CN101516156A - Wireless Light modulating type electronic ballast and compact fluorescent lamp comprising same - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a wireless dimming electronic ballast and a compact fluorescent lamp containing the ballast. The wireless dimming electronic ballast includes: a wireless receiving unit for receiving control signals from a controller; The dimming control unit is used to control the operation of the lamp; and the main control unit is used to start and ballast the lamp; wherein at least the wireless receiving unit is spatially separated. The electronic ballast may further include a connecting unit for connecting the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit, and the connecting unit, the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit may They are respectively located on different circuit boards, and the circuit boards of the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the numerical control unit are respectively connected to the circuit board of the connection unit and are perpendicular to the connection unit.

Description

Wireless dimming electronic ballasts and compact fluorescent lamps incorporating them

technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of lighting, in particular to a wireless dimming electronic ballast for a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and an integrated compact fluorescent lamp (CFLi) including the wireless dimming electronic ballast.

Background technique

Wireless dimming electronic ballasts have been more and more widely used in the ballasting and dimming of fluorescent lamps. FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a conventional wireless dimming electronic ballast.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a wireless dimming ballast generally includes the following parts: a main control unit 1 , a dimming control unit 2 and a wireless receiving unit 3 . The main control unit 1 is used to provide the starting voltage for the lamp during the starting process of the lamp, and to control the current supplied to the lamp when the lamp is running stably. At the same time, the main control unit 1 also provides power to other parts of the ballast circuit, and according to The user instruction received by the wireless receiving unit 3 from the remote control device 4 controls the operation of the dimming control unit 2; the dimming control unit 2 controls the power applied to the lamp in response to the instruction of the main control unit 1, so as to adjust the brightness of the lamp The purpose; the wireless receiving unit 3 is used to receive the dimming instruction sent by the user through the remote control, and transmit the instruction to the main control unit 1 . Such wireless dimming electronic ballasts have achieved good application results in straight tube fluorescent lamps.

In recent years, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have been rapidly popularized and applied due to their low energy consumption and simple structure. With the wide application of compact fluorescent lamps, people increasingly hope that the compact fluorescent lamps can also be dimmed remotely. However, due to structural limitations, both the electronic ballast and the dimming device of the compact fluorescent lamp need to be installed inside the lamp holder.

Since the electronic ballast contains some temperature-sensitive integrated circuits and other electronic devices, especially the wireless receiving unit, it is more sensitive to temperature. These integrated circuits and electronic devices will not work properly when the ambient temperature reaches a certain level. However, during the operation of ordinary compact fluorescent lamps, the steady-state temperature of the lamp head can generally reach 90-100 degrees Celsius. Electronic circuits such as wireless receiver units will not function properly at these temperatures. Therefore, so far, the application range of wireless dimming electronic ballasts is only limited to straight tube fluorescent lamps, while compact fluorescent lamps can only be used for lighting with fixed brightness.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a wireless dimming electronic ballast for compact fluorescent lamps and an integrated compact fluorescent lamp including the wireless dimming electronic ballast. The object of the present invention is to provide such an electronic ballast and a compact fluorescent lamp.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an electronic ballast is provided, comprising:

a wireless receiving unit for receiving control signals from the controller;

a dimming control unit for controlling the operation of the lamp; and

a main control unit, configured to provide power to the wireless receiving unit and the dimming control unit;

Wherein, at least the wireless receiving units are spatially separated.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic ballast further includes a connection unit for connecting the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the connection unit, the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit are respectively located on different circuit boards, and the circuits of the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit The boards are respectively connected to the circuit boards of the connection units and form an angle with the connection units. This angle is preferably a right angle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit, circuit elements that are more sensitive to temperature are arranged on the circuit board at a position away from the connection unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the circuit boards of the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit are arranged parallel to each other, or arranged in a star shape with each other, or arranged in a triangle shape with each other.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the main control unit and the connecting unit are located on the same circuit board. Preferably, the circuit board is made of relatively thick material.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compact fluorescent lamp, comprising: a bulb; a lamp base; and an electronic ballast, the electronic ballast is located in the lamp base, and includes: a wireless receiving unit for receiving information from the controller control signal; a dimming control unit, used to control the operation of the lamp according to the control signal received by the wireless receiving unit; and a main control unit, used to provide power to the wireless receiving unit and the dimming control unit; wherein, at least the The wireless receiving units are spatially separated.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic ballast further includes a connection unit for connecting the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the connection unit is located between the light bulb and the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit, so as to connect the light bulb with the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit isolated from the main control unit.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the wireless receiving unit is also used for transmitting signals, and the dimming control unit detects the operating state of the lamp, and sends the information of the operating state to remote control. The state of the lamp includes, but is not limited to, overvoltage, overcurrent, overheat, and end of life.

