EP2749131B1 - Driver circuit and method for vehicle light - Google Patents

Driver circuit and method for vehicle light Download PDF

Info

Publication number: EP2749131B1
Authority: EP; European Patent Office
Prior art keywords: lighting; transistors; voltage; transistor; base
Prior art date: 2011-11-23
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.): Not-in-force

Application number

EP12806689.1A

Other languages

German (de)

English (en)

French (fr)

Other versions

EP2749131A1 (en

Inventor

Davide BACCARIN

Andrea Englaro

Franco Marcori

Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)

Marelli Automotive Lighting Italy SpA

Original Assignee

Automotive Lighting Italia SpA

Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)

2011-11-23

Filing date

2012-11-22

Publication date

2018-02-28

2012-11-22 Application filed by Automotive Lighting Italia SpA filed Critical Automotive Lighting Italia SpA

2012-11-22 Priority to PL12806689T priority Critical patent/PL2749131T3/pl

2014-07-02 Publication of EP2749131A1 publication Critical patent/EP2749131A1/en

2018-02-28 Application granted granted Critical

2018-02-28 Publication of EP2749131B1 publication Critical patent/EP2749131B1/en

Status Not-in-force legal-status Critical Current

2032-11-22 Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B45/00—Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
- H05B45/40—Details of LED load circuits
- H05B45/44—Details of LED load circuits with an active control inside an LED matrix
- H05B45/46—Details of LED load circuits with an active control inside an LED matrix having LEDs disposed in parallel lines

