Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/000,804 filed on Oct. 29, 2007, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are used in various types of landscape, pool, and spa lights and can be connected to a control system to output various color shows. Conventional methods for selecting color output are accomplished by turning alternating current (AC) power from a mains supply line on and off with an AC switch. However, with a multitude of fixed colors and color shows that can be selected, it becomes very tedious for the user to select a show by means of toggling an on/off switch. 
         [0003]    Current systems for controlling LED landscape, pool, and spa lights include a microcontroller circuit that outputs pulse-width modulated (PWM) signals to the LEDs. In these systems, LEDs of various colors are necessary and the PWM signals control the intensity of the LEDs to produce various colors and effects. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Embodiments of the disclosure provide a system for selecting a color show generated by LED landscape, pool, and/or spa lights or sources. The system can include a faceplate indicating the color shows available to select from. The faceplate includes a selector, such as a rotary switch, positioned to select one of the color shows. The system includes a microcontroller in communication with the selector and a triac circuit in communication with the microcontroller. The microcontroller controls the LED landscape, pool, and/or spa lights using the triac circuit in response to the position of the selector. 
         [0005]    In some embodiments, the triac provides communication between an AC source and the LED sources. The triac receives signals from the microcontroller based on the data received from a user interface, such as the selector of the faceplate. The triac clips the voltage from the AC source to the LED sources in order to provide one or more voltage pulses to the LED sources based on the signals received from the microcontroller. 
         [0006]    In some embodiments, the system includes an output power trace from the AC source to the LED sources. The system can also include a sensing circuit positioned near the output power trace to detect a characteristic of the output power trace. The sensing circuit can transmit data to the microcontroller corresponding to the characteristic of the output power trace. The microcontroller can control the LED sources based on the data transmitted by the sensing circuit. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a LED light controller system according to one embodiment of the disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of a logic control system for use with the LED light controller system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration of a user input for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration of a switch data acquisition for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a schematic illustration of switch indicators for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a schematic illustration of a programming port for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a schematic illustration of a microcontroller circuit for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a schematic illustration of a comparator circuit for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a schematic illustration of a control logic for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a schematic illustration of a connection block for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is a schematic illustration of a power control system for use with the LED light controller system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  is a schematic illustration of an optoisolator for use with the power control system of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 13  is a schematic illustration of a triac circuit for use with the power control system of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 14  is a schematic illustration of a power switch for use with the power control system of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 15  is a schematic illustration of a transformer, a rectifier, and a regulator for use with the power control system of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 16  is a schematic illustration of a zero-crossing detection circuit for use with the logic control system of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 17  is a schematic illustration of a current sensing circuit for use with the power control system of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 18  is a flow chart illustrating operation of the LED light controller system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 19  is a wiring diagram of a LED light controller system according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0026]    Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings, whether mechanical or electrical. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
         [0027]    In addition, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention include both hardware and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic based aspects of the invention may be implemented in software. As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the invention. Furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific mechanical configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the invention and that other alternative mechanical configurations are possible. 
         [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic of a light emitting diode (LED) light controller system  10  according to one embodiment of the disclosure. A standard outlet/switch box containing circuit boards as well as push buttons and a rotary switch for a user can be mounted on a wall. The box can be metal or plastic. A multitude of color shows can be represented on a faceplate on the box. The user can align the rotary switch to a specific color show representation on the faceplate. The LED light controller system can read this selection from the user and output the specific color show by controlling LEDs in pool, spa, and/or landscape lights or sources. 
