Thales

Sextant Avionique

Guy Schou

Frédéric Renaud

Gerard Voisin

Frederic Renaud

The general field of the invention is that of devices for controlling luminance of lighting devices comprising light-emitting diodes. The control device is driven by a cyclic input signal of determined period, each period comprising an activation time representative of a determined luminance level. The control device comprises analog electronic means generating a second control signal for the intensity of the electric current passing through the light-emitting diodes, the amplitude of the second control signal being an increasing function of the activation time in such a way that the combination of the cyclic input signal and of the second signal applied to the light-emitting diodes gives a greater luminance range than the range of the cyclic input signal.

Device for controlling light-emitting diodes with very high luminance range for viewing screen

The field of the invention is mainly that of light boxes used for the illumination of display screens using optical valves, notably for liquid crystal matrix displays also known as LCD screens. The light sources used are generally fluorescent tubes powered with a high voltage by devices comprising Royer electronic oscillators. These electronic oscillators do not allow wide dynamic ranges of luminance, which can be necessary for certain applications, to be easily attained. The oscillator according to the invention comprises an electronic device for discharging the stored electrical energy, said discharge device being controlled by an electronic control device using chopping modulation, thus enabling wide dynamic ranges of luminance to be attained.

Royer oscillator with discharge electronics

The field of the invention is that of light boxes used for illuminating optical-valve displays, especially matrix liquid-crystal displays (or LCDs). The illumination from light boxes can at the present time be produced by light-emitting diodes that emit in various spectral bands so as to reconstruct white illumination. For a number of applications, in particular aeronautical applications, it is necessary to maintain the photometric and colorimetric characteristics of this illumination independently of the environmental and ageing conditions of the components. The invention provides an electronic feedback control device for maintaining the photometric and colorimetric characteristics of this illumination at given setpoint values without introducing disturbing optoelectronic devices into the light box. Several possible technical solutions are described.

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Le Bouscat, France

Guy Schou