 3, or 4.

[0159] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of controlled sources are a plurality of controlled current sources; the light-emitting load is an LED array; when the n LED arrays are coupled to the control circuit, the plurality of controlled current sources can be operated to selectively conduct, thereby selecting the plurality of LED array combinations from the n LED arrays respectively to correspondingly conduct the plurality of series circuits; the plurality of LED array combinations have different on-state voltage drops.

[0160] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one switching unit is configured to correspondingly bridge at least a portion of the n LED arrays when the n LED arrays are coupled to the control circuit; the electrical signal includes the voltage difference at the respective output terminals of the plurality of controlled current sources; and step S-3) further includes:

[0161] Step S-3-x): Coordinate / control the at least one switching unit to turn on / off in cooperation with the plurality of controlled current sources, thereby turning on at least a portion of the plurality of series circuits respectively.

[0162] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-1-1X) further includes step SS-1-1a):

[0163] During the process of sequentially turning on at least some of the plurality of series circuits, before the currently turned-on circuit is turned off, all the switching units in the next circuit are turned on; and / or all the bypasses in the next circuit are deactivated.

[0164] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the previous loop is operable to turn off synchronously with the turn-on of the current loop in response to a voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array combination and switching unit in the previous loop being lower than a conduction threshold or its conduction priority being lower than the conduction priority of the current loop.

[0165] During the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and the switching units in the next loop is performed synchronously / simultaneously / sequentially; and

[0166] The state switching includes switching from on to off, or switching from off to on.

[0167] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step SS-1-1a) further includes:

[0168] The controllable current source is turned on by measuring the voltage difference at its output terminals in the current circuit. If the voltage at the output terminal of the controllable current source is higher than the switching threshold, the controllable current source enters the on state.

[0169] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-3-1) further includes SS-3-1):

[0170] Synchronize with the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop, and set / reset the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources; or

[0171] During the output voltage rise, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, and after the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources is set / reset; during the output voltage fall, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, and before the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources is set / reset.

[0172] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, step S-3-1) further includes: SS-3a) during the rise of the output voltage, coordinating the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits to automatically turn on sequentially according to the ascending order of the on-state voltage drop; SS-3b) during the fall of the output voltage, coordinating the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits to automatically turn on sequentially according to the descending order of the on-state voltage drop; and / or

[0173] Step S-3-1) further includes: i) setting the priority of the controlled current source in the multiple series circuits in descending order of the on-state voltage drop of the LED array combination in the multiple series circuits; or ii) setting a higher on-state priority for the controlled current source in the series circuit with a higher on-state voltage drop in the multiple series circuits.

[0174] Optionally, in some embodiments of the invention, each of the plurality of controlled current sources is further operable to: i) automatically turn on sequentially according to the priority once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being higher than a turn-on threshold; and / or, ii) turn off once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being lower than a turn-on threshold.

[0175] Optionally, in some embodiments of the invention, each of the plurality of controlled current sources is further operable to: turn off in response to and synchronously with the turn-on of a controlled current source having a higher turn-on priority among the plurality of controlled current sources; and / or

[0176] The plurality of controlled current sources are further operable to: when the voltage difference between the output terminals of at least two of the plurality of controlled current sources is higher than their respective turn-on thresholds, preferentially turn on the highest priority controlled current source among the at least two and synchronously / simultaneously turn off the other controlled current sources among the at least two.

[0177] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the output voltage is periodic, including: triangular wave voltage, square wave voltage, pulsating voltage, or rectified sinusoidal voltage; the rising period of the periodic output voltage is the 0°-90° phase interval of the rectified sinusoidal voltage; the falling period of the periodic output voltage is the 90°-180° phase interval of the rectified sinusoidal voltage.

[0178] Corresponding to the lowest value of the rectified sinusoidal voltage, the initial state of the at least one switching unit is always on.

[0179] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the initial state of the at least one switching unit is on, corresponding to the lowest value of the rectified sinusoidal voltage.

[0180] Optionally, during the rising period of a periodic voltage such as a sinusoidal voltage, the state switching of the switching unit occurs before the priority setting of multiple controlled sources during the conduction period of certain current loops, under the control of the control unit. During the falling period of a periodic voltage such as a sinusoidal voltage, the state switching of the switching unit occurs after the priority setting of multiple controlled sources during the conduction period of certain current loops, under the control of the control unit.

[0181] In another embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for use in a lighting device is also provided, comprising: a control unit configured to: perform a method or steps thereof according to any embodiment of the present application when the control circuit is running or in an operating state.

[0182] In another embodiment of the invention, a control device for use in a lighting device is also provided, comprising: means / modules for performing any method or step thereof in any embodiment of the present application.

[0183] In another embodiment of the invention, a control circuit for use in a lighting device is also provided, comprising: a circuit module for performing any method or step thereof in any embodiment of the present application.

[0184] In another embodiment of the invention, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided for storing one or more programs, the one or more programs including instructions that, when executed by a processor / control unit, cause the processor / control unit to perform any method or step of a method according to any embodiment of the present application.

[0185] In another embodiment of the invention, a control circuit for use in a lighting device is also provided, comprising: a storage medium according to any embodiment of the present application, and a processor / control unit.

[0186] In another embodiment of the present invention, a lighting device is also provided, comprising: a control circuit or control device according to any embodiment of the present application.

[0187] In another embodiment of the invention, a lighting device is also provided, configured to perform the method or steps of any embodiment of the present application when the lighting device is running or in an operational state.

[0188] In another embodiment of the present invention, a lighting device is also provided, including one or more circuit modules configured to perform the method or steps of any embodiment of the present application when the lighting device is running or in an operational state.

[0189] In another embodiment of the invention, a driving circuit is also provided, including a control circuit and a rectifier circuit according to any embodiment of the present application, the rectifier circuit being configured to receive AC input power and rectify the AC input power to output to the n LED array.

[0190] Optionally, some embodiments of the lighting device of the present invention include a driving circuit as in other embodiments, and an array of n LEDs coupled to a control circuit.

[0191] In another embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an LED array is also provided for controlling n mutually coupled LED arrays powered by a DC power supply. The control circuit includes a control unit and a plurality of controlled current sources, each of which is connected to the control unit via its respective control terminal; wherein n≥2; when the n LED arrays are coupled to the control circuit, the plurality of controlled current sources are operable to selectively conduct, thereby selecting from the n LED arrays to obtain a plurality of LED array combinations to correspondingly conduct a plurality of series loops, wherein the plurality of LED array combinations have at least partially different on-state voltage drops from each other;

[0192] The control unit is configured to: i) pre-establish at least a portion of the plurality of series circuits, excluding the controlled current power source therein;

[0193] ii) As the output voltage of the DC power supply changes, coordinate / control the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits: turn them on in a predetermined order, thereby turning on multiple circuits or activating the multiple LED array combinations.

[0194] Alternatively, the control or coordination of the series circuit can be performed separately through the control terminal of the controlled current source.

[0195] Optionally, in another embodiment of the present invention, the control circuit further includes at least one switching unit configured to correspondingly bridge at least a portion of the n LED arrays when the n LED arrays are coupled to the control circuit; each of the switching units is connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal; the plurality of controlled current sources are coupled to the at least one switching unit to cooperate in state switching, thereby establishing / conducting at least a portion of the plurality of series loops respectively;

[0196] The control unit is further configured to: during the process of at least a portion of the plurality of series circuits being successively turned on, during the turn-on period of the current circuit, turn off the switching units outside the current circuit and the next circuit, and / or turn on all the switching units in the next circuit that are in the off state.

[0197] Optionally, the switching unit can be connected across the LED array directly or via a unidirectional switch (or anti-reverse current unit) such as a unidirectional diode.

[0198] Optionally, in another embodiment of the invention, the controlled current source in the next loop is operable to: turn on once the voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array combination and switching unit in the next loop exceeds its conduction threshold, thereby synchronously turning off the current loop; or,

[0199] The controlled current source in the current loop is operable to turn off once the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its conduction threshold, thereby synchronously turning on the next loop.

[0200] Alternatively, in another embodiment of the invention, the conduction period does not include a transition / falling edge from conduction to turn-off, or a transition / rising edge from turn-off to conduction;

[0201] The control unit is also configured to:

[0202] i) During the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the state switching of the switching unit in the next loop are performed in a synchronous / simultaneous / sequential sequence.

[0203] The state switching includes switching from on to off, or switching from off to on.

[0204] Optionally, in another embodiment of the invention, the control unit is further configured to:

[0205] The controllable current source is turned on by measuring the voltage difference at its output terminals in the current circuit. If the voltage at the output terminal of the controllable current source is higher than the switching threshold, the controllable current source is turned on; otherwise, the current source is turned off.

[0206] Optionally, in another embodiment of the present invention, the on-state voltage drops of the plurality of LED array combinations are different; the control unit is further configured to coordinate the conduction priority of the plurality of controlled current sources according to the order of the on-state voltage drops of the plurality of LED array combinations, so that the plurality of controlled current sources are operable to automatically conduct sequentially according to the priority once / in response to the voltage difference at their respective output terminals exceeding the conduction threshold.

[0207] Here, it should be understood that, optionally, the control or coordination of the series loops can be performed separately through the control terminals of the controlled current sources, or through other circuit interfaces on the controlled current sources. The electrical signals used to coordinate the priority of the controlled current sources can be a set of voltage signals or current signals, or optionally a set of coded signals. These coded signals can be stored in the control unit or the register of the controlled current source, and are used to represent the priority of the controlled current source. In other words, in the control unit / control circuit, the priority order of the controlled sources being turned on is controlled by encoding. For example, through a comparison circuit, the DC voltage value or the voltage difference at the output terminal of the controlled current source is compared with a switching threshold to generate a binary number. After software-implemented algorithm processing or hardware-implemented logic conversion (e.g., encoding or decoding), the priority of each controlled current source and the on / off state of the switching unit are (re)set, thereby achieving: in response to periodic changes in the DC voltage value, multiple series loops smoothly take turns being turned on in a predetermined order, and so on. The means of prioritizing coordination / control described here can also be applied to any other embodiment, or will not be described further.

[0208] With the help of set priorities, multiple controlled current sources can operate to automatically turn on according to priority once / in response to the voltage difference at their respective output terminals exceeding the turn-on threshold, thereby dynamically switching the LED array combination and always keeping power supplied to the LED array combination whose turn-on voltage drop and output voltage best match, so as to improve the efficiency of the circuit.

[0209] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: set / reset the priority of multiple controlled current sources in sync with the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop.

[0210] Here, the control unit is also configured to set the priority of current sources in the loop according to the order of on-state voltage drops. Specifically, the priority of a controlled current source is set based on the on-state voltage drops of the circuit loads in the loop where the controlled current source is located, such as LED array combinations, and is set according to the order of these on-state voltage drops. As an optional embodiment, the controlled current source corresponding to an LED array combination with a larger on-state voltage drop also has a higher on-state priority. However, this is not a limitation. As another optional embodiment, during the change of output voltage, the following situation may occur within one or more change cycles: the controlled current source corresponding to an LED array combination with the second largest on-state voltage drop is set with the highest on-state priority, while the controlled current source corresponding to an LED array combination with the largest on-state voltage drop is set with the second highest on-state priority. Through the priority settings in these embodiments, the controlled current sources can be operated to selectively / dynamically connect and conduct multiple (e.g., 2) in series.n -1) The LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop is closest to or second closest to the current value of the output voltage.

[0211] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the next loop is operable to automatically turn on once the voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array combination and switching unit in the next loop exceeds its conduction threshold and its conduction priority is higher than that of the current loop; and / or,

[0212] The controlled current source in the current loop is operable to turn off synchronously with the turn-on of the next loop once i) the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its turn-on threshold or ii) the voltage difference at its output terminal is higher than its turn-on threshold and its turn-on priority is lower than that of the next loop.

[0213] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: i) set / reset the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources in synchronization with the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop; or

[0214] ii) During the output voltage rise, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, after the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources; during the output voltage fall, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, before the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources.

[0215] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, as the output voltage of the DC power supply changes, the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits are coordinated to automatically turn on sequentially, thereby activating the plurality of LED array combinations. This further includes: a) during the rise of the output voltage, coordinating the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits to automatically turn on sequentially in ascending order of on-state voltage drop; b) during the fall of the output voltage, coordinating the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits to automatically turn on sequentially in descending order of on-state voltage drop; and / or

[0216] Based on the order of the on-state voltage drops of the multiple LED array combinations, the conduction priority of the multiple controlled current sources is coordinated, which further includes: i) setting the priority of the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits in descending order of the on-state voltage drops of the LED array combinations in the multiple series circuits, or ii) setting a higher conduction priority for the controlled current sources in the series circuits with higher on-state voltage drops.

[0217] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each of the plurality of controlled current sources is further operable to: i) automatically turn on according to the priority once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being higher than a turn-on threshold; and / or, ii) turn off once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being lower than the turn-on threshold; and / or, iii) synchronously turn off in response to the turn-on of a controlled current source among the plurality of controlled current sources having a higher turn-on priority; or

[0218] The plurality of controlled current sources are further operable to: when the voltage difference at the output terminals of at least two of the plurality of controlled current sources is higher than their respective turn-on thresholds, the highest priority controlled current source among the at least two is turned on first and the other controlled current sources among the at least two are turned off simultaneously.

[0219] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the output voltage is periodic, including: triangular wave voltage, square wave voltage, pulsating voltage, or rectified sinusoidal voltage; and the rise period of the periodic output voltage is the 0°-90° phase interval of the rectified sinusoidal voltage.

[0220] Optionally, by setting the priorities described above, LED array combinations with higher on-state voltage drops can generally obtain higher on-state priority. Since in some embodiments, the number of multiple series loops may exceed the number of controlled current sources, a controlled current source may be shared / multiplexed by two or more series loops. Therefore, during the sequential conduction of multiple series loops, or in one round of conduction of multiple series loops, one or more of the controlled current sources may need to be conducted two or more times. After each round of switching of one or more series loops, the controlled current source may need to have its priority reset to correspond / match with the on-state voltage drops of the next one or more series loops to be conducted. The priority setting method follows the descending order of the on-state voltage drops of the one or more series loops involved in the next round of controlled current source conduction.

[0221] When the DC power supply is a rectifier, its output voltage is a rectified sine wave. During the voltage rise period of the sine cycle, the LED array combinations connected in series in the current circuit are changed in a first order. For example, in some embodiments, as the output voltage rises, the on-state voltage drop of the turned-on LED array combination (or the current series circuit) continuously increases, thereby matching the continuously rising level of the output voltage. At a certain moment, among all possible combinations of n LED arrays, some LED array combinations can be turned on by the DC voltage. Preferably, the controlled current source cooperates with the switching unit to turn on / off according to its priority, so that the LED array combination in the current circuit always remains the LED array combination with the highest on-state voltage drop among the aforementioned partial LED array combinations. Subsequently, during the periodic voltage drop period, multiple series circuits are switched in a second order, thereby continuously reducing the on-state voltage drop of the LED array in the current circuit to match the drop in the input voltage, which will not be elaborated further. The second order is the reverse of the first order. Specifically, the conduction sequence of the LED array and the priority setting of the controlled current source can be further referenced to embodiments that activate / deactivate the LED array in a binary incrementing or decrementing manner.

[0222] By setting priorities for controlled current sources, during the operation of the control circuit, at any given moment, only the controlled current source that meets the condition that the voltage across its terminals exceeds its conduction threshold and has the highest priority is turned on.

[0223] In another embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit for an LED array is also provided for controlling n mutually coupled LED arrays powered by a DC power supply. The control circuit includes a control unit and n light-emitting driving units, each of the n light-emitting driving units including a controlled current source. Each of the controlled current sources is configured to couple at least a portion of the n LED arrays when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays. Each of the controlled current sources is connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal. Wherein, n≥2.

[0224] Each of the controlled current sources in the n light-emitting driving units is operable to selectively turn on, thereby selecting multiple LED array combinations from the n LED arrays to turn on corresponding multiple series circuits, wherein the multiple LED array combinations have different on-state voltage drops.

[0225] The control unit is configured to: i) establish portions of the plurality of series circuits, excluding the controlled current sources therein, before the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits are turned on; and

[0226] ii) As the output voltage of the DC power supply changes, the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits are coordinated to be turned on in a predetermined order to activate the corresponding LED array combination.

[0227] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least some of the n light-emitting driving units further include a switching unit, configured to, when the control circuit is applied to the n LED array, correspondingly bridging at least a portion of the n LED array; each of the switching units is connected to the control unit through its respective control terminal;

[0228] Each of the aforementioned switching units is controlled by the control unit to cooperate with each of the aforementioned controlled current sources to turn on / off, thereby establishing / conducting at least a portion of the plurality of series circuits; and

[0229] The control unit is further configured to: during the successive conduction of the plurality of series circuits, during the conduction of the current circuit, turn off the switching units outside the current circuit and the next circuit, and / or turn on all the switching units in the next circuit that are in the off state.

[0230] Optionally, the switching unit can be connected across the LED array directly or through a reverse current protection unit such as a unidirectional diode. Alternatively, the switching unit can be connected in parallel with a series circuit consisting of a unidirectional diode and an LED array.

[0231] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the next loop is operable to: turn on, thereby synchronously turning off the current loop, once the voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array combination and switching unit in the next loop exceeds its conduction threshold; or,

[0232] The controlled current source in the current loop is operable to turn off once the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its conduction threshold, thereby synchronously turning on the next loop.

[0233] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to:

[0234] i) During the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the state switching of the switching unit in the next loop are performed in a synchronous / simultaneous / sequential sequence.

[0235] The conduction period does not include the transition / falling edge from conduction to deactivation, or the transition / rising edge from deactivation to conduction; the state switching includes switching from conduction to deactivation, or switching from deactivation to conduction.

[0236] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to:

[0237] The controllable current source is turned on or off by measuring the voltage difference at its output terminals in the current circuit. If the voltage at the output terminal of the controllable current source is higher than the switching threshold, the controllable current source is turned on; otherwise, the current source is turned off or off.

[0238] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each of the n light-emitting driving units further includes a port for coupling the LED array; one end of each of the controlled current sources is configured to couple the n LED arrays through each of the ports when the control circuit is applied to the n LED arrays; the other end of each of the controlled current sources is used to jointly couple the second output terminal of the DC power supply.

[0239] The n light-emitting driving units are cascaded and powered by a DC power supply, such that each of the switching units in the n light-emitting driving units is connected in series along the cascading direction; and each of the switching units is respectively connected across at least a portion of the ports.

[0240] The control unit is further configured to coordinate the conduction priority of each of the controlled current sources according to the order of the conduction voltage drops of the plurality of LED array combinations, such that each of the controlled current sources is operable to automatically conduct sequentially according to the priority once / in response to the voltage difference at its respective output terminal exceeding its conduction threshold.

[0241] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the next loop is operable to automatically turn on once the voltage difference generated at its output terminal via the LED array combination and switching unit in the next loop exceeds its conduction threshold and its conduction priority is higher than that of the current loop; and / or,

[0242] The controlled current source in the current loop is operable to turn off synchronously with the turn-on of the next loop once i) the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than its turn-on threshold, or ii) the voltage difference at its output terminal is higher than its turn-on threshold and its turn-on priority is lower than that of the next loop.

[0243] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: i) set / reset the priority of each of the controlled current sources in sync with the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop; or

[0244] ii) During the output voltage rise, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, after the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of each of the controlled current sources; during the output voltage fall, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, before the state switching of the switching unit in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of each of the controlled current sources.

[0245] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, as the output voltage of the DC power supply changes, the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits are coordinated to automatically turn on sequentially to activate the corresponding LED array combinations, further including: a) during the rise of the output voltage, coordinating the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits to automatically turn on sequentially in ascending order of on-state voltage drop; b) during the fall of the output voltage, coordinating the controlled current sources in the plurality of series circuits to automatically turn on sequentially in descending order of on-state voltage drop; and / or

[0246] Based on the order of the on-state voltage drops of the multiple LED array combinations, the conduction priority of each of the controlled current sources is coordinated, which further includes: i) setting the priority of the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits in descending order of the on-state voltage drops of the LED array combinations in the multiple series circuits, or ii) setting a higher conduction priority for the controlled current sources in the series circuits with higher on-state voltage drops.

[0247] Optionally, in some embodiments of the invention, each of the controlled current sources is further operable to: i) automatically turn on according to the priority once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being higher than a turn-on threshold; and / or, ii) turn off once / in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal being lower than the turn-on threshold; and / or, iii) synchronously turn off in response to the turn-on of a controlled current source having a higher turn-on priority among the plurality of controlled current sources; or

[0248] Each of the controlled current sources is further operable to: when the voltage difference at the output terminals of at least two of them is higher than their respective turn-on thresholds, the controlled current source with the highest priority among the at least two is automatically turned on first, and the other controlled current sources among the at least two are turned off synchronously.

[0249] By setting the priorities described above, LED array combinations with higher on-state voltage drops can obtain higher on-state priorities, and LED array combinations with lower on-state voltage drops can obtain lower on-state priorities. Since in some embodiments, the number of multiple series loops may be greater than the number of multiple controlled current sources, a controlled current source may be shared / multiplexed by two or more series loops. Therefore, during the sequential conduction of multiple series loops, multiple controlled current sources may be conducted two or more times during one round of conduction of multiple series loops. After each round of switching of one or more series loops, the controlled current source may need to have its priority reset to correspond / match the on-state voltage drop of one or more LED array combinations to be conducted in the next round of loop switching. The priority setting method is still based on the descending order of the on-state voltage drops of one or more series loops targeted by the next round of controlled current source conduction.