Adopting the technical solution of the present invention can effectively solve the problem that the electronic components in the electronic ballast are sensitive to temperature, so that the wireless dimming electronic ballast can be integrated in the lamp holder of the compact fluorescent lamp, so as to realize the protection of the compact fluorescent lamp Wireless dimming.

Description of drawings

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding technical features or components will be indicated by the same or corresponding reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing each functional block of a wireless electronic ballast;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a wireless electronic ballast according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the structure of a connecting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a structural plan view of a wireless receiving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a plan view schematically showing that the wireless electronic ballast according to the present invention is installed in the lamp holder of a compact energy-saving lamp, wherein the lamp holder part is represented by a cross-sectional view;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a wireless electronic ballast according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a wireless electronic ballast according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8a and Figure 8b show schematic diagrams of a CFL lamp according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein Figure 8a shows a schematic diagram of a receiving unit coupled with a lamp, and Figure 8b shows a schematic diagram of a separate receiving unit and a remote control device ;

Figure 9a shows an electronic transformer circuit for supplying power to other circuit parts in an electronic ballast according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9b shows a circuit used in place of an electronic transformer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Fig. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a wireless electronic ballast according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the structure of the electronic ballast 1 according to this embodiment is divided into four units: the first unit 11 is a dimming control unit for dimming the lamp, which includes a The circuit part; the second unit 12 is a wireless receiving unit, which is used to receive the control signal from the remote controller, which includes a wireless receiving circuit; the third unit 13 is the main control unit, which is used to provide the starting voltage during the starting process of the lamp, And when the lamp is running stably, the working current of the lamp is controlled. At the same time, the main control unit 13 also provides power to other circuit parts such as the dimming control unit 11 and the wireless receiving unit 12, which includes power circuits such as electronic transformers; the fourth unit 14 is a connection unit for connecting the first unit 11, The second unit 12 and the third unit 13 are connected to form an integral electronic ballast. The fourth unit 14 includes connection components and other circuit elements for connecting with the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 respectively.

FIG. 3 shows a structural plan view of the fourth unit 14 , that is, a schematic diagram of a connection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3 , the fourth unit 14 includes a substrate 51 , connecting parts 23 a , 33 a and 43 a for connecting the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 respectively, and other circuit elements 6 . The connection components 23 a , 33 a and 43 a can be common interface components welded on the substrate 51 , or can be a plurality of regularly arranged through holes drilled on the substrate 51 . The substrate 51 is made of a hard board, preferably a printed circuit board. In the case of employing a printed circuit board as the substrate, a circuit pattern is etched on the substrate 51 so that the circuit pattern forms a circuit of the connection unit together with circuit elements and connection parts.

FIG. 4 shows a structural plan view of the second unit 12, that is, a schematic diagram of a wireless receiving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3 , the second unit 12 includes a substrate 31 , a circuit element 32 and an interface 33 . The substrate 31 is made of a hard board, preferably a printed circuit board (PCB). In the case of using a PCB as the substrate, the circuit element 32 is installed on the substrate 31, and the circuit pattern is etched, so that the circuit pattern and the circuit element together form a circuit of the dimming unit. The interface 33 can be formed by cutting and etching a corresponding circuit pattern from a circuit board integrated with the substrate 31 , or it can be an interface component fixed on the substrate 31 by welding or the like. Since the circuit elements in the wireless receiving unit are particularly sensitive to temperature, when arranging the circuit elements on the substrate, the circuit elements should be arranged as far away from the heat source as possible, such as far away from the interface 33 in FIG. 3 .

The first unit 11 is a dimming control unit, its physical structure is similar to that of the second unit 12, and also includes a substrate and circuit elements fixed on the substrate. When designing the circuit, it is preferable to arrange circuit components that are relatively sensitive to heat, such as a dimming chip, at a position away from the interface.

