A lamp string control device and method utilizing very short supply interruption pulses

Abstract

This invention relates to the technical field of LED strings, specifically to an LED string control device and method utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse. Key technical points include: the MCU module receiving signals including at least one or more of the following: button signals, IR infrared remote control signals, RF wireless remote control signals, wireless Bluetooth signals, and Wi-Fi signals; an H-bridge driver module connected to the MCU module for outputting control signals based on the received signals; the H-bridge driver module connecting to the LED string circuit, which mixes type A electrodeless LED beads and / or type B electrodeless LED beads. This invention, through the LED string control device and method utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse, enables the mixed or independent control of various electrodeless LED beads.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of light strings, and specifically to a light string control device and method utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse. Background Technology

[0002] LED string lights are widely used in decorative lighting and landscape illumination. To solve the problem of reverse polarity connection in string light wiring causing them to fail to light up or burn out, existing technology uses a polarity-free LED chip solution: the LED chip integrates four MOSFETs to form a bridge switching network. Regardless of the positive or negative power supply input, it can form a circuit through the corresponding switching unit, achieving polarity-independent lighting. This solution eliminates the risk of polarity errors at the hardware level.

[0003] In practical applications, the problems are particularly prominent. Taking outdoor festival light strings as an example, the strings can be tens of meters long and contain hundreds of LEDs connected in series, each requiring an independent PWM channel or cascaded drive. In low-temperature environments, the high-frequency switching of PWM leads to increased switching losses in the MOSFETs and severe heat generation. Simultaneously, the PWM signal is susceptible to electromagnetic interference during long-distance transmission, causing false triggering and inconsistent flickering of the light string. More importantly, PWM essentially approximates the target brightness using continuous analog signals, requiring a complete set of hybrid circuits including high-frequency clocks, constant current drives, and EMI filtering. Hardware costs and PCB area increase linearly with the number of LEDs, making it unacceptable in low-cost light string products. Currently, there is no alternative solution that can both avoid the defects of PWM and achieve precise control at a low cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the technical problems and shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a lamp string control device and method using an extremely short power interruption pulse, which can realize the mixed or independent control of various non-polar lamp beads.

[0005] To achieve the above and other related objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A string light control device utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse includes an AC input, an H-bridge driver module, and an MCU module. The AC input converts external AC power into DC power through an AC / DC module to supply the H-bridge driver module and the MCU module, or is directly supplied by an external DC power supply. The signals received by the MCU module include at least one or more of the following: button signals, IR infrared remote control signals, RF wireless remote control signals, wireless Bluetooth signals, and Wi-Fi signals. The H-bridge driver module is connected to the MCU module and is used to output control signals based on the received signals. The H-bridge driver module is connected to the lamp string circuit, which is a mixture of type A electrodeless lamp beads and / or type B electrodeless lamp beads.

[0006] Preferably, the type A electrodeless lamp bead includes two LEDs connected in reverse parallel, and the type B electrodeless lamp bead includes a built-in chip and two LEDs connected in parallel on the built-in chip.

[0007] Preferably, the lamp string circuit includes a number of type A electrodeless lamp beads and type B electrodeless lamp beads connected in series and then in parallel, or a number of type A electrodeless lamp beads and type B electrodeless lamp beads connected in parallel and then in series.

[0008] Preferably, the H-bridge driver module has an LED-A terminal and an LED-B terminal for outputting control signals. The waveform of the control signal has multiple pulse signals. The LED-A terminal and the LED-B terminal simultaneously change to a low level / high impedance state, a high impedance state, or a common potential to generate a zero differential voltage. The width of the zero voltage pulse is less than 25 microseconds, serving as an extremely short power supply interruption pulse.

[0009] Preferably, the control signal includes an instruction segment, and the lighting effect of the B-type electrodeless lamp beads in the lamp string circuit is controlled by counting the number of power outages in the instruction segment of the waveform.

[0010] Preferably, the MCU module stores an instruction mapping table, where different counting pulses correspond to different functionally equivalent lighting modes.

[0011] On the other hand, a method for controlling a light string using an extremely short power interruption pulse is also provided, which uses the light string control device described in any one of the above-mentioned methods for control.

[0012] Preferably, the instruction is defined by the number of zero-voltage pulses, without the need for an address or check bit, and the range of the zero-voltage pulse width k is 0 < k ≤ 25 microseconds.

[0013] Preferably, the undervoltage lockout threshold of the type B electrodeless lamp bead is 1V, and the zero-voltage pulse width k is less than the time required for the voltage to drop to 1V when the power supply is interrupted.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. Different types of non-polarized LED beads can be mixed and controlled, or controlled individually, based on the simplified circuit described above, which greatly reduces hardware costs.

