A
current source generates, with high efficiency, a current that is substantially constant over a wide range of output voltages. This current is injected into the first end of a series-connected string (hereinafter referred to as string) of LEDs, with the second end of the string connected through a
resistor to ground. The
voltage developed across this
resistor, which is a measure of current flow in the series string, is fed back to the
current source, wherein feedback maintains nearly
constant current output over a wide range of output voltages. A switch, such as a
field effect transistor (FET) is placed in parallel with each LED in the string. A level shift
gate driver couples a
pulse width modulated control signal to the gate of each FET. When the FET across a particular LED is on, substantially all the current flows through the FET rather than the LED, and little or no light is emitted. Because the one resistance of the FET is very low, the power dissipated in the FET (current squared times resistance) is also very low. With the FET turned on, the
forward voltage drop of the LED it is controlling drops to near zero, since little current is flowing through the LED. However, because the
current source is designed to provide
constant current over a wide range of output voltages, the current flow through the other LEDs in the series string changes little. When the FET is turned off, substantially all of the current flows through the associated LED, turning it on. By modulating the
duty cycle of each FET, the brightness of each associated LED may be varied smoothly over its full range.