[0250] Thus, the control circuit switches the series loops based on two factors: priority and controlled current source. For example, during the 0-90 degree rise of a sine wave, theoretically, any voltage value during the rise can turn on the LED array combination in the previous series loops. For example, the voltage value at 30° can turn on the first LED array combination, while the voltage value at 45° can turn on not only the second LED array combination but also the first LED array combination. The second LED array combination has a larger on-state voltage drop than the first LED array combination. However, in this case, since the second LED array combination also has a higher on-state priority than the first LED array combination, the second LED array combination will be turned on first. During the 90-180° descent of the sine wave, when the phase of the rectified sine wave is at 135 degrees, due to the priority difference, although the output voltage of the DC power supply is theoretically sufficient to conduct the first LED array combination and the second LED array combination, the second LED array combination will be conducted first, considering the priority difference. If the output voltage is at 150 degrees of the phase of the rectified sine wave, the voltage level corresponding to the first LED array combination is insufficient to conduct the second LED array combination, so only the first LED array combination can be conducted.

[0251] The priority of the controlled current sources and the autonomous / automatic conduction of the DC power supply's output voltage level are similar for the conduction order among other LED array combinations, such as third LED array combinations, and will not be elaborated further. Since the priority may need to be reset for multiple rounds of repeated conduction of multiple controlled current sources, for example when the number of controlled current sources is less than the number of series loops or the number of LED array combinations, the conduction priority setting can optionally be stored in the control circuit in hardware or software as a truth table. This truth table is repeatedly read and applied during the cyclical / repeated conduction of multiple LED arrays according to a predetermined order (e.g., a binary increment / decrement order in other embodiments) as the DC power supply's periodic voltage changes.

[0252] When the DC power supply is a rectifier, its output voltage is a rectified sine wave. During the voltage rise period of the sine cycle, the LED array combinations connected in series in the current loop are changed in a first order. For example, in some embodiments, as the output voltage rises, the on-state voltage drop of the turned-on LED array combination (or the current series loop) continuously increases, thereby matching the continuously rising level of the output voltage. At a certain moment, among all possible combinations of n LED arrays, some LED array combinations can be turned on by the DC voltage. Preferably, the controlled current source cooperates with the switching unit to turn on / off according to its priority, so that the LED array combination in the current loop is always maintained as the LED array combination with the highest on-state voltage drop among the aforementioned partial LED array combinations. However, this priority-based loop switching is not limited to always increasing the number of LED arrays in the loop; switching between some loops may also cause a decrease in the number of LED arrays in the current loop. Subsequently, during the periodic voltage drop period, multiple series loops are switched in a second order, thereby continuously reducing the on-state voltage drop of the LED array in the current loop to match the decrease in the input voltage, which will not be elaborated further. The second order is the reverse of the first order. Specifically, the conduction sequence of the LED array and the priority setting of the controlled current source can be further referenced to embodiments that activate / deactivate the LED array in a binary incrementing or decrementing manner.

[0253] By setting priorities for controlled current sources, during the operation of the control circuit, at any given moment, only the controlled current source that meets the condition that the voltage across its terminals exceeds its conduction threshold and has the highest priority is turned on.

[0254] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the n light-emitting driving units are cascaded between the first output terminal and the second output terminal of the DC power supply, wherein the downstream end of the port of the last first-stage light-emitting driving unit along the cascading direction is connected to the second output terminal through the controlled current source.

[0255] The at least some of the n light-emitting driving units are the first n-1 stages of light-emitting driving units, each of which further includes an anti-reverse current unit; in each stage of the first n-1 stages of light-emitting driving units, the downstream end of the port along the cascading direction is connected to the anti-reverse current unit; the switching unit is connected in parallel to the anti-reverse current unit and the port; the controlled current source is connected across i) the port and the anti-reverse current unit, and ii) the second output terminal of the DC power supply; the anti-reverse current unit is configured to block the current between the switching unit and the controlled current source in each of the light-emitting driving units.

[0256] Optionally, in some embodiments, depending on whether the controlled current source is an N-type or P-type device, each controlled current source can be turned on to bypass at least part of the current from the first output terminal to the second output terminal via the controlled current source, or to bypass at least part of the current from the second output terminal to the first output terminal via the controlled current source.

[0257] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, when the n LED arrays are coupled to the control circuit, each of the n LED arrays is respectively coupled to the port in the n light-emitting driving unit.

[0258] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, along the cascading direction, the on-state voltage drop of any preceding LED array is greater than the sum of the on-state voltage drops of all subsequent LED arrays.

[0259] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, along the cascading direction, the on-state voltage drop of any preceding LED array is greater than the on-state voltage drop of any subsequent LED array.

[0260] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the on-state voltage drop ratio of the n LED arrays is 2 along the cascading direction. n-1 :...:2 2 :2 1 :2 0 This allows the control circuit to couple and drive n LED arrays, enabling the n LED arrays to be lit / activated and deactivated in a binary increment / decrement manner, resulting in more uniform light emission and smoother switching.

[0261] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source is a voltage-controlled current source or a current-controlled current source.

[0262] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the switching unit and the controlled current source in each light-emitting driving unit are operable to establish multiple series circuits, each corresponding one-to-one with multiple combinations of n LED arrays, and these multiple combinations have different on-state voltage drops. Optionally, after arranging and combining n LED arrays, a maximum of 2 n -1 combination of LED arrays.

[0263] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, during the rise or fall of the output voltage of the DC power supply, each controlled current source can be operated to automatically turn on one by one in order of priority in response to the voltage difference between the two output terminals of the controlled current source exceeding a conduction threshold, thereby successively establishing multiple series loops. In this case, the multiple series loops are established continuously and sequentially, with essentially no gap between any two.

[0264] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least some of the multiple series circuits include one or more switching units. The control unit is configured to pre-turn on (or close, connect) one or more switching units before the controlled current source in any series circuit is turned on. Through the turned-on switching units, a corresponding series circuit can be partially established to form a conduction path for electrical signals such as voltage, thereby establishing a voltage difference across the controlled current source in the corresponding series circuit through this conduction path. In this way, only one controlled current source remains unconducted in the series circuit, and by virtue of its own device characteristics, this controlled current source can be operated to automatically turn on according to the voltage at its two output terminals. Simultaneously with the automatic turn-on of the controlled current source, the entire series circuit is also fully / integrally turned on. Therefore, the state switching of the entire series circuit (e.g., from off to on, or from on to off) is automatically and autonomously performed based on voltage fluctuations. That is, the relevant controlled current source can autonomously "select" its conduction timing based on the output voltage signal or its priority, rather than being directly controlled by the control unit or other circuit components. With multiple series circuits synchronously completing their respective state switching, there is essentially no electrical / electrical separation or electromagnetic interference (EMI) between the switching of all series circuits.

[0265] In addition, the voltage difference across the controlled current source is not limited to being obtained through the aforementioned pre-conducted switching unit, but can also be obtained (for example, in the case where there is no switching unit in the circuit) through one or more LED arrays in the circuit where the current source is located. These LED arrays are connected in the control circuit between the output terminal of the DC power supply and the controlled current source, forming a conduction channel between the controlled current source and the DC power supply.

[0266] Therefore, the electrical signals such as voltage and voltage difference generated across the controlled current source (or simply current source in some embodiments) can be formed via i) the LED array and / or ii) the switched-on switching unit in the series circuit containing the controlled current source. This voltage difference can reflect whether the output voltage of the DC power supply is sufficient to turn on the corresponding LED array combination in the series circuit.

[0267] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is configured to: i) dynamically set / reset the priority of each controlled current source as the plurality of series circuits in the portion switch, in order to define the conduction sequence of each controlled current source; or

[0268] ii) During the conduction period of each controlled current source in the first n-1 stages of the cascade, dynamically set / reset the priority of each controlled current source in the n-stage light-emitting driving unit to define the conduction sequence of the subsequent series circuits corresponding to each controlled current source; or

[0269] iii) During the conduction period of the controlled current source in the first n-1 cascaded light-emitting driving units, the priority of each controlled current source is dynamically set / reset according to the on-state voltage drop of the series circuit corresponding to each controlled current source in the n-level light-emitting driving units. Among them, the controlled current source in the series circuit with a higher on-state voltage drop is set with a higher conduction priority.

[0270] Of course, if n > 2, the first n-1 stages refer to stages n to 2. If n = 2, the first n-1 stages refer to stage 2, such as the light-emitting driving unit, controlled current source, and controlled source in stage 2.

[0271] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned priority can be reconfigured by the control unit in each round of the controlled current source being turned on / off: during each turn-on period of the first n-1 stages of the controlled current source, the priority of the n-stage controlled current source is set / reset to decrease sequentially according to the descending order of the on-state voltage drop of the corresponding series circuit in the turn-on sequence.

[0272] Optionally, in some embodiments of the invention, at least a portion of the plurality of series loops are established via a subsequent n-1 stage controlled current source.

[0273] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least a portion of the first series circuits in the plurality of series circuits include one or more of the switching units and a first controlled current source. The control unit is configured to pre-turn on (or connect, close) all of the switching units in the first series circuit before the first controlled current source is turned on, thereby establishing a conduction path from the first output terminal of the DC power supply to the positive output terminal of the first controlled current source, the conduction path being via the one or more switching units and the LED array combination corresponding to the first series circuit.

[0274] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is configured to: during the conduction of the controlled current sources in the preceding 1, 2, or n-1 stages of the cascade, dynamically set / reset the priority of each of the controlled current sources according to the on-state voltage drop of the n series circuits corresponding to the n controlled current sources respectively, and the controlled current source in the series circuit with a higher on-state voltage drop is set to a higher conduction priority.

[0275] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to control the current continuity / smoothness of each of the controlled current sources during the switching process between them via their respective control terminals.

[0276] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: control each of the controlled current sources to provide a current proportional to the output voltage to the currently conducting LED array combination via its respective control terminal; or

[0277] By controlling the control terminals of each of the controlled current sources, the current in the controlled current source that is turned on is controlled to be proportional to the current value of the output voltage; or

[0278] The current of the controlled current source that is turned on is positively correlated with the on-state voltage drop of the corresponding LED array combination through the control terminal of each of the controlled current sources.

[0279] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the multiple combinations of the n LED arrays are selected from 2 of the n LED arrays. n -1 LED array combination, the 2 n -1 LED array combinations each include one or more LED arrays from the n LED arrays, either individually or in series; the number of the multiple series loops is 2. n -1, respectively corresponding to the 2 n -1 LED array combination; and the control unit is further configured to:

[0280] By controlling the control terminals of each of the controlled current sources, the product of the current values ​​in multiple series circuits and the on-state voltage drop of the corresponding LED array combination is kept essentially constant.

[0281] Optionally, in some embodiments, the anti-backflow unit is a one-way switch, and

[0282] The switching unit and the controlled current source are N-type switching units; the anode of the unidirectional switch is connected to the second terminal of the port; the positive terminal of the switching unit is connected to the first terminal of the port, and the negative terminal of the switching unit is connected to the cathode of the unidirectional switch; the controlled current source is connected across the anode of the unidirectional switch and the negative output terminal of the DC power supply, and the positive terminal of the switching unit in the light-emitting driving unit located at the forefront in the cascade direction / the upstream in the current direction / the first terminal of the port is used to connect to the positive output terminal of the DC power supply; or

[0283] The switching unit and the controlled current source are P-type switching units; the cathode of the unidirectional switch is connected to the second terminal of the port; the negative terminal of the switching unit is connected to the first terminal of the port, and the positive terminal of the switching unit is connected to the anode of the unidirectional switch; the controlled current source is connected across the cathode of the unidirectional switch and the positive output terminal of the DC power supply, and the positive terminal of the switching unit in the light-emitting driving unit located at the forefront in the cascade direction / the downstream in the current direction / the first terminal of the port is used to connect to the positive output terminal of the DC power supply.

[0284] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: control the current continuity of each controlled current source during the switching process between them via its respective control terminal. By utilizing the characteristics of the controlled current source (e.g., a voltage-controlled current source), the voltage control signal at its control terminal is controlled to coordinate the continuous output current of two adjacent controlled current sources that are turned on. Since a corresponding series circuit is established each time a controlled current source is turned on, the current in the two adjacent series circuits that are switched on is also continuous.

[0285] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to: control each controlled current source to provide a current proportional to the output voltage to the currently conducting LED array combination via its respective control terminal; or

[0286] By controlling the terminals of each controlled current source, the current in the activated controlled current source is made proportional to the current value of the output voltage. Here, since the current in multiple controlled current sources is controlled to be proportional and consistent with the output voltage, the switching process between multiple series circuits is not only nearly seamless, but also smoother.

[0287] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is configured to: for the (k-1), k, and k+1th loops sequentially turned on according to the priority, in the 2 n Before the kth circuit currently in a series circuit is turned off, all switching units in the (k+1)th circuit are turned on; 2≤k≤2 n -2;

[0288] The controlled current source in the (k-1)th loop is operable to turn off synchronously with the conduction of the kth loop in response to a) the voltage difference at its output terminal being lower than the conduction threshold or b) the conduction of the kth loop, which has a higher priority. In principle, the turn-off action of the kth loop is synchronous with and essentially seamlessly connected to the conduction of the (k+1)th loop.

[0289] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source in the (k+1)th loop is operable to: i) automatically turn on to establish the (k+1)th loop once / in response to a voltage difference exceeding its turn-on threshold generated at its output terminal through the switching unit and LED array group in the (k+1)th loop; or, ii) automatically turn on to establish the (k+1)th loop once / in response to a voltage difference exceeding the turn-on threshold generated at its output terminal through the LED array in the (k+1)th loop, and having a higher priority than the controlled current source in the kth loop; and,

[0290] The controlled current source in the k-th loop is operable to turn off once a) the voltage difference at its output terminal is lower than the conduction threshold, or b) the voltage difference at its output terminal is higher than the conduction threshold, but the conduction priority of the controlled current source in the k-th loop is lower than the conduction priority of the controlled current source in the (k+1)-th loop.

[0291] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, such as i) the turn-off of the switching unit in the (k-1)th loop and ii) the turn-on of the switching unit in the (k+1)th loop occurring during the conduction of the controlled current source in the kth loop, the timing of the two is synchronous / simultaneous, or sequential.

[0292] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source or the switching unit is a field-effect transistor, a triode, a transistor, a power transistor, or a MOSFET; the anti-reverse current unit is a diode;

[0293] The output voltage is a periodic DC voltage, which includes one of the following: triangular wave voltage, square wave voltage, pulsating voltage, or rectified sinusoidal wave voltage; n = 2, 3, or 4.

[0294] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the 2 n -1 LED array combination corresponds to 2 of the output voltage of the DC power supply. n -1 voltage range; n is an integer, n≥2. If the output voltage of the DC power supply is in a narrow range fluctuation state, it can correspond to 2 n -1 is a portion of the voltage range.

[0295] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each 2 n The lower limits of the -1 voltage range correspond to each of the 2 n -1 LED array combination's on-state voltage drop. The correspondence between the lower limit of the voltage range and the on-state voltage drop of the array combination does not mean that they are exactly equal. If the first voltage range corresponds to the first LED array combination, the lower limit of the first voltage range may be larger than the on-state voltage drop of the first LED array by a very small percentage. Thus, when the output voltage fluctuates from small to large into the first voltage range, the individual switching units cooperate to turn on / off, thereby forming a series circuit that includes only the first LED array, and thus activating the first LED array.

[0296] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, 2 n The lower limit of each voltage range within the -1 voltage range can be defined as being greater than the on-state voltage drop of the corresponding LED array combination by any proportion within [0.01%, 5%]. Therefore, even after considering the on-state voltage drop of the LED array and the on-state voltage drops of diodes, switching units, and other circuit devices that may exist in the series circuit, this voltage range can still successfully conduct the corresponding LED array combination.

[0297] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the output voltage is a periodically varying DC voltage; each of the switching units is controlled by the control unit to be turned on / off in coordination with each of the controlled current sources, so that i) as the output voltage changes, the switching unit operates according to the minimum change in on-state voltage drop in the 2... n -1 LED array combination switching activation, or

[0298] ii) As the output voltage increases, the two [unclear] are connected in series and turned on sequentially according to the increasing order of the on-state voltage drop. n - Part or all of the LED array combination; or, as the output voltage decreases, the two LEDs are connected in series and turned on in descending order of on-state voltage drop. n - Part or all of a single LED array combination; or

[0299] iii) Selectively / dynamically connect and turn on the 2 in series as the output voltage changes.n -1 LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop is closest to or second closest to the current value of the output voltage; or

[0300] iiii) As the output voltage changes, in the 2 n -1 LED array combination to switch and activate the LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop corresponds to the current value of the output voltage.

[0301] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the 2 n -1 The on-state voltage drop of each LED array combination, in ascending order, corresponds to the 2 n -1 voltage intervals, the first voltage interval, the second voltage interval, ..., the second voltage interval n -1 is the lower limit of the voltage range; the 2 n -1 voltage ranges have at least partial overlap, the 2 n The union of -1 voltage intervals covers the periodic variation range of the DC voltage.

[0302] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the 2 n -1 The on-state voltage drop of each LED array combination, in ascending order, corresponds to the 2 n -1 voltage intervals, the first voltage interval, the second voltage interval, ..., the second voltage interval n -1 is the lower limit of the voltage range; the 2 n The voltage ranges -1 have no overlap and are continuously distributed across the voltage levels.

[0303] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the output voltage is a periodic DC voltage; the switching unit and the controlled current source in each light-emitting driving unit are operable to cooperate in turning on / off, so that i) with the change of output voltage, the minimum on-state voltage drop varies within 2 n -1 LED array combination switching activation, or

[0304] ii) As the output voltage increases, the two series-connected and parallel-conducted circuits are sequentially turned on in ascending order of on-state voltage drop. n -1 LED array combination, either partially or entirely; or, as the output voltage decreases, sequentially connect and conduct 2 LEDs in descending order of on-state voltage drop. n - Some or all of a combination of 1 LED arrays;

[0305] iii) Selectively / dynamically connect and conduct 2 in series as the output voltage changes. n -1 LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop is closest to or second closest to the current value of the output voltage; or

[0306] iiii) As the output voltage changes, in 2 n -1 LED array combination to switch and activate the LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop and output voltage are the current values.

[0307] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source of the control unit switching unit is configured such that: once the output voltage is greater than 2 n The lower limit of one of the voltage ranges is selected to selectively turn on the switching units and controlled current sources in each light-emitting driving unit, thereby turning on the circuit for the corresponding LED array combination.

[0308] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, 2 n -1 LED array combination, each with its own on-state voltage drop, corresponding to 2 in ascending order. n -1 voltage intervals, the first voltage interval, the second voltage interval, ..., the second voltage interval n -1 The lower limit of the voltage range; 2 n The voltage ranges are independent of each other and are continuously distributed across the voltage levels. These voltage ranges can collectively form a continuous range in terms of voltage values, for example, (V1+Δ, V2+Δ], (V2+Δ, V1+V2+Δ], ... When the output voltage enters this first voltage range (V1+Δ, V2+Δ], it means that the output voltage is sufficient to turn on the first LED array combination V1.

[0309] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the n-level controlled current source is operable to turn on the 2-level controlled current source according to the following correspondence, based on the priority. n -1 voltage range:

[0310] The nth controlled current source in the nth-level light-emitting driving unit is turned on to: the 2nd n-1 Within each voltage range;

[0311] The k-th controlled current source in the k-th level light-emitting driving unit is turned on by 2. n-k In the voltage range: the 2nd k-1 Voltage range, 3×2 k-1 Voltage range, ..., the (2m-1)×2th k-1 Voltage range, ...; where m is an integer, m∈[1,2] n-k ], where k is an integer, 1 ≤ k ≤ n;

[0312] The first controlled current source in the first-stage light-emitting driving unit is turned on by the 2 n -1 voltage range in 2 n-1 Within the voltage ranges: voltage range 1, voltage range 3, voltage range 5, ..., voltage range 2 n -1 voltage range.

[0313] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the n controlled current sources are operable to switch on the 2 according to the following correspondence as the output voltage changes. n -1 voltage range:

[0314] The first stage controlled current source along the cascade direction is turned on to: the second n-1 Within each voltage range;

[0315] The k-th controlled current source along the cascade direction is turned on at 2 n-k In the voltage range: the 2nd k-1 Voltage range, 3×2 k-1 Voltage range, ..., the (2m-1)×2th k-1 Voltage range, ...; where m is an integer, m∈[1,2] n-k ], where k is an integer, 1 ≤ k ≤ n;

[0316] The nth controlled current source along the cascade direction is turned on in the 2 n -1 voltage range in 2 n-1 Within the voltage ranges: voltage range 1, voltage range 3, voltage range 5, ..., voltage range 2 n -1 voltage range.

[0317] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the n-stage switching unit is controlled by the control unit to achieve the following in the 2 n -1 voltage range is connected in coordination with each of the controlled current sources, thereby providing the 2 n -1 LED array combination establishes 2 sequentially conductive n -1 loop.

[0318] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the (n-1)th switching unit in the nth stage light-emitting driving unit is operable to switch from on to off state during the voltage range in which the corresponding controlled current source is turned on. In other words, the state switch does not occur at the rising / falling edge of the corresponding controlled current source being turned on.

[0319] The (m-1)th switching unit in the m-th level light-emitting driving unit is operable to perform a state switch during the period when the corresponding controlled current source and the preceding nm-level controlled current source are turned on, the state switch including switching from on to off or from off to on; m is an integer, 2≤m<n.

[0320] For example, the first switching unit in the second-level light-emitting driving unit undergoes a state switch during the period when the corresponding controlled current source unit and the controlled current sources of all preceding levels are turned on, including switching from on to off or from off to on.

