Series wiring of highly reliable light sources

• US 20070030678A1
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoseon Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Phoseon Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Owen, Mark, McNeil, Thomas, Bedson, Jon
• Granted Patent: US 7,524,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/249.110
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 31/50 specially adapted for ac
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/40 Details of LED load circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/52 in a parallel array of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

The light array of this invention includes a number of columns and rows of LED'"'"'s connected in a series/parallel combination. The series parallel combinations effectively optimize the impedance, accommodate failure rate, facilitate light mixing, provide a means of imbedding redundancy, and common cathodes or anodes. This arrangement provides a superior light source for consumer, industrial and specialty markets in respect to mean time between failure, process control, radiant intensity, wavelength mixing, power requirements and other characteristics of the light source. Each column includes a number of rows of plural LED'"'"'s. The LED'"'"'s in each row are wired in series and each column is wired in parallel so that if one LED fails only the LED'"'"'s connected in series with the failed LED will also fail. There is redundancy in the circuit as well as the arrays so that if there are failures different current carrying elements or different series LEDS will automatically by powered on. The array may be connected in series with one or more LED arrays to form a module. Multiple modules may be connected in series with other multiple modules.

Claims

1. A lighting device, comprising,

an array of LED'"'"'s consisting of plural columns and rows, wherein each row of LED'"'"'s in each column is connected in series and each column is connected in parallel.

2. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the LED array is connected in series to one or more LED arrays to form a module.

3. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein each column in the LED array contains at least one row of one or more LED'"'"'s.

4. The lighting device of claim 3, wherein each column in the LED array contains at least two or more rows of LED'"'"'s.

5. The lighting device of claim 4, wherein the LED array contains at least two or more columns.

6. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the LED'"'"'s connected in series are supplied with the same amount of current so that each LED emits the same brightness.

7. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more LED'"'"'s in each column is also supplied with the same amount of current so that each column emits the same brightness.

14. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the LED'"'"'s are driven by a full-wave bridge rectifier circuit.

15. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the LED'"'"'s are driven by a circuit in which an AC-DC supply is used to charge a low-ESR capacitor to a voltage that is substantially higher than the low-current operating voltage of the LED.

16. The lighting device of claim 15, wherein a string of LED'"'"'s is placed in series with a high-current MOSFET switch across the capacitor.

8. The lighting device 3, wherein each module is connected in series to one or more modules.

9. The lighting device 3, wherein each module is connected in parallel to one or more modules.

10. A method of making a lighting device, comprising,

providing an array of LED'"'"'s consisting of plural columns and rows,

wiring each row of LED'"'"'s in each column in series, and

wiring each column in parallel.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising,

connecting the LED array in series or parallel to one or more LED arrays to form a module.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising,

providing the LED'"'"'s connected in series with the same amount of current so that each LED emits the same brightness.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising,

providing the LED'"'"'s connected in parallel with the same amount of current so that each LED emits the same brightness.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the LED'"'"'s are driven by a full-wave bridge rectifier circuit.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the LED'"'"'s are driven by a circuit in which an AC-DC supply is used to charge a low-ESR capacitor to a voltage that is substantially higher than the low-current operating voltage of the LED.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a string of LED'"'"'s is placed in series with a high-current MOSFET switch across the capacitor.