LED module and vehicle headlight having such LED module

Abstract

The composite array has two two-dimensional arrays on a substrate, each having two rows of LEDs. The LEDs in each array have the same orientation as all other LEDs in that array. A plurality of first electrical traces sequentially couple the LEDs in a first string and a second string by starting at opposite corners of the composite array and alternating between the rows of each of the first and second arrays. A second electrical trace traverses the rows of the composite array to couple the ends of the first and second strings together. A plurality of third electrical traces are routed outside the composite array and are respectively coupled to the beginning of the first string for the row of the composite array including the beginning of the first string, coupled to the beginning of the second string for the other rows, coupled to the end of the first LED string for the other rows, and coupled to the electrodes of the LEDs in the other rows.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross-reference to Related Applications] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 220,154, filed Jul. 9, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 681,144, filed Nov. 12, 2019, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] A light-emitting diode (LED) can encompass all semiconductor light-emitting devices including, for example, diode lasers, and without distinguishing between an LED die and a packaged LED, is increasingly replacing older technology light sources due to excellent technical characteristics such as, for example, energy efficiency and lifespan. This can also apply to applications with stringent requirements, such as vehicle headlighting, for example, in terms of brightness, luminous intensity, and / or beam shaping. Particularly interesting are LEDs arranged in a spatially two-dimensional array. The ability to partially or fully singly address LEDs within such an array can enable advanced applications in all lighting fields such as, for example, general lighting, flash, and particularly vehicle headlighting such as advanced driving beam (ADB).

Summary of the Invention

[0003] The composite array has two two-dimensional arrays on a substrate, each having two rows of LEDs. The LEDs in each array have the same orientation as all other LEDs in that array. Multiple first electrical traces sequentially connect the LEDs in the first and second strings by starting from opposite corners of the composite array and alternating between each row of the first and second arrays. Second electrical traces connect the ends of the first and second strings across the rows of the composite array. Multiple third electrical traces route outside the composite array, connecting to the start of the first string for the row of the composite array that contains the start of the first string, connecting to the start of the second string for the other row, connecting to the end of the first LED string for the other row, and connecting to the electrodes of the LEDs in the other row. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0004] A more detailed understanding can be gained from the following explanation, which is provided as an example along with the attached diagram. [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an example of an LED lighting device circuit. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the spatial arrangement of LEDs, showing an example of the electrical connection of the LEDs. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of an example of an LED module, partially compared with the LED lighting device in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of another example of an LED module. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of yet another example of an LED module. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle headlamp system. [Figure 7] This is a diagram of another example of a vehicle headlamp system. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating one example of a method for manufacturing LED modules. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0005] Several different examples of light illumination systems and / or light-emitting diode ("LED") implementations are described more thoroughly below with reference to the attached drawings. These examples are not mutually exclusive, and features found in one example can be combined with features found in one or more other examples to achieve further implementations. It should be understood that the examples shown in the attached drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit this disclosure in any way. Throughout, similar elements are referred to by similar symbols.

[0006] To be understood, terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used here to describe various elements, but these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the invention, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and the second element may be referred to as the first element. When used herein, the terms “and / or” may include any and all combinations of one or more items from the items listed in relation.

[0007] It is understood that when an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being “on top of” or “extending upward” another element, it may be directly on top of or extending directly onto the other element, or there may be an intervening element. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on top of” or “extending directly upward” another element, there may be no intervening element. It is also understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “joined” to another element, it may be directly connected or joined to the other element, and / or connected or joined to the other element via one or more intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly joined” to another element, there is no intervening element between that element and the other element. It is understood that these terms are intended to include elements in orientations other than those depicted in the diagram.

[0008] Here, relative terms such as “downward,” “upward,” “top,” “bottom,” “horizontal,” or “vertical” may be used to describe the relationship between one element, layer, or region and another as shown in the diagram. It is understood that these terms are intended to encompass devices in different orientations, in addition to the orientation depicted in the diagram.