[0321] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, each controlled current source is dynamically configured with a conduction priority by a control unit, and each controlled current source is operable to:

[0322] i) Based on the conduction priority, turn on the controlled current sources whose output voltage difference is greater than the conduction threshold, so as to establish the connection between each controlled current source and 2 n -1 voltage range correspondence;

[0323] ii) In controlled current sources where the voltage difference at the output terminal is greater than the turn-on threshold, turn-on is performed according to the turn-on priority to enable the corresponding relationship; or

[0324] iii) Once / in response to an electrical signal reflecting that the output voltage crosses different voltage ranges, turn on each controlled current source and / or each switching unit according to the turn-on priority to establish a corresponding relationship;

[0325] iiii) Once / in response to the voltage difference that the controlled current source in the controlled current source of the electrical signal reflection section is greater than the conduction threshold, the highest priority controlled current source in the controlled current source of the conducting section is turned on according to the conduction priority.

[0326] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is configured to: control the current continuity / smoothness of each controlled current source during the switching process between them via the control terminals of each controlled current source; or

[0327] By controlling the control terminals of each controlled current source, the current source is controlled to provide a current proportional to the output voltage to the currently conducting LED array combination; or

[0328] By controlling the terminals of each controlled current source, the current in the conducted controlled current source is controlled to be proportional to the output voltage. Here, since the current in each controlled current source is controlled to be proportional and consistent with the output voltage, the switching process between the series circuits is not only nearly seamless, but also smooth.

[0329] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the state switching of each switching unit within the same voltage range occurs synchronously; and

[0330] The control unit is configured to set the conduction priority in sync with the state switching of one or more switching units.

[0331] In another embodiment of the invention, a driving circuit is also provided, including a control circuit and a rectifier circuit according to any embodiment of the present application, the rectifier circuit being configured to receive AC input power and rectify the AC input power to output to the n LED array.

[0332] Optionally, some embodiments of the lighting device of the present invention include a driving circuit as in other embodiments, and an array of n LEDs coupled to a control circuit.

[0333] Optionally, in some embodiments of the lighting device of the present invention, an energy storage circuit is connected in parallel to the output terminal of the rectifier circuit. Further optionally, the energy storage circuit is a capacitor.

[0334] In another embodiment of the invention, a driving circuit is also provided, including a control circuit and a rectifier circuit according to any embodiment of the present application, the rectifier circuit being configured to receive AC input power and rectify the AC input power to output to the n LED array.

[0335] Optionally, in some embodiments of the driving circuit, an energy storage circuit is connected in parallel to the output of the rectifier circuit. More preferably, the energy storage circuit is a capacitor.

[0336] Optionally, some embodiments of the lighting device of the present invention include a driving circuit as in other embodiments, and an array of n LEDs coupled to a control circuit.

[0337] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least some of the multiple circuit loads have different electrical characteristics; step S-3) further includes S-3-1): coordinating the conduction priority of multiple controlled sources according to the order of the electrical characteristics of the multiple circuit loads;

[0338] Multiple controlled sources are operable to automatically turn on according to priority in response to an electrical signal at their respective output terminals exceeding a conduction threshold. Thus, at any given time, except for the transition process between different loads (otherwise detailed), only one or more of the multiple circuit loads are allowed to be turned on, provided that the output of the variable power supply (e.g., output power, output current / voltage, etc.) is most closely matched.

[0339] Optionally, the multiple controlled sources can be operated to automatically turn on sequentially according to priority in response to the electrical signal at their respective output terminals exceeding the turn-on threshold. This means that the multiple controlled sources are selectively turned on according to priority, so that at any given time, only the circuit load among the multiple circuit loads that best matches the output of the variable power supply is allowed to be turned on.

[0340] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the priority of the controlled current source is set based on the on-state voltage drop of the circuit load, such as the LED array combination, in the loop where the controlled current source is located, and is set according to the order of the on-state voltage drops. Preferably, the controlled current source corresponding to the LED array combination with a larger on-state voltage drop also has a higher on-state priority. However, it is not limited to this. During the process of output voltage variation, the following situation may also occur in one or more variation cycles: the controlled current source corresponding to the LED array combination with the second largest on-state voltage drop is set with the highest on-state priority, while the controlled current source corresponding to the LED array combination with the largest on-state voltage drop is set with the second highest on-state priority. This is also an embodiment of setting the priority of the current source in the loop according to the order of the on-state voltage drops in the loop as described in step S-3-1). With the help of these embodiments, multiple (e.g., 2) current sources can be selectively / dynamically connected in series and turned on. n -1) The LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop is closest to or second closest to the current value of the output voltage.

[0341] The beneficial effects of the above-described technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention include at least the following:

[0342] In the control circuit structure or control method of some embodiments, when the voltage crosses the threshold for switching between different loops, an electrical signal reflecting the external voltage, such as the current voltage level of the rectified sine wave, can be transmitted to the controlled current source by means of circuit components such as LED arrays or selectively (pre-)converted switching units in the circuit. Once the current voltage level meets the corresponding circuit conduction condition, the controlled current source can be automatically turned on without the cooperation / control of other components (such as control units). At the same time as the next loop is turned on, the current loop is also automatically turned off by the automatic operation of the controlled current source in the loop.

[0343] By selectively turning on these switching units, a channel is pre-constructed before the overall circuit is turned on, which is used to transmit the above-mentioned electrical signal to the controlled current source. Only one controlled current source is retained in the circuit, so that it will automatically turn on immediately once an electrical signal is generated at the output terminal.

[0344] This automatic switching between different circuits via a controlled current source reduces the electrical gap between different LED combinations (LED array combinations: also referred to as LED combinations, LED groups, etc. in some embodiments) during the switching process. Consequently, it also reduces the light gap generated by the LED combinations in the lighting device to which the control circuit is applied during this switching process, enhancing the continuity and smoothness of switching between different circuits and different LED combinations, making the switching between LED array combinations closer to "seamless" and "smooth switching." For example, in some embodiments, when an LED combination is switched into the circuit, an external (rectified) sinusoidal voltage can be allowed to be substantially equal to the on-state voltage drop of that LED array combination. This continuity of current in the switched circuit reduces electromagnetic interference.

[0345] Furthermore, in other embodiments, since Xn to X0 are sequentially connected in series, and preferably the on-state voltage drop decreases sequentially, combined with the priority setting of the controlled current source in these embodiments, in these embodiments, as long as the periodic voltage exceeds the minimum on-state threshold (e.g. for LED array X0, and in some applications, to ensure continuous AC current when the AC voltage crosses zero), the on-state threshold of LED array X0 can be set very low, even to zero volts when short-circuited.), then at any given time, at least one series loop (which may include one LED array or multiple LED arrays connected in series) is in a current-carrying operating state. Moreover, by utilizing the aforementioned characteristic of the controlled current source that automatically turns on once its output voltage difference exceeds the on-state threshold, the series loops can be turned on in turn (rather than in parallel), and almost seamlessly connected. Furthermore, the output voltage increases in a "last-in, first-out" sequence. That is, in the circuit, by selectively turning on each switching unit and the controlled current source, when the output voltage is low, the LED array at the tail end (near X0) of the LED string (composed of Xn to X0) with a smaller on-state voltage drop is activated first. As the output voltage gradually increases, the LED arrays in the middle and head parts of the LED string (near Xn) with larger on-state voltage drops are gradually activated. Conversely, when the output voltage (e.g., a sine wave) decreases from its peak value, the LED array at the head of the LED string is pre-activated. As the output voltage becomes even lower, the LED arrays in the middle and tail parts of the LED string are gradually deactivated. This embodiment, which controls the LED arrays to be repeatedly activated / deactivated within one rectification cycle, results in a more uniform current distribution across the LED arrays, thereby improving the luminous effect of the lighting device.

[0346] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the written description, claims, and drawings.

[0347] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0348] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0349] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0350] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0351] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit for three (light-emitting) loads according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0352] Figure 4 This is a waveform diagram of some circuit nodes / connection points in the control circuit for three (light-emitting) loads, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0353] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit for two LED arrays according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0354] Figure 6 This is a waveform diagram of some circuit nodes / connection points in the control circuit for a two-LED array according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0355] Figures 7A to 7H These are schematic diagrams illustrating various variations of the LED array or light-emitting load in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0356] Figures 7I to 7M These are schematic diagrams illustrating various variations of the LED array or light-emitting load in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0357] Figure 8A , 8B This is a schematic diagram of a drive circuit that can set the conduction priority of a controlled current source in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0358] Figure 9 A schematic flowchart of a (light-emitting) load control method according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0359] Figure 10 This is a waveform diagram of some circuit nodes / connection points in a control circuit for three (light-emitting) loads according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0360] Figure 11 This is a functional block diagram of a circuit unit / light-emitting driving unit in the control circuit of some embodiments of the present invention;

[0361] Figure 12A , Figure 12B The following are function block diagrams of control circuits in some embodiments of the present invention, applicable to different types of loads;

[0362] Figure 13 A functional block diagram of a control circuit including multi-level cascaded circuit units, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0363] Figure 14 This is a functional block diagram of a control circuit including multi-level cascaded circuit units, which is another embodiment of the present invention. Specific Implementation

[0364] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0365] The inventors discovered through research that in some technical solutions, LED arrays in the circuit are generally removed from or connected to the circuit by selectively turning on controllable switches coupled to these LED arrays according to the voltage of the power supply. This control of the controllable switches is generally implemented by control units, etc. However, the control unit cannot know the precise state of the electronic devices in the series circuit of each LED array, resulting in the inability to smoothly connect the switching between the series circuits.

[0366] In some embodiments of the present invention, some controllable switches are implemented as controlled sources, such as controlled current sources, and other controllable switches (or switching units) are controlled to cooperate with the controlled current sources to turn on / off, so that these controlled current sources can be turned on or off actively or automatically in a timely manner according to the voltage level in the circuit, such as the output voltage of the DC power supply that powers the circuit.

[0367] Based on the circuit structures in these embodiments, embodiments of the present invention provide a method such as... Figure 1The control circuit shown is used to control n mutually coupled LED arrays Xn_1 powered by DC power supply Rec_1. The n LED arrays Xn_1 include the nth LED array Xn, the (n-1)th LED array Xn-1, the (n-2)th LED array Xn-2, ..., the first LED array X1. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the label numbers of the n LED arrays may be 0 to n-1. For example, LED array Xn_1 includes the LED array Xn-1, the (n-1)th LED array Xn-2, the (n-2)th LED array Xn-3, ..., the first LED array X0. The control circuit Drive_1 includes a control unit Contr_1 and multiple controlled current sources In_1. The multiple controlled current sources In_1 include the nth controlled current source In, the (n-1)th controlled current source In-1, the (n-2)th controlled current source In-2, ..., the first controlled current source I1. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the label numbers of the n controlled current sources can be 0 to n-1. For example, the controlled current sources In_1 include the nth controlled current source In-1, the (n-1)th controlled current source In-2, the (n-2)th controlled current source In-3, ..., the first controlled current source I0. The multiple controlled current sources In_1 are each connected to the control unit Contr_1 through their respective control terminals; where n ≥ 2. When n LED arrays Xn_1 are coupled to the control circuit Drive_1, the multiple controlled current sources In_1 can be operated to selectively conduct, thereby selecting multiple LED array combinations from the n LED arrays Xn_1 to correspondingly establish multiple series loops. Multiple LED arrays are combined, each having at least partially different on-state voltage drops.

[0368] Control unit Contr_1 is configured to: i) conduct at least a portion of the plurality of series circuits, excluding the controlled source In_1, before the controlled current source in each of the plurality of series circuits is turned on; and

[0369] ii) As the output characteristics (e.g., output voltage) of the DC power supply Rec_1 change, the controlled current sources In_1 in the multiple series circuits are coordinated: for example, according to the matching degree between each LED array combination and the current value of the output voltage, they are automatically turned on in sequence, thereby activating (or lighting up) the corresponding LED array combination in turn.

[0370] It should be noted that the number of n LED arrays Xn_1 is not limited to the number of multiple controlled current sources In_1. Furthermore, the control circuit Drive_1 is used to couple and control the LED arrays, and the control circuit Drive_1 does not include the LED arrays themselves. The descriptions of this and other embodiments, in conjunction with corresponding LED arrays, are merely for clarity and are not intended to limit this embodiment to forms with specific LED arrays. Additionally, the multiple controlled current sources In_1 are not limited to the common ground connection shown in the illustration (connected to a common potential, here the negative terminal of the DC power supply Rec_1). In some embodiments, the common ground connection of multiple controlled current sources In_1 is used as an illustration of related methods, circuits, and devices, partly because, in such a common ground connection circuit structure, multiple controlled current sources are more easily integrated into a single chip.

[0371] In addition, the multiple controlled current sources In_1 may be further modularized into multiple light-emitting driving modules / units. In the control circuit Drive_1 of some embodiments of the present invention, the number of multiple controlled current sources In_1 may optionally be the same as the number of n LED arrays, that is, the circuit structure of n light-emitting driving units each including n controlled current sources is illustrated.

[0372] For example, in the control circuits of these embodiments, the control circuit Drive_1 includes a control unit Contr_1 and n light-emitting driving units Drn_1, each of which includes a controlled current source In, In-1, In-2, ..., I1. Each controlled current source is configured to couple at least a portion of the n LED arrays when the control circuit Drive_1 controls the n LED arrays Xn_1; each controlled current source is connected to the control unit Contr_1 through its respective control terminal; where n ≥ 2, and n is an integer.

[0373] Each controlled current source In, In-1, In-2, ..., I1 in the n light-emitting driving units Drn_1 can be operated to selectively turn on, thereby selecting multiple LED array combinations from the n LED arrays Xn_1 to establish corresponding multiple series loops. This means that each of the multiple series loops includes a controlled current source. Optionally, the number of multiple series loops may be greater than or equal to the number of multiple controlled current sources. Additionally, optionally, the multiple LED array combinations may have at least partially different on-state voltage drops.

[0374] It can be understood that multiple series loops (not shown in the figure) are all connected to a DC power supply Rec_1, and if the number of multiple series loops is greater than the number of multiple controlled current sources, then each series loop includes one controlled current source, and some / a certain controlled current source will be shared by two or more series loops respectively. Optionally, each series loop also includes one or more controllable switching units.

[0375] An electrical signal can be obtained from within or outside the control circuit. This electrical signal reflects the output voltage of the DC power supply Rec_1. The control unit Contr_1 is configured to: i) conduct, before the controlled current sources in the plurality of series loops are turned on, conduct the portions of the plurality of series loops excluding the controlled current sources In, In-1, In-2, ..., I1, respectively.

[0376] ii) As the output voltage of the DC power supply Rec_1 changes, multiple series circuits are coordinated / controlled to automatically turn on in a predetermined order to activate the corresponding LED array combination.

[0377] Figure 2 A control circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, a portion of the n light-emitting driving units Dr_2 (e.g., the first n-1 stages in the figure) further includes switching units Sn, ..., Sn-1. These switching units are configured to bridging at least a portion of the n LED arrays Xn, Xn-1, Xn-2, ..., X2 when the control circuit controls the n LED arrays Xn_2. Each switching unit Sn, ..., S2 is connected to the control unit Contr_2 through its respective control terminal, as shown in the figure.

[0378] Each controlled current source In, ..., I2, I1 and each switching unit Sn, ..., S2 are configured to cooperate in turning on / off to establish at least a portion of the multiple series loops (not shown in the figure). Here, it can be understood in another way: step S-3-x) "coordinating / controlling the at least one switching unit to cooperate with the multiple controlled current sources in turning on / off, thereby establishing at least a portion of the multiple series loops" is performed through the coordinated operation of the control unit Contr_2, the controlled current sources, and the switching units, and will not be elaborated further.

[0379] The electrical signal includes the voltage difference (not shown in the figure) at the output terminals of each controlled current source In, I2, ..., I1. The control unit Contr_2 is also configured to turn on at least a portion of the switching units Sn, ..., S2 in the multiple series loops, thereby generating a voltage difference at the output terminals of at least a portion of the controlled current sources In, I2, ..., I1 in the multiple series loops.

[0380] Optionally, some of the light-emitting driving units may also include a reverse current protection section to prevent the current flowing from the negative terminal (current output terminal) of the switching unit from passing through the aforementioned reverse current protection section. The switching unit may be connected across the LED array directly or through a reverse current protection section such as a unidirectional diode Dn,..., D2. In other words, the switching unit Sn,..., S2 may be connected in parallel with: i) a series connection formed by the unidirectional diodes Dn,..., D2 and ii) the corresponding LED array.

[0381] Optionally, such as Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the n light-emitting driving units Dr_2 include the nth-level light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_n, ..., the second-level light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_2, and the first-level light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_1, which are cascaded to the first output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2. Figure 2 In the middle, the positive terminal of the DC power supply) and the second output terminal ( Figure 2 In the first stage of the LED driving unit Dr_2_1, the downstream terminal of the port along the cascading direction A1 (as shown by the arrow in the figure) is connected to the second output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2 via a controlled current source I1. The first n-1 stages (stages 2 to n) of the LED driving unit, as part of the n LED driving units Dr_2, also include unidirectional diodes Dn, ..., D2. In each stage of the first n-1 stages, the downstream terminal of the port along the cascading direction A1 is connected to a unidirectional diode. When the controlled current source in the nth light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_n is turned on to form a bypass loop (i) for the light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_n, or ii) for the n-1 light-emitting driving units cascaded after Dr_2_n, the unidirectional diode in the light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_n is located outside the bypass loop. Each switching unit, such as switching unit Sn, is connected across the negative terminal of the unidirectional diode Dn and the first terminal of the port, while the second terminal of the port is connected to the positive terminal of the unidirectional diode. Thus, when the LED array Xn is connected to the port, the LED array Xn is connected in series with the unidirectional diode Dn, and the switching unit Sn is connected in parallel with the series circuit formed by the unidirectional diode Dn and the LED array Xn. The controlled current source In is connected between the following two connection points: i) the connection point (or circuit node) between the port and the unidirectional diode Dn, and ii) the second output terminal of the DC power supply. For example, Figure 2The current output terminal of the intermediate current source In is connected to a common ground connection point with the current output terminals of other controlled current sources In-1 to I1. This common ground connection point is used to connect to the second output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2. Through this connection structure, the controlled current source In can be operated to turn on to bypass at least part of the current from the first output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2 to the second output terminal via the controlled current source In. The unidirectional diode Dn is configured to block / prevent the current between the switching unit Sn in its respective light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_n and the controlled current source In. The connections of the other switching units Sn-1, ..., S2 with the ports in their respective light-emitting driving units and the unidirectional diodes Dn-1, ..., D2 are similar and will not be described again.

[0382] Each switching unit Sn, ..., S2, and each controlled current source In, I2, ..., I1 is connected to the control unit Contr_2 through its respective control terminal. Additionally, the arrow A1 used in this embodiment to indicate the cascading direction is also used in some other embodiments to indicate the current direction in some series loops. It should be understood that the current direction can also differ depending on the embodiment; for example, if the polarities of diodes D2, ..., Dn in Figure 2 and the positive and negative polarities of the DC power supply Rec_2 are interchanged, then... Figure 2 The direction of current in all series circuits also changes to the opposite direction.

[0383] Optionally, the aforementioned ports can be configured externally as two pins for connecting the LED array to the external control circuit Drive_2, which is packaged in chip form. The first n-1 levels of light-emitting driving units can be understood as: the nth level light-emitting driving unit Dr_2_n to the second level light-emitting driving unit.

[0384] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, when n LED arrays Xn, Xn-1, Xn-2, ..., X1 are coupled to the control circuit Drive_2, each of the n LED arrays is coupled to a port in each of the n light-emitting driving units Dr_2.

[0385] Optionally, along the cascading direction A1, among the n LED arrays Xn, Xn-1, Xn-2, ..., X1, the forward voltage drop of any preceding LED array is greater than the sum of the forward voltage drops of all subsequent LED arrays. For example, the forward voltage drop of LED array Xn is greater than the sum of the forward voltage drops of all subsequent LED arrays Xn-1, Xn-2, ..., X1. Alternatively, the forward voltage drop of any preceding LED array is greater than that of any subsequent LED array. For example, the forward voltage drop of LED array Xn is greater than the forward voltage drop of any one of the subsequent LED arrays Xn-1, Xn-2, ..., or X1.

[0386] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of the on-state voltage drops in the n LED arrays along the cascading direction A1 is 2. n-1 :...:2 2 :2 1 :2 0 This allows the control circuit to couple and drive n LED arrays, enabling the on-state voltage drop of the n LED arrays to be turned on in a binary accumulation manner during the DC voltage rise period and in a binary decrease manner during the DC voltage fall period. As the output voltage of the DC power supply changes, the difference in on-state voltage drop between adjacent LED array combinations during the switching process between the various circuits is relatively small. Therefore, the conversion efficiency is high during the change of the DC power supply output voltage, and the overall light-emitting switching of the n LED arrays is more continuous and smooth.

[0387] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current source is a voltage-controlled current source (voltage-controlled current source VCCS) or a current-controlled current source (current-controlled current source CCCS). If the number n of the above-mentioned LED array is 3, then by means of Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the control circuit for a three-LED array according to an embodiment of the present invention can be shown. Figure 4 In order to be in Figure 3 The waveform diagrams at some circuit nodes / connection points in the control circuit of the illustrated embodiment are shown.

[0388] Without loss of generality, some variations of the present invention will be specifically described in the following embodiments under the following assumptions, for example:

[0389] 1) The output voltage of the DC power supply is a rectified sine wave voltage (or simply sine wave voltage, sinusoidal voltage), or a rectified voltage of other waveforms with a sine wave envelope, such as a stepped wave voltage.

[0390] 2) n=2 or n=3, the two or three LED arrays are arranged sequentially on the ports of the cascaded two or three light-emitting driving units, and along the cascaded direction A1, the ratio of the on-state voltage drop of the two or three LED arrays is 2:1 or 4:2:1.

