TRIAC Dimmer LED Driver Phase Detection IC
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED lighting systems with TRIAC dimmers face challenges in integrating RC filtering circuits into integrated circuits due to the large size requirements of capacitors needed for voltage conversion, making it difficult to achieve a stable DC voltage for LED drive.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for voltage conversion that includes a phase detector to generate a digital signal representing phase information from the rectified AC voltage, a voltage generator to produce a DC voltage based on this signal, and a driver to control the current through LEDs, eliminating the need for a large capacitor and reducing the size and cost of the IC chip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an RC filtering circuit with a large capacitor is used for voltage conversion, then stable DC voltage can be generated, but the size and cost of the IC chip increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the capacitor from the integrated circuit chip and places it externally in the RC filtering circuit. This allows the chip area to be reduced while maintaining the voltage stabilization function through the external capacitor, directly resolving the contradiction between chip size and voltage stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary RC filtering circuit that operates outside the chip to perform the voltage smoothing function. This intermediary circuit enables the chip to achieve stable DC voltage output without requiring large on-chip capacitors, thus resolving the area constraint.
2Reliability
If an RC filtering circuit with a large capacitor is used for voltage conversion, then stable DC voltage can be generated, but the cost of the IC chip increases
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the capacitor from the chip and placing it externally, the manufacturing cost is reduced as smaller or no capacitors are needed on the chip itself, while the external capacitor can be chosen as a standard off-the-shelf component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simple RC filtering circuit with readily available, low-cost external components instead of expensive integrated capacitor structures, reducing overall system cost while maintaining functionality.
3Reliability
If a conventional voltage conversion method with RC filtering is used, then voltage stabilization is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex capacitor integration requirement from the chip design and moves it to a simple external RC circuit, reducing the device complexity on the chip while maintaining voltage stabilization through the external components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for efficient voltage conversion and LED drive without the need for a large capacitor, reducing the size and cost of the IC chip while maintaining stable DC voltage, enabling flexible LED control and compatibility with different types of LEDs.
Implementation Method 1
a phase detector to receive a first rectified voltage generated based at least in part on an AC input voltage processed by at least the TRIAC dimmer, the phase detector being further configured to generate a digital signal representing phase information associated with the first rectified voltage
Implementation Method 2
a voltage generator to receive the digital signal and generate a DC voltage based at least in part on the digital signal
Implementation Method 3
a driver to receive the DC voltage and affect, based at least in part on the DC voltage, a current flowing through the one or more light emitting diodes
Implementation Method 4
the TRIAC dimmer is either a leading-edge TRIAC dimmer or a trailing-edge TRIAC dimmer. Usually, the leading-edge TRIAC dimmer and the trailing-edge TRIAC dimmer are configured to receive an alternating-current (AC) input voltage, process the AC input voltage by clipping part of the waveform of the AC input voltage
Implementation Method 5
generate a voltage that is then received by a rectifier (e.g., a full wave rectifying bridge) in order to generate a rectified output voltage
Implementation Method 6
The rectified output voltage is converted to a DC voltage by an RC filtering circuit that includes a resistor and a capacitor
Data Source
AI summary
System and method for voltage conversion to drive one or more light emitting diodes with at least a TRIAC dimmer. For example, the system includes: a phase detector configured to receive a first rectified voltage generated based at least in part on an AC input voltage processed by at least the TRIAC dimmer, the phase detector being further configured to generate a digital signal representing phase information associated with the first rectified voltage; a voltage generator configured to receive the digital signal and generate a DC voltage based at least in part on the digital signal; and a driver configured to receive the DC voltage and affect, based at least in part on the DC voltage, a current flowing through the one or more light emitting diodes; wherein the current changes with the phase information according to a predetermined function.