LIGHT SOURCE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE LIGHT SOURCE

• US 20150377437A1
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: AUSTERER, MAXIMILIAN, KOELLNER, WOLFGANG
• Application Number:
  US14/767,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20150377437A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0088 Details of electrical connections B60Q1/305 takes precedence; electrical connection of the light source itself F21S41/192, F21S43/195
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/151 arranged in one or more lines
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/005 the substrate is supporting also the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/89 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/375 using buck topology

Abstract

A light source and a method for producing the light source, for integration in a headlight. The assembly has a circuit board, on which at least one light diode and a converter unit for supplying power to the LED are arranged. The converter unit and the at least one LED are surface-mounted components (surface-mounted device, SMD) and the converter unit has one or a plurality of buck converters.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A light source for integration into a headlamp, the light source comprising:

a printed circuit board having an upper side;

at least one light-emitting diode disposed on said upper side of said printed circuit board, said at least one LED being a surface-mounted component;

a converter unit for supplying power to said LED, said converter unit being a surface-mounted component disposed on said upper side of said printed circuit board;

said converter unit having a plurality of step-down converters configured to provide a supply voltage of said at least one LED having a value identical to, or less than, a supply voltage of said converter unit; and

said converter unit being formed as a system-in-package integration set.

16. The light source according to claim 15, wherein said at least one LED is one LED of a parallel circuit of a plurality of LEDs disposed on said printed circuit board and connected to said converter unit.

17. The light source according to claim 15, wherein said printed circuit board is a thermal substrate.

18. The light source according to claim 17, wherein said printed circuit board is a metal-core printed circuit board.

19. The light source according to claim 18, wherein said metal-core printed circuit board has an aluminum core or copper core.

20. The light source according to claim 15, which further comprises a cooling device connected to a back side of said printed circuit board opposite said at least one LED.

21. The light source according to claim 20, wherein said cooling device is a cooling plate or a die-cast body.

22. The light source according to claim 20, wherein said cooling device is welded to the back side of said printed circuit board.

23. The light source according to claim 20, wherein said cooling device consists of a same material as a metal core of said printed circuit board.

24. The light source according to claim 15, wherein said converter unit is connected to an interface for transmitting diagnostic data and/or control data.

25. The light source according to claim 24, wherein said interface is a single-wire interface.

26. The light source according to claim 24, wherein said interface is a local interconnect network interface.

27. The light source according to claim 15, which comprises a binning coding element disposed together with said converter unit and said at least one LED on said printed circuit board.

28. The light source according to claim 27, wherein said binning coding element is a binning coding resistor.

29. The light source according to claim 15, which further comprises a shunt for measuring an LED current connected in series with said at least one LED.

30. The light source according to claim 29, wherein said shunt is connected between said at least one LED and ground.