[0015] 2. In this invention, the "light goes out when the power is off" situation of the LED beads can be overcome, so as to send a signal on the power supply line without turning off the light; 3. Employing an extremely short power interrupt pulse, this method utilizes a physical layer "power-off" to provide signals through zero voltage, resulting in extremely low energy consumption. This counting method eliminates complex frame synchronization and verification, reducing IC costs and software complexity.

[0016] Other additional advantages and benefits of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0017] 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: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall hardware structure of an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the Type A and Type B electrodeless lamp beads of this application; Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of the LED string circuit in this application, where the LEDs are connected in series first and then in parallel. Figure 4 This is a circuit diagram of the LED string circuit in this application, showing the LEDs connected in parallel and then in series. Figure 5 This is a comparison diagram of the two control waveforms in this application.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals for major components: 1. H-bridge driver module; 2. MCU module; 3. AC / DC module; 4. LED string circuit; 5. Built-in chip. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following specific examples illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0020] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. The illustrations only show the components related to the present invention and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be changed at will, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0021] It should be noted that in the description of this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating directional or positional relationships, are based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. These are merely for ease of description and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," "linked," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0022] Example 1: This invention discloses a string light control device utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse, as described in the following embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the system includes an AC input, an H-bridge driver module 1, and an MCU module 2. The AC input converts external AC power to DC power via an AC / DC module 3, supplying it to the H-bridge driver module 1 and the MCU module 2, or it can be directly supplied by an external DC power source. When using an AC input, the AC input power supply can be AC ​​mains voltage, which is converted to the required DC power by the AC / DC module 3. Here, an existing AC / DC module 3 can be used to provide 3~5V (for the MCU module 2) and 3~36V (for the LED string circuit 4 via the H-bridge). The MCU module 2 and the H-bridge driver circuit can be existing circuits capable of generating adjustable PWM.

[0023] The signals received by MCU module 2 include at least one or more of the following: button signals, IR infrared remote control signals, RF wireless remote control signals, wireless Bluetooth signals, and Wi-Fi signals.

[0024] H-bridge driver module 1 is connected to MCU module 2 and is used to output control signals based on the received signals. H-bridge driver module 1 is connected to LED string circuit 4, which mixes type A electrodeless LED beads and / or type B electrodeless LED beads.

[0025] Combination Figure 2 To understand, Type A electrodeless LED beads include two LEDs connected in reverse parallel. Type B electrodeless LED beads include a built-in chip 5 and two LEDs connected in parallel to the built-in chip 5. The built-in chip 5 in the Type B electrodeless LED bead can directly control the operation of the two LEDs.

[0026] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4Understandably, the LED string circuit 4 consists of several type A electrodeless LED beads and type B electrodeless LED beads connected in series and then in parallel. Figure 4 In this configuration, several Type A electrodeless LED beads are mixed and connected in parallel with Type B electrodeless LED beads, and then connected in series. It should be noted that the Type A and Type B electrodeless LED beads mentioned above can be arranged in any combination without restriction.

[0027] Combination Figure 1 , 3 and Figure 4 The H-bridge driver module 1 has LED-A and LED-B terminals for outputting control signals. Figure 5 As can be seen, the waveform of the control signal has multiple pulse signals, such as the traditional PWM waveform. Figure 5 As shown above. The control waveform of this application is as follows. Figure 5 As shown below.

[0028] Both LED-A and LED-B terminals simultaneously switch to a low / high impedance state, a high impedance state, or a common potential to generate a zero-differential voltage. This clarifies that this is a physical layer "power-off" behavior, rather than a logical "sending 0". The width of the zero-voltage pulse is less than 25 microseconds, serving as an extremely short power interruption pulse.

[0029] The control signal includes an instruction segment, which controls the lighting effect of the B-type electrodeless lamp beads in the lamp string circuit 4 by counting the number of power-offs in the instruction segment (protocol communication instruction) of the waveform.

[0030] MCU module 2 stores an instruction mapping table, where different counting pulses correspond to different functionally equivalent lighting modes. For example: One pulse = Function A (e.g., on / off / flash); Two pulses = Function B (e.g., a candle flashing); 3 pulses = Function C (e.g., breathing flash).

[0031] Therefore, this solution can control different types of non-polarized LEDs by mixing or controlling them individually, based on the simplified circuit described above, which greatly reduces hardware costs.

[0032] The width of the zero-voltage pulse is less than 25 microseconds, preferably 20 microseconds, which can overcome the "light goes out when the power is off" situation of the lamp beads, and realize the signal on the power supply line without turning off the lamp.

[0033] The instruction is defined by the number of zero-voltage pulses, without the need for address or parity bits. This counting method eliminates the need for complex frame synchronization and verification, reducing IC cost and software complexity.