         [0029]    The controller system  10  can include a user input  101  and a power switch  110 , a logic control system  11 , a power control system  12 , an AC power source (e.g., AC mains line)  13 , and LED sources  14 . In one embodiment, these components can be connected as shown by arrows in  FIG. 1 ; however, other configurations are possible. The LED sources  14  can include LED pool, spa, and/or landscape lights, or any other LED sources capable of light output control in the form of fixed-color or multi-colored shows. The LED sources  14  can be a multitude of different color LEDs. The LED sources  14  can be 120 volt (V) lights or 12V lights including a step-down transformer. The AC line  13  can be connected to the power control system  12  through a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) as the source of power to a portion of the entire LED light controller system  10 , including the power control system  12 , the logic control system  11 , and the LED sources  14 . In addition, the power switch  110  can be connected to the power control system  12  to selectively provide or remove power to the LED light controller system  10 . If the LED light controller system  10  is on (e.g., the power switch  110  is enabled), specific color show information from the user input  101  can be received and processed by the logic control system  11 . The logic control system  11  can then output specific voltage pulses to signal the power control system  12  to clip or truncate the AC line  13  supplied to the LED sources  14 . The specific number of AC line truncations (equating to the number of output pulses) can be interpreted by decode circuitry in the LED sources  14 . As a result, the single LEDs within the LED sources  14  can be turned on or off to output various colors of the color show selected by the user. 
         [0030]      FIG. 2  illustrates the logic control system  11  of the LED light controller system  10  according to one embodiment of the disclosure. The logic control system II can include the user input  101 , a switch data acquisition circuit  102 , a microcontroller circuit  103 , a reprogramming port  104 , a comparator  105 , switch indicators  106 , an output control logic  107 , a zero-crossover detection circuit  108 , and a connection block  109 . The connection block  109  can serve as the connection between the logic control system  11  and the power control system  12 . The components of the logic control system  11  can be integrated circuits mounted on a circuit board that is positioned within the outlet/switch box. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  further illustrates the user input  101  from the logic control system  11  of  FIG. 2 . The user input  101  can include a rotary switch  135 , a recall button/switch  136 , and a hold button/switch  137 . The rotary switch  135  can be a continuous, 12-position switch, such as those manufactured by C&amp;K Components. The rotary switch  135  can be aligned on the front panel of the outlet/switch box. The front panel can also include a faceplate corresponding to a multitude of fixed-color or multi-colored show selections relative to the position of the rotary switch  135 . From the rotary switch  135 , the color show selection information can be sent to shift registers  138 ,  139  within the switch data acquisition circuit  102  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) via connection  122 . In some embodiments, the rotary switch  135  can be replaced by an encoder or potentiometer. The encoder or potentiometer can perform the same function as the rotary switch  135  by transmitting a different signal for a different chosen selection without the requirement of a multitude of wires for the connection  122 . The recall switch  136  and the hold switch  137  can be single-pole, single-throw (SPST) tactile switches, such as the MJTP1138B, manufactured by APEM. If the recall switch  136  is depressed, its two terminals can connect to ground and a low voltage signal can be received by the microcontroller circuit  103  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) via connection  123 . If the hold switch  137  is depressed, the microcontroller circuit  103  can receive a signal via connection  124 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  illustrates the switch data acquisition circuit  102  of the logic control system  11 . The switch data acquisition block  102  can contain two shift registers  138 ,  139  and a resistor network  146  (including resistors R 1 -R 12 ) to provide decoded rotary switch position information to the microcontroller circuit  103 . The two shift registers  138 ,  139  can be 8-bit parallel-in/serial-out shift registers, such as the 74HC165D, manufactured by NXP Semiconductors. The resistance of the resistors R 1 -R 12  can be equal to one another and can be 10 k-ohms (these resistors as well as all resistors described herein can be 0805 size with a power rating of ⅛ watts). Specific bit patterns based on the position of the rotary switch  135  can be routed to the microcontroller circuit  103  via a connection  125 . A connection  128  from the microcontroller circuit  103  can provide an interrupt to call for data (“LD”) from the shift registers  138 ,  139 . Additionally, clock information (“CLK”) for the shift registers  138 ,  139  can come from the microcontroller circuit  103  via a connection  129 . 
