AC Light Emitting Diode And AC Led Drive Methods And Apparatus

• US 20090167202A1
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lynk Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lynk Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, James N., Miskin, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,148,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/250
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/382 with galvanic isolation between input and output
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/39 Circuits containing inverter bridges
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/42 Antiparallel configurations

Abstract

An AC LED package and circuits are disclosed along with an AC LED driver. The AC LED circuit may include as few as one LED or an array of anti-parallel LEDs driven with AC power sources and AC LED drivers at various voltages and frequencies. The AC LEDs are pre-packaged in various forms and materials and designed for mains or high frequency coupling in various forms to AC power sources, inverter type drivers or packages. The AC LED driver is a fixed frequency driver that provides a relatively constant voltage output to different size loads within the wattage limitation of the driver and in some cases is a direct mains power source.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

two or more LED circuits each LED circuit having at least two diodes connected to each other in opposing parallel relation, at least one of which such diodes is an LED;

a driver and connected to the two or more LED circuits, the driver providing AC voltage and current to the two or more LED circuits, the driver and the two or more LED circuits forming a driven circuit and the driver and the two or more LED circuits being configured such that any number of LED circuits may be added to or subtracted from the driven circuit so long as the total wattage output of the driver is not exceeded;

(a) without significantly affecting a pre-determined desired output range of light from any individual LED;

(b) without the need to;

(i) change a value of any discrete component;

or, (ii) to add or subtract any discrete components, of any of the pre-existing driven circuit components which remain after the change.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 further comprising at least one resistor being connected to and being part of each opposing parallel LED circuit, the resistor being connected in series with at least one capacitor.

3. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the AC driver is the mains power and the LED circuits are packaged with connectors which accommodate a standard utility outlet.

4. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the AC driver provides high frequency AC voltage.

5. The lighting system of claim 4 wherein the frequency provided by the driver is above 100 cycles per second.

6. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two or more at least two LED circuits has opposing parallel series strings of LEDs.

7. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the two or more at least two LED circuits are packaged separately from the driver.

8. The lighting system of claim 7 wherein the packaged LED circuits include one or more lenses.

9. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein at least one capacitor is the capacitors are discrete components.

10. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein a capacitance of the capacitors is provided as an inherent attribute of a circuit component which serves to provide a function in addition to or besides providing capacitance.

11. The lighting system of claim 1 including a phosphor coating over the LEDs.

12. The lighting system of claim 1 including lenses for the LEDS and nano-crystals doped in the lenses to affect the light output of the LEDs.

13. The lighting system of claim 7 wherein the package includes one or more of an integrated heat sinking material, a reflective material integrated within the package near the LEDs reflecting the light out from the package, and lenses for the LEDs.

14. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the LEDs are organic LEDs.

15. The lighting system of claim 5 wherein the driver is an inverter.

16. The lighting system of claim 15 wherein the inverter is configured to provide a relatively constant output frequency and voltage under variable loads.

17-39. -39. (canceled)

40. An LED driver comprising;

one or more capacitors;

one or more resistors;

two or more LED circuits each LED circuit having at least two diodes connected to each other in opposing parallel relation, at least one of which such diodes is an LED, the one or more capacitors and the one or more resistors connected in series between the two or more LED circuits.

41. The LED driver of claim 40 wherein the one or more capacitors and the one or more resistors of claim a being integrated into a package providing means of connectivity to an LED circuit and a power source.

42. A method of operating an LED lighting system comprising:

providing opposing parallel LEDs in a circuit;

providing a driver to output high frequency AC current and voltage to the circuit;

adjusting the driver in response to a change in the load presented by the number of LEDs present or operational at a given time during operation to provide a relatively constant voltage and frequency to the circuit.

43. A lighting system comprising:

one or more LED circuits each LED circuit having at least two diodes connected to each other in opposing parallel relation, at least one of which such diodes is an LED; and

,

a driver comprising an electronic transformer having an input for a first AC voltage and frequency and an output of a second AC voltage and frequency, the driver output being connected to the one or more LED circuits, the driver providing the AC voltage and current to the one or more LED circuits.

44. The lighting system of claim 43 wherein the driver is configured to automatically and dynamically respond to the load presented by the one or more LED circuits to provide that the second voltage and frequency at its AC output are both relatively constant despite changes in the load such as adding to or subtracting from the number of LED circuits.

45. The lighting system of claim 43 wherein there is no capacitor or inductor in series between the AC output of the driver and the one or more LED circuits.

46. The lighting system of claim 43 wherein the second AC voltage is lower then the first voltage and the second AC frequency is higher than the first AC frequency is preferably above 500 cycles per second and more preferably above 5000 cycles per second.

47. The lighting system of claim 43 wherein at least one of the at least two LED circuits has opposing parallel series strings of multiple LEDs.

48. The lighting system of claim 43 wherein the at least two LED circuits are packaged separately from the driver.

49. The lighting system of claim 48 wherein the packaged LED circuits include one or more lenses.

50. The lighting system of claim 48 wherein the LED package includes one or more of an integrated heat sinking material, and a reflective material integrated within the package near the LEDs reflecting the light out from the package, and lenses for the LEDs.

51. The lighting system of claim 43 including lenses for the LEDS and nano-crystals doped in the lenses to affect the light output of the LEDs.

52. The lighting system of claim 43 wherein the LEDs are organic LEDs.

53. A method of operating an LED lighting system comprising:

electronically transforming a first AC voltage at a first frequency to a second voltage at a second frequency;

driving one or more diode circuits with the second voltage and frequency, each circuit have two or more diodes in opposing parallel relationship, at least one of the diodes being an LED.

54. The method of claim 53 further including the step of:

dynamically and automatically adjusting the second voltage and frequency in response to changes in the one or more diode circuits, such as adding to or subtracting from the total number of diode circuits.

55. The method of claim 54 further including that the adjusting step includes maintaining a relatively constant voltage for the driving step.

56. The method of claims 54 further including that the adjusting step includes maintaining a relatively constant frequency for the driving step.