Dimming device and method of LED

Abstract

A dimming device and method of LED are provided. The dimming device includes: a light sensing element configured to receive a light from at least one light emitting diode, and transmit a controlling s

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [00011 Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of power control circuits, and more particularly, to a dimming device and method of light emitting diode (LED). BACKGROUND

[0002] Nowadays, some dimming schemes of LED are used in LED lamps, for example, a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the LED need to be changed in order to satisfy some requirement in some scenarios. These schemes include a pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme, a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) scheme, a near field communication (NFC) interface scheme, and so on.

[0003] Furthermore, in some solutions, color / brightness of LED may be changed in response to a rotation angle of the LED with respect to a lamp holder, and the rotation angle is detected by cascade resistors or a rotation sensor.

[0004] Reference document 1: DE 102012207188 A1

[0005] This section introduces aspects that may facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art. SUMMARY

[0006] The inventor found that in some existing schemes with low cost, it is difficult to set a current or CCT of LED accurately and it is hard to improve reliability of controlling.

[0007] In order to solve at least part of the above problems, methods, apparatus, devices are provided in the present disclosure. Features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dimming device and method of LED. It is expected to set a current or CCT of LED accurately and easily and improve reliability of controlling with a simple structure.

[0009] In a first aspect, a dimming device of LED is provided. The dimming device of LED includes: a light sensing element configured to receive a light from at least one light emitting diode, and transmit a controlling signal according to amount of the received light; a light blocking element configured between the light sensing element and the at least one light emitting diode, wherein the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element; and a controlling element configured to receive the controlling signal and generate a setting signal according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode.

[0010] In some embodiments, the device further comprises: an axis element connected to the light block element, and the light block element is rotatable around the axis element.

[0011] In some embodiments, the device further comprises: a sliding element connected to the light block element, and the light block element is slidable along with the sliding element.

[0012] In some embodiments, the controlling element is configured into a printed circuit board (PCB), and the light sensing element is configured on or into the printed circuit board.

[0013] In some embodiments, the controlling element is further configured to transmit the setting signal to an external circuit to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of at least one light emitting diode controlled by the external circuit.

[0014] In some embodiments, the at least one light emitting diode comprises a first light emitting diode and a second light emitting diode which have different correlated color temperature (CCT) types.

[0015] In a second aspect, a dimming method of LED is provided. The method includes: receiving by a light sensing element a light from at least one light emitting diode, wherein amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of a light blocking element; transmitting by the light sensing element a controlling signal according to amount of the received light; and generating a setting signal by a controlling element according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode.

[0016] In some embodiments, the light block element is rotatable around an axis element.

[0017] In some embodiments, the light block element is slidable along with a sliding element.

[0018] In some embodiments, the controlling element is configured into a printed circuit board (PCB), and the light sensing element is configured on or into the printed circuit board.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: transmitting by the controlling element the setting signal to an external circuit to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of at least one light emitting diode controlled by the external circuit.

[0020] In some embodiments, the at least one light emitting diode comprises a first light emitting diode and a second light emitting diode which have different correlated color temperature (CCT) types.

[0021] In a third aspect, a LED lamp is provided. The LED lamp includes: at least one light emitting diode configured to transmit a light; a light sensing element configured to receive the light from the at least one light emitting diode, and transmit a controlling signal according to amount of the received light; a light blocking element configured between the light sensing element and the at least one light emitting diode, wherein the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element; and a controlling element configured to receive the controlling signal and generate a setting signal according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode.

