The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 28, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 10, 1998
James A Komarek, Newport Beach, CA (US);
Jack L Minney, Irvine, CA (US);
Stephen P Nordine, Santa Ana, CA (US);
Harold F Lewis, Villa Park, CA (US);
Richard Wada, Santa Ana, CA (US);
John F Stockman, Costa Mesa, CA (US);
Creative Integrated Systems, Inc., Santa Ana, CA (US);
Abstract
A low power, low noise driving circuit for a bank of LEDs utilized in the station units of the MAN system is provided by coupling each bank of LEDs in a series circuit between the voltage supply and a constant current source. Each LED has a controllable logic switch in parallel across it and the switches are further in series circuit with each other to form a ladder network. Any selected LED may be turned off by closing its corresponding logic switch. The current continues to flow then through the shunting switch into the remaining LEDs in the series circuit that are on. A plurality of such ladder networks may be coupled in parallel with each other and each ladder network controlled by a switching gate which selectively couples it to the constant current source so that the LED ladder networks are operated at a predetermined duty cycle. Current spikes are avoided across the voltage supply by driving the connecting control gates in an overlapping relationship so that the constant current source is never disconnected from the voltage supply.