[0009] Current LED technology often requires more than the luminous power of a single LED for high-luminosity applications such as vehicle headlights. Therefore, multiple LEDs are needed, and they can be arranged in a two-dimensional rectangular array pattern of one or more rows. Connecting the LED electrodes to controlled switches allows for variations in the brightness of the connected LEDs, or even complete short-circuiting. This enables versatile beam control in vehicle headlights, sometimes called ADB, while the light emitted from the LED light source is sometimes called matrix light. Traditionally, in such matrices, LEDs are spaced relatively far apart from each other. This can be unavoidable with discrete LEDs. However, in wafer-level packaging (WLP), sometimes called chip-scale packaging (CSP), the separation distance can still be relatively large, for example, when LEDs are surrounded by shielding walls (e.g., diffuse white scattering) to avoid crosstalk between them.

[0010] Large spacing between LEDs inevitably leads to unilluminated areas between adjacent LEDs, which, when imaged directly onto the road, can result in highly uneven illumination with alternating dark and bright spots in a checkerboard pattern. Therefore, traditionally, such widely spaced matrices can be mapped onto the road by a primary optical system (e.g., a finger-shaped collimation matrix, a lens array, or a series of integrated cylindrical lenses) that maps the LED array to the uniformly illuminated exit region of the primary optical system, and then imaged onto the road by a secondary optical system (in the simplest case, by projection lenses). Unsurprisingly, the primary optical system can increase the complexity and cost of the system.

[0011] Considerable effort has been made to develop so-called μLED arrays, ultimately enabling the monolithic integration of tens or hundreds of thousands of densely packed LEDs, along with their control circuits, into a light source that illuminates more or less uniformly, directly imaging the area to be illuminated. Such a single addressable μLED array could potentially provide not only powerful displays but also most advanced vehicle headlights. However, this technology is not yet available on the market and may remain relatively expensive for many years to come.

[0012] On the other hand, LED arrays with relatively close spacing between LEDs, such as adjacent LED spacings ranging from 200 μm down to 50 μm, or even down to 25 μm or 10 μm, are already available on the market. In particular, such close spacing has been made possible by using particularly thin surrounding walls for the LEDs, along with WLP technology. With a properly designed projection optical system, the dark spaces still existing between the LEDs can be obscured, for example, by scattering elements (e.g., a microprism array on the lens incident surface of a secondary optical system), or homogenized by a wavy surface shape. Thus, these LED arrays can be directly imaged into the space to be illuminated without the need for a primary optical system.

[0013] However, such densely packed LED arrays, sometimes called mini-LED arrays, differ from μLED arrays in that they are not monolithically integrated devices but still LEDs mounted on a substrate. Therefore, on the one hand, they require circuitry provided by the substrate, and on the other hand, they require the substrate as a heat spreader or heat sink to keep the LED junction temperature low. Both such tasks of circuit routing and thermal management can become increasingly difficult as the distance between LEDs decreases.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example circuit of an LED lighting device 10. In the example shown in Figure 1, this circuit example includes a controller 11 which is communicably coupled to a switch T via a control interface 110, and the switch T can function as a shortcut and, in the illustrated example, is electrically coupled in parallel to LED2 of LED array 1. LED2 is also labeled as D1-D48 in Figure 1. LED2 is arranged in four sequentially connected LED strings S1-S4 which form a parallel column of LED array 1 that can be powered by current sources C1-C4. The series connection of LEDs in the string can typically be used for LED currents exceeding 200mA, and for the driver electronics, the string length of LEDs can typically be between 12 and 20, but may vary between 3 and 30 LEDs. If more LEDs are needed, additional strings can be added in parallel as shown in Figure 1. Switch T (shown only for LED string S1 in Figure 1), where each switch is in parallel with a specific LED2, can enable the controller 11 to individually address all LEDs D1-D48 of LED array 1 and switch each LED on and off independently of the switching state of the other LEDs.