[0391] However, it should be understood that the scope of the embodiments should be determined by referring to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents. The application scenarios under the above conditions are merely to help illustrate the relevant embodiments of the present invention more clearly and / or more typically.

[0392] The following is combined Figure 3 and Figure 4 The relevant embodiments of the present invention are further described below. In these embodiments, the switching units and controlled current sources in each light-emitting driving unit are operable to establish multiple loops. That is, by utilizing the coordinated operation of these switching units and current sources, for example, by cooperating to switch between on / off and current regulation states, multiple series loops can be dynamically coupled in series among n LED arrays to establish multiple series loops. These series loops each include some or all of the LED arrays from the n LED arrays. These partial or complete LED arrays are each a combination of LED arrays selected from the n LED arrays. Preferably, these combinations of LED arrays have different on-state voltage drops. Of course, it can be understood through mathematical knowledge that after arranging and combining n LED arrays, a maximum of 2 n -1 LED array combination methods. For a control circuit application scenario with 3 LED arrays, through the coordinated operation of switching units S2 and S1 and current sources I2, I1, and I0, 7 combinations can be generated from the 3 LED arrays X2, X1, and X0, as shown in Table 1 below. These LED array combinations are located in 7 different series circuits. As the rectified sinusoidal voltage output by the DC power supply Rec_2 changes, these 7 LED array combinations, or 7 series circuits with different on-state voltage drops, are sequentially switched on.

[0393] In this process, multiple controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 can operate to automatically turn on according to priority in response to the voltage difference at their respective output terminals exceeding the turn-on threshold, thereby dynamically switching / converting / rotating among the seven LED array combinations shown in Table 1. These seven LED array combinations include: LED array combination X0 (combination 1), LED array combination X1 (combination 2), LED array combination X0+X1 (combination 3), LED array combination X2 (combination 4), LED array combination X2+X0 (combination 5), LED array combination X2+X1 (combination 6), and LED array combination X2+X1+X0 (combination 7). Through the switching method in Table 1, power can always be supplied to the LED array combination whose turn-on voltage drop best matches the sinusoidal voltage, thereby improving circuit efficiency. For example, as the sinusoidal voltage rises within the 0°-90° phase range, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh LED arrays are sequentially turned on. Here, a binary 1 represents the on state of the corresponding LED array, and a binary 0 represents the off state. Within the 0°-90° phase range of the sinusoidal voltage, the state changes of three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0, which have an on-state voltage drop ratio of 4:2:1 and are sequentially arranged on the corresponding light-emitting driving units along the cascade direction A1, are as follows: 000→001→010→011→100→101→110→111. When the three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0 are 000, no LED array is activated. That is, through the coordinated operation of the switching units S2 and S1 and the current sources I2, I1, and I0, no LED array is selected to be turned on at this time, because the sinusoidal voltage at this stage is close to zero and is not enough to turn on any LED array.

[0394] Optionally, assuming the on-state voltage drops of the three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0 are 40 volts, 20 volts, and 10 volts respectively, when coupled to the control circuit 01, the LED arrays X2, X1, and X0 are sequentially connected to the third-stage light-emitting driving unit, the second-stage light-emitting driving unit, and the first-stage light-emitting driving unit through their respective connection ports along the cascading direction A1 indicated by the arrow in the figure.

[0395] Table 1: Correspondence between the state switching of the three LED arrays and the three-bit binary representation during the rise of the periodic voltage.

[0396]

[0397] As shown in Table 1, the switching units S2 and S1 and the current sources I2, I1, and I0 in each light-emitting driving unit are configured to be turned on / off in a coordinated manner, thereby selecting n LED arrays to be turned on with an increasing binary number during the 0°-90° phase interval or rising phase of each cycle of the sinusoidal voltage. Since the sinusoidal voltage is symmetrical in the 90°-180° phase interval and the 0°-90° phase interval, n LED arrays are selected to be turned on with a decreasing binary number during the 90°-180° phase interval or falling phase of each cycle of the sinusoidal voltage.

[0398] Preferably, to achieve the above-described binary LED array combination selection order, the control unit U1 is further configured to dynamically adjust the conduction priorities of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0: coordinating the conduction priorities of each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 according to the order of the conduction voltage drops of the seven combinations formed by the three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0. Each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 is operable to automatically conduct according to its priority in response to a voltage difference at its output terminal exceeding a conduction threshold. Here, it can be understood from another perspective: the step "coordinating the conduction priorities of multiple controlled current sources according to the order of the conduction voltage drops of multiple LED array combinations" is performed through the coordinated operation of the control unit Contr_2 and at least some of the switching units Sn, ..., S2, wherein the multiple controlled current sources are operable to conduct the controlled current source with the highest priority among the at least one controlled current sources in response to a voltage difference at the output terminal of at least one controlled current source exceeding a conduction threshold. Here, the turn-on threshold is greater than or equal to zero because non-ideals in the specific implementation of the device are taken into account, such as on-resistance, for example. Figure 3 The RCS (Regulatory Cross Section) or other factors affecting / limiting the minimum conduction voltage of the controlled current source generally means that, in some embodiments, if the conduction priority of the controlled current source is high enough, it will automatically conduct as long as the voltage difference between the two output terminals is greater than zero. In other embodiments, the voltage difference between the two output terminals of the controlled current source I0 needs to be greater than a small positive value, such as the 0-10V range, before the controlled current source will automatically conduct. That is, the conduction threshold of the output terminal of the controlled current source I0 is zero, or a certain positive value determined by the circuit topology, connection relationship, or characteristics of related devices. This description of the conduction threshold also applies to other controlled current sources in this embodiment, various controlled current sources in other embodiments, and controlled sources, etc., which will not be elaborated further.

[0399] Here, in Figure 3 In the middle, a 2 is established through 3 current sources. 3-1 = 7 series loops. For this type of circuit structure, combining the aforementioned priority settings for the current sources and utilizing the inherent characteristics of the controlled current sources, these 3 current sources can correspond to 7 series loops, which are sequentially turned on according to the order of the conduction voltage drop of the LED array combination in the series loops. This sequential turn-on is an autonomous turn-on formed by the controlled current sources being set with the aforementioned priorities and changing with the output voltage of the DC power supply. The timing of the turn-on is determined by the inherent characteristics of the corresponding current source and its assigned priority, eliminating the need for the control unit to actively switch each current source. In the drive circuit shown in the figure, the switching units S1 and S0 still require active control from the control unit to some extent, or a transition process for switching between adjacent series loops. Optionally, the control unit U1 also needs to coordinate the current in the two successively turned-on controlled current sources to improve the overall optical power constancy or current smoothness during this shorter transition process. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in this application.

[0400] Optionally, configuring the current value of the controlled current source to be positively correlated with the on-state voltage drop of the LED array combination can also achieve a better power factor and lower input current harmonics. Optionally, the control unit U1 can also be configured to coordinate, during the switching process between multiple loops, to keep the product of the current value of the controlled current source in each series loop and the sum of the on-state voltage drops of the LED arrays in each series loop essentially constant, based on the on-state voltage drop of the light-emitting load in each loop, so that the overall optical power of the n LED arrays is essentially constant during the sequential switching process between multiple series loops, thereby reducing low-frequency light flicker. Furthermore, to implement this function, a first energy storage circuit needs to be connected in parallel between the positive and negative terminals of the rectified power supply. When the rectified voltage is high, the first energy storage circuit is charged; when the rectified voltage is too low, the first energy storage circuit is discharged. In the simplest way, the first energy storage circuit is a capacitor.

[0401] The following is combined Figure 3 , Figure 4 The dynamic process of sequentially turning on different LED array combinations as the sinusoidal voltage changes, as described above, and how the control unit U1, switching units S2, S1 and controlled current sources I2, I1 and I0 work together in this process, will be further explained.

[0402] because Figure 3In some embodiments, the control circuit 01 drives a combination of 7 LED arrays, with each of the 7 LED arrays forming a series loop. This is more than the number of controlled current sources (3). Therefore, one controlled current source is shared / multiplexed by two or more series loops. Consequently, during the sequential conduction of the 7 series loops, one or more of the 3 controlled current sources need to be turned on two or more times. After each or several loop switching operations, the controlled current sources may need to have their priorities reset to correspond to / match the on-state voltage drop of the next series loop (LED array combination) to be switched. Through this priority setting, when the DC voltage changes periodically, the on-state voltage drop of the LED array combination is dynamically selected to be closest to the DC voltage value, resulting in higher energy conversion efficiency.

[0403] Thus, in the control circuit 01, the control unit U1 coordinates the switching of the seven series circuits by setting the conduction priorities of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 and controlling the conduction timing of the switching units S2 and S1.

[0404] Assuming the on-state voltage drops of LED arrays X0, X1, and X2 are VX0, VX1, and VX2 respectively, then correspondingly, the on-state voltage drop of the first circuit is VX0, the on-state voltage drop of the second circuit is VX1, the on-state voltage drop of the third circuit is VX1+VX0, the on-state voltage drop of the fourth circuit is VX2, the on-state voltage drop of the fifth circuit is VX2+VX0, the on-state voltage drop of the sixth circuit is VX2+VX1, and the on-state voltage drop of the seventh circuit is VX2+VX1+VX0.

[0405] like Figure 4 As shown, during the rise of the sinusoidal voltage from 0 to 90 degrees, the voltage level in the 0th time interval [T0, T1] of the initial stage is close to zero and cannot turn on any LED array. At this time, the initial state of the switching units S2 and S1 is configured to be on by the control unit U1, while the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are all in the off state because their respective output terminals do not generate sufficient voltage.

[0406] It should be noted that the lowest value of the rectified sinusoidal voltage is generally close to zero, and the initial state of at least one switching unit in control circuit 01 is on, corresponding to the process of the sinusoidal voltage rising from or near zero. However, if the sinusoidal voltage is not only rectified but also filtered, i.e., the output voltage of the DC power supply is a pulsating voltage with a significant amplitude higher than zero, then in this case, at least one switching unit in control circuit 01, for example... Figure 2The switching units S2, ..., Sn may be configured to other initial states instead of being fully turned on to adapt to these pulsating voltage variations. Additionally, some embodiments will refer to "at least a portion of at least one switching unit" or "a first portion of at least one switching unit," meaning at least one switching unit, such as... Figure 2 The switching units S2, ..., Sn can be some or all of them. When n = 2, at least one switching unit includes only one switching unit, for example... Figure 5 In the context of switch unit S1, all at least one switch unit and some at least one switch unit refer to switch unit S1. When n>2, some at least one switch unit is a proper subset of all switch units. This also applies to other embodiments, which will not be elaborated elsewhere.

[0407] During the first time interval [T1, T2], as the sinusoidal voltage rises, the voltage level is conducted / provided to the port of the first light-emitting driving unit through switching units S2 and S1, and then conducted to the controlled current source I0 through the LED array X0. When there is a sufficient voltage difference (greater than or equal to the conduction threshold) across the controlled current source I0, it automatically conducts, thereby activating the first combination X0. During this time interval, the sinusoidal voltage is greater than the conduction voltage drop of the first combination X0 and less than the conduction voltage drop of the second combination X1, or simply described as the sinusoidal voltage being within the voltage range [VX0, VX1]. In terms of binary increment activation, the first combination of the three LED arrays is activated and is in the "001" state.

[0408] Here, for an array of n LEDs, 2 can be formed. n -1 LED array combination; n is an integer, n≥2. The 2 n -1 LED array combination includes one or more LED arrays of n LED arrays coupled in series. Figure 4 It can be seen that this embodiment is the case where n=3, 2 n -1 LED array combination corresponds to 2 during the rise of the sinusoidal voltage. n -1 voltage range.

[0409] The 2 3 -1 = 7 LED array combinations, each including one of 3 LED arrays or multiple LED arrays connected in series, such as LED array X0, LED arrays X0 and X2 connected in series, etc.

[0410] Optionally, the on-state voltage drop of each LED array combination can define the lower limit of the corresponding voltage range. The lower limit of the voltage range corresponds to the on-state voltage drop of the LED array combination, but is not limited to them being exactly equal. If the first voltage range [VX0, VX1] corresponds to the first LED array combination X0, then the lower limit of the first voltage range may be larger than the on-state voltage drop of the first LED array by a very small ratio, thereby ensuring that once the sinusoidal voltage floats into the first voltage range from small to large, each switching unit can cooperate to turn on / off, thereby forming a first series circuit (power supply positive terminal → S2 → S1 → X0 → I0 → power supply negative terminal) that only includes the first LED array combination X0, and thus turning on the first LED array X0. Similarly, the upper and lower limits of the second voltage range [VX1, VX1+VX0] can also be defined by the on-state voltage drop of the second group of LED arrays and the on-state voltage drop of the third group of LED arrays, and so on, without further elaboration. Therefore, optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, 2 n -1 LED array combination, each with its own on-state voltage drop, corresponding to 2 in ascending order. n -1 voltage range, the first voltage range, the second voltage range, ..., the second voltage range n -1 The lower limit of the voltage range; 2 n The set of -1 voltage intervals covers the entire fluctuation range of the sinusoidal voltage, such as [VX0+Δ, VX10+Δ], [VX1+Δ, VX1+VX0+Δ], ... When the output voltage enters this first voltage interval [VX0+Δ, VX1+Δ], it means that the output voltage is sufficient to conduct the first series circuit and the first LED array combination X0 within it.

[0411] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, 2 n The lower limit of each voltage range within the -1 voltage range can be further defined as being greater than the on-state voltage drop of the corresponding LED array combination by any proportion within [0.01%, 5%] (i.e., the Δ value in the above voltage range expression). Therefore, even after considering the on-state threshold of the LED array, and the on-state voltage drops of diodes, switching units S1, S2, and other circuit devices that may exist in the series circuit, the corresponding LED array combination can still be successfully turned on within this voltage range. In some embodiments of the present invention, for the purpose of simplification, each voltage range of the sine wave is expressed only by the on-state voltage drop of two adjacent LED array combinations defining it, without the aforementioned incremental symbols such as Δ.

[0412] By explaining the two time intervals and corresponding voltage intervals mentioned above, it can be understood that in the relevant embodiments of the present invention, the control unit U1 is configured to selectively turn on the switching units S2, S1, and controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 in each light-emitting driving unit once the sinusoidal voltage is greater than the lower limit of one of the seven voltage intervals, thereby turning on the corresponding LED array combination. The control unit U1's control over the switching units S2 and S1 can be considered active, while the on / off state switching of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 is automatically completed by these controlled current sources themselves. That is, the state switching is automatic based on whether the voltage difference between their respective ends is sufficient to turn on the controlled current source, and the priority of the controlled current source.

[0413] Specifically, in Figure 4 During the rise of the sinusoidal voltage shown, the LED array combinations connected in series in the current loop are changed in the first order from combination 1, combination 2, ..., combination 7. As the output voltage increases, the on-state voltage drop of the turned-on LED array combination (or the current series loop) also increases accordingly, thus matching the continuously rising level of the output voltage. At a certain moment, there are two or more LED array combinations out of all seven possible combinations of the three LED arrays that can be turned on by the current sinusoidal voltage. As a means to further control the differentiated conduction of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 in this situation, it can be achieved through... Figure 3 The control signals IR0, IR1, and IR2 output by the control unit U1 shown dynamically set the conduction priorities of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0, thereby prioritizing the conduction of the LED array combination with the highest conduction voltage drop. Specifically, the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are turned on / off in coordination with the switching unit according to their respective priorities, such that: if there are two or more LED array combinations that can be turned on by the current voltage value of the sine wave, the controlled current source with the highest priority is prioritized for conduction. This highest priority controlled current source can be, for example, the controlled current source with the highest voltage level of the received control signal. The priority set by control unit U1 through control signals IR0, IR1, and IR2 is consistent with the on-state voltage drop of each LED array combination. Therefore, the LED array combination in the currently active circuit (referred to as the current circuit in some embodiments) can always be maintained as the LED array combination with the highest on-state voltage drop among the aforementioned LED array combinations (it should be understood that in specific applications, due to certain objective factors, performance indicators may have to be compromised, for example, the LED array combination in the active circuit may be maintained as the LED array combination with the highest or second highest on-state voltage drop). Figure 4As shown, when n=3, during the rising period of the sinusoidal voltage, based on the above priority setting, the sequential conduction order of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 is: I0→I1→I0→I2→I0→I1→I0. It can be understood that the sequential conduction of multiple current sources in some embodiments does not refer to a simple cyclical conduction between multiple current sources, but rather to conduction in different voltage ranges of the sinusoidal wave according to a predetermined order. This is combined with a) the early conduction of switching units S1 and / or S2, or b) the LED array combination in the circuit (e.g., the fourth circuit: positive power supply → X2 → I2 → negative power supply), thereby forming a dynamic switching of multiple series circuits. For the periodically changing sinusoidal voltage, the series circuit with the conduction voltage drop closest to the DC voltage value is dynamically selected / activated. In a sine wave cycle, generally, the last stage current source I0 conducts the most times, while the first stage current source I2 conducts the fewest times. That is, in the 0-90 degree or 90-180 degree phase interval, the downstream controlled current source along the cascade direction / current direction conducts more times than the upstream controlled current source, and the conduction frequency of the next stage in the cascade direction is twice that of the previous stage. For different values ​​of n, the corresponding voltage ranges of the sine wave to which multiple current sources are conducted can be found in the relevant embodiments. Furthermore, during the successive conduction of multiple current sources, there can be a transition period when the current current source switches to the next. During this transition period, both the current and the next current source have a certain current, with the current flowing through the current source gradually decreasing and the current flowing through the next current source gradually increasing synchronously. The control unit can also adjust according to this synchronous current change to maintain a basically constant power. Additionally, it is worth noting that the aforementioned transition period from the current source to the next current source is entered due to the automatic turn-on of the next current source. However, in some embodiments, the automatic turn-on process of the next current source can be completely autonomous. In other words, during the automatic turn-on process of the next current source, the turn-on timing is determined by 1) the electrical characteristics of the next current source itself, 2) the voltage signals received at its two output terminals, or 3) the priority of the current source relative to other current sources.

[0414] For example, within the second time interval [T2, T3], the sinusoidal voltage rises into the second voltage interval [VX1, VX1+VX0], the sinusoidal voltage level can be conducted to the port of the second light-emitting driving unit through the switch unit S2, and conducted to the current source I1 through the LED array X1. When a sufficient voltage difference is generated across the controlled current source I1, it is automatically turned on, thereby switching to turn on the second combination X1. Moreover, since the switch unit S1 is turned off and the control signal IR1>IR0 is formed before this time period, the current of the controlled current source I1 is established, and synchronously, the current flowing through the LED array X0 and the current source I0 drops to zero. In this time interval, the sinusoidal voltage is greater than the turn-on voltage drop of the second combination X1 and less than the turn-on voltage drop of the third combination X0+X1, that is, the sinusoidal voltage is located in the voltage interval [VX1, VX1+VX0]. Understood in a binary increment activation manner, the second combination among the 3 LED arrays is activated and is in a "010" state, thereby establishing a second series loop (power supply positive electrode → S2 → X1 → I1 → power supply negative electrode). Here, at time T2, since the controlled current source I1 has a higher turn-on priority, even though the sinusoidal voltage level can turn on both the LED array X1 and the LED array X0, the controlled current source I1, for example, can be automatically turned on preferentially according to the higher-level control signal priority signal IR1 received by the control terminal of the controlled current source I1, so that the second LED array combination X1 is turned on. As Figure 4 shown, within the time interval T1-T23, the relationship of the control signals output by the control unit U1 may be: IR0<IR1<IR2. Where T23 is a moment within the time interval [T2, T3], preferably, T23 is not located at both ends of the time interval [T2, T3]. At the moment T23, the control signal output by the control unit U1 resets the turn-on priorities of the controlled current sources I2, I1, I0 to: IR1<IR0<IR2. At the moment T23, the control unit U1 is further configured to turn off the switch unit S1 synchronously or with a slight delay, so as to facilitate the normal switching and turn-on of the next LED array combination X1, X0 to be turned on according to a predetermined timing / logic. Of course, it can be understood that the above-mentioned control signals IR0, IR1, IR2 and the like for coordinating the turn-on priorities of the respective current sources may be a set of voltage signals or current signals, or optionally a set of coded signals, and the coded signals are used to indicate the priority of the corresponding controlled current source. In other words, in the control unit U1 or the control circuit, the priority order in which the corresponding controlled sources are turned on is controlled by coding.

[0415] In the subsequent time interval [T3, T4], the sinusoidal voltage rises into the third voltage interval [VX1+VX0, VX2], the voltage level of the sinusoidal wave can be conducted to the port of the second light-emitting driving unit through the switch unit S2, and conducted to the current source I0 through the LED arrays X1 and X0. Within the current time interval, the turn-on priority of the controlled current sources I1 and I0 is determined by the following relationship of the control signal: IR1<IR0. The controlled current source I0 is turned on prior to the controlled current source I1, so that at time T3, the two ends of the controlled current source I0 have a sufficient voltage difference to be automatically turned on, the current of the controlled current source I1 automatically drops to zero, and the second combination is switched to the third combination, that is, the three LED arrays X2, X1, X0 are switched to the "011" state in which the third combination thereof is turned on, thereby establishing a third series loop: power supply positive electrode → S2 → X1 → X0 → I0 → power supply negative electrode.

