Patent ID: 8339058

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling brightness and color from a grouping of red, green and blue light emitting diodes (LEDs), comprising: red, green and blue pulse generating circuits having trigger inputs and pulse outputs, wherein a plurality of trigger signals are applied to each of the trigger inputs and a plurality of pulses therefrom are generated at each of the red, green and blue pulse outputs, wherein each of the plurality of pulses has a constant width and amplitude; red, green and blue pulse on-time integrators, each having a pulse input coupled to a respective pulse output of the red, green and blue pulse generating circuits and an integration time interval input, wherein the red, green and blue pulse on-time integrators generate output voltages proportional to percentages of when the amplitudes of the plurality of pulses for each of the red, green and blue pulse outputs are on over an integration time interval; red, green and blue operational amplifiers, each having negative and positive inputs and an output, each of the negative inputs is coupled to the output voltage from a respective one of the red, green and blue pulse on-time integrators and each of the positive inputs of the red, green and blue operational amplifiers is coupled to voltage signals representing desired color and light brightness from red, green and blue light emitting diodes (LEDs); and red, green and blue voltage controlled frequency generators having frequency control inputs and frequency outputs, wherein each of the frequency control inputs is coupled to a respective output of the red, green and blue operational amplifiers, and the frequency outputs generating the plurality of the trigger signals are coupled to the trigger inputs of the red, green and blue pulse generating circuits, whereby the red, green and blue voltage controlled frequency sources cause the red, green and blue pulse generating circuits to produce the plurality of pulses necessary for producing the desired color and light brightness from the red, green and blue LEDs.