Definitions

the present invention concerns a driver circuit of lighting sources, in particular LEDs, and a vehicle light comprising such driver circuit. More specifically, the subject of the invention is a driver circuit of at least two lighting branches, connected together in parallel, each comprising one or more lighting sources connected together in series.
the driver circuit comprises a plurality of lighting switching elements, each suitable for driving a branch electric signal which powers the lighting sources, e.g., a current, of a respective lighting branch.
said lighting switching elements are transistors.
the lighting switching elements are controlled by a polarization circuit which, in a usual embodiment, comprises a voltage and/or current regulator suitable for applying to each switching element a constant command signal, e.g., a constant reference voltage at the base of the lighting transistors, so as to switch on / switch off all the lighting sources simultaneously, and thus produce a lighting effect similar to that of a traditional lamp.
a polarization circuit which, in a usual embodiment, comprises a voltage and/or current regulator suitable for applying to each switching element a constant command signal, e.g., a constant reference voltage at the base of the lighting transistors, so as to switch on / switch off all the lighting sources simultaneously, and thus produce a lighting effect similar to that of a traditional lamp.
a polarization circuit which, in a usual embodiment, comprises a voltage and/or current regulator suitable for applying to each switching element a constant command signal, e.g., a constant reference voltage at the base of the lighting transistors, so as to switch on / switch off all the lighting sources
the object of the present invention is to propose a driver circuit of lighting sources, in particular LEDs, of the above-mentioned type, able to overcome such a drawback, simulating, in case of an open-circuit fault of a lighting branch, the behaviour of a traditional light bulb.
circuit refers both to a direct power connection between two circuit elements and to an indirect connection through one or more active or passive intermediate elements.
circuit can indicate both a single component and a plurality of components, active and/or passive, connected together to obtain a pre-established function.
BJT bipolar joint transistor
FET field effect transistor
base the meaning of the terms “base”, “collector”, “emitter” comprises the terms “gate”, “drain” and “source”, and vice versa.
type NPN transistors can be used instead of PNP transistors, and vice versa.
the driver circuit of the lighting sources according to the invention will now be described with reference to the circuit diagram of figure 1 .
said driver circuit is suitable for driving three strings of LEDs D1, D2; D3,D4; D5,D6, each comprising two LEDs.
the circuit is suitable for connecting to a power generator with continuous Vbat supply, e.g. comprising a battery of a vehicle or an alternator.
the driver circuit therefore has a positive power terminal 1, connectable to the positive pole of the power generator, and a negative power terminal 2, connectable to the negative pole of the power generator, e,g., the ground.
the strings of LEDs are arranged on respective lighting circuit branches A, B, C connected in parallel between said positive and negative terminals of the driver circuit.
an inlet filter F can be placed also comprising an anti-inversion diode Din.
a lighting transistor TLEDA; TLEDB; TLEDC is connected to each string of LEDs.
said lighting transistor has the collector connected to the string of LEDs and the emitter connected to the ground by means of a driving resistance RA, RB, RC.
the state of the lighting transistors, and therefore the flow of current through the strings of LEDs, is determined by the Vref voltage value on the base of the transistors, henceforth herein called driving voltage.
said voltage driving value Vref is defined by a reference voltage regulator 10 suitable for maintaining a constant reference voltage applied to the base of the lighting transistors, for a determinate input voltage applied to the voltage regulator itself.
the driving voltage is established through a zener diode DZ.
a power driver 20 suitable for supplying to said lighting transistors the base current needed for their operation.
the described driver circuit is therefore a current stabilized circuit, i.e., one wherein a constant driving voltage Vref is injected on the base of the lighting transistors and the driving current which flows in the lighting branches is constant, starting from a certain supply voltage value. To operate this way, the lighting transistors operate in linear zone.
the lighting transistor of the faulty branch in the presence of a driving voltage Vref on its base, not being able to allow the flow of a collector current proportionate to the base current, lowers its collector voltage and tends to reach saturation levels.
the driver circuit comprises transistor control means 30 suitable for forcing the lighting transistors to always work in linear zone.
said control means force the lighting transistors to switch from state of operation in saturation to state of operation in linear zone, or to remain in the state of operation in linear zone in case of tending to switch towards the state of operation in saturation, e.g., in case of a fault.
said control means 30 are suitable for detecting the operation in saturation of at least one of the lighting transistors and, in response to such detection, for reducing the driving voltage of all the lighting transistors.
control means comprise a linear regulation block 40, comprising, for example, a regulation transistor Treg, connected between the positive supply terminal 1 and the reference voltage regulator 10.
said linear regulation block regulates the driving voltage Vref reducing it to a lower value with respect to that set, e.g. by means of the zener diode DZ, by the voltage regulator 10, in fact bypassing said voltage regulator 10.
the control means 30 are suitable for activating said linear regulation block 40.
the linear regulation block 40 can be assimilated to a direct polarized diode, i.e, it does not affect the reference voltage regulator 10.
control means 30 are connected in feedback between the collector terminal of each of the lighting transistors and the linear regulation block 40, in such a way that, when the voltage on said collector terminal takes on a value corresponding to a state of saturation of the transistor, the control means 30 polarize the regulation transistor Treg of the linear regulation block.
control means 30 comprise a feedback transistor TRA; TRB; TRC having the base terminal connected to the collector of a respective lighting transistor by means of a base resistance, the emitter connected to the base of the transistor TP of the power driver 20 and the collector connected to the base of a voltage control transistor TC, the collector of which is connected to the linear regulation block 40.
the feedback transistors TRA; TRB; TRC are arranged on respective circuit branches connected together in parallel, between the base of the power transistor TP and the base of the control transistor TC.
transistor control means 30 will now be illustrated in greater detail.
the transistor control circuit shown in figure 2 for simplicity relating to just one of the lighting transistors, e.g., TLEDA.
the feedback transistor TRA comes on when it has an emitter-base Veb(TRA) voltage of around 0.7 V.
Vbc (TLEDA) + Vbe(TP) Veb(TRA) + VRb, where Rb is the base resistance of the feedback transistor TRA, meaning
Veb(TRA)+VRb > 0.7 V which can be rewritten as: Vbc TLEDA + Vbe TP > 0.7 V
the feedback transistor only comes on when the lighting transistor comes close to the saturation zone, i.e., when its collector voltage drops below base voltage.
the lighting transistor of the faulty branch in the presence of a driving voltage on its base, not being able to make flow a collector current proportionate to the base current, lowers its collector voltage trying to reach saturation level. But as soon as its collector-base VCB voltage falls below zero, the transistor control means 30 come into play which, as explained above, not only cut the driving voltage of the transistor tending towards saturation level to make it stay in linear zone, but also the base voltage of all the other lighting transistors.
the lighting transistor relating to the faulty lighting branch then remains working in the linear zone, because it has a collector current given by the sole base current of the feedback transistor, while the base current of the lighting transistor is limited by the feedback of the transistor control means 30.
Such effect of the open circuit fault of a LED thus simulates the effect of the fault of a traditional bulb, inasmuch as the lighting device, e.g., the vehicle light, appears completely off. Besides the visual effect, the absence of current absorption on all the lighting branches can trigger an alarm signal.
the minimum base current flowing in all the lighting transistors is in any case enough to ensure the lighting transistors remain in a state of activation. If the faulty LED were to start operating again, all the branches of the LED can return to their normal operation.
each feedback transistor TRA; TRB; TRC and the emitter of the other feedback transistors are connected together by means of a feedback diode DRA; DRB; DRC.
Such current thus entering the emitters of the other feedback transistors, polarizes such transistors in active linear zone.
said feedback transistors have a determinate voltage applied to the respective base and a determinate voltage applied to the respective emitter, which polarize them in linear active zone.
Such collector currents applied to the base of the control transistor TC cause said transistor to switch on and this, in turn, activates the linear regulation block 40, thus reducing the input voltage of the voltage regulator 10 and, therefore, the voltage Vref applied to the base of the lighting transistors.
the driver circuit therefore finds itself in the same condition described above due to an open circuit fault, i.e., with a very limited base current on the lighting transistors, to which corresponds a branch current which is insufficient for lighting the lighting sources.
the feedback transistors are switched on and conduct enough current to activate the control transistor TC.
the latter activates the linear regulation block 40, which reduces its output voltage, and therefore also the driving voltage Vref, to zero.
the linear regulation block 40 tends to switch off, increasing the driving voltage Vref, which from zero starts to rise, causing an increase in the LED driving current.
the feedback control implemented by the transistor control means 30 reaches a balance condition when the potential difference between the bases of the feedback transistors is enough to keep the linear regulation block 40 active, but at such a level as to define a low but not zero driving voltage Vref, generally between zero and the driving voltage set by the voltage regulator 10.
To said driving voltage corresponds a LED driving current such as not to allow the LEDs to emit a light radiation perceivable to the human eye, e.g., through a lens of the light.
driving current nevertheless, represents a sufficient activation current to permit reactivating the LEDs in the event of the faulty LED due to short circuit returning to normal operation.
said current blockage means comprise a first anti-inversion diode DAI which permits the flow of current only from the output terminal of the voltage regulator 10, i.e., from the base of the power driver 20, to the emitters of the feedback transistors TRA; TRB; TRC, and not vice versa.
said current blockage means comprise a second compensation diode DC that cancels the voltage drop introduced by the first anti-inversion diode DI, which would otherwise affect the calculation of the mesh voltage M of the figure 2 .
control means for the detection of a fault due to short circuit, instead of obtaining a current in the control means 30 from the potential difference between the bases of the feedback transistors, the control means can comprise a voltage comparator circuit suitable for comparing the voltage on the base of the feedback transistors with a pre-established control activation voltage, so as to generate a driving current of the control transistor TC in accordance with the result of such comparison.
the present invention concerns a vehicle light 200 wherein at least one light of the light is made with LED lighting sources driven by the driver circuit described above.
the vehicle light 200 can be a front light, rear light or the third rear light of the vehicle.
the light of this light can be, for example, the side light, the stop light, the rear fog light.
control of the lighting transistors can be implemented, besides using the electric circuit control means 30 described above, in software mode, using a processing unit, e.g., a micro controller or a DSP.
a processing unit e.g., a micro controller or a DSP.