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the spatial arrangement of the LEDs in Figure 1, showing an example of the electrical connections of the LEDs. In the example shown in Figure 2, the LED strings S1-S4 are arranged on PCB 3, with each string occupying two alternating rows within four quarters of a four-row (R1-R4) rectangle, with the starting ends D1, D13, D25, D37 of the LED string located at the four corners of the rectangle and the ending ends D12, D24, D36, D48 located at the center of the rectangle. An electrical trace (or track) 30, i.e., 30(x,y), can electrically couple the cathode of LED Dx to the anode of LED Dy, creating external connections to power supplies C1-C4 and ground, as well as to a bypass switch T for all the electrodes of LED2. For this purpose, the electrodes of LED2 can be soldered in a flip-chip manner, for example, on a solder pad on PCB 3 connected to the trace 30. The zigzag pattern of trace 30 occupies only a small amount of extra space, if any, between LED2, which can allow for a very small gap G between the light-emitting regions of LED2.

[0016] As described above, in this configuration, the ends of the four LED strings are necessarily at the center of the LED array 1 and therefore cannot be contacted from the outside of the rectangle on the same circuit layer as the electrical traces 30. Thus, in order to make contact (to ground) with the LED string ends D12, D24, D36, and D48, these ends can instead be contacted through microvias 33 to a second circuit layer of PCB 3, which can be the metal core (MC) of the insulated metal substrate (IMS) or the MC of PCB 3. However, requiring two circuit levels can increase the complexity of the system. Furthermore, each layer must be electrically insulated from one another, and electrical insulation layers have relatively poor thermal properties (e.g., relatively low thermal conductivity). In particular, in densely packed LED arrays with high brightness, and therefore high power and considerable waste heat, thermal management can be a challenge.

[0017] From a thermal management perspective, ceramic substrates, such as those made of AlN (aluminum nitride), can offer high thermal conductivity and therefore possess desirable heat sink characteristics. However, only a single circuit layer may be used in the metallization layer on the mounting surface of a ceramic substrate. Adding further circuit layers connected by microvias to the ceramic substrate, for example, can significantly increase manufacturing complexity and, consequently, cost. To address the problem of requiring more than a single circuit layer, the embodiments described herein are directed toward a new configuration of LED strings.

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of an LED module, partially compared with the LED lighting device in Figure 1. The upper part (a) of Figure 3 shows the spatial arrangement and connections as shown in Figure 2, and the lower part (b) of Figure 3 shows the configuration and connections in the same manner as in Figure 1, compared with the relevant parts of Figure 1.

[0019] Similar to Figures 1 and 2, in the example shown in Figure 3, LEDs D1-D12 of the first LED string S1 and LEDs D13-D24 of the second LED string S2 are arranged in two rows of first and second two-dimensional arrays, respectively. These arrays are arranged side by side laterally to form a composite two-dimensional array having two rows R1 and R2. In LED strings S1 and S2, the first of the electrical traces 30 can electrically couple the cathode of the preceding LED (shown as a white rectangle in Figure 3) to the anode of the following LED (shown as a black rectangle in Figure 3). Furthermore, as in Figures 1 and 2, all LEDs in the left LED string S1 can be oriented with their anodes to the left (when oriented as shown in Figure 3) and their cathodes to the right (when oriented as shown in Figure 3), and the LEDs in the right LED string S2 can be oriented in the opposite direction (or mirrored) with their anodes to the right (when oriented as shown in Figure 3) and their cathodes to the left (when oriented as shown in Figure 3). Finally, as in Figures 1 and 2, in Figure 3, the starting point D13 of the right LED string S2 is in the upper right corner of the composite array, and its ending point D24 is in the center of the composite array (in the lower column R2). A third of some of the electrical traces 30 can electrically couple all the electrodes of the LEDs in the upper column R1 to the outside of the composite array (allowing the connection of a short-circuit parallel switch T (only one of which is shown exemplarily in Figure 3) to supply power from the current source C2 to the anode of the starting LED D13 of the right LED string S2).

[0020] However, unlike the circuits shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in FIG. 3, the start of the left LED string S1 is located at the lower left corner of the composite array. In other words, instead of the top left LED D1 as in FIG. 1, it can be the lower left LED D2 which is diagonally opposite to the start D13 of the LED string S2 on the right side of the upper right corner of the composite array. A further third one of the electrical traces 30 (not shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2) can supply power from the current source C1 to the anode of such a starting LED D2 of the left LED string S1.