[0022] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a light sensing element and a light blocking element are configured, the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element. Therefore, a current or CCT of LED can be set accurately and easily and reliability of controlling can be improved with a simple structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The above and other aspects, features, and benefits of various embodiments of the disclosure will become more fully apparent, by way of example, from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals or letters are used to designate like or equivalent elements. The drawings are illustrated for facilitating better understanding of the embodiments of the disclosure and not necessarily drawn to scale, in which:

[0024] Fig. 1 is a diagram which shows a top view of a dimming device of LED in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Fig. 2 is a diagram which shows a side view of the dimming device of LED in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Fig. 3 is a diagram which shows an example of setting according to a controlling signal in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig. 4 is a diagram which shows a dimming method of LED in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only for the purpose of enabling those skilled persons in the art to better understand and thus implement the present disclosure, rather than suggesting any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” or “contacted” to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled or contacted to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” or “directly contacted” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between”, “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent”, etc.).

[0030] As used herein, the terms “first” and “second” refer to different elements. The singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and / or “including” as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components and the like, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0031] The term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on”. The term “cover” is to be read as “at least in part cover”. The term “one embodiment” and “an embodiment” are to be read as “at least one embodiment”. The term “another embodiment” is to be read as “at least one other embodiment”. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below.

[0032] In this disclosure, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. A first aspect of embodiments

[0033] A dimming device of LED is provided in the embodiments.

[0034] Fig. 1 is a diagram which shows a top view of a dimming device of LED in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a diagram which shows a side view of the dimming device of LED in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a dimming device 100 of LED includes: a light sensing element 101 configured to receive a light (please see the arrows in Fig. 2) from at least one light emitting diode 201, and transmit a controlling signal according to amount of the received light; a light blocking element 102 configured between the light sensing element 101 and the at least one light emitting diode 201, wherein the light blocking element 102 is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element 101 is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element 102.

[0036] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the dimming device 100 of LED further includes a controlling element 103 configured to receive the controlling signal and generate a setting signal according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode 201.

[0037] It should be appreciated that some components or elements are illustrated only as examples in Figs. 1 and 2. However, it is not limited thereto, for example, connections or positions of the components or elements may be adjusted, and / or, some components or elements may be omitted.

[0038] As shown in the Fig. 1, 4 light sensing elements 101 and 16 LEDs are given as examples, and it is not limited thereto. For example, one light sensing elements 101 and one LED may be provided in some other examples. The number or amount of the components in this disclosure are not limited.

[0039] Therefore, a current or CCT of LED can be set accurately and easily after installation of the LED without additional tools, and reliability of controlling can be improved with a simple structure due to a contactless control manner.

[0040] In some embodiments, As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the dimming device 100 of LED further includes an axis element 202 connected to the light block element 102, and the light block element 102 is rotatable around the axis element 202.

[0041] For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the axis element 202 is configured on a diffuser 203 and is able to perform rotation. Furthermore, at least one light emitting diode 201 is configured on the diffuser 203, such that a light from the LED 201 may be blocked and the amount of the light received by the light sensing element 101 is decreased, for example may be decreased to zero.

[0042] Therefore, the controlling structure is further implemented in a mechanical simple manner, meanwhile the controlling way is robust. Furthermore, the light block element 102 can be controlled outside of a LED lamp and the setting is visible on the outside.

[0043] In some embodiments, the dimming device 100 of LED further includes a sliding element connected to the light block element 102, and the light block element 102 is slidable along with the sliding element.

[0044] For example, the LED may be configured a linear luminaire and the light block element 102 is slidable along with a linear slider, such that a light from the LED 201 may be blocked and the amount of the light received by the light sensing element 101 is decreased, for example may be decreased to zero.

[0045] Therefore, the controlling structure is further implemented in a mechanical simple manner, meanwhile the controlling way is robust. Furthermore, the light block element 102 can be controlled outside of a LED lamp and the setting is visible on the outside.

[0046] In some embodiments, the controlling element is configured into a printed circuit board (PCB), and the light sensing element is configured on or into the printed circuit board (PCB).

[0047] For example, the controlling element and the light sensing element may be integrated on a LED PCB, such that the structure is further simple. Furthermore, the setting is retained by a position of the light block element 102 and a memory element is not needed.

