An energy-saving LED driver power supply

Abstract

This invention discloses an energy-saving LED driver power supply, relating to the field of LED lighting fixtures. It includes a control switch comprising an insulating housing, a first line for connecting to an external power source, and a second line for connecting to an LED lamp. The control switch further includes a fixed contact and a current-limiting resistor fixedly disposed within the insulating housing, the fixed contact and the current-limiting resistor being electrically connected to the first line. A large resistor is connected in series in the input circuit of this energy-saving LED driver power supply. The moving contact assembly is not directly connected to the fixed contact, but rather initially only contacts the far end of the current-limiting resistor. At this point, the contact area between the trapezoidal contact and the current-limiting resistor is designed to be minimal, i.e., the resistance value is large, which limits the peak value of the surge current to a small range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of LED lighting technology, and more specifically to an energy-saving LED driver power supply. Background Technology

[0002] LED lighting technology has been widely used in general lighting due to its advantages such as high efficiency, long lifespan, and environmental friendliness. As the core component of LED lamps, the performance of the LED driver directly affects the luminous efficacy, lifespan, and safety of the LED. In practical applications, LED drivers typically need to be equipped with control switches to enable the LED lamps to be turned on, off, and have their brightness adjusted.

[0003] Ordinary mechanical switches generate high-temperature arcs between contacts at the moment of circuit closure and opening. In flammable and explosive environments containing combustible gases, even a tiny arc can trigger an explosion, failing to meet intrinsic safety requirements. Traditional explosion-proof switches rely on heavy cast iron or stainless steel casings to "enclose" the arc for explosion protection, with individual switches weighing several kilograms and being bulky and cumbersome, completely unsuitable for the lightweight and miniaturized design requirements of portable LED lighting equipment. While increased safety or spark-free switches impose stricter standards on spark control, the sliding contacts of existing resistive dimming switches continuously rub during brightness adjustment, inevitably generating continuous tiny sparks, failing to fundamentally eliminate the spark hazard, especially in environments with high concentrations of combustible gases. There is still a risk of explosion. At the same time, the electrolytic capacitors built into the input circuit of the LED driver power supply will generate huge surge currents at the moment of power-on. When a normal switch is closed directly, this surge current will not only greatly aggravate the generation of contact arcs, but also generate additional losses in the input line and rectifier bridge. Moreover, existing series resistor dimming switches usually cannot completely short-circuit the current-limiting resistor at the highest brightness level, and some resistors are still connected to the main circuit, causing continuous useless power loss, which does not meet the design goals of energy-saving LED lighting. In addition, the overheat protection of existing switches mostly detects the temperature of the current-limiting resistor, and cannot directly monitor the actual temperature of the switch contacts themselves. The contacts are prone to oxidation or welding due to high current heating, further increasing the risk of arc generation and equipment failure. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an energy-saving LED driver power supply to address the problems of existing ordinary mechanical switches generating high-temperature arcs during opening and closing, which can easily lead to explosions in flammable and explosive environments; traditional explosion-proof switches are unsuitable for portable devices due to their heavy casings; increased safety / spark-free resistor dimming switches still pose a risk of continuous frictional sparks; the surge current of the electrolytic capacitors in the LED driver power supply exacerbates arcing and line losses; and existing series resistor dimming switches cannot completely short-circuit the current-limiting resistor at the highest brightness setting, resulting in continuous energy consumption. Furthermore, their overheat protection cannot directly monitor the contact temperature, which can easily lead to contact oxidation and welding, further increasing safety and failure risks.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an energy-saving LED driver power supply, comprising a control switch, wherein the control switch includes an insulating housing, a first line for connecting to an external power supply and a second line for connecting to an LED lamp, and further comprising: A fixed contact and a current-limiting resistor are fixedly disposed within the insulating housing, and the fixed contact and the current-limiting resistor are respectively electrically connected to the first line; A trigger slider is slidably disposed within the insulating housing; A moving contact assembly, which is electrically connected to the circuit and selectively contacts the fixed contact or the current-limiting resistor; A temperature-sensitive telescopic element, the fixed end of which is disposed on the trigger slider, and the movable end of which is connected to the moving contact assembly in a transmission manner; The trigger slider is configured to drive the moving contact assembly to perform the following sequential actions when it slides along a first direction: In the first state, the moving contact assembly is only in contact with the current-limiting resistor; In the second state, the contact impedance between the moving contact assembly and the current-limiting resistor gradually decreases, while the temperature-sensing expansion element expands and contracts in response to heat to drive the moving contact assembly. In the third state, the moving contact assembly contacts the fixed contact and short-circuits the current-limiting resistor.