         [0033]    When either the hold or recall function is in use, the microcontroller circuit  103  can trigger a visible LED to show the active function to the user. As shown in the switch indicator block  106  in  FIG. 5 , visible LEDs D 1  and D 2  can be connected in series with resistors R 13  and R 14 , respectively, and a supply voltage, V cc  (e.g., 5 volts). LEDs D 1  and D 2  can be SOT-23 surface mount 635 nm red LEDs, such as those manufactured by LUMEX (part number SSL-LS151C-TR). Resistors R 13  and R 14  can each be 470 ohms in some embodiments. The resistors R 13  and R 14  act as current limiters, and the value of resistors R 13  and R 14  can vary depending on the type of diode used. A low output from the microcontroller circuit  103  (via connections  126  and  127 ) can allow a sufficient voltage drop to activate either diode to signal to the user which function is in use (e.g., whether the recall switch  136  or the hold switch  137  has been depressed). LEDs D 1  and D 2  can be mounted on the front panel of the outlet/switch box so that they can be visible to the user. 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  illustrates the reprogramming port  104 . The reprogramming port  104  can allow reprogramming of a microcontroller  141  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) within the microcontroller circuit  103  once the LED light controller system  10  is already installed in the outlet/switch box. The reprogramming port  104  can be directly connected to the microcontroller circuit  103  via connections  132  (pin  3 ) and  134  (pin  4 ) to synchronize system clocks and send data, respectively. A supply voltage to the reprogramming port  104 , V DD , can be supplied via a connection  140  (at pin  2 ) during normal operation of the microcontroller  141 . Voltage  VDD  can also be the voltage supplied to the microcontroller  141  during normal operation. During reprogramming, however, power can be removed from the LED light controller system  10  and, therefore, V DD  will no longer be supplied to the microcontroller circuit  103 . In this case, a higher voltage V PP  can be supplied from the reprogramming port  104  (at pin  5 ) via a connection  124  to the microcontroller circuit  103  to put the microcontroller  141  into a programming mode. 
         [0035]      FIG. 7  further illustrates the microcontroller circuit  103  included in the logic control system  11 . In some embodiments, the microcontroller  141  included in the microcontroller circuit  103  can be a PIC16F684 (14-pin flash-based, 8-bit CMOS) manufactured by Microchip Technology, Inc. or similar. As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “microcontroller” is not limited to just those integrated circuits referred to in the art as microcontrollers, but broadly refers to one or more microcomputers, processors, application-specific integrated circuits, or any other suitable programmable circuit or combination of circuits. Pin  1  of the microcontroller  141  can be connected to the voltage source V DD  to power the device during normal operation, while pin  14  can be grounded. The voltage source V DD  can have a transient protection circuit at pin  1 . The transient circuit can contain a schottky diode D 3  and a capacitor C 1  in series connection with supply voltage V CC . The diode D 3  can be a SMA B360A-13, manufactured by Diodes, Inc. The capacitor C 1  can be a 0.1 microfarad (±10%), size 0805, X7R dielectric type capacitor rated for 25V, such as that manufactured by AVX Corporation (Part No. 08053C104KAT2A). Unless specified otherwise, all the capacitors described herein can be this type of capacitor. 
         [0036]    Due to a large amount of inputs and outputs, pins of the microcontroller  141  can be shared using jumpers  142 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , pins  12  and  13  of the microcontroller  141  have two separate wire connections,  132  and  133 , and  134  and  127 , respectively, coming into the microcontroller circuit block  103 . During reprogramming of the microcontroller  141  with the reprogramming port  104 , the jumpers  142  can be disconnected to allow the connection of pins  12  and  13  to the connections  132  and  134 , respectively. Otherwise, the jumpers  142  can be connected to allow the connection of pins  12  and  13  to the connections  133  and  127 , respectively, for normal operation. 