[0048] Fig. 3 is a diagram which shows an example of setting according to a controlling signal in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] As shown in Fig.3, the light sensing element 101 may send a controlling signal when a light from the LED is blocked by the light block element 102. For example, the controlling signal is variable according to the amount of the received light.

[0050] For example, the controlling signal may carry information “0” when the amount of the received light is 0-10%, it may carry information “1” when the amount of the received light is 10%-80%, it may carry information “2” when the amount of the received light is 80%-100%.

[0051] The controlling element 103 may generate a setting signal according to the controlling signal. For example, the setting signal may be used to set a current level or a CCT level to be “A” when the information carried on the controlling signal is “0”; set a current level or a CCT level to be “B” when the information carried on the controlling signal is “1”; set a current level or a CCT level to be “C” when the information carried on the controlling signal is “2”.

[0052] It should be appreciated that the above contents are illustrated only as examples. However, it is not limited thereto, for example, other information and other levels may be used on demand in some scenarios.

[0053] In some embodiments, the controlling element 103 is further configured to transmit the setting signal to an external circuit to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of at least one light emitting diode controlled by the external circuit.

[0054] For example, the setting signal can be broadcasted to other neighboring luminaires to have the same CCT by adding a wireless or wired connection. The function can be combined with dimming, sensors, not only for fixed output. Implementation can be done with a C V driver or a CC driver by using current control or current balancing circuits on the LED PCB. The signal from the CCT / current selector can be fed back to a driver with CCT / current control function instead of integrating the functions on the LED PCB.

[0055] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 1, the at least one light emitting diode 201 may include a first light emitting diode 2011 and a second light emitting diode 2012, the first light emitting diode 2011 and the second light emitting diode 2012 have different correlated color temperature (CCT) types. It is not limited thereto, one type or more than two types also may be used in some scenarios.

[0056] It is to be understood that, the above examples or embodiments are discussed for illustration, rather than limitation. Those skilled in the art would appreciate that there may be many other embodiments or examples within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0057] It can be seen from the above embodiments, a light sensing element and a light blocking element are configured, the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element. Therefore, a current or CCT of LED can be set accurately and easily and reliability of controlling can be improved with a simple structure. A second aspect of embodiments

[0058] A dimming method of LED is provided in the embodiments. The corresponding device 100 are illustrated in the first aspect of embodiments, and the same contents as those in the first aspect of embodiments are omitted.

[0059] Fig. 4 is a diagram which shows a dimming method of LED in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 4, a dimming method 400 of LED includes:

[0060] 401, receiving by a light sensing element a light from at least one light emitting diode, wherein amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of a light blocking element;

[0061] 402, transmitting by the light sensing element a controlling signal according to amount of the received light; and

[0062] 403, generating a setting signal by a controlling element according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode.

[0063] It should be appreciated that Fig. 4 is only an example of the disclosure, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the order of operations at blocks or steps may be adjusted, and / or, some blocks or steps may be omitted. Moreover, some blocks or steps not shown in Fig. 4 may be added.

[0064] In some embodiments, the light block element is rotatable around an axis element.

[0065] In some embodiments, the light block element is slidable along with a sliding element.

[0066] In some embodiments, the controlling element is configured into a printed circuit board (PCB), and the light sensing element is configured on or into the printed circuit board.

[0067] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: transmitting by the controlling element the setting signal to an external circuit to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of at least one light emitting diode controlled by the external circuit.

[0068] In some embodiments, the at least one light emitting diode comprises a first light emitting diode and a second light emitting diode which have different correlated color temperature (CCT) types.

[0069] It can be seen from the above embodiments, a light sensing element and a light blocking element are configured, the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element. Therefore, a current or CCT of LED can be set accurately and easily and reliability of controlling can be improved with a simple structure. A third aspect of embodiments

[0070] A LED lamp is provided in the embodiments. The corresponding device 100 and method 400 are illustrated in the first and second aspects of embodiments, and the same contents as those in the first and second aspects of embodiments are omitted.

