Adjustable Lighting Driver Dimmer Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to adapt lighting systems to new LED technology, which often results in undesirably bright light when using existing dimmers, requiring consumers to adjust settings manually to achieve desired brightness levels, leading to increased power consumption.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable lighting driver system that allows for setting the dimmer to its brightest setting while providing output power less than the maximum, by associating new dim level settings with corresponding reduced power levels, stored in a memory device and processed by a power processor, to maintain desired brightness without excessive power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If new LED technology is used to improve luminosity efficiency, then the brightness of light emitted increases for the same power input, but the light becomes undesirably too bright at maximum dimmer settings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter mapping between dimmer settings and driver output power. Specifically, it associates the brightest dimmer setting (100% dim level) with a reduced output power level (e.g., 70-80% of maximum) rather than full maximum power, thereby adjusting the brightness output to match the improved LED efficiency without requiring manual dimmer adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting driver automatically adapts to the new LED light source by self-adjusting the output power association with dimmer settings. The system performs self-service by detecting the LED characteristics and reconfiguring the power mapping without user intervention, allowing the brightest dimmer setting to automatically provide the desired brightness level
2Use of energy by moving object
If the dimmer is set to achieve desired brightness with new LED technology, then power consumption is reduced, but the brightest dimmer setting no longer corresponds to maximum output power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent redefines the parameter relationship between dimmer settings and output power. The brightest dimmer setting is reassigned to correspond to a reduced power level that achieves optimal brightness for new LED technology, while maintaining the full range of dimmer control functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting driver is designed to be universal and adaptable to different LED technologies and generations. It can accommodate various LED efficiency levels by adjusting the output power association with dimmer settings, making the system compatible with both older and newer LED light sources
Data Source
AI summary
A method of adjusting output power of a lighting driver includes setting output power of the driver to a maximum output power of the driver, the maximum output power of the driver corresponding to a brightest setting of a dimmer. The output power of the driver is adjustable by adjusting a dim level setting of the dimmer. The method further includes adjusting the dim level setting of the dimmer to a new setting that is different from the brightest setting of the dimmer. The new setting of the dimmer corresponds to an amount of the output power of the driver that is less than the maximum output power of the driver. The method also includes associating, by the driver, the brightest setting of the dimmer with the amount of the output power of the driver that is less than the maximum output power of the driver.