         [0037]    The output from the microcontroller  141  to control the action of the LED sources  14  can be provided via pins  8  and  12  through the connections  130  and  133 . The microcontroller  141  can be connected to the recall switch  136  (at pin  2 ) and the hold switch  137  (at pin  4 ) from the user input  101  via the connections  123  and  124 , respectively. When the hold switch  137  is depressed, the microcontroller  141  can control the output signal (at pins  8  and  12 ) to hold the color that is currently showing at that time. This signal information can also be stored in the microcontroller  141  for use during the recall switch  136  operation. When the recall switch  136  is depressed, the microcontroller  141  can control the LED sources  14  to output the last color stored during the hold button  138  operation. The microcontroller  141  can include an internal pull-up resistor for the switches (at pin  2 ) or can use an external pull-up resistor (e.g., a resistor R 31  in series with V CC  at pin  4 ) for the recall switch  136  and the hold switch  137 . In some embodiments, the resistor R 31  can be 10 kilo-ohms. 
         [0038]    In addition, data from the switch data acquisition circuit  102  can be input to the microcontroller  141  (at pin  3 ) via the connection  125 . The microcontroller  141  can provide a signal (at pin  7 ) to the shift registers  138 ,  139  to call for data via the connection  129 . The internal clock of the microcontroller  141  (output at pin  6 ) can be used by the shift registers  138 ,  139  in the switch data acquisition circuit  102  through the connection  128 . The microcontroller  141  can also output signals to the switch indicators  106  via connections  126  and  127  from pins  5  and  13 , respectively. 
         [0039]    Two pins of the microcontroller  141  (e.g., pins  9  and  10 ) can be used for the comparator circuit  105 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . Pin  9  can receive a reference voltage from the comparator circuit  105  via the connection  131 , while pin  10  can receive a current sense voltage from the power control system  12  via the connection  119 . Also, the zero-crossover detection circuit  108  (as shown in  FIG. 16 ) can communicate the zero-crossover of the AC line  13  to the microcontroller  141  via the connection  143  at pin  11  (as further discussed with respect to the power control system  12 ). 
         [0040]    A safety mechanism including output current detection can be included in some embodiments. The magnetic field of the final output power trace can be detected, converted to a respective current sense voltage, and fed back to the microcontroller  141 . In response to the input voltage, the microcontroller  141  can then be capable of providing or removing output power to the LED sources  14 . This can prevent too much current from reaching the LED sources  14  if any connections prior to the output trace are shorted or overloaded during startup (in addition to a fuse F 1 , as shown in  FIG. 13 ). The current sense voltage from the power control system  12  can be routed to the microcontroller  141  via the connection  119 . 
         [0041]    The comparator circuit  105  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ) can be connected to the microcontroller circuit  103  via the connection  131 . The comparator circuit  105  can use a voltage divider with resisters R 15  and R 16 , capacitor C 2 , and supply voltage V CC  to produce a reference voltage; the magnitude of this reference voltage can be the threshold for the current sense voltage from the power control system  12  (i.e., a voltage trip point). In some embodiments, resistor R 15  can have a resistance of 50 kilo-ohms and resistor R 16  can have a resistance of 14 kilo-ohms, while capacitor C 2  can have a 0.1 microfarad capacitance. Therefore, by way of example only, if the supply voltage V CC  is about 5V, then the reference voltage at the connection  131  can be about 1V. The input to the microcontroller  141  from the current sense voltage (at the connection  119 ) can be compared to the reference voltage (at the connection  131 ). If the detected current sense voltage is above the voltage trip point, the microcontroller  141  can shut down its output, thus removing power to the LED sources  14 . 