[0071] In some embodiments, the light emitting diode (LED) lamp includes:

[0072] at least one light emitting diode configured to transmit a light;

[0073] a light sensing element configured to receive the light from the at least one light emitting diode, and transmit a controlling signal according to amount of the received light;

[0074] a light blocking element configured between the light sensing element and the at least one light emitting diode, wherein the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element; and

[0075] a controlling element configured to receive the controlling signal and generate a setting signal according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode.

[0076] For example, the LED lamp may be a LED retrofit lamp with a socket, e.g. E 27. However, it is not limited thereto.

[0077] In some embodiments, a luminaire device is provided, the luminaire may be a LED luminaire, and it is not limited thereto.

[0078] The luminaire device may include:

[0079] a housing;

[0080] an optical element configured to transmit a light;

[0081] a light sensing element configured to receive the light from the optical element, and transmit a controlling signal according to amount of the received light;

[0082] a light blocking element configured between the light sensing element and the optical element, wherein the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element; and

[0083] a controlling clement configured to receive the controlling signal and generate a setting signal according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the optical element.

[0084] For example, the optical element may be a LED, the controlling element and the light sensing element are configured in a PCB, the LED, the PCB and the light blocking element are configured into the housing, and it is not limited thereto.

[0085] It is to be understood that, the above examples or embodiments are discussed for illustration, rather than limitation. Those skilled in the art would appreciate that there may be many other embodiments or examples within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0086] It can be seen from the above embodiments, a light sensing element and a light blocking element are configured, the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element. Therefore, a current or CCT of LED can be set accurately and easily and reliability of controlling can be improved with a simple structure.

[0087] Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and integrated circuits (ICs) with minimal experimentation. [00881 Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. [00891 While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof. [00901 Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. [00911 Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0092] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

22 05 251. A dimming device of light emitting diode (LED), comprising:a light sensing element configured to receive a light from at least one light emitting diode, and transmit a controlling signal according to amount of the received light;5 a light blocking element configured between the light sensing element and the at least one light emitting diode, wherein the light blocking element is movable and amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of the light blocking element; anda controlling element configured to receive the controlling signal and generate a 10 setting signal according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode;wherein the LED is configured as a linear luminaire and the light blocking element is slidable along with a linear slider.15 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the controlling element is configured intoa printed circuit board (PCB), and the light sensing element is configured on or into the printed circuit board.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the controlling element is further 20 configured to transmit the setting signal to an external circuit to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of at least one light emitting diode controlled by the external circuit.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light emitting diode 25 comprises a first light emitting diode and a second light emitting diode which have different correlated color temperature (CCT) types.

5. A dimming method of light emitting diode (LED), comprising:22 05 25receiving by a light sensing element a light from at least one light emitting diode, wherein amount of the light received by the light sensing element is variable along with a movement of a light blocking element;transmitting by the light sensing element a controlling signal according to amount of 5 the received light; andgenerating a setting signal by a controlling element according to the controlling signal to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of the at least one light emitting diode;wherein the LED is configured as a linear luminaire and the light blocking element is 10 slidable along with a linear slider.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the controlling element is configured into a printed circuit board (PCB), and the light sensing element is configured on or into the printed circuit board.

157. The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:transmitting by the controlling element the setting signal to an external circuit to set a current or a correlated color temperature (CCT) of at least one light emitting diode controlled by the external circuit.

208. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one light emitting diode comprises a first light emitting diode and a second light emitting diode which have different correlated color temperature (CCT) types.25 9. A light emitting diode (LED) lamp, comprising:at least one light emitting diode configured to transmit a light; anda dimming device as defined in any of claims 1 to 4.

10. A luminaire device, comprising:a housing;an optical element comprising a light emitting diode (LED) configured to transmit a light; and5 a dimming device as defined in any of claims 1 to 4.22 05 25

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