Oscillation-free LLC converter control for LED dimming
This technology improves how power is delivered to LED lighting systems during dimming by solving a flicker and inefficiency problem in a specific type of power converter called an LLC resonant converter. When LEDs are dimmed using standard pulse-width modulation (rapidly switching power on and off), the converter tends to oscillate wildly at the start of each power burst, wasting energy and potentially causing visible flicker. This invention fixes that by mathematically shortening the very first and last pulses in each burst so the converter jumps directly onto its efficient operating path, skipping the oscillation entirely. The result is smooth, efficient LED dimming without the ringing or energy loss that normally accompanies burst-mode operation.
What you could build
A control algorithm or firmware module embedded in LED driver ICs or power supply controllers for commercial and architectural lighting systems; buyers would be LED driver chip manufacturers (e.g., Infineon, Texas Instruments, ON Semiconductor) and OEM lighting power supply designers.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense facilities and data centers in Northern Virginia with large LED lighting infrastructure upgrades, or electronics/semiconductor firms with Virginia design centers.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Weiyi Feng, Fred C. Lee, Shu Ji
- Granted
- March 1, 2016
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 9276480
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.