         [0042]    To ensure proper microcontroller  141  operation, two pins on the microcontroller  141  (pins  8  and  12  as shown in  FIG. 7 ) can provide output signals in the form of voltage pulses to the power control system  12 . The output of these two pins can be sent to the control logic  107  (as shown in  FIG. 9 ) via the connections  130  and  133 , respectively. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the two outputs from the microcontroller circuit  103  can be fed through logic gates to ensure consistency before being output to the power control system  12 . Logic NOR gates G 1 , G 2  (e.g., model 74HC02/SO, available from several manufacturers) can be used, in some embodiments. In alternative embodiments, other logic gates can be used and configured for the same purpose of qualifying correct output before sending information to the power control system  12 . Resistors R 17 , R 18 , and R 20  in the control logic  107  can have a resistance of 10 kilo-ohms while resistor R 19  can have a resistance of 4.7 kilo-ohms. Transistor Q 1  can be a PMBT3904 BJT, manufactured by Phillips, among others. If the microcontroller  141  is not transmitting any signals from pins  8  and  12 , the pull-down resistor R 17  in connection with ground can drive the connection  130  low, while the pull-up resistor R 18  in connection with V CC  can drive the connection  133  high. The low-driven voltage at connection  130  can allow a high logic level voltage (e.g., V CC  or 5V) emitted from G 1 . The combination of high logic level voltage from G 1  and high-driven voltage from the connection  133  can cause a low logic level (e.g., 0V) to be emitted from G 2 ; therefore, no signal will be sent to the power control system  12 . When a user input has been detected, the microcontroller  141  can emit a high voltage (5V) pulse at (pin  8 ) and a simultaneous low voltage (0V) pulse (at pin  12 ), resulting in a high logic level (5V) at the output of G 2 . Each pulse output from the microcontroller  141  (qualified by the logic control  107 ) can allow the transmission of the high logic level emitted from G 2  through a voltage divider including resistors R 19  and R 20 . The voltage after the resistor R 19  can surpass the cut-in voltage needed at the base of the transistor Q 1  to operate the transistor Q 1  in an active mode, allowing current to flow from the transistor&#39;s collector (at the connection  121 ) through its emitter to ground. 
         [0043]    The final signal from the control logic  107  can be provided to the power control system  12  via the connection  121  to connection block  109 , as shown in  FIG. 10 . The connection block  109  can provide communication between the power control system  12  and the logic control system  11 . The connection block  109  can be a printed circuit board (PCB) connector. As shown in  FIG. 10 , eight pins on the connection block  109  can transmit four different signals between the logic control system  11  and the power control system  12 . The other two pins on each side can be grounded. Output signals from the control logic  107  of the logic control system  11  (at the connection  121 ) can be routed to the power control system  12  as the connection  144 . Current sense information received by the logic control system  11  (at the connection  119 ) can be routed from the power control system  12  as the connection  145 . The rectified, stepped-down voltage V CC  that can power the microcontroller  141 , shift registers  138 ,  139 , rotary switch  136 , and other equipment of the logic control system  10  can be routed from the connection  146  of the power control system  12  to the connection  118  of the logic control system  11 . A bypass capacitor C 3  can also be connected to the connection  118 . The capacitor C 3  can be a 100 microfarad (±10%), TAJ series, tantalum electrolytic capacitor rated for 10V, such as that manufactured by AVX Corporation (Part No. TAJC107K010R). Another rectified voltage (not stepped-down to the magnitude of V CC ) can be connected from the power control system  12  (at the connection  147 ) to the logic control system  11  (at the connection  120 ) for the zero-crossover detection block  108  (as shown in  FIG. 16 ). 
         [0044]      FIG. 11  illustrates the power control system  12  of the LED light controller system  10  according to one embodiment of the disclosure. The power control system  12  can include the power switch  110 , an AC connections block  111 , a transformer  112 , a rectifier  113 , a voltage regulator  114 , an opto-isolator  115 , a triac circuit  116 , current sensing circuitry  117 , and the connection block  109 . The components of the power control system  12  can be integrated circuits mounted on a circuit board that is positioned within the outlet/switch box. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , the opto-isolator  115  can provide an interface between the logic control system  11  and the triac circuit  116 , in some embodiments. A photodiode D 4  can be connected in series with a resistor R 21  and voltage supply V CC . In some embodiments, the resistor R 21  can be 220 ohms. The active mode operation from the transistor Q 1  in the control logic  107  via the connection  144  can pull current through the resistor R 21 , causing the photodiode D 4  to turn on. Light output from the photodiode D 4  can, in turn, trigger operation of the triac T 1 . Current through the triac T 1  (via the connections  148  and  149 ) can then activate the triac circuit  116  (as shown in  FIG. 13 ). The opto-isolator  115  used in some embodiments (including the photodiode D 4  and the triac T 1 ) can be model MOC3021M, manufactured by Fairchild Optoelectronics Group, among others. Similar isolation circuits to isolate the low voltage microcontroller circuit from the high mains voltage can be used in other embodiments. 