[0416] Similarly, in the subsequent time interval [T4, T5], the sinusoidal voltage rises into the fourth voltage interval [VX2, VX2+VX0], the voltage level of the sinusoidal wave can be conducted to the current source I2 through the port of the third light-emitting driving unit and the LED array X2 coupled therein. Likewise, before the time T45 within this time interval, the relationship of the control signal applied by the control unit U1 is: IR1<IR0<IR2, which enables the current source I2 to be turned on preferentially before time T45; therefore, at time T4, when there is a sufficient voltage difference across the controlled current source I2, it will be automatically turned on immediately, and the controlled current sources I0 and I1 are cut off, so that the LED array X2 in the third light-emitting driving unit is turned on. The three LED arrays X2, X1, X0 are switched to the "100" state in which the fourth combination thereof is turned on. In addition, at time T45 or a slightly later time within this time interval [T4, T5], the switch unit S2 is controlled by the control unit U1 to switch to the off state, so as to facilitate the next one or several upcoming LED array combinations to be turned on, or the subsequent one or several series loops, to be switched in a predetermined sequence (for example, in ascending order of turn-on voltage drop). Within this time interval [T4, T5], the switch unit S2 has two states: it remains on before T45 in this interval, and then switches to the off state. Before T45 in this interval, both the switch unit S2 and the current source I2 in the third light-emitting driving unit are in the on state, at this time, the diode D2 is used to prevent current from flowing directly from the switch unit S2 to the current source I2 and then looping back to the negative electrode of the DC power supply. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least part of the light-emitting driving units in the control circuit, for example, the first n-1 stages along the cascading direction, that is, the 2nd stage to the nth stage, are respectively provided with a backflow prevention part, such as unidirectional diodes D0, D1, D2, one of the purposes is to block the reverse flow of current, for example, to block the flow against the direction A1.

[0417] In this embodiment, the state switching of switching units S1 and S2 in the time interval [T4, T5] is controlled by the control unit U1 and occurs synchronously. However, it should be understood that this is not mandatory. During the rise of the sinusoidal voltage, the state switching of switching unit S1 from off to on can lag behind the on time of switching unit S2, as long as the switching action from off to on is completed before the sinusoidal voltage rises to the voltage interval where switching unit S1 needs to be turned on. One purpose is to prepare in advance for the conduction of the corresponding subsequent series circuit or LED array combination (the 5th combination). Similarly, the above also applies to some other time intervals (voltage intervals) where the control unit controls the state switching of the switching units. Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the state switching of each switching unit S1 and S2 in the same voltage interval is controlled by the control unit U1 and occurs synchronously. Control unit U1 is also configured to set and reset the conduction priority of each controlled current source I2, I1, I0 synchronously with the state switching of one or more switching units by applying control signals IR2, IR1, IR0 to the control terminals of each controlled current source I2, I1, I0. Of course, priority (resetting) occurring within the time interval [T4, T5] or the voltage interval [VX2, VX2+VX0] can occur sequentially with the state switching of the switching units, and is not limited to synchronous occurrence. Preferably, within this interval, control unit U1 is configured to first control switching unit S2 to turn off, and then control switching unit S1 to turn on. Optionally, the switching unit S1, controlled by the control unit U1, is turned on within the time or voltage interval during which the current source I2 is turned on, excluding the boundary of the interval. This means that in the three series circuits that are turned on in succession, the switching unit S1 in the fifth circuit needs to be turned on / closed in advance by the control unit U1 before the fourth circuit that is currently turned on is turned off. In other words, the state switching of the switching unit S1 in the fifth circuit is before the turn-on of the controlled current source I0 in the fifth circuit.

[0418] Here, it can be understood from another perspective: the function configured for control unit U1 is to perform step SS-3-1) "synchronize with the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop, and set / reset the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources; or, during the output voltage rise, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, after the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources; during the output voltage fall, during the conduction of the controlled current source in the current loop, before the state switching of the switching units in the previous loop and / or the next loop, set / reset the priority of the plurality of controlled current sources".

[0419] In the above embodiments, from another perspective: the execution of step SS-1-1a) "during the sequential conduction of at least some of the plurality of series circuits, before the currently conducted circuit is turned off, by conducting all the switching units in the next circuit; and / or, canceling all the bypasses of the next circuit" through the independent or cooperative operation of the control unit U1, switching units S1, S2, and current sources I2, I1, I0, etc., will not be elaborated further. Generally, in some modified control circuits, all the switching units in the next circuit (e.g., the fifth circuit and its switching unit S1) need to be turned on in advance, leaving only one controlled current source I0 in the off state, and allowing the controlled current source I0 to automatically turn on according to the voltage difference at its own output terminal, thereby controlling the overall conduction of the entire series circuit. After the fifth circuit is turned off, the switching unit S1 therein may continue to be in the conducting state for a short time, and then be turned off during the conduction of the next circuit (the sixth circuit), for example, at time T67.

[0420] Through the activated switch unit S1, the voltage level downstream of the third light-emitting driving unit along the cascade direction A1 is conducted to the two ends of the controlled current source I0 in the first light-emitting driving unit, so that the controlled current source I0 is operable to: immediately and automatically turn on to establish the current in the fifth series circuit once the current value of the sinusoidal voltage is sufficient to turn on the fifth LED array combination in the fifth circuit. Correspondingly, the controlled current source I0 in the fifth circuit is operable to: i) after the switch unit S1 in the fifth circuit is turned on, once / in response to the voltage difference generated at the two output terminals of the controlled current source I0 through the switch unit S1 exceeding the conduction threshold of the controlled current source I0, automatically turn on to establish the fifth circuit: power supply positive terminal → X2 → S1 → X0 → I0 → power supply negative terminal. Of course, it can be understood that during the conduction of the fourth circuit, the current source I2 can be operated to automatically conduct to establish the fourth circuit once / in response to the voltage difference generated at the output terminal of the current source I2 through the LED array X2 in the fourth circuit exceeds the conduction threshold of the current source I2: positive power supply → X2 → controlled circuit source I2 → negative power supply.

[0421] Optionally, in the continuously conducting 3rd, 4th, and 5th circuits, if i) the conduction of switch unit S2 in the 3rd circuit (positive power supply → S2 → X1 → X0 → I0 → negative power supply) and ii) the conduction of switch unit S1 in the 5th circuit occur during the conduction of the controlled current source I2 in the 4th circuit, then the timing of the cutoff of switch unit S2 and the conduction of switch unit S1 is synchronous / simultaneous, or sequential. There are no strict time constraints for the state switching of the switch units in the 3rd and 5th circuits. Only some basic timing requirements need to be met, and the corresponding state switching needs to be performed during the conduction of the 4th circuit.

[0422] In this context, the determination of whether the controlled current source I2 in the target circuit, such as the fourth circuit, is in the conducting period can be implemented in different ways. For example, it can be determined whether the controlled current source I2 is conducting by measuring the voltage difference at the output terminal of the controlled current source I2 in the target circuit. If the voltage difference is essentially zero or stable in a very small neighborhood near 0 volts, such as [-0.03V, 0.04V], or [-0.01V, 0.02V], [-0.001V, 0.005V], etc., then the control unit U1 can determine that the controlled current source I2 is not conducting. If the voltage difference at the output terminal of the controlled current source I2 is greater than a certain threshold, such as 2V, 1V, 0.5V, 10V, etc., then the control unit U1 can determine that the controlled current source I2 has been conducting. The period during which the controlled current source I2 is conducting can be called the conducting period of the controlled current source I2. Specifically, the voltage difference at the output of the controlled current source I2 in the current loop can be measured by an electrical signal measurement unit (not shown in the figure). The input of the electrical signal measurement unit can be coupled to the output of the controlled current source I2, and the output of the electrical signal measurement unit can be connected to the control unit U1, thereby acquiring and transmitting the electrical signal at the output of the controlled current source I2 to the control unit U1. The comparison of the voltage difference at the output of the controlled current source I2 with a threshold, or the determination of whether the voltage difference is within a small neighborhood of 0 volts, can be performed by a comparator (not shown in the figure), which can be configured in the control unit U1, the control circuit, or the electrical signal measurement unit. The methods described here for determining whether a controlled current source is in the conduction period and for prioritizing based on the conduction state are also applicable to controlled current sources and the determination of whether a controlled source is conducting in any other embodiment. Further details will not be provided elsewhere. Moreover, similar determination methods are diverse. For example, sampling the current signal in the target circuit that reflects whether the controlled current source is in the conduction state, and determining its conduction state based on this current signal sampling; or using a temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the controlled source in the target circuit, thereby determining whether it is in a conducting state, etc., will also not be elaborated upon further.

[0423] Furthermore, the controlled current source I0 in the third loop can be operated to turn off under the control of the control unit during the rise of the sinusoidal voltage (0-90° phase interval), in response to and synchronized with the conduction of the current source I2 in the fourth loop, which has a higher priority. Alternatively, multiple controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 can be operated to automatically turn on the controlled current source I2, which has a higher priority, once / in response to the voltage difference at the output terminals of at least two current sources I0 and I2 exceeding the conduction threshold, according to their respective set priorities (IR2>IR0>IR1). From another perspective, the control unit U1, switching units S1 and S2, etc., independently or in conjunction with the controlled current sources I0, I2, and I1, execute step SS-1-1a) "Configure the controlled current source in the previous loop to turn off synchronously with the conduction of the current loop in response to the voltage difference at its output terminal falling below the conduction threshold or its conduction priority falling below the conduction priority of the current loop," which will not be elaborated further.

[0424] In some embodiments, the controlled current source may also be simply referred to as a current source. Additionally, due to font variations, these current sources may be labeled with slightly different forms in the description of the embodiments or in the accompanying drawings, such as current source I0 or current source I0. Although these two labels differ slightly, they both represent the same current source, and will not be repeated elsewhere.

[0425] In the subsequent time interval [T5, T6], the sinusoidal voltage rises into the 5th voltage interval [VX2+VX0, VX2+VX1]. Among the three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0, the state of "100" activated in the 4th combination is switched to the state of "101" activated in the 5th combination. The process of this 5th loop being turned on has been partially explained in the interval [T4, T5]. At time T45, the priorities of the three controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are reset by the control signal IR2 < IR0 < IR1 as follows: controlled current source I1 has the highest priority, controlled current source I2 has the lowest priority, and controlled current source I0 has the middle priority. Since the switching unit S1 is turned on during the operation of current source I2 (the fourth circuit is running), this allows the voltage level of the downstream of the third light-emitting driving unit, such as the negative terminal of LED array X2, to be conducted to the output terminal of the controlled current source I0 via the switching unit S1 in the control circuit 01. When the voltage difference across the controlled current source I0 exceeds the conduction threshold of the controlled current source I0, it automatically turns on to establish the fifth circuit: positive power supply → X2 → S1 → X0 → I0 → negative power supply. Here, according to the priority configuration mentioned above, when the sinusoidal voltage is sufficient to turn on both the fourth and fifth circuits, the fifth circuit containing the controlled current source I0 is turned on first, while the fourth circuit containing the controlled current source I2 is turned off.

[0426] During the subsequent time interval [T6, T7], the sinusoidal voltage rises into the 6th voltage interval [VX2+VX1, VX2+VX1+VX0]. In the three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0, the state of "101" activated in the 5th combination is switched to the state of "110" activated in the 6th combination. During this switching process from cutoff to conduction in the 6th loop, once / in response to the voltage level exceeding the conduction threshold of current source I1, current source I1 automatically conducts, thus establishing the 6th loop: positive power supply → X2 → X1 → I1 → negative power supply. Since current source I1 has the highest conduction priority in the priority setting order IR2 < IR0 < IR1, the 6th loop will automatically conduct before the 5th loop.

[0427] During the subsequent time interval [T7, T8], the sinusoidal voltage rises into the 7th voltage range, which is greater than VX2 + VX1 + VX0. In the three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0, the state of "110" activated in the 6th combination is switched to the state of "111" activated in the 7th combination. Since at time T67, during the period when current source I1 in the 6th loop is turned on, the priority of the three current sources is reset again: IR2 < IR1 < IR0. Furthermore, control unit U1 is set to turn off switching unit S1 synchronously with the priority reset at time T67. Therefore, during this switching process from off to on in the 7th loop, when the voltage exceeds VX2 + VX1 + VX0 and is sufficient to simultaneously turn on the three LED arrays X2, X1, and X0 connected in series, although it is also sufficient to turn on the two LED arrays X2 and X1 in the 6th loop, the controlled current source I0 will turn on and off the controlled current source I1 according to its highest conduction priority.

[0428] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, during the rise of the periodic DC voltage, the controlled current sources in the n-stage light-emitting driving units along the cascade direction A1 are respectively turned on in different voltage ranges. The conduction duration of each controlled current source is continuous, occurring successively, and essentially one after another. The switching between any two conductions is essentially seamless, because the turning off of the former and the turning on of the latter often occur synchronously / concurrently / simultaneously. Through the study of the above three LED arrays, and with the aid of mathematical inductive assumptions and verification, it can be deduced that: through the priority setting of the controlled current sources, and the coordination of the switching units with the current sources under the control unit, the conduction of each stage of the controlled current source is related to the 2 n The correspondence between the -1 voltage ranges is as follows:

[0429] The nth controlled current source in the nth-level light-emitting driving unit is turned on to a unique voltage range: the 2nd n-1 Within a voltage range, the nth stage light-emitting driving unit or the nth stage controlled current source is located at the upstream / foremost point along the cascade direction.

[0430] The k-th controlled current source in the k-th level light-emitting driving unit is turned on by 2. n-k The (2m-1)×2th voltage interval k-1 Voltage range, for example: the 2nd k-1 Voltage range, 3×2 k-1 Voltage range, ..., the (2m-1)×2th k-1 Voltage range, ...; where m is an integer, m∈[1,2] n-k ], where k is an integer, 1≤k≤n;

[0431] The first controlled current source in the first-stage light-emitting driving unit is turned on by 2. n -1 voltage range in 2 n-1 The second of the voltage ranges b -1 voltage range, where b is an integer, 1 ≤ b ≤ n, for example: the 1st voltage range, the 3rd voltage range, the 5th voltage range, ..., the 2nd voltage range. n -1 voltage range. Among them, the first-stage light-emitting driving unit or the first-stage controlled current source is located at the downstream / last end along the cascade direction.

[0432] The above correspondence applies to n being an integer of 2, 3, or greater than 3; the specific proof will not be elaborated further. For example, when n = 4, the first controlled current source in the first-stage light-emitting driving unit is turned on at position 2. 4 -1 voltage range in 2 4-1 The voltage ranges are: voltage range 1, voltage range 3, voltage range 5, voltage range 7, voltage range 9, voltage range 11, voltage range 13, and voltage range 15. The second controlled current source in the second-stage light-emitting drive unit is turned on at voltage range 2. 4 -1 voltage range in 2 4-2 Within the voltage ranges: voltage range 2, voltage range 6, voltage range 10, and voltage range 14. The third-stage controlled current source is turned on at voltage range 2. 4 -1 voltage range in 2 4-3 Of the voltage ranges: the 4th voltage range and the 12th voltage range. The 4th level controlled current source is turned on at 2. 4 -1 voltage range in 2 4-4 Of the voltage ranges: the 8th voltage range.

[0433] The following is combined Figure 11 , Figure 12A , Figure 12B Figure 13 and Figure 14 The circuit structure of the basic light-emitting driving unit (or circuit unit) and the circuit structure of different numbers of cascaded circuit units are described.

[0434] Figure 11 A control circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a circuit unit and a load circuit XY_1 that operates in conjunction with the control circuit as a load. Optionally, the current flowing through the load circuit is controllable. Assume the number of loads in the circuit unit is n = 2. Figure 11 The circuit unit Dr_11 shown in other related embodiments of the present invention includes a first controlled current source I11 with a first current, a switching unit S11, a unidirectional switch D11, and externally connected first nodes N11, second nodes N21, third nodes N31, and fourth nodes N41. The first controlled current source I11 is coupled to the second nodes N21 and N41, the switching unit S11 is coupled to the first nodes N11 and N31, the unidirectional switch D11 is coupled to the second nodes N21 and N31, and the first nodes N11 and N41 are coupled to an external variable power source with a variable voltage. A second load is coupled to the second node N21, and a load circuit is coupled between the third node N31 and the fourth node N41. The second loads are all unidirectionally conductive. The load circuit includes at least one second controlled current source (not shown in the figure) with a second current. The conduction direction of the second controlled current source is consistent with the conduction direction of the unidirectional switch D11. The conduction direction of the first controlled current source I11 is consistent with the conduction direction of the second load L_21. It also includes a control unit (not shown in the figure), coupled to the control terminal of the switch unit S11 and the first controlled current source I11. The control unit acquires an electrical signal positively correlated with the variable power supply voltage, establishing multiple series loops. One or more of these first nodes N11, second nodes N21, third nodes N31, and fourth nodes N41, or in some embodiments, are formed as pins of the control circuit. The first nodes N11 and second nodes N21 can constitute a port in the light-emitting driving unit of other embodiments, used for coupling the corresponding LED array, light-emitting load, or circuit load, etc. The control unit in the series loop or control circuit is specifically configured as follows:

[0435] i) In response to the voltage between the first node N11 and the fourth node N41 being greater than the on-state voltage drop of the first load L_11 and less than the on-state voltage drop of the second load L_21, the first series circuit including the variable power supply VIN, the switching unit S11 and the first load L_11 is turned on.

[0436] ii) In response to the voltage between the first node N11 and the fourth node N41 being greater than the on-state voltage drop of the second load L_21 and less than the sum of the on-state voltage drops of the first load L_11 and the second load L_21, the second series circuit comprising the variable power supply VIN, the second load L_21 and the first controlled current source I11 is turned on.

[0437] iii) In response to the voltage between the first node N11 and the fourth node N41 being greater than the sum of the on-state voltage drops of the first load L_11 and the second load L_21, a third series circuit comprising the variable power supply VIN, the second load L_21, the unidirectional switch D11 and the first load L_11 is turned on.

[0438] In response to the voltage between the first node N11 and the fourth node N41 being less than the on-state voltage drop of the first load L_11, the switching unit S11 is controlled to turn on.

[0439] In response to the voltage between the first node N11 and the fourth node N41 being less than the on-state voltage drop of the second load L_21, the switching unit S11 is controlled to turn on, and the first current source I11 is controlled to have a higher priority than the second current source.

[0440] In response to the voltage between the first node N11 and the fourth node N41 being greater than a first switching threshold, the switching unit S11 is controlled to be turned off; in response to the voltage between the first node N11 and the fourth node N41 being greater than a second switching threshold, the conduction priority of the first current source I11 is controlled to be lower than that of the second current source, and the on-state voltage drop of the second load L_21 is less than the first switching threshold ≤ the second switching threshold < the sum of the on-state voltage drops of the first load L_11 and the second load L_21; and in response to the output voltage of the variable power supply (hereinafter referred to as output voltage or variable voltage) being less than a third switching threshold, the switching unit S11 is controlled to be turned on; in response to the output voltage being less than a fourth switching threshold, the conduction priority of the first current source I11 is controlled to be higher than that of the second current source, and the on-state voltage drop of the second load L_21 is less than the third switching threshold ≤ the fourth switching threshold < the sum of the on-state voltage drops of the first load L_11 and the second load L_21. Here, the first switching threshold, the second switching threshold, the third switching threshold, and the fourth switching threshold can be configured to fixed values, and their physical meanings correspond to VX1+VOS1, VX1+VOS1A, VX1+VOS2, and VX1+VOS2A as described in other parts of this specification, respectively.

[0441] As an alternative, in response to the voltage between the second node N21 and the fourth node N41 being greater than a fifth switching threshold, the switching unit S11 is controlled to be turned off; in response to the voltage between the second node N21 and the fourth node N41 being greater than a sixth switching threshold, the conduction priority of the first current source I11 is controlled to be lower than that of the second current source, wherein the fifth switching threshold ≤ the sixth switching threshold < the conduction voltage drop of the first load L_11; and in response to the voltage between the second node N21 and the fourth node N41 being less than a seventh switching threshold, the switching unit S11 is controlled to be turned on, in response to the second node N21... The voltage between the first current source I11 and the fourth node N41 is less than the eighth switching threshold. The priority of controlling the conduction of the first current source I11 is higher than that of the second current source. The seventh switching threshold ≤ the eighth switching threshold < the on-state voltage drop of the first load L_11. Here, the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth switching thresholds can be configured to fixed values, and their physical meanings correspond to VOS1, VOS1A, VOS2 and VOS2A described in other parts of this specification, respectively.

[0442] Optionally, the unidirectional switch D11 is a reverse current protection unit, including a unidirectional diode. The diode is configured in the same direction as the load conduction direction, for example... Figure 5 As shown in D1.

[0443] In one embodiment of the present invention, a control circuit is also proposed, comprising n cascaded circuit units as described above, wherein in two adjacent circuit units, the third node of the first circuit unit is coupled to the first node of the second circuit unit, and the third node of the first circuit unit is coupled to the first node of the second circuit unit.

[0444] In one embodiment of the present invention, a driving circuit is also provided, including a variable power supply and the control circuit described above.

[0445] According to the above driving circuit, the variable power supply includes a rectifier circuit, the input terminal of which can be coupled to an external AC power supply, and the output terminal outputs a variable voltage.

[0446] The output terminal of the rectifier circuit (i.e., the location of the DC power supply VIN) is connected in parallel with a first energy storage circuit (not shown in the figure). When the AC current is higher than the variable voltage, the energy storage circuit is charged, and when the AC current is lower than the variable voltage, the energy storage circuit is discharged.

[0447] A lighting device includes the aforementioned driving circuit and a load (e.g., a light-emitting load).

[0448] At least one third load is connected in series between the variable power supply and the control circuit of the lighting device (e.g., between the corresponding terminals of node N11 and power supply VIN). That is, the electrical energy output from the variable power supply first flows through the third load and then through the subsequent control circuit, which includes multiple (cascaded) circuit units, thereby potentially maintaining the third load in a constantly conducting state.

[0449] Optionally, the load is a light-emitting load, including at least one LED array.