[0006] Preferably, the moving contact assembly includes a U-shaped contact, which includes a first end and a second end. The second end is fixedly provided with at least one silver contact and a trapezoidal contact. The trapezoidal contact is in sliding contact with the current-limiting resistor, and the silver contact is used to cooperate with the fixed contact.

[0007] Preferably, it also includes a flexible thermally conductive element, the two ends of which are thermally coupled to the fixed ends of the current-limiting resistor and the temperature-sensing expansion element, respectively.

[0008] Preferably, the fixed contact is provided with a thermal actuator, which is configured to deform when the temperature exceeds a threshold to push the moving contact assembly away from the fixed contact.

[0009] Preferably, the second line and the moving contact assembly are slidably electrically connected; the movable end of the temperature-sensing telescopic element is also provided with a pressure-actuated diaphragm that is linked to the connection end of the second line, the connection end including an insulating end for connecting the pressure-actuated diaphragm, and the insulating end engaging with the first end.

[0010] Preferably, the device also includes a knob and a second spring; the knob is provided with a guide rail, and the trigger slider is provided with a protrusion that cooperates with the guide rail; The second spring is connected to the trigger slider to drive the state change of the trigger slider and to store energy in the second spring.

[0011] Preferably, the guide rail includes a sloping groove, a flat groove, and a vertical groove connected in sequence; the sloping groove is used to drive the trigger slider to slide, the flat groove is used to maintain a stable position in the third state, and the vertical groove is used to guide the reset.

[0012] Preferably, the temperature-sensing telescopic element includes a cylinder, a piston, and a heated expansion medium filled in the rodless cavity; The piston has a hollow structure and the pressure-actuated diaphragm is located at the extended end of the piston, and the inner wall of the piston and the pressure-actuated diaphragm enclose an overflow cavity. The piston is provided with an overflow hole and a return hole for guiding the heated expansion medium into or out of the overflow chamber under pressure. A positive check valve is installed inside the overflow hole, and a reverse check valve is installed inside the return hole.

[0013] Preferably, a rotation damping element is also included, which is disposed between the insulating housing and the knob.