         [0046]      FIG. 13  further illustrates the triac circuit  116  of the power control system  12 . A triac T 2  (or similar AC switching device) can clip or truncate the AC line  13  (from the connection  151 ) to the LED sources  14  (via the connection  150 ) in response to the signals (or lack thereof) received from the triac T 1  of the opto-isolator circuit  115  (at the connection  149 ). As shown in  FIG. 13 , the connection  149  from the opto-isolator  115  can apply current to the gate of the triac T 2  to trigger current through the triac T 2  in either direction (through the connection  151  to the connection  150  or vice-versa), thus providing full mains voltage (e.g., 120 V AC ) to the LED sources  14 . A resistor R 24  (e.g., 39 ohms) and a capacitor C 4  (e.g., 0.01 microfarads) can act as an RC filter to prevent large spikes in voltage in the case of a current interruption. Resistors R 22  (e.g., 470 ohms) and R 23  (e.g., 360 ohms) can provide current limiting and a voltage divider for the triac T 2 . A capacitor C 5  (e.g., 0.047 microfarads) can filter out any spikes that can occur when the triac T 2  is turned on. Resistors R 22 , R 23 , and R 24  can have a ¼-watt power rating. The triac circuit can further include fuse F 1  (e.g., a slow-blow, long-time lag, 7-amp fuse such as a 0473007.YRT1, manufactured by Littelfuse, Inc.) to prevent current overload to the LED sources  14 . The use of the triac circuit  116  enables the voltage source provided to the LED sources  14  to be truncated (e.g., clipped) rather than completely deactivated (e.g., toggled on/off). 
         [0047]    AC power to the LED light controller system  10  can be controlled via the power switch  110 .  FIG. 14  illustrates the power switch  110  according to one embodiment of the disclosure. The power switch  110  can be a normally-open contact switch that can provide or remove power to or from the LED light controller system  10 . The power switch  110  can be a pushbutton switch (such as the PA4 series switches manufactured by Lamb Industries) connected to the power control circuit  12  by a switch connector assembly. The power switch  110  can also include an indicator light  158 , as shown in  FIG. 14 . The power switch  110  can be connected to the transformer  112  (via the connections  154  and  153 ) and the AC connections block (via the connections  152  and  154 ) to allow power from the AC line  13  to be provided through the power control system  12  to the LED sources  14 . 
         [0048]    As shown in  FIG. 15 , the step down transformer  112  can provide low voltage from the full AC supply  13  for the bridge rectifier  113  and the voltage regulator  114 . The transformer  112  can be a single 5V AC , 0.5-amp power transformer; such as model 3FS-310, manufactured by Tamura. The rectifier  113  can be a 1A, DIL bridge rectifier, such as model DF02S manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductors, among others. The voltage regulator  114  can be a 3-terminal, 0.1-amp, positive voltage regulator, such as the LM78L05A, manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductors. The power supply to the transformer  112  can come from the connection  154  (which is further connected to the AC connections block  109 ) and the connection  153  (which is further connected to the connection  151  of the triac circuit  116 ). If the power switch  110  is off, there can be no AC voltage through the connection  153  and therefore the transformer  112  can not be in operation, and thus no power can be supplied to the LED light controller system  10 . The output voltage from the bridge rectifier  113  (via the connection  147 ) can supply a rectified DC voltage to the logic control system  11 . From the connection  147  through the connection block  109  to the connection  120 , the rectified DC voltage can be supplied to the zero-crossover detection circuit  108 . The connection  153 / 151  can further lead to the triac circuit  116  and can include a fuse F 2  (e.g., a fast-acting, short-time lag, 3-amp fuse such as a 6125FA, manufactured by Cooper/Bussmann) to prevent current overload. 