[0021] By means of the alternating pattern of the first one of the electrical traces 30 for connection (alternating between the lower row and the upper rows R1, R2) arranging the start of the left LED string S1 in the lower row R2 causes the left LED string S1 to end at the upper right LED D11 of the first array in the upper row R1. Therefore, by one of the third ones of the electrical traces 30 coming out of the upper row R1, such a string end (for example, the cathode of LED D11) can be routed to come out of the composite array and connected to the electrical ground Gr. By the second one of the electrical traces 30 connecting the ends of the left and right LED strings S1, S2 (for example, connecting the cathodes of LEDs D11 and D24), one of the third electrical traces of the electrical traces 30 that grounds the left LED string S1 can also ground the right LED string S2.

[0022] The lower part (b) of FIG. 3 compares the circuit diagram corresponding to the arrangement of the LEDs 2 and the electrical traces 30 in the upper part (a) with the corresponding part of the circuit diagram of FIG. 1. In the comparison in the lower part (b), the difference in the order of the LEDs in the first LED string S1 can be noted.

[0023] By such rearrangement of the series connection of the left LED string S1 and by adding an external connection of its start end, i.e., the anode of the lower left LED D2, to the current source C1, the ground connections of both LED strings S1, S2 can be obtained at the same circuit level as the second of the electrical traces 30 connecting the cathodes of LEDs D11 and D24 and one of the third of the electrical traces 30 to the electrical ground Gr, the same as all the other electrical traces 30 (the first and the third). Thus, all the necessary electrical connections can be provided at a single circuit level, thus enabling the use of electrical insulation, for example, as a ceramic substrate having only a single metallization layer.

[0024] The present disclosure can be used with IMS or with a standard PCB as well, enabling the direct use of a ceramic substrate, such as one made of AlN for example. Such an AlN substrate having a single metallization layer on its mounting surface for forming the electrical traces 30 can itself be sized as a heat sink for the thermal management of the LED module or can be designed as a heat spreader to a heat sink with even better performance. The LEDs can be arranged on the mounting surface, for example, by using flip-chip LEDs or by soldering, for example, to solder pads on the mounting surface connecting the electrical traces, by means of WLP technology.

[0025] To enable the single addressing capability of the LEDs, each switch T can be added in parallel to a specific LED2 in either of the two rows R1 or R2, by connecting each switch T to a third electrical trace routed from the electrodes of the LEDs in the upper row R1. These switches may be located on an external PCB or mounted on the board of the LED module itself. The controller 11 shown in Figure 1 may also be external or mounted on the board of the LED module to achieve high integration. In such highly integrated cases, such as when the switches T and controller 11 are mounted on the board, the controller 11 may be connected to the control port of the switch T by a fourth electrical trace 30, which is at the same circuit level as the other electrical traces 30, compared to Figure 1. Connectors for external power and control of the LED module may also be mounted on the board. For power, the connectors may be connected to the start and end of the two LED strings via the corresponding electrical traces of the third electrical trace, and for LED switching, the connectors may be connected to the controller via a fifth electrical trace 30. Such a fifth of the electrical traces 30 may consist of only two wires that use a code to select the desired operating pattern of the LED.

[0026] As a further option, optical components such as reflectors or lenses may be mounted on the circuit board to process the light emitted from the LED during operation.

[0027] Figure 3 shows that a third electrical trace 30 routes all electrodes of the LEDs in the upper column R1 from the composite array, but such an electrical trace may only be necessary if complete single addressability is desired for all LEDs D1, ..., D24. In the case of partial single addressability only (i.e., when only some of the LEDs are controllable individually, or when a group of LEDs is controllable only as a group), some of the third electrical traces emanating from the electrodes of the LEDs in the upper column R1 may be omitted. In other words, it may be sufficient in this disclosure if the third electrical trace 30 routes only some of the further electrodes of the LEDs in the upper column R1, in addition to the anode of LED D2 at the beginning of the first LED string S1 for the lower column R2, and the cathode of LED D11 at the end of the first LED string S1 and the anode of LED D13 at the beginning of the second LED string S2 for the upper column R1, from the composite array.