The third unit 13 is a main control unit, which is used to provide power to other circuit parts of the ballast. The main control unit is also made of hard boards, such as PCB, which includes components such as electronic transformers, and these components will also generate heat during work. In order to minimize the influence of the heat generated by components such as electronic transformers on temperature-sensitive components such as wireless receiving units, when the first, second, third and fourth units are connected together, it is preferable to arrange the third unit 13 with The side of the circuit components such as the electronic transformer faces away from the second unit 12 . The physical structure of the third unit 13 is similar to that of the second unit 12 and will not be repeated here.

The principle of using an electronic transformer to provide power to other circuit parts is shown in Figure 9a. Referring to Fig. 9a, the AC voltage of 120V or 220V is input from the input terminal, and rectified by the rectification unit D _s1 to become a DC voltage of 180V or 330V. The power management unit (such as chip TEA152x) controls the conduction angle and conduction frequency of the primary side of the transformer TR1, and provides the required DC output voltage at the output terminal through the induction of the secondary side of the transformer TR1, such as 5V DC voltage. The 5V DC output is provided to other circuit parts, such as the receiving unit, as its working power.

The benefit of using the flyback electronic transformer shown in Figure 9a is that a larger voltage operating range can be obtained. For example, within the range of input voltage 87V-270V, it can provide a stable 5V DC voltage. Therefore, the fluctuation of the power supply voltage at the AC input terminal will not affect the output voltage, thereby providing stable working power for other circuit parts in the ballast.

In addition, in the present invention, when the dimming control unit and the wireless receiving unit are set to the power saving mode, the static power consumed by the entire electronic transformer can be reduced by about 60%. In this case, a simpler power supply method can be used to replace the electronic transformer, so as to further reduce the size of the ballast, reduce the heat generation of the ballast, and further improve the working environment of the temperature-sensitive components in the ballast.

Figure 9b shows a circuit that can replace the electronic transformer. In the circuit shown in Figure 9b, the voltage doubler circuit composed of C1, C2, D1 and D2 is used to provide DC voltage to the rear stage of the ballast, so that the ballast can complete the basic starting and ballasting functions. The structure and working principle of the latter stage can refer to the structure and working principle of ordinary ballasts, and will not be repeated here.

In order to provide power to the wireless receiving unit 11 and the dimming control unit 12, in the circuit shown in Figure 9b, the voltage is obtained from point A in the voltage doubler circuit composed of C1, C2, D1 and D2 through the capacitor C4, and divided by C4 After voltage, a 5V AC voltage is obtained at point B, which is rectified by D3 and D4 and stabilized at 3.3V by Zener diode DZ1 to supply power to the receiving unit working in power-saving mode. Among them, C3 and C5 play the roles of filtering and energy storage.

Using the power supply circuit shown in Figure 9b can achieve good working results when the total power consumption of the electronic ballast is several hundred milliwatts, and it is comparable to the technology of using the electronic ballast shown in Figure 9a to provide power Compared with the solution, the volume can be further reduced, and it is more convenient to be installed in the CFL lamp head.

Of course, other circuits can also be used instead of the electronic transformer, not limited to the specific circuit form shown in FIG. 9 .

Refer to accompanying drawing 2 again. According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the connection relationship of the first unit 11, the second unit 12, the third unit 13 and the fourth unit 14 is: the fourth unit 14 is used as a motherboard, which is provided with the first unit 11, the second The connecting part or interface (see parts 23a, 33a, 43a in Fig. 3) to which the unit 12 and the third unit 13 are connected. The first unit 11, the second unit 12, and the third unit 13 are respectively connected to corresponding interfaces, so that the planes of the respective circuit boards of the first unit 11, the second unit 12, and the third unit 13 are the same as those of the fourth unit 14. The plane on which the board sits is vertical.

FIG. 5 shows a situation when the electronic ballast 1 according to this embodiment is installed in the base of a compact fluorescent lamp. In FIG. 5 , 10 denotes a compact energy-saving lamp, 101 denotes a light bulb or a lamp tube, 102 denotes a lamp base, 103 denotes a lamp base, and 1 denotes an electronic ballast installed in the lamp base 102 .

As shown in Figure 5, when the electronic ballast 1 is installed in the lamp cap of the compact fluorescent lamp, the side of the circuit board of the connection unit 5 facing away from the first unit 11, the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 faces the bulb/ The direction of the lamp tube, that is, the connection unit 14 is between the lamp tube 101 and the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 .

