Power supply system of one or more lighting modules with light-emitting diodes, associated lighting system and associated power supply method

Abstract

The power supply system for one or more lighting modules with light-emitting diodes comprises an electrical power source able to be connected to each lighting module via an electrical connection and a detection device to detect a connection direction of each lighting module. The detection device comprises an injection circuit to inject a setpoint current, a first comparison circuit to compute a voltage measured on the corresponding electrical connection following the injection of the setpoint with a first voltage threshold, and an inversion circuit to invert the polarity of the lighting module when the voltage measured on the corresponding electrical connection is greater than or equal to the first voltage threshold.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A power supply system for one or more lighting modules with light-emitting diodes, each lighting module comprising at least one light-emitting diode and being able to be polarized depending on its connection direction according to a direct polarity or an inverse polarity, the light-emitting diode(s) being polarized in direct mode for the direct polarity of the lighting module and in inverse mode, respectively, for the inverse polarity of the lighting module,
 the system comprising:
 an electrical power source that is connectable to each lighting module via an electrical connection for the lighting module, 
 a first measuring device to measure, on each electrical connection, a voltage delivered to the corresponding lighting module, and a second measuring device to measure, on each electrical connection, a current delivered to the corresponding lighting module, and 
 a detection device to detect a connection direction of each lighting module comprising an injection circuit to inject a setpoint current on the corresponding electrical connection, a first comparison circuit to compare with a first voltage threshold, the voltage measured on the corresponding electrical connection following an injection of the setpoint current, and an inversion circuit to invert the polarity of the lighting module when the voltage measured on the corresponding electrical connection is greater than or equal to the first voltage threshold, 
 
 wherein when the voltage measured on the corresponding electrical connection is greater than or equal to the first voltage threshold for the direct and inverse polarities of the lighting module, the first comparison circuit increments the first voltage threshold by a reference value for one or more future comparisons of said voltage with the first voltage threshold. 
 
     
     
       2. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the detection device comprises a second comparison circuit to compare an intensity of the current measured on the corresponding electrical connection with a current threshold, and the second comparison circuit detects the direct polarity of the lighting module when the measured intensity is above the current threshold. 
     
     
       3. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the injection circuit, upon each change in polarity of the lighting module, injects the setpoint current in order to increasingly vary the voltage delivered to the lighting module, between a second voltage threshold and a maximum voltage, a value of the first voltage threshold being comprised between that of the second voltage threshold and that of the maximum voltage. 
     
     
       4. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the detection device comprises a storage medium to store a value of the voltage measured by the first measuring device, when an intensity of the current measured by the second measuring device is greater than a current threshold, the stored value corresponding to a minimum operating voltage of the corresponding lighting module. 
     
     
       5. A lighting assembly with light-emitting diodes comprising:
 one or more lighting modules with light-emitting diodes; and 
 the power supply system according to  claim 1 , wherein the power supply system is provided for the lighting modules. 
 
     
     
       6. The assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein the assembly comprises several lighting modules, and wherein the power supply system comprises a control member to successively power each electrical connection, the control member comprising an identification circuit for the electrical connection associated with each lighting module. 
     
     
       7. The assembly according to  claim 6 , wherein the assembly further comprises a configuration module for the power supply system, the configuration module comprising a circuit to back up a configuration file, the configuration file including configuration parameters for each lighting module, and wherein following an identification of each electrical connection, the configuration module is configured to download the configuration parameters into the control member and associate them with the corresponding electrical connection. 
     
     
       8. The assembly according to  claim 7 , wherein the power supply system comprises a first computation circuit to compute an instantaneous consumed power, wherein the first computation circuit sends the control member the instantaneous power computed for each electrical connection, and wherein the control member comprises a second computation circuit to compute a remaining available power based on the instantaneous consumed power, and an allocation circuit to allocate power to various electrical connections. 
     
     
       9. The assembly according to  claim 6 , wherein the power supply system comprises a first computation circuit to compute an instantaneous consumed power, wherein the first computation circuit sends the control member the instantaneous power computed for each electrical connection, and wherein the control member comprises a second computation circuit to compute a remaining available power based on the instantaneous consumed power, and an allocation circuit to allocate power to various electrical connections. 
     
     
       10. A power supply method for one or more lighting modules with light-emitting diodes using a power supply system, each lighting module comprising at least one light-emitting diode and being able to be polarized using a direct polarity or an inverse polarity depending on its connection direction, the light-emitting diodes(s) being polarized in direct mode for the direct polarity of the lighting module, and in inverse mode, respectively, for the inverse polarity of the lighting module, the system including an electrical power supply that is connectable to the lighting module via an electrical connection for the lighting module, a first measuring device to measure a voltage delivered to the corresponding lighting module on the electrical connection, a second measuring device to measure a current delivered to the corresponding lighting module on the electrical connection, and a detection device to detect a connection direction of the lighting module,
 the method comprising: 
 injecting a setpoint current on the corresponding electrical connection using the detection device,
 measuring the voltage delivered to the corresponding lighting module, 
 comparing the measured voltage with a first voltage threshold, during the measuring, 
 inverting the polarity of the corresponding lighting module, when the voltage measured on the corresponding electrical connection is greater than or equal to the first threshold voltage, and returning to the injecting, 
 
 wherein the method further comprises, for each lighting module:
 when said measured voltage is greater than or equal to the first voltage threshold for the direct and inverse polarities of the lighting module, incrementing the first voltage threshold by a reference value, for one or more future comparisons of the voltage measured on the corresponding electrical connection with the first voltage threshold. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 10 , wherein before the measuring of the voltage, the method comprises:
 measuring the current circulating in the corresponding electrical connection, 
 comparing an intensity of the current measured in the corresponding electrical connection with a current threshold, 
 and wherein after the comparing of the intensity, when the measured intensity is greater than or equal to the current threshold, the method further comprises: 
 detecting the direct polarity of the lighting module. 
 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 11 , wherein, during the injecting, the setpoint current is injected to cause the voltage delivered to the lighting module to vary increasingly, between a second voltage threshold and a maximum voltage, the value of the first voltage threshold being comprised between that of the second voltage threshold and that of the maximum voltage. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 10 , wherein, during the injecting, the setpoint current is injected to cause the voltage delivered to the lighting module to vary increasingly, between a second voltage threshold and a maximum voltage, the value of the first voltage threshold being comprised between that of the second voltage threshold and that of the maximum voltage.