[0014] Preferably, the insulating housing is provided with multiple position markings, and the position markings correspond to the positions of the trigger slider in the initial state, the first state, the second state, and the third state, respectively.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the energy-saving LED driver power supply provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. When the user pushes the trigger slider for the first time, a large resistor is connected in series in the input circuit of the LED driver power supply. The moving contact assembly is not directly connected to the fixed contact, but first only contacts the far end of the current limiting resistor. At this time, the contact area between the trapezoidal contact and the current limiting resistor is designed to be the smallest, that is, the resistance value is large. The resistor limits the peak value of the surge current to a small range. 2. The thermal actuator is directly mounted on the fixed contact and detects the actual temperature near the switch contact, rather than the temperature of the current-limiting resistor. Therefore, it can more directly protect the switch contact itself and prevent the contact from being oxidized or welded due to high temperature. 3. When the user resets the trigger slider, the trigger slider will first cause the U-shaped contact to disengage from the fixed contact, and then cause the U-shaped contact to slide along the current-limiting resistor. At this time, the current has been completely transferred to the current-limiting resistor branch. Ultimately, only the small current in the resistor branch is cut off, which can avoid the problem of arcing during the cutting process. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the insulating shell provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of three state processes provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the U-shaped contact structure and trigger slider structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the temperature-sensing expansion element structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection end structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the fixed contact structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the knob and trigger slider structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 Provided for embodiments of the present invention Figure 7 Enlarged schematic diagram of structure A in the middle; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the knob structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 100. Insulating housing; 101. Circuit 1; 102. Circuit 2; 103. Fixed contact; 104. Current-limiting resistor; 105. Trigger slider; 106. U-shaped contact; 106a. First end; 106b. Second end; 107. Silver contact; 108. Connecting groove; 109. Trapezoidal contact; 110. Insulating block; 111. Temperature-sensitive expansion element; 112. Cylinder; 113. Piston; 114. Return hole; 115. Thermal expansion medium; 116. Return spring; 117. Thermosensitive... 118. Moving part; 119. Insulation layer; 120. Flexible heat-conducting component; 121. Flexible steel strip; 122. Insulating coating; 123. Connecting end; 124. Insulating end; 125. Pressure-actuated diaphragm; 126. Overflow chamber; 127. Overflow hole; 128. Positive one-way valve; 129. Reverse one-way valve; 130. Knob; 131. Guide rail; 132. Inclined groove; 133. Vertical groove; 134. Flat groove; 135. Protrusion; 136. Second spring; 137. Rotation damping component; 138. Gear position indicator. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] like Figures 1-11 As shown, an energy-saving LED driver power supply includes a control switch. The control switch includes an insulating housing 100, a first line 101 for connecting to an external power source, and a second line 102 for connecting to an LED lamp. It also includes: A fixed contact 103 and a current-limiting resistor 104 are fixedly installed inside an insulating housing 100, and the fixed contact 103 and the current-limiting resistor 104 are electrically connected to line 101 respectively; A trigger slider 105 is slidably disposed within an insulating housing 100; The moving contact assembly is electrically connected to line 2 102 and selectively contacts the fixed contact 103 or the current-limiting resistor 104. The temperature-sensing telescopic element 111 has its fixed end set on the trigger slider 105, and its movable end is connected to the moving contact assembly in a transmission manner. The trigger slider 105 is configured to drive the moving contact assembly to perform the following actions when it slides along a first direction: In the first state, the moving contact assembly is only in contact with the current-limiting resistor 104; In the second state, the contact resistance between the moving contact assembly and the current limiting resistor 104 gradually decreases, while the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 expands and contracts in response to heat to drive the moving contact assembly. In the third state, the moving contact assembly contacts the fixed contact 103 and short-circuits the current-limiting resistor 104.

[0021] Specifically, the insulating housing 100 is integrally injection molded from thermoplastic engineering plastics such as polycarbonate (PC). The housing contains a slide rail or guide groove for mounting the trigger slider 105 and restricting its linear movement. The housing also has openings for user operation, allowing external knobs or push buttons to extend, as well as inlet ports for line one 101 and line two 102.

[0022] The moving contact assembly includes a U-shaped contact 106. The U-shaped structure includes a first arm and a second arm in parallel, wherein the end of the first arm is the first end 106a and the end of the second arm is the second end 106b. The curved portion of the U-shape provides elastic energy storage, allowing relative displacement between the first end 106a and the second end 106b and generating a restoring force. At least one silver contact 107 and a trapezoidal contact 109 are fixedly disposed at the second end 106b of the U-shaped contact 106. The trapezoidal contact 109 is in sliding contact with the current-limiting resistor 104 through an insulating block 110. The first end 106a of the U-shaped contact is the root of the elastic arm and is connected to the movable end of the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 by a pin or by abutment, and is also slidably connected to the second line 102 by a flexible wire.

[0023] The temperature-sensitive expansion element 111 includes a cylinder 112, a piston 113, and a thermal expansion medium 115 filled in the rodless cavity.

[0024] Furthermore, in the initial state, the trigger slider 105 is located at the beginning of its stroke. The moving contact assembly is not in contact with the fixed contact 103 and the current-limiting resistor 104, the circuit is broken, and the LED light is off; The front end of the trigger slider 105 is a column, the rear end of the column is a rectangular plate, and the two sides of the rectangular plate are suspension plates that are respectively connected to the ends of the temperature-sensing expansion element, so that the trigger slider 105 will drive the U-shaped contact 106 to move synchronously through the temperature-sensing expansion element. First state: The user applies external force to move the trigger slider 105 0-3mm toward the fixed contact 103. The moving contact assembly first moves to contact only the end of the distal resistive element of the current-limiting resistor 104. At this time, the current path is: power supply → line one 101 → current-limiting resistor 104 → trapezoidal contact 109 → moving contact assembly → line two 102 → LED light. The inner side of the current-limiting resistor 104 has a contact groove that matches the trapezoidal contact 109. When the trapezoidal contact 109 is pushed by the trigger slider 105 to insert into the contact groove inside the current-limiting resistor 104, since the end of the current-limiting resistor 104 just contacts the trapezoidal contact 109, the contact area is extremely small. At this time, the resistance of the current-limiting resistor 104 is at its nominal value (the resistance is at its maximum when the current is connected). The LED light is lit with the lowest brightness dim light. At this time, the heat generated by the current-limiting resistor 104 is very small and insufficient to drive the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 to act. As the user continues to push the trigger slider 105 into the second state, the resistance gradually decreases, and the LED begins to light up. In the prior art, the electrolytic capacitor in the LED driver power supply generates a huge surge current every time it is powered on. This surge not only impacts the switch contacts but also generates additional losses in the input line and rectifier bridge. The natural soft-start function of the first state in this embodiment limits the surge peak to a low range, significantly reducing the line loss at the moment of each power-on. During this process, the current-limiting resistor 104 acts as both a surge suppressor and a dimming element.