[0028] Furthermore, in addition to a complete short circuit of an LED or LED group by a parallel switch T, the LED module may anticipate a parallel varistor instead of the parallel switch T. In that case, the controller may select the resistance of the varistor to control the current bypassing the LED or LED group, and therefore the current flowing through the LED or LED group, and thereby their remaining brightness. This may allow for finer granular control of the beam pattern generated by the LED module.

[0029] An LED string can consist of any number of LEDs connected in series. However, 12 to 20 LEDs are particularly advantageous, and this can be extended to 3 to 30 LEDs. In particular, using a ceramic substrate allows for very small distances between adjacent LEDs in a composite array, such as less than 100 μm, down to 50, 25, or 10 μm, or even less.

[0030] Using the two strings of the embodiment shown in Figure 3, a rectangular composite array of 24 to 40 LEDs in two rows can be made, with 12 to 20 LEDs per string. By mirroring the arrangement in Figure 3 along the horizontal axis H (similar to the example shown in Figure 2), the number of LEDs can be doubled to 48 to 80 LEDs in four rows.

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another example of an LED module. In the example shown in Figure 4, the LED module has 48 LEDs D1-D48. As can be seen in Figure 4, the anodes of LEDs D2, D13, D24, and D30 are electrically coupled to current sources C1, C2, C3, and C4, respectively, using trace 30, and the cathodes of LEDs D11 and D46 are directly connected to ground (Gr).

[0032] In the example shown in Figure 4, mirroring is centered on the vertical axis V, similar to Figure 3. However, mirroring centered on the horizontal axis H is also possible, in addition to or instead of mirroring on the vertical axis V. Mirroring on the vertical axis V alone yields a two-column matrix of 48 to 80 LEDs (an example of which is shown in Figure 4). Mirroring on both axes H and V can realize a four-column array of 96 to 160 LEDs.

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of yet another example of an LED module. As shown in Figure 5, the LED module contains 96 LEDs D1-D96 (within eight LED strings S1-S8 powered by eight current sources C1-C8). In the example shown in Figure 5, all of these components are in contact with the electrical trace 30 in only a single circuit layer, thus allowing the use of, for example, a ceramic AlN substrate having a single metallization layer on its mounting surface.

[0034] The LED modules described above can have numerous applications, such as camera flashes, general lighting, and vehicle headlighting, which may be advantageous in applications like ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam).

[0035] Figure 6 shows an example of a vehicle headlamp system 600 that may incorporate one or more of the embodiments and examples described herein. The example of the vehicle headlamp system 600 shown in Figure 6 includes a power line 602, a data bus 604, an input filter and protection module 606, a bus transceiver 608, a sensor module 610, an LED DC-DC (DC / DC) module 612, a logic low dropout (LDO) module 614, a microcontroller 616, and an active headlamp 618.

[0036] The power line 602 may have an input that receives power from the vehicle, and the data bus 604 may have inputs / outputs through which data can be exchanged between the vehicle and the vehicle headlamp system 600. For example, the vehicle headlamp system 600 may receive commands from other locations within the vehicle, such as commands to turn on the turn signals or the headlamps, and may transmit feedback to other locations within the vehicle as desired. The sensor module 610 may be communicatively coupled to the data bus 604 and may provide additional data to the vehicle headlamp system 600 or other locations within the vehicle, for example, related to environmental conditions (e.g., time, rain, fog, or ambient light level), vehicle status (e.g., parked, moving, speed, or direction of movement), and the presence / location of other objects (e.g., vehicles or pedestrians). A headlamp controller separate from the vehicle controller communicatively coupled to the vehicle data bus may also be included in the vehicle headlamp system 600. In Figure 6, the headlamp controller may be a microcontroller, such as a microcontroller (μc) 616. The microcontroller 616 can be communicatively coupled to the data bus 604.

[0037] The input filter and protection module 606 can be electrically coupled to the power line 602 and may support various filters, for example, that reduce conducted radiation and provide power immunity. Furthermore, the input filter and protection module 606 may provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, load dump protection, alternator field attenuation protection, and / or reverse polarity protection.