Landscapes

Circuit Arrangement For Electric Light Sources In General (AREA)
Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)

EP12806689.1A 2011-11-23 2012-11-22 Driver circuit and method for vehicle light Not-in-force EP2749131B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number	Priority Date	Filing Date	Title
PL12806689T PL2749131T3 (pl)	2011-11-23	2012-11-22	Obwód zasilacza i sposób dla światła pojazdu

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number	Priority Date	Filing Date	Title
IT000370A ITPD20110370A1 (it)	2011-11-23	2011-11-23	Circuito e metodo di pilotaggio di sorgenti luminose, e fanale automobilistico comprendente tale circuito
PCT/IB2012/056638 WO2013076684A1 (en)	2011-11-23	2012-11-22	Driver circuit and method for vehicle light

Publications (2)

Publication Number	Publication Date
EP2749131A1 EP2749131A1 (en)	2014-07-02
EP2749131B1 true EP2749131B1 (en)	2018-02-28

Family

ID=45507779

Family Applications (1)

Application Number	Title	Priority Date	Filing Date
EP12806689.1A Not-in-force EP2749131B1 (en)	2011-11-23	2012-11-22	Driver circuit and method for vehicle light

Country Status (6)

Country	Link
EP (1)	EP2749131B1 (it)
ES (1)	ES2671003T3 (it)
IT (1)	ITPD20110370A1 (it)
PL (1)	PL2749131T3 (it)
TR (1)	TR201807077T4 (it)
WO (1)	WO2013076684A1 (it)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number	Priority date	Publication date	Assignee	Title
EP3780911A1 (de) *	2019-08-13	2021-02-17	ZKW Group GmbH	Kraftfahrzeug-beleuchtungseinrichtung

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number	Priority date	Publication date	Assignee	Title
DE19950135A1 (de) *	1999-10-18	2001-04-19	Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh	Ansteuerschaltung für LED und zugehöriges Betriebsverfahren
DE10201906B4 (de) *	2002-01-19	2005-04-07	Stührenberg GmbH	Signalgeberleuchte mit Leuchtdioden
US6798152B2 (en) *	2002-08-21	2004-09-28	Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.	Closed loop current control circuit and method thereof
DE102005012625B4 (de) *	2005-03-18	2009-01-02	Infineon Technologies Ag	Verfahren sowie Schaltungsanordnung zur Ansteuerung von Leuchtdioden

2011
- 2011-11-23 IT IT000370A patent/ITPD20110370A1/it unknown
2012
- 2012-11-22 EP EP12806689.1A patent/EP2749131B1/en not_active Not-in-force
- 2012-11-22 PL PL12806689T patent/PL2749131T3/pl unknown
- 2012-11-22 TR TR2018/07077T patent/TR201807077T4/tr unknown
- 2012-11-22 WO PCT/IB2012/056638 patent/WO2013076684A1/en not_active Ceased
- 2012-11-22 ES ES12806689.1T patent/ES2671003T3/es active Active

Also Published As

Publication number	Publication date
PL2749131T3 (pl)	2018-09-28
WO2013076684A1 (en)	2013-05-30
EP2749131A1 (en)	2014-07-02
TR201807077T4 (tr)	2018-06-21
ITPD20110370A1 (it)	2013-05-24
ES2671003T3 (es)	2018-06-04

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