[0025] Second state: When the user manually increases the switch and pushes the trigger slider 105 to move 3-8mm towards the fixed contact 103, the trapezoidal contact 109 slides along the conductive strip of the current-limiting resistor 104 towards the near end. The contact area between the two increases linearly with the increase of the sliding distance, and the equivalent resistance value connected to the circuit gradually decreases. At this time, the current output by the LED driver power supply will increase instantaneously due to the decrease in loop resistance. The power loss (P=I²R) of the current-limiting resistor 104 increases sharply with the square of the current, causing a rapid jump in the temperature of the resistor body. This heat is transferred through the contact with... The flexible heat-conducting element 119, thermally coupled to the current-limiting resistor 104, rapidly conducts heat to the cylinder 112 of the temperature-sensing telescopic element 111 fixed on the trigger slider 105. This causes the heated expansion medium 115 (such as xylene with added copper corrosion inhibitor) filling the rodless cavity of the cylinder to expand in volume, pushing the piston 113 to slowly extend in the opposite direction to the sliding direction of the trigger slider 105 (i.e., to the far end of the current-limiting resistor 104). The reverse thrust of the piston 113 overcomes part of the manual driving force applied by the user, significantly slowing down the actual forward speed of the trapezoidal contact 109, even during current surges. When the temperature rises sharply due to the increase in current, the trapezoidal contact 109 temporarily retracts to the far end of the current-limiting resistor 104. This retraction reduces the contact area between the trapezoidal contact 109 and the current-limiting resistor 104, causing the equivalent resistance value to rise again, thereby suppressing further increases in the circuit current. As the current decreases, the heat generated by the current-limiting resistor 104 decreases, and the temperature gradually drops to the normal operating range. The heated expansion medium 115 inside the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 contracts due to the temperature drop, and the piston 113 retracts into the cylinder 112 under the action of the return spring 116. The reverse thrust weakens, allowing the trapezoidal contact 109 to retract... The LED continues to slide closer to the user under manual pushing force. This process is repeated, and through a closed-loop negative feedback regulation mechanism of "increased current → increased resistance → decreased resistance → decreased resistance → retraction of the temperature sensing element", the circuit current and the temperature of the current-limiting resistor 104 are finally stabilized within the preset safety threshold. This achieves a smooth transition of LED brightness from dim light to soft light, and effectively avoids the risk of overheating of the resistor, burnout of the LED beads and contact sparks caused by sudden current increases. Users can stay at any intermediate position to obtain stable soft light output without overheating.

[0026] Third state: The user pushes the trigger slider 105 to the end of its stroke. At this time, the silver contact 107 is fully inserted into the groove 108 of the fixed contact 103, and a reliable initial contact pressure is generated by the elasticity of the U-shaped contact 106. The current flows completely through the branch of the fixed contact 103, the current limiting resistor 104 is short-circuited, the LED light receives full voltage and works at maximum brightness. Since the resistor is short-circuited, the current limiting resistor 104 stops heating, and the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 begins to cool. As the temperature drops, the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 retracts. This retraction action pulls the first end 106a of the U-shaped contact 106 of the moving contact assembly through the transmission connection, so that the second end 106b is further pressed against the fixed contact 103. The contact pressure between the silver contact 107 and the groove 108 is composed of the simple elastic force superimposed with the contraction pulling force of the temperature-sensing element, thereby significantly reducing the contact resistance and preventing overheating and arcing under high current. Existing series resistor dimmers typically retain a small portion of resistance (or short-circuit it through a special tap) at the brightest setting, making it impossible to achieve completely zero loss. In this embodiment, however, the current-limiting resistor 104 is completely removed from the circuit through direct contact between the silver contact 107 and the fixed contact 103 in the third state.