[0034] Example 2: A method for controlling light strings using an extremely short power interruption pulse is provided, which employs the light string control device described in Embodiment 1 above.

[0035] The instruction is defined by the number of zero-voltage pulses, requiring no address or check bit. The zero-voltage pulse width k is in the range of 0 < k ≤ 25 microseconds. The undervoltage lockout threshold for the Type B electrodeless LED is 1V. The time required for the voltage to drop from 3V to 1V is greater than the zero-voltage pulse width k. In other words, the zero-voltage pulse width k is less than the time required for the voltage to drop to 1V when the power supply is interrupted. The Type B electrodeless LED has a built-in chip 5, which is an IC chip. The specific chip can be customized or a commercially available integrated IC chip package. It has an internal capacitor storing power. When external power is interrupted, i.e., when the Type B electrodeless LED is in a power-off state, the voltage applied externally to the LED starts timing from the power interruption, similar to the voltage starting to drop. This drop requires a process and time. If the external voltage of the Type B electrodeless LED drops below 1V, undervoltage lockout will be triggered, meaning it will not function properly due to undervoltage. The external 0-level (power interruption) time is k, but the time for the internal 3V to drop to 1V of the type B electrodeless LED is longer than k, so the internal undervoltage trigger has not yet been triggered, and it can still maintain normal operation. In one example, the chip's 3V drop is the minimum voltage drop that begins, and the time at this point is less than time k. Therefore, if the time required to drop from a higher voltage is longer, the above requirements will still be met.

[0036] It has been proven that the width of the zero-voltage pulse is less than 25 microseconds, with a preferred setting of 20 microseconds, to restore power before the LED voltage drops to 1.0V, ensuring that the LED does not unexpectedly restart when receiving commands. Controlling the polarity (positive or negative) of the control outputs A / B does not affect operation, increasing convenience.

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A string of lamps control device with very short power supply interruption pulse, comprising an AC input, an H-bridge drive module (1) and an MCU module (2), characterized in that, The AC input converts the external AC power into DC power through the AC / DC module (3) and provides it to the H-bridge drive module (1) and MCU module (2), or it is directly provided by the external DC power supply. The signals received by the MCU module (2) include at least one or more of the following: button signals, IR infrared remote control signals, RF wireless remote control signals, wireless Bluetooth signals, and Wi-Fi signals; The H-bridge driver module (1) is connected to the MCU module (2) and is used to output control signals according to the received signals; The H-bridge drive module (1) is connected to the lamp string circuit (4), which mixes type A electrodeless lamp beads and / or type B electrodeless lamp beads.

2. The string light control device using an extremely short power supply interruption pulse according to claim 1, characterized in that, The type A electrodeless lamp bead includes two light-emitting diodes connected in reverse parallel, and the type B electrodeless lamp bead includes a built-in chip (5) and two light-emitting diodes connected in parallel on the built-in chip (5).

3. A string light control device utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lamp string circuit (4) includes a number of A-type electrodeless lamp beads and B-type electrodeless lamp beads connected in series and then in parallel, or a number of A-type electrodeless lamp beads and B-type electrodeless lamp beads connected in parallel and then in series.

4. A string light control device utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse according to claim 1, characterized in that, The H-bridge driver module (1) has an LED-A terminal and an LED-B terminal for outputting control signals. The waveform of the control signal has multiple pulse signals. The LED-A terminal and the LED-B terminal simultaneously change to a low level / high impedance state, a high impedance state, or a common potential to generate a zero differential voltage. The width of the zero voltage pulse is less than 25 microseconds, serving as an extremely short power supply interruption pulse.

5. A string light control device utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control signal includes an instruction segment, and the lighting effect of the B-type electrodeless lamp beads in the lamp string circuit (4) is controlled by counting the number of power outages in the instruction segment of the waveform.

6. A string light control device utilizing an extremely short power interruption pulse according to claim 1, characterized in that, The MCU module (2) stores an instruction mapping table, and different counting pulses correspond to different functionally equivalent lighting modes.

7. A method for controlling a light string using an extremely short power interruption pulse, characterized in that, The light string control device as described in any one of claims 1-6 is used for control.

8. The string light control method using an extremely short power interruption pulse according to claim 7, characterized in that, The instruction is defined by the number of zero-voltage pulses, without the need for an address or check bit, and the zero-voltage pulse width k is in the range of 0 < k ≤ 25 microseconds.

9. The string light control method using an extremely short power interruption pulse according to claim 8, characterized in that, The undervoltage lockout threshold of the B-type electrodeless lamp bead is 1V, and the zero-voltage pulse width k is less than the time required for the voltage to drop to 1V when the power supply is interrupted.

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