Since the bulb or tube is the main heat source in the compact energy-saving lamp, this structure can effectively separate the temperature-sensitive circuit components in the ballast circuit from the main heat source of the lamp by the fourth unit, thereby effectively reducing the electronic temperature. The temperature of the environment where the ballast circuit is located improves the working conditions of the electronic ballast circuit, improves the reliability of the electronic ballast, and prolongs the life of the electronic ballast.

In order to further improve the heat insulation effect, the substrate of the fourth unit 14 adopts a thicker printed circuit board with good heat insulation effect, such as a circuit board with a specification of 1.5mm. The substrates of the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 are relatively thin printed circuit boards, such as circuit boards with a specification of 1.0 mm. The first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 adopt thin circuit boards, which can reduce heat transfer in the plane direction of the corresponding circuit boards, and effectively reduce the temperature where temperature-sensitive circuit elements are located.

In the above embodiments, when the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 are connected together through the fourth unit 14 , the planes on which the substrates are located are parallel to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to such a specific structure, but may have other configurations.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless electronic ballast according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6 , the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 are connected through the connection part of the fourth unit 14 , and their positional relationship with each other is in a star shape. The electronic ballast with this structure can also keep the temperature-sensitive circuit components in the ballast away from the heat source, so as to protect these circuit components from high temperature and ensure the normal operation of the ballast.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless electronic ballast according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7 , the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 are connected through the connection part of the fourth unit 14 , and their positional relationship with each other is triangular. The electronic ballast with this structure can also keep the temperature-sensitive circuit components in the ballast away from the heat source, so as to protect these circuit components from high temperature and ensure the normal operation of the ballast.

In addition, the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 may or may not be perpendicular to the fourth unit 14 . For example, in the case shown in FIG. 7 , in order to adapt to the space inside the lamp head, the first unit 11 , the second unit 12 and the third unit 13 can be inclined at a certain angle toward the center of the lamp head.

In addition, the third unit 13, that is, the main control unit may be located on the fourth unit 14, and integrated with the connection unit. In this case, the second unit 12 needs to be arranged on the fourth unit 14 at a position away from heating elements such as electronic transformers.

The circuit structure of the wireless electronic ballast of the present invention described above can be divided into other numbers of circuit units, so that each circuit unit can be located on different circuit boards. In this case, the number of circuit boards is not limited to four, but may be other numbers, such as two or five, and so on.

In the various embodiments described above, the wireless receiving unit 3 is only used to receive control signals from the controller. Of course, the wireless receiving unit 3 can also be replaced by a transceiver, so that it can not only receive control signals from the remote controller, but also be used to send signals. For example, the dimming control unit 2 can detect the running state of the lamp, and send the detected running state information to a remote controller or other receiving devices through the wireless receiving unit 3 . The status of the lamp includes, but is not limited to, overvoltage, overcurrent, overheating, end of life, and the like. According to the status signal of the light, the user can take reasonable control measures to avoid misoperation.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned receiving unit may not be included in the ballast, but constitute an independent unit. FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of this embodiment. Wherein Fig. 8a shows the situation where the receiving unit is assembled with the lamp, and Fig. 8b shows the independent receiving unit and the remote control device. With this structure, since the receiving unit is outside the lamp cap, it is not only further away from heat sources (such as lamp tubes and transformers, etc.), but also improves heat dissipation conditions, thereby further reducing the temperature of the receiving unit and improving the working conditions of the receiving unit.

Referring to FIGS. 8 a and 8 b , the wireless receiving unit 11 is shown in the form of a receiver, wherein the interface 33 is in the form of a plurality of pins on the receiver 11 . A corresponding interface 33a is provided on the outside of the lamp cap. When the receiving unit is connected to the lamp base through the interfaces 33 and 33a, the lamp becomes a wireless dimming energy-saving lamp. When the receiving unit is separated from the lamp, the lamp 10 can be used as an ordinary energy-saving lamp.

The remote control device 4 is used for dimming and controlling the lamp. It can also be extended to control other Zigbee-based electronic devices by using the Zigbee wireless communication protocol. For example, if a household television supports Zigbee wireless communication, the remote control device can control the television. This means that all household appliances can be controlled with just one remote control.