[0027] In the aforementioned technology, when the user pushes the trigger slider 105 for the first time, a large resistor is connected in series in the input circuit of the LED driver power supply. The moving contact assembly is not directly connected to the fixed contact 103, but initially only contacts the far end of the current-limiting resistor 104. At this time, the contact area between the trapezoidal contact 109 and the current-limiting resistor 104 is designed to be minimal, i.e., the resistance value is large, which limits the peak value of the surge current to a small range.

[0028] As a further embodiment of the present invention, it also includes a flexible thermal conductive element 119, the two ends of which are thermally coupled to the current limiting resistor 104 and the fixed end of the temperature-sensing expansion element 111, respectively.

[0029] Specifically, the flexible heat-conducting component 119 includes a through-through flexible steel strip 120 and an insulating coating 121 covering the surface of the flexible steel strip 120. First, fix both ends of the flexible heat-conducting component 119, ensuring sufficient length allowance so that it remains in a naturally bent state throughout the entire stroke of the trigger slider 105 from its initial position to the third state, without bearing excessive tensile or compressive stress, thereby avoiding fatigue fracture or affecting the slider's movement resistance.

[0030] When the current-limiting resistor 104 heats up, the heat is first conducted from the resistor body to its fixed solder joint or heat sink, and then quickly transferred to the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 through the flexible heat-conducting element 119. This makes the negative feedback adjustment in the second state almost synchronized with the brightness change, effectively avoiding brightness overshoot or oscillation caused by thermal hysteresis.

[0031] As a further embodiment of the present invention, a thermal actuator 117 is provided on the fixed contact 103. The thermal actuator 117 is configured to deform when the temperature exceeds a threshold in order to push the contact assembly away from the fixed contact 103.

[0032] Specifically, the surface of the fixed contact 103 is provided with an insulating layer 118, and the thermal actuator 117 is preferably a circular bimetallic disc. This bimetallic disc is composed of an active layer with a high coefficient of thermal expansion, such as a manganese-nickel-copper alloy, and a passive layer with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, such as an iron-nickel alloy. At room temperature, such as 25°C, the disc has a concave shape facing inward toward the fixed contact 103. As the temperature rises, when a preset operating temperature is reached, the disc instantly jumps into a convex shape, protruding toward the moving contact assembly. This operating temperature can be set according to the maximum allowable operating temperature of the LED chip.

[0033] Under normal conditions, the disc is concave and does not contact the silver contact 107 or only slightly contacts it, which does not affect normal conduction. When the LED power supply is overloaded, the temperature of the fixed contact 103 rises to the operating temperature, causing the bimetallic disc to jump. After the silver contact 107 is pushed away, the main circuit is broken, and the current is forced to flow entirely through the branch of the current-limiting resistor 104. At this time, the current-limiting resistor 104 will heat up rapidly, and this heat will be transferred to the temperature-sensing telescopic element 111 through the flexible heat-conducting element 119. After being heated, the moving end of the temperature-sensing telescopic element 111 begins to slowly extend. The direction of extension is opposite to the sliding direction of the trigger slider 105, thereby pushing the U-shaped contact 106 away from the current-limiting resistor 104. This increases the actual resistance value between the second end 106b and the current-limiting resistor 104 until the second end 106b slides out completely, and the circuit is broken. The thermal actuator 117 is directly mounted on the fixed contact 103 and detects the actual temperature near the switch contact, rather than the temperature of the current-limiting resistor 104. Therefore, it can more directly protect the switch contact itself and prevent the contact from being oxidized or welded due to high temperature.

[0034] As a further embodiment of the present invention, the second circuit 102 and the moving contact assembly are slidably electrically connected; the movable end of the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 is also provided with a pressure-actuated diaphragm 124 that is linked with the connection end 122 of the second circuit 102. The connection end 122 includes an insulating end 123 for connecting the pressure-actuated diaphragm 124, and the insulating end 123 is engaged with the first end 106a.

