LED circuit arrangement having a diode rectifier

• US 7,808,189 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Hofmann, Markus, Hollnberger, Peter, Rasp, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Jae K
• Application Number:
  US11/238,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 315/291
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/40 Details of LED load circuits

Abstract

An LED circuit arrangement including an AC voltage source for providing a voltage supply. A diode rectifier is provided and has at least one rectifier diode, which can be a radiation-emitting LED chip. The LED circuit arrangement also includes at least one radiation-emitting LED chip which simultaneously functions as a luminous element and as a rectifier diode.

Claims

1. An LED circuit arrangement comprising:

an AC voltage source;

a first multichip LED comprising on a first substrate, a first pair of radiation-emitting LED chips and a third radiation-emitting LED chip; and

a second multichip LED comprising on a second substrate, a second pair of radiation-emitting LED chips and a sixth radiation-emitting LED chip;

wherein the first and second multichip LEDs are coupled to each other so that the first and second pairs of radiation-emitting LED chips are configured to form a bridge rectifier coupled to the AC voltage source;

wherein the third and sixth radiation-emitting LED chips are configured to form a load of the bridge rectifier;

wherein the bridge rectifier is configured so that one of the first pair of radiation-emitting LED chips and one of the second pair of radiation-emitting LED chips are forward-biased for one half-wave of AC voltage from the AC voltage source, and the other of the first pair of radiation-emitting LED chips and the other of the second pair of radiation-emitting LED chips are forward-biased for the other half-wave of AC voltage from the AC voltage source; and

wherein the third and sixth radiation-emitting LED chips are forward biased for both half-waves of the AC voltage from the AC voltage source.

2. The LED circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiation-emitting LED chips of the multichip LEDs emit light of the same color.

3. The LED circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one electronic component for smoothing a DC voltage that is generated by the bridge rectifier.

4. The LED circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the electronic component is a capacitor.

5. The LED circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transformer.

6. The LED circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a mains voltage is provided as the AC voltage source.

7. A low-voltage luminous device comprising an LED circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1.

8. The low-voltage luminous device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a reflector made from a glass or plastic material.

9. The low-voltage luminous device as claimed in claim 7 being adapted for an operating voltage of 12 V.

10. A power supply unit comprising an LED circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the radiation-emitting LED chips that are rectifier diodes of the bridge rectifier simultaneously constitute an optical display for operation of the power supply unit.

11. The low-voltage luminous device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a reflector made from a glass or plastic material that is provided with a metallization.

12. The low-voltage luminous device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the radiation-emitting LED chips of the multichip LEDs emit light of the same color.

13. The low-voltage luminous device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising at least one electronic component for smoothing a DC voltage that is generated by the bridge rectifier.

14. The low-voltage luminous device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the electronic component is a capacitor.

15. The low-voltage luminous device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a transformer.

16. The power supply unit as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a reflector made from a glass or plastic material that is provided with a metallization.

17. The power supply unit as claimed in claim 10, being adapted for an operating voltage of 12 V.

18. The power supply unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the radiation-emitting LED chips of the multichip LEDs emit light of the same color.

19. The power supply unit as claimed in claim 10, further comprising at least one electronic component for smoothing a DC voltage that is generated by the bridge rectifier.