[0450] Optionally, the load further includes a second energy storage circuit coupled in parallel with the at least one LED array, and at least one second diode connected in series with the parallel body formed by the at least one LED array and the energy storage circuit coupled in parallel therewith, wherein the conduction direction of the second diode is the same as the conduction direction of the LED array.

[0451] The first energy storage circuit or the second energy storage circuit includes at least one capacitor.

[0452] Optionally, the LED array includes at least one or more mutually coupled LEDs.

[0453] a) Figure 12A , Figure 12B , Figure 13 Functional block diagrams showing the different types of loads to which the control circuit of this invention is applicable; Figure 12A In some of the control circuits mentioned above, only one current source is connected between two nodes (e.g., between nodes N11 and N21, or between nodes N31 and N41). This application allows the current to have no dead time when the voltage of the variable power supply crosses zero, and can be used in power supply applications equipped with thyristor dimming devices.

[0454] b) Figure 12B The diagram illustrates the configuration of the light-emitting load circuit in a typical embodiment of the present invention. For scenarios without a thyristor dimming device, power loss at the zero-crossing point of the input voltage can be eliminated.

[0455] c) Figure 13 This illustration shows a cascaded configuration of light-emitting loads in one embodiment of the present invention, which is applicable to the connection of more light-emitting loads and LED array combinations, thereby improving efficiency.

[0456] Figure 13 In another embodiment of the present invention, the control circuit includes a control circuit with multiple cascaded circuit units; Figure 13In this circuit, n=3. The third node N31 of the first driving unit (or circuit unit) Dr_11 is coupled to the first node N12 of the second driving unit Dr_12, and the fourth node N41 of the first driving unit Dr_11 is coupled to the fourth node N42 of the second driving unit Dr_12. The third node N31 and the fourth node N41 of the first driving unit Dr_11 supply power to the second driving unit Dr_12, the load L_22, and the load L_12. In other words, Figure 11 The load L_11 and load circuit XY_2B (including controlled current source I21) driven by the first driving unit Dr_11 are replaced by load circuit XY_3, load L_23, and load L_22. The load circuit XY_3 includes light-emitting driving unit Dr_12 and controlled current source I21.

[0457] Similarly, for a control circuit composed of cascaded circuit units with n=4, it can be configured as follows: Figure 14 The diagram shows a control circuit that includes multiple cascaded circuit units, and Figure 13 The cascaded load between nodes N31 and N41 of the first light-emitting driving unit is... Figure 13 The load circuits XY_3, L_23, and L_22 in the original circuit are replaced with load circuits XY_4, L_22, L_23, and L_24. Load circuit XY_4 includes light-emitting driving units Dr_12 and Dr_13, and a controlled current source I21. Since each level of the second light-emitting driving unit has the same structure as the first light-emitting driving unit and they are all cascaded, these light-emitting driving units form a nested connection structure. The operating mechanism of each light-emitting driving unit (e.g., relative to its subsequent cascaded load circuits), including the priority setting of the controlled current source in each light-emitting driving unit, is similar to that of the first-stage circuit unit and can be deduced by analogy, so it will not be elaborated further.

[0458] Of course, in some embodiments of the present invention, an electrical parameter measurement unit (not shown in the figure) is also included, coupled to the drive circuit (including the rectifier module and the control circuit), and configured to measure the output of the rectifier circuit in the form of voltage or current, thereby obtaining the output voltage of the DC power supply. Alternatively, the electrical parameter measurement unit (not shown in the figure) may also be coupled within the control circuit to obtain the output voltage of the DC power supply by measuring some electrical parameters in the form of current or voltage within the control circuit. Because these electrical parameters are positively / negatively correlated with the output voltage of the DC power supply or the output voltage of the rectifier, they can reflect the output voltage. With the output voltage of the DC power supply obtained via the electrical parameter measurement unit, it is possible to determine which voltage range the current output voltage is in, thereby correspondingly (re)setting the switching unit and the controlled current source.

[0459] In some embodiments of the present invention, according to the conduction sequence defined by the conduction priorities dynamically configured by the control unit, each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 can operate to: for a controlled current source whose output voltage difference is greater than the conduction threshold, conduct one of the three current sources according to the conduction priority to establish the connection between each of the controlled current sources and 2. n The correspondence between -1 (n=3) voltage ranges.

[0460] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown in the embodiment with n=3, in some embodiments of the present invention, when the output voltage of the DC power supply is a periodic DC voltage, such as a sinusoidal voltage; the switching units S2, S1 and the controlled current sources I2, I1, I0 in each light-emitting driving unit can be operated to cooperate in turning on / off, so that with the change of the sinusoidal voltage, the minimum change in the on-state voltage is within 2 n -1 LED array combination is switched on and off. This means that whenever the sinusoidal voltage rises to a higher level, the switching units S2, S1 and the controlled current sources I2, I1, I0 work together to selectively turn on an LED array group with a higher on-state voltage drop to optimally match the current value of this higher level of sinusoidal voltage. Each switching of the LED array group requires a minimum increment / step / granular change in on-state voltage drop to match the change in sinusoidal voltage.

[0461] Specifically, during the rise of the sinusoidal voltage, as the voltage level increases, two LED arrays are sequentially connected in series and turned on in ascending order of their on-state voltage drops, according to the possible combinations of LED array combinations. n -1 LED array combination, as shown in Table 1 for the case of n=3 above, the conduction sequence of the LED array combinations is as follows. Alternatively, as the voltage level decreases, 2 LEDs are connected in series and turned on sequentially in descending order of conduction voltage drop. n -1 LED array combination.

[0462] Therefore, as the output voltage changes, the control circuit U1 selectively / dynamically connects and conducts circuit 2 in series. n -1 LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop is closest to the instantaneous value of a sinusoidal voltage, or in other words, in 2 n Switching between LED array combinations whose on-state voltage drop corresponds to the instantaneous value of the sinusoidal voltage in a -1 LED array combination improves circuit efficiency.

[0463] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, during the rising period (i.e., the 0°-90° phase interval) or falling period (i.e., the 90°-180° phase interval) of the sinusoidal voltage, each controlled current source I2, I1, I0 can be operated to automatically turn on one by one in order of priority in response to the voltage difference between the two output terminals of the controlled current source exceeding the conduction threshold, thereby successively establishing multiple series loops. In this case, the multiple series loops are established continuously and sequentially, with essentially no gap between any two.

[0464] Optionally, in Figure 3 In the control circuit shown, the switching units S2 and S1 and the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are N-type semiconductor devices. The circuit structure is explained in detail using the third light-emitting driving unit as an example. The anode of the unidirectional diode D2 is connected to the second terminal of the port, so that when each port couples the LED arrays X2, X1, and X0, the cathode of the LED array X2 is connected to the anode of the diode D2. The positive terminal (or current inflow terminal) of the switching unit S2 is connected to the first terminal of the port, so that when this port couples the LED array, the anode of the LED array X2 is connected to the positive terminal of the switching unit S2. The negative terminal (or current outflow terminal) of the switching unit S2 is connected to the cathode of the unidirectional diode D2. The two output terminals of the controlled current source I2 are connected across the anode of the unidirectional diode D2 and the negative output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2. The control terminal of the controlled current source I2 is coupled to the control unit U1. In this third-level light-emitting driving unit, the positive terminal of the switching unit S2 is connected to the first terminal of the port of the light-emitting driving unit. The connection point / node between the two is used to couple the positive output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2. Thus, when the port couples the LED array, the positive terminal of the LED array X2 is also coupled to the positive terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2. Of course, the "coupling" / "connection" mentioned here and in other embodiments can refer to direct connection / coupling, or indirect connection / coupling through current limiting devices, circuit components, etc. In addition, the connection relationships of other light-emitting driving units such as ports, unidirectional diodes, switching units, and controlled current sources can be similar and will not be described again.

[0465] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second-stage light-emitting driving unit and the first-stage light-emitting driving unit are sequentially cascaded after the aforementioned third-stage light-emitting driving unit, forming as follows: Figure 3 The circuit structure shown is shown.

[0466] Since the current values ​​at the output terminals of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 can be proportional to the control signals (voltage signals / current signals) at their control terminals, in some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit U1 is configured to: control the current of each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 to be continuous / smooth during the switching process between them via the control terminals of each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0, and preferably, to apply control signals proportional / positively correlated with the (rectified) mains power to the control terminals of each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0, for example, IR0, IR1, and IR2 having (quasi-)sine wave waveforms during their existence, such as... Figure 4 As shown in the waveform, the output currents of the controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are all proportional to or positively correlated with the rectified sinusoidal mains voltage, reducing harmonic components. Furthermore, since the currents in the multiple controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are all controlled to be proportional to and positively correlated with the rectified sinusoidal voltage, the switching process between the series circuits corresponding to each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 is not only nearly seamless but also smoother.

[0467] In addition, as the output voltages of the controlled current sources I1 and I0 gradually cross their respective VTH (neighborhood), the current generated by the sinusoidal voltage applied to the light-emitting load will switch from the previous series circuit to the current series circuit. This switching is a relatively short transition process.

[0468] Specifically, such as Figure 3 In this circuit, a rectified power supply (also referred to as output voltage in other embodiments), consisting of nodes L and N connected to external AC power and a rectifier module / unit DB1, has a periodic pulsating voltage value. The LED array combinations that are turned on are periodically switched. Before and after switching, the current of the LED array is controlled by different controlled current sources. During the transition process, the current output by the rectified power supply is gradually transferred from one LED array combination to another, and the current output by the rectified power supply is gradually transferred from the controlled current source in the previous loop to the controlled current source in the current loop. For example, the current output by the rectified power supply gradually transfers from the currently turned-on controlled current source to a controlled current source with higher conduction priority among those with output voltage greater than the conduction threshold. Alternatively, in response to the output voltage of the currently turned-on controlled current source being less than the conduction threshold, the current output by the rectified power supply gradually transfers from the currently turned-on controlled current source to a controlled current source with higher conduction priority among those with output voltage greater than the threshold.

[0469] Optionally, this transition process can be controlled by the control unit to be a smooth transition process: when the rectified voltage rises, in response to the current increase of one of the two controlled current sources, the other current decreases accordingly and varies synchronously, until one current increases to the maximum value / adjustment target value and the other decreases to the minimum value or is cut off; conversely, when the rectified voltage drops, in response to the current decrease of one of the two controlled current sources, the other current increases accordingly and varies synchronously, until one current decreases to the minimum value or is cut off and the other increases to the maximum value / adjustment target value. This ensures that during the short transition process of switching between the loops, the two switched light-emitting load combinations will not exhibit electrical / optical non-smoothness or discontinuity as a whole.

[0470] It can be understood that the 7 combinations formed by the 3 LED arrays X2, X1, X0 arranged along the cascading direction may not satisfy the above condition that "the turn-on voltage drop of each LED array located upstream in the cascade is greater than the sum of the turn-on voltage drops of all LED arrays at its downstream stages", that is, VX2>VX1+VX0, VX1>VX0, and so on. For example, the turn-on voltage drop of the LED array X2 is 25 volts, the turn-on voltage drop of the LED array X1 is 20 volts, and the turn-on voltage drop of the LED array X0 is 10 volts, in which case VX2 < VX1 + VX0. For this layout variation of the LED arrays, the turn-on priority of each LED array combination can be set correspondingly, so that the control methods and control circuits in some embodiments disclosed in the present application can be adapted to such LED array arrangements. In addition, in some embodiments, for a driving circuit, a driving device, a lighting device, etc. with n LED arrays, the apparent arrangement order of the n LED arrays is not limited to the variations disclosed in some embodiments of the present application. For example, the n LEDs may be coupled to the ports / pins of the control circuit in descending order of turn-on voltage drop, but the arrangement order of the n LED arrays on the lamp panel of the lighting device may be swapped, so that their arrangement sequence on the lamp panel / substrate of the lighting device may be annular, square, linear, etc. In addition, as Figure 2As shown, these driving circuits or driving devices include a rectifier module / unit DB1 and a control circuit Drive_2. The rectifier module DB1 is configured to rectify the sinusoidal electrical energy supplied by the mains power L / N and output it to the control circuit Drive_2. The lighting device includes: the rectifier module DB1, the control circuit Drive_2, and an n-LED array Xn_2 coupled to the control circuit Drive_2 through the ports / pins of each light-emitting driving unit. The various embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the present invention. The present invention allows for modifications, additions, deletions, or additions to the constituent elements of the above embodiments without requiring inventive effort. These modifications or alterations that fall within the scope of the claims are all within the scope of the present invention.

[0471] Furthermore, during the periodic pulsating voltage drop (90°-180° phase interval), multiple series circuits are switched in a second order, thereby continuously reducing the on-state voltage drop of the LED array in the current circuit to match the decrease in input voltage and achieve better energy conversion efficiency. The second order is the reverse of the first order, following the reverse order in Table 1, switching from combination 7, combination 6, ..., combination 1. Specifically, i) the switching units S2, S1, controlled current sources I2, I1, I0, and 2 during the 90°-180° phase interval of the sinusoidal voltage or the period of pulsating voltage drop... n -1 The correspondence between voltage ranges, ii) the switching units and controlled current sources in the 0°-90° phase range of the sinusoidal voltage and 2 n The correspondence between the -1 voltage range, these two correspondences are in Figure 4 The waveform diagram shown illustrates that the voltage peak is approximately symmetrical along the sine wave. Figure 4 As shown, the order from top to bottom in Table 2 below can be compared to the sequential conduction process of the 7 LED array combinations in Table 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0472] Table 2: Correspondence between the state switching of the three LED arrays and the three-bit binary representation during the falling phase of the periodic voltage.

[0473]

[0474] Figure 10 This is a waveform diagram of some circuit nodes / connection points in the control circuit and drive circuit for three light-emitting loads according to another embodiment of the present invention. Here, it can also be combined with... Figure 10 From another perspective Figure 3 The control circuit and drive circuit of the illustrated embodiment will be described in more detail and in greater variety.

[0475] A DC power supply (which may also be referred to as a rectified power supply) that rectifies mains power, which Figure 3 The middle control circuit outputs a periodic pulsating voltage. As the pulsating voltage value changes, the 7 LED array combinations are periodically switched to the on state. Before and after each switching, the current of the LED array is controlled by different controlled current sources I0, I1, and I2. During the switching process, the current output by the rectified power supply is gradually transferred from one controlled current source to another through a transition process, and the current output by the rectified power supply is gradually transferred from one LED array combination to another LED array combination. Preferably, this transition process is controlled to be a smooth transition process, for example, the current output by the rectified power supply is gradually transferred from the currently conducting first controlled current source to the second controlled current source, the output terminal voltage of the second controlled current source is greater than the conduction threshold (the conduction threshold may be greater than or equal to zero), and the second controlled current source has a higher conduction priority than the first controlled current source. Or, alternatively, in response to the output terminal voltage of the currently conducting first controlled current source being less than its conduction threshold (the conduction threshold may be greater than or equal to zero), the current output by the rectified power supply is gradually transferred from the currently conducting first controlled current source to the controlled current source with higher conduction priority among the controlled current sources whose output terminal voltages are greater than their conduction thresholds.

[0476] Taking three light-emitting loads as an example, such as Figure 3 and Figure 10 as shown, the conduction voltage drops of the three light-emitting loads X0, X1, and X2 are configured to have the following magnitude relationship: VX0<VX1, VX0+VX1<VX2. The control unit U1 sets control signals IR0, IR1, and IR2 that are positively correlated with the rectified voltage for the three controlled current sources I0, I1, and I2 respectively, so that the three controlled current sources I0, I1, and I2 have different conduction priorities sorted according to the level of the electric potential. In addition, the magnitude difference between IR0, IR1, and IR2 described in the following working process is much smaller than the absolute values of IR0, IR1, and IR2, so that its influence on the absolute values of IR0, IR1, and IR2 is basically ignored.

[0477] At the zero crossing point of the rectified voltage, before time T1, Vrec<VX0, the output voltage of the rectified power supply (or referred to as the rectified voltage for short) is not sufficient to drive any one or more light-emitting loads, and the states of the switch units S1, S2 and the controlled current sources I0, I1, I2 do not need any control or restriction. Of course, optionally, in specific implementation, the states of each switch unit and the controlled current source in this time interval can be arbitrarily controlled according to the convenience of the implementation solution, such as Figure 4 or Figure 10As shown, in both of these embodiments, before time T1, the control switch units S1 and S2 are controlled to be in an on state, and the control signals representing priorities are set as IR2>IR1>IR0. This also applies to the case in other embodiments where the rectified voltage VREC has a relatively low voltage value that cannot turn on any single light-emitting load, which will not be repeated herein.

[0478] Before the rectified voltage VREC rises to reach VX0, the control switch units S1 and S2 are turned on. In response to the rectified voltage VREC being greater than VX0 (corresponding to time T1), the current of the controlled current source I0 (gradually) increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR0, turning on the light-emitting load group X0. Further, before the rectified voltage reaches VX1 (corresponding to time T2), the control signals are configured such that IR0<IR1. Optionally, IR2 can be set arbitrarily, for example, IR2>IR1>IR0, that is, the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I0 is lower than the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I1.

[0479] When the rectified voltage VREC gradually rises to reach VX1 (corresponding to time T2), the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR1. Synchronously, the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually decreases to zero, that is, the current of the rectified power supply is transferred from the controlled current source I0 to the controlled current source I1 through a transition process, and the light-emitting load group is smoothly switched from the light-emitting load group X0 to the light-emitting load group X1. Further, before the rectified voltage reaches VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T3), the control switch unit (also referred to as a bypass switch) S1 is controlled to be turned off, the switch unit S2 is maintained in an on state, and the control signals are configured such that IR0>IR1 at a time no earlier than (simultaneously, synchronously, or later than) the turn-off of S1. Here, IR2 can be set arbitrarily, for example, preferably: IR2>IR0>IR1, that is, the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I1.

[0480] When the rectified voltage VREC gradually rises to reach VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T3), the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR0. Synchronously, due to the setting of the priority relationship IR0>IR1, the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually decreases to zero, that is, the current of the rectified power supply is gradually transferred from the controlled current source I1 to the controlled current source I0, and the light-emitting load group is smoothly switched from X1 to the light-emitting load groups X1 and X0. Further, before the rectified voltage VREC reaches VX2 (corresponding to time T4), the switch unit S1 is maintained in an off state, the switch unit S2 is maintained in an on state, and the control signals are configured such that IR2>IR0>IR1, that is, the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I2 is higher than the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I0, and the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I1.

[0481] As the rectified voltage VREC gradually rises to VX2 (corresponding to time T4), the current of the controlled current source I2 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR2. Simultaneously, due to the priority relationship IR2>IR0>IR1, the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually decreases to zero. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I0 to the controlled current source I2, and the light-emitting load group smoothly switches from X1 and X0 to the light-emitting load group X2. Further, before the rectified voltage VREC reaches VX2+VX0 (corresponding to time T5), the control switch unit S2 is turned off, the switch unit S1 is turned on, and the control signal IR0>IR2 is configured no earlier than the time when the switch unit S2 is turned off. Here, IR1 can be arbitrarily set. For example, optionally, the priority relationship is set to IR1>IR0>IR2, that is, the conduction priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than the conduction priority of the controlled current source I2.

[0482] As the rectified voltage VREC gradually rises to VX2+VX0 (corresponding to time T5), the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR0. Due to the priority relationship IR0>IR2, the current of the controlled current source I2 simultaneously decreases to zero. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I2 to the controlled current source I0, and the light-emitting load group smoothly switches from X2 to the light-emitting load groups X2 and X0. Furthermore, before the rectified voltage VREC reaches VX2+VX1 (corresponding to time T6), the switching unit S2 is kept off, and the switching unit S1 is turned on. The control signal IR1>IR0>IR2 is configured, that is, the conduction priority of the controlled current source I1 is higher than that of the controlled current source I0, and the conduction priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than that of the controlled current source I2.

[0483] As the rectified voltage VREC gradually rises to VX2+VX1 (corresponding to time T6), the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR1. Due to the priority relationship IR1>IR0>IR2, the current of the controlled current source I0 simultaneously decreases to zero. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I0 to the controlled current source I1, i.e., smoothly switching from the light-emitting load groups X2 and X0 to the light-emitting load groups X2 and X1. Furthermore, before the rectified voltage VREC reaches VX2+VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T7), the switching unit S2 is kept off, the control switching unit S1 is turned off, and the control signal IR0>IR1>IR2 is configured no earlier than the time when the switching unit S1 is turned off. That is, the conduction priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than that of the controlled current source I1, and the conduction priority of the controlled current source I1 is higher than that of the controlled current source I2.

[0484] As the rectified voltage VREC gradually rises to VX2+VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T7), the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR0. Simultaneously, due to the priority relationship IR0>IR1>IR2, the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually decreases to zero. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I1 to the controlled current source I0, smoothly switching from the light-emitting load groups X2 and X1 to the light-emitting load groups X2, X1, and X0. Further, the rectified voltage continues to rise to its peak value and then begins to decrease. Before the rectified voltage VREC decreases to VX2+VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T8), the switching units S2 and S1 are kept off, and the control signal IR0>IR1>IR2 is maintained. That is, the conduction priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than that of the controlled current source I1, and the conduction priority of the controlled current source I1 is higher than that of the controlled current source I2.

[0485] As the rectified voltage VREC gradually decreases to VX2+VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T8), the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually decreases to zero. Simultaneously, the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR1. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I0 to the controlled current source I1, and the light-emitting load group smoothly switches from X2, X1, and X0 to the light-emitting load group X2 and X1. Furthermore, before the rectified voltage VREC decreases to VX2+VX1 (corresponding to time T9), the switching unit S2 is kept off, the switching unit S1 is controlled to be turned on, and the control signal IR1>IR0>IR2 is configured no later than the time when the switching unit S1 is turned on. That is, the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I1 is higher than that of the controlled current source I0, and the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than that of the controlled current source I2.