[0035] Specifically, the end of line 2 102 is not directly welded to the moving contact assembly, but is connected to a connecting end 122. One end of the connecting end 122 is welded to line 2 102, and the other end is an insulating end 123 made of insulating material. The connecting end 122 is slidably inserted into the first end 106a of the U-shaped contact 106. The insulating end 123 is fixedly connected to the center of the pressure-actuated diaphragm 124.

[0036] Furthermore, the piston 113 has a hollow structure and the pressure actuation diaphragm 124 is located at the extended end of the piston 113, and the inner wall of the piston 113 and the pressure braking diaphragm 124 enclose each other to form an overflow cavity 125. The piston 113 is provided with an overflow hole 126 and a return hole 114 for guiding the heated expansion medium 115 into or out of the overflow chamber 125 under pressure. A positive check valve 127 is installed inside the overflow hole 126, and a negative check valve 128 is installed inside the return hole 114. In the default state, the pressure-actuated diaphragm 124 is recessed and pulls the insulating end 123, thereby making the connecting end 122 engage and electrically connect with the first end 106a of the U-shaped contact 106. A limit block is provided inside the cylinder 112 to limit the sliding stroke of the piston 113, ensuring that the piston 113 will not push the U-shaped contact 106 out of the current limiting resistor 104 in the second state.

[0037] The thermally expanding medium 115 fills the rodless cavity of the cylinder 112, that is, the sealed space between the closed end of the cylinder 112 and the end face of the piston 113. This medium can be xylene (within the temperature rise range of 65℃~105℃, its volume expansion rate is sufficient to drive the piston 113 to move several millimeters; under normal dimming and most abnormal operating conditions, xylene always remains liquid and has no risk of vaporization), and it contains 0.5% to 5% copper corrosion inhibitor by volume to protect the metal parts and prevent corrosion caused by long-term contact with xylene.

[0038] An overflow orifice 126 is provided with a positive check valve 127 with its valve port facing the overflow chamber 125, and a return orifice 114 is provided with a negative check valve 128 with its valve port facing the rodless chamber. The opening pressure of the positive check valve 127 is 0.8~1.2MPa, and the opening pressure of the negative check valve 128 is 0.05~0.2MPa. Both check valves are spring ball type check valves or umbrella-shaped elastic check valves. The above valve body configuration and specifications are common technical knowledge known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. Under normal conditions, the positive one-way valve 127 closes the overflow orifice 126. When the temperature rises significantly (e.g., when the ambient temperature increases or the LED load is high), the thermal expansion medium 115 expands. At this time, the end face of the piston 113 is closed, and the thermal expansion medium 115 preferentially pushes the piston 113 to extend. Subsequently, the piston 113 drives the trapezoidal contact 109 of the U-shaped contact 106 to the far end of the current-limiting resistor 104 until the piston 113 is blocked by the limit block. At this time, the continuous expansion of the thermal expansion medium 115 causes the pressure in the rodless chamber to become too high, causing the positive one-way valve 127 to open and enter the overflow chamber 125 through the overflow orifice 126 for a small amount of pressure relief. During this process, the circuit is still conductive (or even if there is slight slippage, the contact resistance increases but the circuit is not broken). The brightness of the LED light only decreases slightly to cope with temporary abnormal conditions caused by a brief increase in ambient temperature or mains voltage. At this time, the LED light is maintained in a low current state.

[0039] Subsequently, when the LED load decreases or the ambient temperature drops, the heated expansion medium 115 in the rodless chamber of the temperature-sensing expansion element 111 cools and contracts, generating negative pressure. At this time, the reverse one-way valve 128 in the return hole 114 is attracted and opened by the negative pressure, allowing the heated expansion medium 115, which was originally in the overflow chamber 125, to flow back into the rodless chamber through the return hole 114. Simultaneously, the compressed return spring 116 releases its elastic potential energy, pushing the piston 113 to retract into the cylinder 112. That is, after the temporary abnormality caused by the external environment disappears, the LED light automatically recovers without manual adjustment by the operator. In contrast, traditional bimetallic strips have circuit-breaking protection, causing the input capacitor of the LED driver power supply to undergo repeated surge charging. In this invention, the LED operates continuously in a low-current state without power interruption, thus avoiding the surge impact of re-energizing.

