LED module for sign channel letters and driving circuit

• US 8,611,057 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Principal Lighting Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Inshore Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Parker, Francis J., Crawbuck, Robert, Padurariu, Emilian
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kitov, Zeev V
• Application Number:
  US12/283,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20100061025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 361/54, 361/56, 361/111, 315/121, 315/122, 315/123, 315/125, 315/185.R, 315/312, 362/612, 362/656, 362/630, 362/555, 362/631
• US Class Current: 361/54
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes

Abstract

An LED module for use in sign letter channel lights comprises a substrate, a reflector mounted on the substrate, an LED mounted within the reflector on the substrate and a Zener diode shunt element connected in parallel across the LED, a printed circuit board on the substrate, wherein the LED is mounted on the printed circuit board, and an insulating cover. The module may be entirely encapsulated. An LED driving protection circuit provides ground fault protection for a plurality of series connected LED modules.

Claims

1. An LED module for use in a lighting circuit for illumination of channel letters in a sign and having LED modules removably connected in series to a source of constant current, comprising:

a substrate;

and an electrical circuit mounted and molded on the substrate, said electrical circuit consisting essentially of an LED and a shunt element connected in parallel with the LED, the electrical circuit having only two electrical connection points for directly electrically connecting the LED module to only a single conductive wire to other modules in a series circuit wherein the shunt element enables power to shunt the LED if the LED becomes inoperative, to keep the other LED modules lit when in the series circuit and connected to power wherein the housing has a retainer for accepting a return wire.

2. The module according to claim 1, wherein the shunt element is a Zener diode.

3. The module according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a heat sink for dissipating heat.

4. The module according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes at least one mounting region at an edge for mounting the module.

5. The module according to claim 4, wherein the mounting region comprises at least one of a notch and a hole.

6. The module according to claim 1, wherein the module includes an insulating cover.

7. The module according to claim 1, wherein the insulating cover is molded onto the module.

8. The module according to claim 1, wherein the module includes a heat sink, a printed circuit board on the insulator, and wherein the LED is mounted on the printed circuit board.

9. The module according to claim 1, including a reflector in which the LED is mounted.

10. An LED lighting system for illumination of channel letters in a sign, comprising a circuit having a plurality of LED modules each LED module removably connectable in series to a source of constant current using only two electrical connecting points for directly electrically connecting each LED module to only a single conductor wire to other modules in the circuit, each LED module is removable and replaceable within the circuit, each LED module comprising an LED connected in parallel with a shunt element circuit wherein the shunt element enables power to shunt the LED if the LED becomes inoperative, to keep the other LED modules lit when in the series circuit and connected to power, wherein the housing has a retainer for accepting a return wire.

11. The module according to claim 10, wherein the LED modules are connected using double insulated wire.

12. The module according to claim 10, wherein the shunt element is a Zener diode.

13. The module according to claim 10, wherein the substrate includes a heat sink for dissipating heat.

14. The module according to claim 10, wherein the substrate includes at least one mounting region at an edge for mounting the module.

15. The module according to claim 14, wherein the mounting region comprises at least one of a notch and a hole.

16. The module according to claim 10, wherein the module includes an insulating cover.

17. The module according to claim 10, wherein the insulating cover is molded onto the module.

18. The module according to claim 10, wherein the module includes a heat sink, a printed circuit board on the insulator, and wherein the LED is mounted on the printed circuit board.

19. An LED lighting system comprising a plurality of removable LED modules connected in series to a source of constant current, each removable LED module comprising:

a substrate;

a reflector mounted on the substrate; and

an electrical circuit mounted and molded on the substrate, said electrical circuit consisting essentially of an LED mounted within the reflector on the substrate and a Zener diode shunt element connected in parallel across the LED, the electrical circuit having only two electrical connection points for directly electrically connecting the LED module to only a single conductive wire to the other modules in a series circuit, wherein the shunt element enables power to shunt the LED if the LED becomes inoperative, to keep the other LED modules lit when in the series circuit and connected to power, wherein the housing has a retainer for accepting a return wire.

20. An LED circuit for illumination of channel letters in a sign, comprising:

a source of DC constant current; and

a circuit of plurality of LED modules, each LED module comprising a substrate, and an electrical circuit mounted and molded on the substrate, said electrical circuit consisting essentially of an LED and a shunt element connected in parallel with the LED, the electrical circuit having only two electrical connection points for directly electrically connecting the LED module to only a single conductive wire to other modules in a series circuit wherein the shunt element enables power to shunt the LED if the LED becomes inoperative, to keep the other LED modules lit when in the series circuit and connected to the source of DC constant current, wherein the amount of DC current remains constant independent of the number of LED modules and wherein the source of DC constant current and circuit of a plurality of LED modules are devoid of current limiting elements.

21. An LED lighting system for illumination of channel letters in a sign, comprising:

a source of DC constant current; and

a circuit of plurality of LED modules, each LED module removably connected in series to the source of constant current using only two electrical connecting points for directly electrically connecting each LED module to only a single conductor wire to other modules in the circuit, each LED comprising an LED connected in parallel with a shunt element circuit wherein the shunt element enables power to shunt the LED if the LED becomes inoperative, to keep the other LED modules lit when in the series circuit and connected to the source of DC constant current, wherein the amount of DC current remains constant independent of the number of LED modules and wherein the source of DC constant current and circuit of a plurality of LED modules are devoid of current limiting elements.

22. An LED lighting system comprising:

a source of DC constant current; and

a circuit of plurality of LED modules connected in series to the source of constant current, each removable LED module comprising removable LED module comprising a substrate and a reflector mounted on the substrate; and

an electrical circuit mounted and molded on the substrate, said electrical circuit consisting essentially of an LED mounted within the reflector on the substrate and a Zener diode shunt element connected in parallel across the LED, the electrical circuit having only two electrical connection points for directly electrically connecting the LED module to only a single conductive wire to the other modules in the series circuit, wherein the shunt element enables power to shunt the LED if the LED becomes inoperative, to keep the other LED modules lit when in the series circuit and connected to the source of DC constant current, wherein the amount of DC current remains constant independent of the number of LED modules and wherein the source of DC constant current and circuit of a plurality of LED modules are devoid of current limiting elements.