In addition, since the life of the ballast is generally much longer than the life of the lamp. However, since the current lamp tubes are integrated with the lamp holder, when the lamp tube is damaged, the ballast is also discarded together with the lamp tube.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lamp tube and the lamp holder are detachably coupled. In this way, once the lamp tube is damaged, the ballast can continue to be used only by replacing the damaged lamp tube with a new one, thereby improving the environmental protection and saving performance of the product.

The technical solutions of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be understood that the description of these embodiments is only for clearly introducing the technical solutions of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these specific embodiments. Moreover, according to the above description, those skilled in the art can easily think of various modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit and spirit of the present invention. For example, the power supply unit may also be replaced by a dry battery, a rechargeable battery, or the like. Therefore, any such modifications and substitutions shall be considered to fall within the protection scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims (22)

1. A wireless dimming electronic ballast, comprising: a wireless receiving unit for receiving control signals from the controller; a dimming control unit, configured to dim the lamp according to the control signal received by the wireless receiving unit; and The main control unit is used to start and ballast the lamp; Wherein, at least the wireless receiving units are spatially separated. 2. The electronic ballast according to claim 1, further comprising a connection unit for connecting the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit. 3. The electronic ballast according to claim 2, wherein the connection unit, the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit are respectively located on different circuit boards, and the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control The circuit boards of the unit and the main control unit are respectively connected with the circuit board of the connection unit and form an angle with the connection unit. 4. The electronic ballast according to claim 3, wherein in the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit, the circuit elements that are more sensitive to temperature are arranged on the circuit board away from the connection unit Location. 5. The electronic ballast of claim 3, wherein said angle is a right angle. 6. The electronic ballast according to any one of claims 3-5, wherein the circuit boards of the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit are parallel to each other. 7. The electronic ballast according to any one of claims 3-5, wherein the circuit boards of the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit are arranged in a star shape with each other. 8. The electronic ballast according to any one of claims 3-5, wherein the circuit boards of the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit are arranged in a triangle with each other. 9. The electronic ballast according to claim 2, wherein the main control unit and the connection unit are located on the same circuit board. 10. The electronic ballast according to claim 2, wherein the wireless receiving unit is also used for transmitting signals. 11. The electronic ballast according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply unit for providing power to the wireless receiving unit and the dimming control unit, the power supply unit comprising: a rectifying unit, configured to rectify the first alternating voltage; and The output unit is configured to filter the output voltage of the first rectifying unit, and output the filtered DC voltage to the wireless receiving unit and the dimming control unit. 12. The electronic ballast according to claim 11, further comprising a second conversion unit for converting a second AC voltage into the first AC voltage. 13. The electronic ballast according to claim 12, wherein the second AC voltage is a power frequency AC voltage. 14. A compact fluorescent lamp comprising: Light bulb; lamp caps; and An electronic ballast, which is located in the lamp holder and includes: a wireless receiving unit for receiving a control signal from the controller; a dimming control unit for controlling the lamp according to the control signal received by the wireless receiving unit for dimming; and a master control unit for starting and ballasting the lamps; Wherein, at least the wireless receiving units are spatially separated. 15. The compact fluorescent lamp according to claim 14, wherein the electronic ballast further comprises a connection unit for connecting the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit. 16. The compact fluorescent lamp according to claim 15, wherein the connection unit, the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit are respectively located on different circuit boards, and the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit The circuit board of the main control unit is respectively connected with the circuit board of the connection unit, and forms an angle with the connection unit. 17. The compact fluorescent lamp according to claim 16, wherein in the wireless receiving unit, the dimming control unit and the main control unit, circuit elements that are more sensitive to temperature are arranged on the circuit board at a position away from the connection unit . 18. The compact fluorescent lamp according to claim 15, wherein the connection unit is located between the light bulb and the wireless receiving unit, dimming control unit and main control unit. 19. The electronic ballast according to claim 15, wherein the main control unit and the connection unit are located on the same circuit board. 20. The compact fluorescent lamp according to any one of claims 14-19, wherein the wireless receiving unit is also used for transmitting signals. 21. The compact fluorescent lamp according to claim 20, wherein the wireless receiving unit is detachably coupled to other units of the electronic ballast from the outside of the lamp through a housing of the lamp cap. 22. The compact fluorescent lamp according to claim 20, wherein the lamp base and the lamp tube are detachably coupled together.

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