[0040] Under special operating conditions, such as severe short circuits or LED chip breakdown in the LED light, the internal pressure of the temperature-sensitive expansion element 111 exceeds the threshold. The thermally expanded medium 115 pushes the pressure-actuated diaphragm 124 to undergo plastic deformation exceeding its elastic limit. This deformation drives the connection end 122 to permanently disengage from the U-shaped contact 106 through the insulating end 123. Before the circuit is completely broken, the trapezoidal contact 109 has reached the far end of the current-limiting resistor 104, ensuring that only a small current in the resistor branch is ultimately cut off, thus avoiding arcing during the cutting process. This deformation is irreversible; even if the temperature-sensitive expansion element 111 cools completely, the diaphragm will not return to its original shape, and the connection end 122 will not automatically reset. If the user attempts to turn the switch on again, they will observe that the LED light is completely off, preventing the LED light from being powered on during a short circuit.

[0041] As a further embodiment of the present invention, it also includes a knob 129 and a second spring 135; the knob 129 is provided with a guide rail 130, and the trigger slider 105 is provided with a protrusion 134 that cooperates with the guide rail 130; The second spring 135 is connected to the trigger slider 105 to drive the state change of the trigger slider 105 and to store energy in the second spring 135.

[0042] Specifically, the guide track 130 includes a sloping groove 131, a flat groove 133, and a vertical groove 132 connected in sequence (the three together form a wave-shaped loop channel); the sloping groove 131 is used to drive the trigger slider 105 to slide, the flat groove 133 is used to maintain a stable position in the third state, and the vertical groove 132 is used to guide the reset.

[0043] Furthermore, in the initial state, knob 129 is in the zero position, and protrusion 134 is located at the innermost point of the starting end of guide rail 130 near the pivot. Second spring 135 is in a free state.

[0044] The user rotates knob 129, guiding the sidewall of track 130 to push protrusion 134 radially outward, thereby causing trigger slider 105 to slide towards fixed contact 103 against the elastic force of second spring 135. At this time, protrusion 134 is located within inclined groove 131. As knob 129 rotates, protrusion 134 is forced to roll or slide along the sidewall of inclined groove 131, thus generating axial displacement relative to the housing. The length of inclined groove 131 corresponds to the range of knob 129 rotation from 0° to approximately 135°. Within this range, the axial displacement of protrusion 134 precisely completes the transition of trigger slider 105 from its initial position to the third state endpoint: within the rotation range of 0° to 45°, the movement of protrusion 134 corresponds to the first state of trigger slider 105; rotation from 45° to 90° corresponds to the second state; and rotation from 90° to 135° corresponds to the third state. During this process, second spring 135 is gradually compressed, accumulating more and more energy.

[0045] When knob 129 is rotated to the 135° position, the third state is completed. At this time, protrusion 134 has just moved into the flat groove 133 of guide rail 130. Flat groove 133 is a concentric arc groove extending along the circumference of knob 129. Flat groove 133 smoothly connects to the end of inclined groove 131. After protrusion 134 enters flat groove 133, further rotation of knob 129 will not produce axial displacement, and trigger slider 105 remains at the end position of the third state.

[0046] Then, continue rotating knob 129 to 180°. Protrusion 134 enters vertical groove 132 from flat groove 133. Due to the axial thrust of second spring 135, protrusion 134 slides at high speed along the side wall of vertical groove 132. The length of vertical groove 132 determines the reset stroke, and its end is the starting point of protrusion 134. When the user resets trigger slider 105, trigger slider 105 first drives U-shaped contact 106 to disengage from fixed contact 103, and then causes U-shaped contact 106 to slide along current-limiting resistor 104. At this point, the current has been completely transferred to the current-limiting resistor 104 branch. Ultimately, only the small current in the resistor branch is cut off, avoiding arcing during the cutting process.

[0047] As a further embodiment of the present invention, a rotation damping element 136 is also provided between the insulating housing 100 and the knob 129.

