Light control circuit and method

A system and method for controlling the dimming of a lighting element, or other electrical load, that uses a timer synchronized to the AC waveform is disclosed. The timer is set up to repeatedly count at a rate equal to twice the frequency of the AC waveform. An output from the timer logic is assert...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author SEWARD, IV DEWITT C
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
Published 24.03.2015
Subjects
ELECTRIC HEATING
ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
ELECTRICITY
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:A system and method for controlling the dimming of a lighting element, or other electrical load, that uses a timer synchronized to the AC waveform is disclosed. The timer is set up to repeatedly count at a rate equal to twice the frequency of the AC waveform. An output from the timer logic is asserted when the timer value exceeds a predetermined value, stored in a compare register. This output is connected to the gate of a triac, which controls the passage of current from the AC power source to the electrical load. A capture register is used to determine the temporal relationship between the restart of the timer and the AC waveform. This system and method reduces the real time requirements of an associated processing unit, and improves consistency, thereby reducing flicker.
Bibliography:Application Number: US201213723921