[0038] The LED DC / DC module 612 is coupled between the input filter and protection module 606 and the active headlamp 618 to receive filtered power and provide drive current to power the LEDs in the LED array of the active headlamp 618. The LED DC / DC module 612 may have an input voltage between 7 and 18 volts, with a nominal voltage of approximately 13.2 volts, and an output voltage that may be slightly (e.g., 0.3 volts) higher than the maximum voltage for the LED array (determined, e.g., by factory or field calibration and adjustment of operating conditions due to load, temperature, or other factors).

[0039] The logic LDO module 614 can be coupled to the input filter and protection module 606 to receive filtered power. The logic LDO module 614 can also be coupled to the microcontroller 616 and the active headlamp 618 to supply power to the microcontroller 616 and / or the electronics within the active headlamp 618, such as CMOS logic.

[0040] The bus transceiver 608 may have, for example, a general-purpose asynchronous transceiver (UART) or serial peripheral interface (SPI) interface and may be coupled to a microcontroller 616. The microcontroller 616 may translate vehicle inputs based on or containing data from the sensor module 610. The translated vehicle inputs may include video signals that can be transferred to an image buffer in the active headlamp 618. Furthermore, the microcontroller 616 may load a default image frame at startup to check for open / short pixels. In embodiments, the SPI interface may load the image buffer into the CMOS. The image frame may be a full frame, a difference frame, or a partial frame. Other functions of the microcontroller 616 may include monitoring of the control interface for CMOS state, including die temperature, and logic LDO outputs. In embodiments, the LED DC / DC output may be dynamically controlled to minimize headroom. In addition to providing image frame data, other headlamp functions may also be controlled, such as auxiliary use in conjunction with side marker lights or turn signals, and / or operation of daytime running lights.

[0041] Figure 7 shows another example of a vehicle headlamp system 700. The example of the vehicle headlamp system 700 shown in Figure 7 includes an application platform 702, two LED lighting systems 706 and 708, and secondary optical systems 710 and 712.

[0042] The LED lighting system 708 may emit a light beam 714 (shown between arrows 714a and 714b in Figure 7). The LED lighting system 706 may emit a light beam 716 (shown between arrows 716a and 716b in Figure 7). In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, a secondary optical system 710 is adjacent to the LED lighting system 708, and light emitted from the LED lighting system 708 passes through the secondary optical system 710. Similarly, a secondary optical system 712 is adjacent to the LED lighting system 706, and light emitted from the LED lighting system 706 passes through the secondary optical system 712. In an alternative embodiment, the secondary optical systems 710 / 712 may not be provided in the vehicle headlamp system.

[0043] When included, the secondary optical system 710 / 712 may be or include one or more light guides. The one or more light guides may be edge-lit or may have internal apertures defining the inner edge of the light guide. LED lighting systems 708 and 706 may be inserted into the internal apertures of the one or more light guides so that they inject light into the inner edge (internal aperture light guide) or outer edge (edge-lit light guide) of the one or more light guides. In embodiments, the one or more light guides may be shaped as desired, for example, to have a gradient, chamfered distribution, narrow distribution, wide distribution, or angular distribution of the light emitted by the LED lighting systems 708 and 706.

[0044] The application platform 702 may provide power and / or data to the LED lighting systems 706 and / or 708 via line 704, which may include one or more of the power line 602 and data bus 604 shown in Figure 6. One or more sensors (which may be sensors in the vehicle headlamp system 700 or other additional sensors) may be located inside or outside the housing of the application platform 702. Alternatively, or in addition, each LED lighting system 708 and 706 may include its own sensor module, connection and control module, power module, and / or LED array, as shown in the vehicle headlamp system example 600 in Figure 6.

[0045] In an embodiment, the vehicle headlamp system 700 may represent an automobile with a movable light beam, and the LEDs may be selectively operated to provide the movable beam. For example, an array of LEDs or emitters may be used to define or project a certain shape or pattern, or to illuminate only a selected section of the road. In one embodiment, the infrared cameras or detector pixels in the LED lighting systems 706 and 708 may be sensors (for example, the sensors in the sensor module 610 in Figure 6) that identify the part of the scene that needs illumination (for example, a road or a crosswalk).