[0048] Specifically, the insulating housing 100 is provided with multiple position markings 137, and each position marking 137 corresponds to the position of the trigger slider 105 in the initial state, first state, second state, and third state, respectively. An O-ring or a shaped damping sleeve made of silicone rubber or nitrile rubber is pressed between the rotating shaft of the knob 129 and the mounting hole of the insulating housing 100. The static friction torque provided by the damping element needs to be greater than the weight of the knob 129 itself and the inertial torque caused by slight external vibrations, ensuring that the knob 129 will not rotate on its own due to gravity or transportation vibrations.

[0049] The foregoing has only described certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An energy-saving LED driving power supply comprising a control switch, the control switch comprising an insulating casing (100), a line one (101) for connecting an external power supply and a line two (102) for connecting an LED lamp, characterized in that, Also includes: A fixed contact (103) and a current-limiting resistor (104) are fixedly disposed in the insulating housing (100), and the fixed contact (103) and the current-limiting resistor (104) are respectively electrically connected to the first line (101). A trigger slider (105) is slidably disposed within the insulating housing (100); The moving contact assembly is electrically connected to the second line (102) and selectively contacts the fixed contact (103) or the current-limiting resistor (104); The temperature-sensing telescopic element (111) has its fixed end disposed on the trigger slider (105) and its movable end connected to the moving contact assembly. The trigger slider (105) is configured to drive the moving contact assembly to perform the following actions when it slides along a first direction: In the first state, the moving contact assembly is only in contact with the current-limiting resistor (104); In the second state, the contact resistance between the moving contact assembly and the current limiting resistor (104) gradually decreases, while the temperature-sensing expansion element (111) expands and contracts in response to heat to drive the moving contact assembly. In the third state, the moving contact assembly contacts the fixed contact (103) and short-circuits the current-limiting resistor (104).

2. The energy-saving LED driving power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving contact assembly includes a U-shaped contact (106), which includes a first end (106a) and a second end (106b). At least one silver contact (107) and a trapezoidal contact (109) are fixedly disposed on the outer wall of the second end (106b). The trapezoidal contact (109) slides in contact with the current limiting resistor (104), and the silver contact (107) is used to cooperate with the fixed contact (103).

3. The energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a flexible thermally conductive element (119), the two ends of which are thermally coupled to the fixed ends of the current-limiting resistor (104) and the temperature-sensing expansion element (111), respectively.

4. The energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed contact (103) is provided with a thermal actuator (117), which is configured to deform when the temperature exceeds a threshold to push the moving contact assembly away from the fixed contact (103).

5. The energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second line (102) is slidably electrically connected to the moving contact assembly; the movable end of the temperature-sensing telescopic element (111) is also provided with a pressure-actuated diaphragm (124) that is linked to the connection end (122) of the second line (102). The connection end (122) includes an insulating end (123) for connecting the pressure-actuated diaphragm (124), and the insulating end (123) is engaged with the first end (106a).

6. The energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a knob (129) and a second spring (135); the knob (129) is provided with a guide rail (130), and the trigger slider (105) is provided with a protrusion (134) that cooperates with the guide rail (130). The second spring (135) is connected to the trigger slider (105) to drive the state change of the trigger slider (105) and cause the second spring (135) to store energy.

7. The energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide rail (130) includes a sloping groove (131), a flat groove (133), and a vertical groove (132) connected in sequence; the sloping groove (131) is used to drive the trigger slider (105) to slide, the flat groove (133) is used to maintain a stable position in the third state, and the vertical groove (132) is used to guide the reset.

8. The energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 5, characterized in that, The temperature-sensitive expansion element (111) includes a cylinder (112), a piston (113), and a heated expansion medium (115) filled in the rodless cavity. The piston (113) is a hollow structure and the pressure-actuated diaphragm (124) is located at the extended end of the piston (113), and the inner wall of the piston (113) and the pressure-actuated diaphragm (124) enclose an overflow cavity (125). The piston (113) is provided with an overflow hole (126) and a return hole (114) for guiding the heated expansion medium (115) into or out of the overflow chamber (125) under pressure. A positive check valve (127) is installed inside the overflow hole (126), and a reverse check valve (128) is installed inside the return hole (114).

9. The energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a rotation damping element (136) disposed between the insulating housing (100) and the knob (129).

10. An energy-saving LED driver power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating housing (100) is provided with multiple position markings (137), and the position markings (137) correspond to the positions of the trigger slider (105) in the initial state, the first state, the second state and the third state respectively.

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