[0486] As the rectified voltage VREC gradually decreases to VX2+VX1 (corresponding to time T9), the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually decreases to zero. Simultaneously, the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR0. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I1 to the controlled current source I0, i.e., a smooth switch from the light-emitting load groups X2 and X1 to the light-emitting load groups X2 and X0. Furthermore, before the rectified voltage VREC decreases to VX2+VX0 (corresponding to time T10), the switching unit S2 is kept off and the switching unit S1 is kept on, and the control signal IR0>IR2 (IR1 can be arbitrarily set) is configured, i.e., the conduction priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than that of the controlled current source I2.

[0487] As the rectified voltage VREC gradually decreases to VX2 + VX0 (corresponding to time T10), the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually decreases to zero. Simultaneously, the current of the controlled current source I2 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR2. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I0 to the controlled current source I2, i.e., a smooth switch is made from the light-emitting load groups X2 and X0 to the light-emitting load group X2. Furthermore, before the rectified voltage VREC decreases to VX2 (corresponding to time T11), the control switch unit S2 is turned on, the switch unit S1 is turned off, and the control signal IR2 > IR0 > IR1 is configured. That is, the conduction priority of the controlled current source I2 is higher than that of the controlled current source I0, and the conduction priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than that of the controlled current source I1.

[0488] When the rectified voltage VREC gradually decreases to VX2 (corresponding to time T11), because the rectified voltage VREC is insufficient to turn on the series-connected light-emitting load X2, the current of the controlled current source I2 gradually decreases to zero as the rectified voltage VREC decreases. At this time, although the rectified voltage VREC is sufficient to turn on both the circuit where the current source I0 is located (including light-emitting loads X0 and X1) and the circuit where the current source I1 is located (including only light-emitting load X1), due to the priority setting relationship IR0>IR1, the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR0, synchronously with the decrease of the current in the controlled current source I2. That is, the current of the rectified power supply VREC gradually shifts from the controlled current source I2 to the controlled current source I0, that is, the current smoothly switches from the light-emitting load group X2 to the light-emitting load groups X1 and X0. Furthermore, before the rectified voltage VREC drops to VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T12), the switching unit S2 is kept on and the switching unit S1 is kept off, and the control signal IR0>IR1 is configured (IR2 does not need to be deliberately restricted), that is, the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I0 is higher than the turn-on priority of the controlled current source I1.

[0489] When the rectified voltage VREC gradually decreases to VX1+VX0 (corresponding to time T12), because the rectified voltage VREC is insufficient to turn on the series-connected light-emitting loads X1 and X0, the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually decreases to zero. Simultaneously, because the rectified voltage VREC is still sufficient to turn on the light-emitting load group X1, the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR1. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I0 to the controlled current source I1, i.e., a smooth switch from the light-emitting load groups X1 and X0 to the light-emitting load group X1. Furthermore, before the rectified voltage VREC decreases to VX1 (corresponding to time T13), the switching unit S2 is kept on, the switching unit S1 is controlled to be on, and the control signal IR1>IR0 is configured no later than the time when the switching unit S1 is on (IR2 does not need to be deliberately restricted). That is, the conduction priority of the controlled current source I1 is higher than the conduction priority of the controlled current source I0.

[0490] When the rectified voltage VREC gradually decreases to VX1 (corresponding to time T13), the current of the controlled current source I1 gradually decreases to zero. Simultaneously, the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually increases to the current corresponding to the control signal IR0. That is, the current of the rectified power supply gradually shifts from the controlled current source I1 to the controlled current source I0, and the light-emitting load group smoothly switches from X1 to the light-emitting load group X0.

[0491] Furthermore, when the rectified voltage VREC drops below VX0 (corresponding to time T14), the current of the controlled current source I0 gradually decreases to zero until the rectified voltage drops to the zero-crossing point, and the next rectification cycle begins.

[0492] The above-described embodiments, methods, and processes are also applicable when n=2 or n>3.

[0493] If in some of the above embodiments the number of LED arrays n=2, then by means of Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the control circuit for a two-LED array according to an embodiment of the present invention can be shown. Figure 6 In order to be in Figure 5 The waveform diagrams at some circuit nodes / connection points in the control circuit of the illustrated embodiment are shown.

[0494] The following is combined Figure 5 and Figure 6The relevant embodiments of the present invention are further described below. In an application scenario involving a control circuit for two LED arrays, the LED arrays X1 and X0 are operated in three combinations through the cooperation of the switching unit S1 and current sources I1 and I0: combination 1 X0, combination 2 X1, and combination 3 X0+X1. The on-state voltage drops of these three LED array combinations are different, namely VX0, VX1, and VX1+VX0, respectively. These LED array combinations are located in three different series loops: the first loop is: power supply positive terminal → S1 → X0 → I0 → power supply negative terminal; the second loop is: power supply positive terminal → X1 → I1 → power supply negative terminal; and the third loop is: power supply positive terminal → X1 → X0 → I0 → power supply negative terminal. The switching unit or current source passing through each loop is in a conducting state. As the rectified sinusoidal voltage output by the DC power supply Rec_2 changes, these three LED array combinations, or the three series loops with different on-state voltage drops, are selectively switched on.

[0495] During this process, multiple controlled current sources I1 and I0 can operate to: respond to the voltage difference at their respective output terminals exceeding the conduction threshold, and automatically or in real time according to the priority set by the control unit U1, thereby dynamically switching the three LED array combinations mentioned above. Through this dynamic switching based on the voltage difference between the two output terminals of the current sources and the priority of each current source, power can always be supplied to the LED array combination whose on-state voltage drop best matches the sinusoidal voltage, thus improving circuit efficiency.

[0496] For example, as the sinusoidal voltage rises within the 0°-90° phase range, the first, second, and third LED arrays are sequentially activated. If a binary 1 represents the activation state of the corresponding LED array, then within the 0°-90° phase range of the sinusoidal voltage, the state changes of the two LED arrays X1 and X0 are: 00→01→10→11. However, within the 90°-180° phase range of the sinusoidal voltage, the state changes of the two LED arrays X1 and X0 are: 11→10→01→00. Initially, when the sinusoidal voltage is close to zero, both LED arrays are in an unactivated state.

[0497] The following is combined Figure 5 , Figure 6 The dynamic process of sequentially activating different LED array combinations as the sinusoidal voltage changes, as described above, and how the control unit U11, the switching unit S1, and the controlled current sources I1 and I0 inside the control circuit 011 cooperate in this process, will be explained in detail.

[0498] During the first time interval [T1, T2], the sinusoidal voltage rises into the voltage interval [VX0, VX1]. The voltage level is conducted to the port of the first light-emitting driving unit through the switching unit S1, and then to the current source I0 through the LED array X0 in the first light-emitting driving unit. When the sinusoidal voltage level exceeds VX0, it will automatically turn on when a sufficient voltage difference is generated across the controlled current source I0, thereby activating the first LED combination X0.

[0499] During the second time interval [T2, T3], the sinusoidal voltage continues to rise and enters the voltage interval [VX1, VX1+VX0]. At time T2, the voltage level of the sinusoidal voltage is conducted to the two ends of the current source I1 through the LED array X1 in the second light-emitting driving unit. During this process, the unidirectional diode D1 is used to prevent the current from flowing from the switching unit S1 to the current source I1, thus directly looping back to the negative output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2. The current source I1 can be operated to: automatically turn on in response to the voltage difference across the current source I1 being greater than its forward voltage drop, thereby establishing a second loop; or, once the voltage difference across the current source I1 is greater than its forward voltage drop, it immediately (automatically) turns on, thereby establishing a second loop. After the current source I1 is turned on, the switching unit S1 is cut off by the control unit U11 during the operation of the second loop. For a short period after time T2, although the switching unit S1 remains on, no current flows in the first loop. Therefore, at any given time, only one series loop in the control circuit 011 remains in operation.

[0500] At time T2-1 within the voltage range [VX1, VX1+VX0], the switching unit S1 undergoes the aforementioned state transition from on to off. Within the time range [T1, T2-1], the control unit U11 can set the priority of current sources I1 and I0 to IR1 > IR0 via the control terminals of each current source I1 and I0 or other circuit interfaces of current sources I0 and I1. This means that current source I1 has a higher conduction priority. Therefore, when the sinusoidal voltage continues to rise to a level that allows both the first and second circuits to conduct, the controlled current source I1, based on its higher priority, will automatically conduct once / in response to the voltage difference between its two output terminals exceeding its conduction voltage drop. At time T2-1, synchronously (or slightly lagging behind) with the state transition of the switching unit S1, the control unit U11 resets the priority order of the two current sources: IR1 < IR0. This means that I0 has a higher priority; in other words, the third circuit, which will be conducted via current source I0 in the next round, has a higher conduction priority.

[0501] The sinusoidal voltage continues to rise, entering a voltage range greater than VX1+VX0 at time T3. Due to the aforementioned priority setting, the third loop is preferentially turned on, and current source I1 is simultaneously turned off at time T3, canceling the second loop. The conduction state of LED arrays X1 and X0 is "11", which is maintained until time T4. The sinusoidal voltage then drops back from its peak to the voltage range [VX1, VX1+VX0]. Unlike the 0-90° phase range, the sinusoidal voltage shows an overall downward trend at this time and within its 90°-180° phase range. Starting from time T4, the voltage is insufficient to simultaneously turn on LED arrays X1 and X0. At this time, current source I0 in the third loop can operate to be turned off by the control unit once / in response to the voltage difference between its two output terminals falling below its conduction threshold. Current source I1 is turned on synchronously with the turn-off of current source I0 to re-establish the second loop. Since the current sources I0 and I1 automatically switch states and corresponding circuits by means of the voltage difference between their two output terminals, the conduction of the second circuit and the shutdown of the third circuit occur synchronously / simultaneously, and the transition (relay / handover) between circuits is close to "seamless".

[0502] Within the voltage range [VX1, VX1+VX0], the controlled current source I1 is turned on. At time T4-1 within this voltage range, the control unit U11 is configured to reset the priority: IR1 > IR0, so that current source I1 has a higher turn-on priority. Because the second loop has a higher on-state voltage drop, the controlled current source in the second loop is also set to a higher turn-on priority. Under the same turn-on conditions, the second loop will be turned on preferentially compared to the first loop.

[0503] Similarly, within the voltage range [VX1, VX1+VX0], i.e., the time range [T4, T5], the control unit U11 is also configured to: at time T4-1, before the currently conducting loop (referred to as the current loop in some embodiments), i.e., the second loop, is turned off, turn on the switching unit S1 in advance. This first loop is also the next loop to be turned on. Thus, through the switching unit S1, the voltage level of the sinusoidal voltage will be conducted and a voltage difference will be generated at the two output terminals of the current source I0. During the time period from T4-1 to T5, both the second loop and the first loop can be turned on by the sinusoidal voltage. However, since the control unit sets the current source I1 in the second loop to a higher conduction priority through the two control signals IR0 and IR1, the current source I1 and the second loop it belongs to are kept on during this time period from T4-1 to T5.

[0504] Here, from another perspective: Step SS-1-1a) is executed through the independent or associated / cooperative operation of controlled current sources I0, I1, control unit U11, switching unit S1, etc.: "During the sequential conduction of at least a portion of the plurality of series circuits, before the currently conducted circuit is turned off, the portion of the next circuit excluding the controlled current source is conducted by turning on the switching unit in the next circuit; and / or, during the sequential conduction of the plurality of series circuits, before the currently conducted circuit is turned off, the portion of the next circuit excluding the controlled current source is conducted by turning off the switching unit in the previous circuit." In some embodiments, among the three or more series circuits that are sequentially conducted, the previous circuit, the current circuit, and the next circuit, or the (k-1), k, and k+1th circuits, may correspond to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th circuits, respectively; or the 3rd, 4th, and 5th circuits, etc. Alternatively, in two or more series circuits that are connected in sequence, the current circuit and the next circuit, or the kth and k+1th circuits, can correspond to the 2nd and 3rd circuits, or the 3rd and 4th circuits, or the 5th and 6th circuits, and so on, without further details.

[0505] Optionally, the two cascaded light-emitting driving units in the control circuit 011 are coupled to the LED arrays X0 and X1 through two ports (not shown in the figure). If the control circuit 011 is packaged as a chip, these two ports can be extended outside the chip to form two pins of the chip, which are used to connect the LED arrays X0 and X1 respectively.

[0506] like Figure 5 As shown, the first terminals of the controlled current sources I1 and I0 are configured to couple the two LED arrays X0 and X1 respectively through their respective ports when the control circuit 011 is applied to the two LED arrays X0 and X1. The second terminals of each controlled current source are used to jointly couple the output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2; the on-state voltage drops of the two LED arrays are different. Optionally, the second terminals of the controlled current sources can be directly coupled to the output terminal of the DC power supply or indirectly coupled through a current-limiting device such as RCS. The aforementioned port / interface is not shown in the figure; this port is located where the LED arrays are connected.

[0507] Figure 5In the embodiment, the first light-emitting driving unit located at the downstream end of the cascading direction does not include a switching unit. Optionally, the first light-emitting driving unit may also include a switching unit. Assuming that the first light-emitting driving unit also includes a switching unit, the two light-emitting driving units are cascaded and powered by DC power supply Rec_2, such that the two switching units of these two light-emitting driving units are connected in series along the cascading direction A1; and the switching unit S1 is correspondingly connected across the port of the LED array X1.

[0508] The order of the on-state voltage drops of the three possible LED array combinations formed by the two LED arrays is as follows: the on-state voltage drop of the first combination is less than that of the second combination, and the on-state voltage drop of the second combination is less than that of the third combination. The control unit U11 is also configured to, according to the above-mentioned order of on-state voltage drops, coordinate (coordinately adjust) the conduction priority of each controlled current source I1, I0 through the control terminals or other circuit interfaces of each controlled current source I1, I0, so that during the rise of the sinusoidal voltage, the three LED combinations are turned on sequentially in ascending order of their on-state voltage drops, with the loop switching order being: Loop 1 → Loop 2 → Loop 3. Specifically, Loop 1 is established via current source I0, Loop 2 via current source I1, and Loop 3 via current source I0. During the decrease of the sinusoidal voltage, the three LEDs are turned on sequentially in descending order of their on-state voltage drop, with the switching order being: 3rd circuit → 2nd circuit → 1st circuit. Specifically, the 1st circuit is established via current source I0, the 2nd circuit via current source I1, and the 3rd circuit via current source I0. During this process, when the output voltage VREC(T) of the DC power supply is lower than the on-state voltage drop VX0 of the LED array X0, and during the conduction of current source I1, the priorities of current sources I0 and I1 are set / reset: Optionally, in the next or several subsequent circuits (e.g., the third circuit, the second circuit) to be turned on after 1) the current circuit (e.g., the second circuit) and 2) the time of setting the priority (e.g., T2-1), the controlled current source in the series circuit with a higher on-state voltage drop is set to a higher conduction priority. For example, here, the third circuit has a higher on-state voltage drop and corresponds to current source I0, while the second circuit has a lower on-state voltage drop and corresponds to current source I1; therefore, the control terminal signal is set: IR1 < IR0.

[0509] The forward voltage drop of a series circuit can roughly be considered as the forward voltage drop of the LED array combination within that circuit. With this priority setting, multiple controlled current sources I1 and I0 can operate to automatically turn on in real-time / immediately according to their priority when the voltage difference at their respective output terminals exceeds the turn-on threshold. This dynamically switches the LED array combination according to the change in the sinusoidal voltage, ensuring that power is always supplied to the LED array combination whose forward voltage drop best matches the output voltage. Thus, the three series circuits, or the three LED array combinations, can smoothly / continuously switch automatically with changes in the sinusoidal voltage, reducing EMI and improving circuit efficiency. Here, the dynamic coordinated adjustment of priorities and the sequential conduction of LED combinations according to priorities can also be understood from another perspective: it can be regarded as being executed through the cooperation of control unit U11 and controlled current sources I1 and I0: step S-3-1-x) "i) according to the descending order of the conduction voltage drop of the LED array combinations in the multiple series circuits, the priority of the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits is set in descending order; or ii) a higher conduction priority is set for the controlled current sources in the series circuits with higher conduction voltage drops", step SS-3b) "during the decrease of the output voltage, the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits are coordinated to automatically conduct in sequence according to the descending order of conduction voltage drop", or step SS-3a) "during the increase of the output voltage, the controlled current sources in the multiple series circuits are coordinated to automatically conduct in sequence according to the ascending order of conduction voltage drop", and the sub-steps of these steps will not be repeated.

[0510] Optionally, such as Figure 6As shown in the waveform diagram, the priority setting / resetting of each controlled current source I1, I0 is achieved by the control unit U11 applying control signals IR0, IR1 through the control terminals of each controlled current source I1, I0 or their respective other circuit interfaces. Furthermore, during the conduction of a certain current source (e.g., current source I1 in the second loop during the falling period), the priority setting for the continuously conducting second loop and the first loop can be basically synchronized with the state switching of the switching unit S1 in the first loop, for example, switching from cutoff to conduction as shown in the diagram. Thus, before the controlled current source I0 in the first loop is conducted, the switching unit S1 in the first loop is pre-conducted / closed. Through the conducted switching unit S1, a conduction channel for voltage and other electrical signals (power supply positive terminal → S1 → X0) is pre-established, thereby establishing the voltage difference across the corresponding controlled current source I0 in the first loop through this conduction channel. Once the conduction path is established, only one controlled current source remains unconducted in the series loop. Due to its inherent device characteristics, this controlled current source is operable to automatically conduct whenever the voltage at its two output terminals exceeds the conduction threshold of current source I0. Simultaneously, the entire series loop (positive power supply → S1 → X0 → I0 → negative power supply), including the previously established conduction path, is also fully / entirely turned on. Therefore, the state switching of the entire series loop (e.g., from off to on, or from on to off) is automatically / autonomously performed by the controlled source based on the generation, disappearance, and change of electrical signals such as the voltage at its output terminals, rather than being passively performed under the control of the control unit or other circuit components. In other words, this is not a blind "hard switching" dominated by the control unit. Multiple series circuits synchronously complete their respective state switching, which allows the switching between all series circuits to be automatically coordinated to achieve a basically seamless connection, that is, there is basically no electrical / electrical separation and the resulting electromagnetic interference (EMI).

[0511] Furthermore, the voltage difference across the controlled current source is not limited to being obtained through the aforementioned pre-conducted switching unit; it can also be obtained through one or more LED arrays in the circuit containing the current source, for example in... Figure 6 During the rise phase of the sinusoidal voltage shown, when switching from the first circuit to the second circuit, there is no switching unit in the second circuit. However, the LED array X1 is connected in the control circuit between the positive output terminal of the DC power supply Rec_2 and the controlled current source I1, forming a conduction path from the DC power supply Rec_2 to the controlled current source I1. Therefore, Figures 3-6The voltage and other electrical signals across the controlled current sources I2, I0, I1 (or simply current sources in some embodiments) can be formed via i) an LED array and / or ii) a switched-on unit in the series circuit containing the controlled current source. In some embodiments of the invention, the control circuit is structurally configured to enable the dynamic / static establishment or dismantling of these diverse conduction channels, but the topology of the control circuit is not limited to... Figure 3 , Figure 5 The cascaded structure is shown. Additionally, the second loop here is also referred to as the second loop, second circuit, second group of loops, etc., in some other embodiments. Other loops or LED arrays, LED array combinations are similar; "loop" can be a shorthand for series loop, and will not be elaborated further.

[0512] Furthermore, the voltage difference between the two output terminals of the controlled current source, as an electrical signal from the aforementioned conduction channel, can reflect whether the output voltage of the DC power supply Rec_2 is sufficient to turn on the LED array combination in the corresponding series circuit.

[0513] Optionally, according to Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, the control unit is configured to dynamically set / reset the priority of each controlled current source I2, I1, I0 in all n-stage light-emitting driving units during the conduction period of all controlled current sources except the last stage controlled current source, or in other words, during the conduction period of the controlled current sources of the first n-1 stages of the cascade, i.e., the second stage (n=2) or the second to nth stages (n>2) light-emitting driving units, through their respective control terminals or other circuit interfaces of the controlled sources, so as to define the conduction sequence of the subsequent series circuits corresponding to each controlled current source. Specifically, for n=3, during the conduction period of the controlled current sources I2 and I1 in the first two stages (i.e., stages 3 to 2) of the cascaded light-emitting driving unit, the priority of each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 is dynamically set / reset according to the on-state voltage drop of the subsequent series circuits corresponding to each controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 in the three-stage light-emitting driving unit. Since the three controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are multiplexed by seven circuits, the same controlled current source I2, I1, and I0 may correspond to different series circuits in different time intervals. Therefore, it is necessary to dynamically adjust their priorities within a complete sine wave cycle (the timing of dynamic adjustment is as described above and as follows). Figure 4 Figure 6 As shown), this allows the controlled current source in a series circuit with a higher on-state voltage drop to be set to a higher on-state priority.

[0514] In other words, in some embodiments of the present invention where n=2, the priorities of the controlled current sources I1 and I0 can both be dynamically configured by the control unit: during each conduction period of the controlled current source I1 of the first n-1 stages, i.e., the 2nd stage, the priorities of the two controlled current sources I1 and I0 in the 2-stage light-emitting driving unit are set / reset in the following manner: the priorities of the current source(s) in the conduction loops are set to decrease sequentially in descending order of the conduction voltage drop of the series loops that conduct in a predetermined sequence. Of course, there is no one-to-one correspondence between the series loops and the current sources, the number of the series loops is 3, which is greater than the number 2 of the current sources, and both the first loop and the third loop are established via the current source I0. At any moment, only the controlled current source that satisfies the condition that the voltage difference across its two terminals exceeds its conduction threshold and has the highest priority is turned on. For example, the priorities of the controlled current sources I1 and I0 are reset at time T2-1, and the subsequent round of "loop switching" is: second loop → third loop → second loop. The second loop corresponds to the current source I1 and the second LED array combination X1, and the third loop corresponds to the current source I0 and the third LED array combinations X1 and X0. The conduction voltage drop VX1+VX0 of the third loop is greater than the conduction voltage drop VX1 of the second loop, therefore, the conduction priority of the current source I0 is greater than the conduction priority of the current source I1, that is, the signal for coordinating the conduction priorities can be expressed as: IR1<IR0. The priority setting for other voltage intervals is similar to this, and will not be repeated here.