[0046] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an LED module. A first 2D array (802) and a second 2D array (804) may be formed on a substrate. These two arrays can form a two-row composite two-dimensional array on the mounting surface of the substrate. All LEDs in each array may have the same first orientation. The first and second arrays may be adjacent to each other and each may have two rows of LEDs. First electrical traces may be formed on the mounting surface of the substrate (806). They may be formed in such a position that the first electrical traces electrically couple the LEDs of the first array and the LEDs of the second array in sequence, starting from opposite corners of the two-row composite two-dimensional array and alternating between the two rows of each of the first and second two-dimensional arrays, to form a first LED string and a second LED string, each of which has a start and end point.

[0047] A second electrical trace may be formed on the mounting surface of the substrate (808). The second electrical trace may be formed in such a position that it is electrically coupled between the end of the first LED string and the end of the second LED string, across the two rows of the two-row composite two-dimensional array. A third electrical trace may be formed on the mounting surface and routed outside the two-row composite two-dimensional array (810). This may be done such that a first of a plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the start end of the first LED string with respect to the row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array that includes the start end of the first LED string; a second of a plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the start end of the second LED string with respect to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array; a third of a plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the end of the first LED string with respect to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array; and at least one fourth of a plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to at least some of the further electrodes of the LEDs in the other row.

[0048] Although embodiments have been described in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be modified, given this specification, without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention is limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described.

Claims

1. A light-emitting diode (LED) device having a first LED module, The first LED module is A substrate having a mounting surface, The first is a two-column composite two-dimensional array, A first two-dimensional array having two rows of first plurality of LEDs on the mounting surface of the substrate, wherein all of the first plurality of LEDs have the same first orientation, and A second two-dimensional array adjacent to the first two-dimensional array, having two rows of second plurality of LEDs on the mounting surface of the substrate, wherein all of the second plurality of LEDs have the same second orientation, A first two-row composite two-dimensional array having, A plurality of first electrical traces on the mounting surface, which start from opposite corners of the first two-row composite two-dimensional array and alternate between the two rows of each of the first two-dimensional array and the second two-dimensional array, thereby electrically coupling the plurality of first LEDs and the plurality of second LEDs in sequence to form a first LED string and a second LED string, wherein each of the first LED string and the second LED string has a start end and an end end, A second electrical trace on the mounting surface is electrically coupled between the end of the first LED string and the end of the second LED string, crossing the two rows of the two-row composite two-dimensional array, A plurality of third electrical traces located on the mounting surface and routing outside the first two-row composite two-dimensional array, wherein the first of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the starting end of the first LED string with respect to the row of the first two-row composite two-dimensional array including the starting end of the first LED string, the second of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the starting end of the second LED string with respect to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array, the third of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the end of the first LED string with respect to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array, and at least one fourth of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to at least a portion of the electrodes of the LEDs in the other row, A device having

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of third electrical traces route all the electrodes of the LEDs of the other row outside the two-row composite two-dimensional array.

3. A second LED module mounted on the substrate, wherein the orientation, relative arrangement, and electrical connection of the second LEDs of the second LED module are mirror images of the orientation, relative arrangement, and electrical connection of the first LEDs of the first LED module with respect to the outer line of the two-row composite two-dimensional array of the second LED module, and the line is one of a vertical line adjacent to the starting end of the second LED string and a horizontal line adjacent to the starting end of the first LED string. The device according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

4. A third LED module mounted on the substrate, wherein the orientation, relative arrangement, and electrical connection of the third LED of the third LED module are mirror images of the orientation, relative arrangement, and electrical connection of the second LED of the second LED module with respect to the other of the vertical and horizontal lines. The device according to claim 3, further comprising the above.

5. A switch on the mounting surface, each of which is electrically coupled in parallel to one of the LEDs via two of the third electrical traces, The device according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

6. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a controller located on the mounting surface and communicably coupled to the control port of the switch via a fourth electrical trace.

7. A connector located on the mounting surface, electrically coupled to the start and end ends of the first LED string and the second LED string by one of the third electrical traces, and electrically coupled to the controller by one or more fifth electrical traces, The device according to claim 6, further comprising the above.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first LED string and the second LED string each have 3 to 30 LEDs.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein adjacent LEDs in the two-row composite two-dimensional array are spaced less than 100 μm apart.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises one of a heat sink, an IMS, and a PCB made of AlN having a metallization layer for forming the electrical trace on the mounting surface.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the LED is mounted on the substrate using WLP technology.

12. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an optical component for receiving light emitted from the LED during operation.

13. Vehicle headlights, Fixing device, LED module and The LED module has, A substrate having a mounting surface, It is a two-column composite two-dimensional array, A first two-dimensional array having two rows of first plurality of LEDs on the mounting surface of the substrate, wherein all of the first plurality of LEDs have the same first orientation, and A second two-dimensional array adjacent to the first two-dimensional array, having two rows of second plurality of LEDs on the mounting surface of the substrate, wherein all of the second plurality of LEDs have the same second orientation, A two-row composite two-dimensional array having, A plurality of first electrical traces on the mounting surface, which start from opposite corners of the two-row composite two-dimensional array and alternate between the two rows of each of the first two-dimensional array and the second two-dimensional array, thereby sequentially electrically coupling the plurality of first LEDs and the plurality of second LEDs to form a first LED string and a second LED string, wherein each of the first LED string and the second LED string has a start end and an end end, A second electrical trace on the mounting surface is electrically coupled between the end of the first LED string and the end of the second LED string, crossing the two rows of the two-row composite two-dimensional array, A plurality of third electrical traces located on the mounting surface and routing outside the two-row composite two-dimensional array, wherein a first of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the starting end of the first LED string with respect to the row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array including the starting end of the first LED string, a second of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the starting end of the second LED string with respect to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array, a third of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the end of the first LED string with respect to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array, and at least one fourth of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to at least a portion of the electrodes of the LEDs in the other row, Vehicle headlights.

14. The vehicle headlight according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of third electrical traces route all the electrodes of the LEDs of the other row outside the two-row composite two-dimensional array.

15. A switch on the mounting surface, each of which is electrically coupled in parallel to one of the LEDs via two of the third electrical traces, The vehicle headlight according to claim 13, further comprising:

16. The vehicle headlight according to claim 15, further comprising a controller located on the mounting surface and communicably coupled to the control port of the switch via a fourth electrical trace.

17. A connector located on the mounting surface, electrically coupled to the start and end ends of the first LED string and the second LED string by one of the third electrical traces, and electrically coupled to the controller by one or more fifth electrical traces, The vehicle headlight according to claim 16, further comprising:

18. The vehicle headlight according to claim 13, wherein adjacent LEDs in the two-row composite two-dimensional array are spaced less than 100 μm apart.

19. The vehicle headlight according to claim 13, wherein the first LED string and the second LED string each have 3 to 30 LEDs.

20. A method for manufacturing an LED module, This involves forming a two-row composite two-dimensional array on the mounting surface of the substrate. A first two-dimensional array is formed on the mounting surface of the substrate, having two rows of first plurality of LEDs on the mounting surface, and all of the first plurality of LEDs have the same first orientation. Adjacent to the first two-dimensional array, a second two-dimensional array is formed having two rows of second plurality of LEDs on the mounting surface of the substrate, and all of the second plurality of LEDs have the same second orientation. The plurality of first electrical traces on the mounting surface are formed in such a way that they start from opposing corners of the two-row composite two-dimensional array and alternate between the two rows of the first two-dimensional array and the second two-dimensional array, so that the plurality of first electrical traces sequentially electrically connect the plurality of first LEDs and the plurality of second LEDs to form a first LED string and a second LED string, and each of the first LED string and the second LED string has a start end and an end end. The second electrical trace on the mounting surface is formed in such a position that it crosses the two rows of the two-row composite two-dimensional array and is electrically coupled between the end of the first LED string and the end of the second LED string. A plurality of third electrical traces on the mounting surface routing the outside of the two-row composite two-dimensional array are formed such that a first of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the starting end of the first LED string in relation to the row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array including the starting end of the first LED string; a second of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the starting end of the second LED string in relation to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array; a third of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to the end of the first LED string in relation to the other row of the two-row composite two-dimensional array; and at least one fourth of the plurality of third electrical traces is electrically coupled to at least a portion of the electrodes of the LEDs in the other row. By doing so, a two-row composite two-dimensional array is formed. A method of having.

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