         [0049]    Also included before and after the voltage regulator  114  can be transient and reverse-voltage protection circuitry, such as a diode D 9  and capacitors C 6 -C 8 . The diode D 9  can be a SMA B360A-13, manufactured by Diodes, Inc. In some embodiments, the capacitors C 6 , C 7 , and C 8  can have a capacitance of 0.1 microfarads, 0.01 microfarads, and 0.33 microfarads, respectively. The output from the voltage regulator  114  can supply the stepped-down, rectified voltage V CC  to components of both the power control system  12  and the logic control system  11 . The voltage V CC  can be supplied to the logic control system  11  via the connection  146  through the connection block  109  to the connection  118 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 16  illustrates the zero crossover detection circuit  108 . The zero crossover detection circuit  108  can include resistors R 25 -R 27  and a transistor Q 2 . Resistors R 25 , R 26 , and R 27  can have resistances of 4.7 kilo-ohms, 1.0 kilo-ohms, and 10 kilo-ohms, respectively. The transistor Q 2  can be a PMBT3904 BJT, manufactured by Phillips, among others. The rectified DC voltage supplied to the zero crossover detection circuit  108  (via the connection  120 ) of the logic control system  11  can allow the microcontroller  141  to synchronize with the AC line  13 . This voltage to the transistor Q 2  (via the connection  120  at the base of the transistor Q 2 ) drops to zero volts when the AC line amplitude crosses zero volts. The zero-volt base input can turn on the transistor Q 2  in an active mode which in turn can pull the respective input to the microcontroller circuit  103  low (via the connection  143  from the collector of the transistor Q 2 ). The low input signal representing zero crossover of the AC line  13  can then synchronize the microcontroller  141  to the AC line  13 . This can provide the proper timing for the microcontroller  141  to switch the triac T 2 , thus reducing the chances for spiking. 
         [0051]    Referring back to the power control system  12 , the final clipped AC signal from the triac T 2  (at the connection  150 ) can be routed to the AC connections block  111 , which can power the LED sources  14 , producing the desired light output. The current sensing circuit  117  can be placed on one side of the power control system circuit board opposite the output power trace at the connection  150  (i.e., above or below the trace) and can include, as shown in  FIG. 17 , a current sensing device  155  and an amplifying circuit  156 . The current sensing device  155  can be an integrated magnetic field sensor, such as the CSA-1V, in a SOIC-8 package, manufactured by GMW. A ferrite bead (not shown) can be placed on the trace near the current sensing device  155 , helping amplify the magnetic field. The current sensing device  155  can convert the magnetic energy from the output trace (at the connection  150 ) to a voltage proportional to the current through the output trace. 
         [0052]    As shown in  FIG. 17 , the voltage signal from the current sensing device  155  (at the connection  157 ) can be amplified and filtered via the amplifying circuit  156 . The amplifying circuit  156  can include resistors R 28 -R 30 , capacitor C 10 , and an op amp A 1 . The op amp A 1  can be a single CMOS op amp with low-voltage, low-power, and rail-to-rail output swing capabilities in an SOT-23 package, such as the TLV341 model (TLV341IDBVR), manufactured by Texas Instruments. In some embodiments, the resistor R 28  can be 18 kilo-ohms, the resistor R 29  can be 10 kilo-ohms, and the resistor R 30  can be 34 kilo-ohms. Capacitors C 9  (e.g., 1 microfarad), C 10  (e.g., 0.1 microfarads), and C 11  (e.g., 0.1 microfarads) can provide transient protection for the current sensing circuit  117 . The current sense voltage output by the amplifying circuit  156  can be routed to the connection block  109  (via the connection  145 ). The current sense voltage from the connection block  109  (at the connection  119  in the logic control system  11 ) can be routed to the microcontroller circuit  103 . As previously discussed, if detected current sense voltage is above the voltage trip point, the microcontroller  141  can shut down its output, thus removing power from the LED sources  14 . The AC connections block  111  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ) can accommodate voltage connections between the AC line  13 , the power control system  12 , and the LED sources  14 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 18  illustrates a flow chart  200  describing portions of the operation of the LED light controller system  10 , according to