[0515] As Figure 4 and Figure 6As shown, during the continuous switching process of the first loop → second loop → third loop in the rising phase of the sine wave, while the current source I1 in the second loop is turned on as the current loop, the state of the switching unit S1 in the control circuit is switched (from the on state to the off state). That is, all branch / bypass circuits in the third loop are canceled, and / or all switching units in the third loop are turned on (e.g., S2 is turned on), thereby allowing only the output voltage VREC(T) to be connected to the output terminal of the current source I0 via the channel "X1→D1->X0". This ensures that the other parts of the third loop, except for the controlled current source I0, are pre-connected / established. For example, as the sine wave voltage rises above VX1+VX0, a voltage signal is generated at the output terminal of the controlled current source I0. This voltage signal can be considered as the output voltage of the DC power supply being generated across the controlled current source I0 via the already turned-on part of the third loop (power supply positive terminal → X1 → X0). Once the voltage signal exceeds the conduction threshold of the controlled current source I0, the controlled current source I0 immediately conducts. Here, the relationship between the state switching of the switching unit S1 and the establishment of the third loop can be understood from another perspective: During the conduction of the second loop, the switching unit (if any) in the third loop is turned on, and the switching unit S1, which can bypass the LED array combinations X1 and X0 in the third loop, is turned off. Thus, in the third loop, only the current source I0 remains in an unconducted state. The channel formed by the connected X1→D1->X0 allows the current source I0 to automatically conduct in response to the voltage signal established at the output terminal of the current source I0 through this channel. From yet another perspective: the portion of the third loop other than the controlled current source I0 is pre-established / conducted by canceling the bypass of the LED array X1 by the switching unit S1. In this embodiment, the multiple series loops are coupled to each other. The first loop is established via the switching unit S1. When the first loop is canceled by turning off the switching unit S1, the LED array X1 is also connected to the third loop. This allows the output voltage VREC(T) to establish a voltage signal at the output of the current source I0 through the conduction path X1→D1->X0. Once the output voltage VREC(T) rises above VX1+VX0, the current source is automatically turned on, thereby establishing the current in the third loop (power supply positive terminal → X1→D1->X0→current source I0→current limiting device RCS→power supply negative terminal).

[0516] Optionally, such as Figure 4 and Figure 6As shown, control units U1 and U11 are also configured to control the current continuity / smoothness of each controlled current source during the switching process via their respective control terminals or other circuit interfaces (not shown in the figure). Utilizing the characteristic that the output current of a voltage-controlled current source is proportional to its control terminal voltage, the current of each current source is controlled by controlling the voltage control signals at its control terminals (e.g., priority signals IR0, IR1, IR2). Simultaneously, in response to the waveform of the sinusoidal voltage VREC(T), the voltage signals at the output terminals of each current source are as follows: Figure 4 Figure 6 As shown in VI0(T), VI1(T), and VI2(T), the output currents of two adjacently conducting sources in multiple controlled current sources are thus coordinated to be continuous / smooth, as... Figure 4 Figure 6 The waveforms of I0(T), I1(T), and I2(T) are shown. Each time the controlled current sources I1, I2, and I0 are turned on, a corresponding series circuit is established. Therefore, the current in the multiple series circuits that are switched continuously, such as the second circuit → third circuit → second circuit in the above embodiment, is also continuous / smooth. Further optionally, the control units U1 and U11 are also configured to: control each controlled current source I1, I2, and I0 to provide a current proportional to the output voltage VREC(T) to the currently turned-on LED array combination through the control signals of the control terminals of the voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2, and I0. In other words, through the control terminals of each controlled current source I1, I2, and I0, control the currents I0(T), I1(T), and I2(T) in the turned-on controlled current sources to remain proportional to the output voltage VREC(T), thereby reducing harmonic components. Furthermore, when the currents in multiple controlled current sources I2, I1, and I0 are all controlled to be proportional to and consistent with the rectified sinusoidal voltage VREC(T), in terms of shape or slope, such as Figure 4 As shown, the waveform of the output voltage VI0(T) of current source I0 between T1 and T23 is similar to, consistent with, or positively correlated with the output voltage VREC(T) of the DC power supply during the same period, for example, both exhibiting waveforms with relatively large average slopes. However, during the period T5-T67, the average slope of the output voltage VI0(T) waveform is relatively small, and the rise is relatively slow, which is also similar to, consistent with, or proportional to the output voltage VREC(T) during the same period. Therefore, the current in each circuit of the above embodiment is not only close to seamless but also smoother, exhibiting good consistency with the sinusoidal waveform of the output voltage VREC(T) and even the mains power, thus resulting in a higher power factor.

[0517] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controlled current sources I2, I1, I0 or the switch units S2, S1 are field effect transistors, triodes, transistors, power tubes, or MOS tubes.

[0518] In some of the above embodiments, the state switching of the switch units (which may also be referred to as bypass switches) S1, S2 occurs during the conduction period of the controlled current source of the previous 1 stage (the number of light-emitting loads n=2) or the controlled current source of the previous 2 stages (the number of light-emitting loads n=3). For example Figure 6 during the conduction period of the second-stage current source in , at time T2-1 and time T4-1, the switch unit S1 is switched from the on state to the off state and from the off state to the on state, respectively, and, synchronously or slightly later than time T2-1, and synchronously or slightly earlier than time T4-1, the priority of the controlled current source is (re)set.

[0519] Figure 6 as shown in , the state switching of the switch unit S1 and the (re)setting of the priority of the controlled current source are synchronous, and in practical applications, they may also be performed in time sequence.

[0520] Optionally, the state switching of the switch unit and the priority setting of the controlled source may also be implemented by the following means:

[0521] One way is that during the operation of the driving circuit 011, the following dynamic configuration is performed by the control unit U11: in response to VREC≥VX1+VOS1, the bypass unit S1 is controlled to be turned off; in response to VREC≥VX1+VOS1A, the control signal IR1<IR0 is configured; in response to VREC<VX1+VOS2, the bypass unit S1 is controlled to be turned on; in response to VREC<VX1+VOS2A, IR1<IR0 is configured, where VOS1, VOS1A, VOS2 and VOS2A may be respectively configured as fixed values, and satisfy VX0≥VOS1A≥VOS1≥0, VX0≥VOS2A≥VOS2≥0. Or, in other words: during the rising period of the DC voltage, in response to the time corresponding to VREC≥VX1+VOS1, the bypass unit S1 is controlled to be turned off, and at the corresponding time that is synchronous or delayed and corresponds to VREC≥VX1+VOS1A, the control signal IR1<IR0 is configured; during the falling period of the DC voltage, in response to the time corresponding to VREC<VX1+VOS2A, the control signal IR1>IR0 is configured, and at the corresponding time that is synchronous or delayed and corresponds to VREC<VX1+VOS2, the bypass unit S1 is controlled to be turned on.

[0522] As described above, VREC≥VX1+VOS1 can be transformed into VREC-VX1≥VOS1, VREC≥VX1+VOS1A can be transformed into VREC-VX1≥VOS1A, VREC<VX1+VOS2 can be transformed into VREC-VX1<VOS2, and VREC<VX1+VOS2A can be transformed into VREC-VX1<VOS2A. Herein, it should be understood that the left side of these inequalities corresponds to the voltage difference VI1 at the output end of the controlled current source I1, which indirectly reflects the value of the DC voltage. Therefore, optionally, another manner is: during the rising period of the DC voltage, in response to the moment corresponding to VI1≥VOS1, the bypass unit S1 is controlled to be turned off, and at the moment corresponding to VI1≥VOS1A which is synchronous or delayed, the control signal IR1<IR0 is configured; during the falling period of the DC voltage, in response to the moment corresponding to VI1<VOS2A, the control signal IR1>IR0 is configured, and at the moment corresponding to VI1<VOS2 which is synchronous or delayed, the bypass unit S1 is controlled to be turned on.

[0523] Herein, the values at both ends of each of the above inequalities can be compared and judged by a comparison circuit. A non-inverting terminal of the comparison circuit is input with an electrical signal, such as a DC voltage or the output terminal voltage difference of the controlled current source, and an inverting terminal of the comparison circuit is input with a switching threshold. When the electrical signal is the input DC voltage, the switching threshold at the inverting terminal of the comparison circuit is a voltage value in the interval [VX1, VX1+VX0], such as VX1+VOS1, VX1+VOS1A, VX1+VOS2 and VX1+VOS2A; when the electrical signal is the output terminal voltage difference of the controlled current source, the switching threshold at the inverting terminal of the comparison circuit is a voltage value in the interval [0, VX1], such as VOS1, VOS1A, VOS2 and VOS2A. The comparison circuit may include one or more comparators. When there is one comparator, by configuring VOS1=VOS1A=VOS2=VOS2A, a binary number as shown in the first column (VI1) of Table 3 can be generated according to the output of the comparator. The second column (IR1) and the third column (IR0) of Table 3 represent the priority of each controlled current source (H stands for high, L stands for low), and the fourth column (S1) represents the on state (1 stands for on) or off state (0 stands for off) of the switch unit. Certainly, optionally, when there are multiple comparators, the sequence of the state switching of the switch unit and the priority setting of the controlled current source can be further optimized.

[0524] Table 3. Relationship between current source priority setting and switch unit state

[0525] VI1 IR1 IR0 S1 1 L H 0 0 H L 1

[0526] Here, the embodiment for the state switching of the switching unit and the priority setting of the controlled current source when n=2 is also applicable to the case of n>2, or in other words, it can be implemented at least in the first and second light-emitting driving units in the control circuit / drive circuit / lighting device when n>2. For example, for n=3, combined with Figure 3 and Figure 4 Table 4 shows another method for switching the state of the switching unit and setting the priority of the controlled current source. The first column (VI2) and the second column (VI1) represent the binary numbers generated by the comparator circuit; the third column (IR2), the fourth column (IR1), and the fifth column (IR0) represent the priority of each controlled current source (H represents high, L represents low, and M represents between high and low); the sixth column (S2) and the seventh column (S1) represent the on (1 represents on) or off (0 represents off) state of the switching unit. For specific principles and timing, please refer to the section on... in this manual. Figure 4 or Figure 10 Explanation.

[0527] Table 4. Relationship between current source priority setting and switching unit status

[0528] VI2 VI1 IR2 IR1 IR0 S2 S1 0 0 H M L 1 1 0 1 H L M 1 0 1 0 L H M 0 1 1 1 L M H 0 0

[0529] In summary, by using a comparison circuit, the DC voltage value or the voltage difference at the output terminal of the controlled current source is compared with a switching threshold to generate a binary number. After processing by a software-implemented algorithm or performing a hardware-implemented logic conversion (e.g., encoding or decoding), the priority of each controlled current source and the on / off state of the switching unit are reset. This achieves the following: in response to the periodic change of the DC voltage value, multiple series circuits are smoothly switched on in a predetermined order.

[0530] Figure 8AAn embodiment regarding the conduction priority of controlled current sources is provided. Multiple resistors (e.g., n+1) connected in series are bridging the voltage source generated by rectification (i.e., the DC power supply in other embodiments). The connection points between each pair of these resistors are sequentially coupled to the control terminals of n controlled current sources (e.g., voltage-controlled current sources), so that different voltage divisions from the voltage source VB are provided to the control terminals of the multiple voltage-controlled current sources. Taking three voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2, and In as an example, the voltage divider resistor network R1-R4 divides the voltage source VB, providing high-to-low voltage signals IR1, IR2, and IRn to the non-inverting control terminals of the voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2, and In. Furthermore, the resistance values ​​of R2 and R3 are configured to be much smaller than the resistance value of R4, such that the voltage difference between voltage signals IR1, IR2, and IRn is much smaller than the absolute values ​​of IR1, IR2, and IRn. The inverting control terminals of voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2, and In are all connected to resistor R5 and grounded through resistor R5. When the output terminals of voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2, and In each bear sufficient voltage and are turned on, the conduction current generates voltage signals IR1, IR2, and IRn across resistor R5, respectively. The corresponding set values ​​of the conduction current are IR1 / R5, IR2 / R5, and IRn / R5, respectively.

[0531] When sufficient voltage is applied to the output terminals of voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2, and In, the conduction current of voltage-controlled current source I1 is at the set value IR1 / R5. The voltage across resistor R5 is equal to the voltage signal IR1. This signal is reflected at the inverting input terminals of voltage-controlled current sources I2 and In. Since IR1>IR2>IRn, regardless of whether sufficient voltage is applied to the output terminals of I2 and In, voltage-controlled current sources I2 and In are turned off.

[0532] Furthermore, when sufficient voltage is applied to the output terminals of voltage-controlled current sources I2 and In, and during the voltage drop across the output terminals of voltage-controlled current source I1, if the current of voltage-controlled current source I1 cannot maintain its set value IR1 / R5, the voltage across resistor R5 also drops. When this voltage drops below the voltage signal IR2, the voltage signal IR2 drives the current of voltage-controlled current source I2 to rise and maintain the voltage across resistor R5 at IR2. Since the voltage difference between IR2 and IR1 is much smaller than its absolute value, the rising current of voltage-controlled current source I2 is essentially equal to the falling current of voltage-controlled current source I1, until the current of voltage-controlled current source I1 drops to zero, and simultaneously, the current of voltage-controlled current source I2 rises to the set value IR2 / R5. At this point, the voltage across resistor R5 is equal to IR2. Since IR2 > IRn, regardless of whether sufficient voltage is applied to the output terminals of In, voltage-controlled current source In is turned off.

[0533] Furthermore, when the output terminals of the voltage-controlled current source In bear sufficient voltage and the voltage terminals of the voltage-controlled current source I1 are extremely low or zero, and during the process of the voltage terminal of the output terminals of the voltage-controlled current source I2 decreasing, when the current of the voltage-controlled current source I2 cannot maintain its set value IR2 / R5, the voltage across the resistor R5 also decreases. When it is less than the voltage signal IRn, the voltage signal IRn drives the current of the voltage-controlled current source In to rise and maintain the voltage of the resistor R5 at IRn. Since the voltage difference between IR2 and IRn is much smaller than its absolute value, the current conducted by the voltage-controlled current source In is basically equal to the current decreasing by the voltage-controlled current source I2, until the current of the voltage-controlled current source I2 drops to zero, and synchronously, the current of the voltage-controlled current source In rises to the set value IRn / R5.

[0534] When there is no sufficient voltage or the voltage is zero at the output terminals of voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2 and In respectively, the voltage signals IR1, IR2 and IRn at the non-inverting terminals of voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2 and In are all greater than the voltage signal at the inverting terminal R5. Although voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2 and In are actually controlled to be in the conducting state (or in the conducting ready state) at this time, there is no sufficient current flowing through voltage-controlled current sources I1, I2 and In or the current is zero because there is not enough voltage difference at their output terminals. In this case, for the convenience of description, this manual sometimes refers to it as "cut-off" or "turn-off".

[0535] The above process can also be described in another way:

[0536] When the output terminals of the voltage-controlled current source In bear sufficient voltage, and the voltages across the voltage-controlled current sources I1 and I2 are extremely low or zero, the current of the voltage-controlled current source In is controlled to the set value IRn / R5. Since IR1>IR2>IRn, the non-inverting input signal of the voltage-controlled current sources I2 and I1 is still greater than the inverting input signal, and the voltage-controlled current sources I2 and I1 are in the above-mentioned "conduction ready state".

[0537] Furthermore, when the output terminals of the voltage-controlled current source In bear sufficient voltage and the voltage across the voltage-controlled current source I1 is extremely low or zero, the output voltage across the voltage-controlled current source I2 rises. When the output voltage across the voltage-controlled current source I2 is greater than the voltage IRn of resistor R5, the current of the voltage-controlled current source I2 begins to rise. The voltage signal IRn drives the current of the voltage-controlled current source In to decrease in order to maintain the voltage of resistor R5 at IRn. Since the voltage difference between IR2 and IRn is much smaller than its absolute value, the current decreasing in the voltage-controlled current source In is basically equal to the current increasing in the voltage-controlled current source I2, until the current of the voltage-controlled current source I2 rises to the set value IR2 / R5, and the current of the voltage-controlled current source In decreases to zero. Furthermore, the output terminals of voltage-controlled current source I2 bear sufficient voltage, and the output voltage of voltage-controlled current source I1 rises. When the output voltage of voltage-controlled current source I1 is greater than the voltage IR2 of resistor R5, the current of voltage-controlled current source I1 begins to rise. The voltage signal IR2 drives the current of voltage-controlled current source I2 to fall in order to maintain the voltage of resistor R5 at IR2. Since the voltage difference between IR2 and IR1 is much smaller than its absolute value, the current falling of voltage-controlled current source I2 is basically equal to the current rising of voltage-controlled current source I1, until the current of voltage-controlled current source I1 rises to the set value IR1 / R5, and the current of voltage-controlled current source I2 falls to zero.

[0538] Of the voltage-controlled current sources mentioned above, voltage-controlled curren...

Claims

1. A method for controlling circuit loads, operable at a control circuit for driving multiple circuit loads powered by a variable power source, characterized in that, The control circuit includes multiple controlled sources, which are operable to selectively conduct to establish multiple loops via the multiple circuit loads respectively; the control method includes: S-1) dynamically pre-establishing each of the multiple loops before the output of the variable power supply is adapted to at least a portion of the multiple loops; S-3) adapting to the multiple loops as the output changes, and sequentially conducting the multiple loops through the controlled sources in the multiple loops; the control circuit also includes at least one switching unit and a control unit, the at least one switching unit and the multiple controlled sources are respectively connected to the control unit through their respective control terminals; the at least one switching unit and the multiple controlled sources are operable to cooperate in state switching, thereby establishing the multiple loops respectively, the number of multiple loops being greater than or equal to the number of controlled sources; the control unit dynamically sets the priority of the multiple controlled sources, when the electrical signal of the variable power supply is transmitted to the output terminal of the controlled source through a pre-established conduction path, and the electrical signal meets the conduction threshold of the controlled source, the controlled source with the highest priority is turned on, and the currently conducting load loop is automatically turned off.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the process of sequentially energizing the plurality of loops, step S-1) further includes step S-1-1): during the energization of the current loop, establishing the next loop through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the related switching unit and controlled source among the plurality of controlled sources; or, during the energization of the current loop, establishing the next two loops of the current loop through the cooperation of the at least one switching unit and the plurality of controlled sources.

3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Step S-1-1) further includes: during the conduction of the current circuit, turning on the switching unit located in the next circuit.

4. The control method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Step S-1) further includes step S-1-2): during the conduction of the current circuit, at least a portion of the at least one switching unit is turned off, such that only the next circuit can conduct when the output is adapted to the next circuit.

5. The control method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Step S-1) further includes one of the following: I) during the conduction of the current circuit, canceling the previous circuit by means of the cooperation of the switching unit and / or controlled source in the previous circuit of the current circuit, and / or establishing the next circuit by means of the cooperation of the switching unit and / or controlled source in the next circuit; or II) during the conduction of the current circuit, turning off the switching units other than the current circuit and the next circuit.

6. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The controlled source in the next loop is operable to: increase its current once the electrical signal generated at its output via the circuit load and switching unit in the next loop is higher than its conduction threshold, thereby causing the current in the current loop to decrease synchronously; or the controlled source in the current loop is operable to: decrease its current once the electrical signal at its output is lower than its conduction threshold, thereby causing the current in the next loop to increase synchronously.

7. The control method according to any one of claims 2, 3, and 6, characterized in that, At least some of the plurality of circuit loads have different electrical characteristics; step S-3) further includes step S-3-1): according to the order of the electrical characteristics of the plurality of circuit loads, coordinate the conduction priority of the plurality of controlled sources such that when the electrical signal at the output terminal of at least one of the plurality of controlled sources exceeds its respective conduction threshold, the controlled source with the highest priority is turned on; or, according to the order of the electrical characteristics of the plurality of circuit loads, coordinate the conduction priority of the plurality of controlled sources through the control terminals of the plurality of controlled sources such that once the electrical signal at its respective output terminal exceeds the conduction threshold, it is automatically turned on in sequence according to the priority; or as the output of the variable power supply changes, coordinate the controlled sources in the plurality of loops: turn on in response to the output being adapted to the circuit load in each loop, thereby turning on the plurality of loops in sequence.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, A controlled source in the next loop is operable to: turn on once the electrical signal generated at its output via the circuit load and switching unit in the next loop is higher than its turn-on threshold and its turn-on priority is higher than that of the current loop, so that the controlled source in the current loop is synchronously turned off; or a controlled source in the current loop is operable to: turn off once a) the electrical signal at its output is lower than its turn-on threshold, or b) the electrical signal at its output is higher than its turn-on threshold and its turn-on priority is lower than that of the next loop, so that the controlled source in the next loop is synchronously turned on, wherein the electrical signal at the output of the controlled source in the next loop is higher than the turn-on threshold.

9. A control circuit used in a lighting device, characterized in that, include: A control unit configured to perform the method or steps of any one of claims 1 to 8 when the control circuit is running or in an operational state.

10. A lighting device, characterized in that, It includes the control circuit as described in claim 9, and an array of n LEDs coupled to the control circuit.

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