some embodiments. First, the user input  101  is activated (task  201 ). Activating the user input can include pressing of the hold switch  137 , pressing of the recall switch  136 , or rotating the rotary switch  135  to a selected color show. Depending on which switch is activated, different paths of operation can be taken (task  202 ). If the hold switch  137  is depressed, the microcontroller  141  determines the current output color of the LED sources  14  (task  203 ) and activates the hold switch indicator  106  (task  204 ). If the recall switch  136  is depressed, the microcontroller  141  determines the output color held during the last hold switch operation (task  205 ) and activates the recall switch indicator  106  (task  206 ). If the rotary switch  135  is adjusted, the switch data acquisition  102  interprets the rotary switch position and creates a bit pattern specific to that position (task  207 ). The microcontroller  141  then interprets the bit pattern created by the switch data acquisition  102  as a specific color show (task  208 ). After task  203 , task  205 , or task  208 , the microcontroller  141  outputs a specific number of output voltage pulses to the control logic  107  (task  209 ). The control logic  107  validates the microcontroller  141  operation (task  210 ). Task  210  will continue to loop back to task  209  until the control logic  107  validates proper output. Once correctly validated, the control logic  107  outputs the output voltage pulses to activate the opto-isolator  115  (task  211 ). The opto-isolator  115  activates the triac circuit  116  with the pulsed voltage output (task  212 ). The pulsed voltage output turns on the triac circuit  116  in pulses and truncates the AC line  13  to the LED sources  14  (task  213 ). The LED sources  14  interpret the specific number of pulses and output a respective color show (task  214 ). 
         [0054]    Also shown in  FIG. 18  is a sub-flow chart  300  of the current sensing circuit  117 , acting as an interrupt to the microcontroller  141 . The current sensing circuit  117  senses the current of the output trace at the connection  150  (task  301 ). The current sensing circuit  117  transmits the current sense voltage proportional to the current of the output trace to the microcontroller  141  (task  302 ). The microcontroller  141  sends the current sense voltage to the comparator  105  (task  303 ). The comparator  105  compares the current sense voltage to the threshold voltage (task  304 ). If the current sense voltage is below the threshold voltage, the microcontroller  141  will continue to provide output the LED sources  14  (task  305 ). If the current sense voltage is greater than the threshold voltage, the microcontroller  141  will shut down its output to remove power from the LED sources  14  (task  306 ). 
         [0055]      FIG. 19  illustrates a wiring diagram for an LED light controller system  400  according to another embodiment of the disclosure. The LED light controller system  400  can be housed within a metal gang box  401 . A front panel  402  on the gang box  401  can include a power switch  403  to control power to the LED light controller system  400 . The power switch  403  can be connected to the power control system  404 . The power control system  404  can receive power from a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)  405 . Power to the GFCI  405  can come from an AC power source (AC line)  406 . Wire connections can be protected by a rigid or PVC conduit  407 . The power control system  404  can be connected to a plurality of LED sources  408  via a junction box  409 . The plurality of LED sources  408  can include landscape, pool, and/or spa lights. Once the switch  403  has been depressed, a “hot” voltage wire from the GFCI  405  can be in connection with the “switched hot” voltage wire, thus providing voltage to the plurality of LED sources  408 . The power control system  404  can clip the AC voltage on the “switched hot” voltage wire to provide pulses to the plurality of LED sources  408 . Decode circuitry within the plurality of LED sources  408  can process the number of pulses received and output a corresponding light show. The number of pulses provided can determined by a logic control system (not shown) from a user input (not shown) on the front panel  402 . 
         [0056]    It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the disclosure has been described above in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the disclosure is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. Various features and advantages of the disclosure are set forth in the following claims.

Technology Category: f