Balanced Matrix LED Circuit with Thin Film Conductors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
LED lighting technology faces a 'cost penalty' due to thermal management issues, as LEDs generate waste heat that is difficult to dissipate, especially in encapsulated systems where convection is not possible, limiting market acceptance and requiring expensive heat sink designs.
Innovation Solution
A flexible substrate with a thin film conductor circuit is used to distribute power to a series of low-power LEDs, ensuring each LED operates at the same voltage and minimizing heat dissipation through balanced circuit design and conductive bus bar enhancements, such as widening or rolling bus bars to reduce panel width and enhance conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a single high-power LED chip or packaged LED array is used to generate required luminous flux, then illumination intensity is improved, but thermal management difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a single high-power LED into multiple lower-power LED chips arranged in an array. Each chip generates less heat individually, and the heat is distributed across multiple mounting points on the circuit board, enabling more effective thermal management while achieving the required total luminous flux through cumulative output from all chips.
2Loss of energy
If thick conductors are used to reduce ohmic heating, then energy loss is reduced, but device width and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs extremely thin film conductors (30-100 nanometers thick) deposited on flexible substrates to create circuit traces. These thin film conductors achieve low ohmic heating through optimized geometry and material selection without requiring increased thickness, thus maintaining compact device dimensions while minimizing energy loss.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional circuit boards are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but thermal dissipation and uniformity of illumination are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional rigid circuit boards to flexible substrates with thin film conductors, fundamentally changing the physical parameters of the circuit carrier. This enables superior thermal dissipation through the flexible substrate material and precise control of conductor geometry, resulting in uniform voltage distribution across all LED chips and consequently uniform illumination output.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for high-intensity illumination with improved luminous efficacy and reduced ohmic heating, achieving uniform light output across a large area while reducing production costs and eliminating the need for expensive heat sinks.
Implementation Method 1
A flexible substrate with a thin film conductor circuit is used to distribute power to a series of low-power LEDs
Implementation Method 2
each LED operates at the same voltage and minimizing heat dissipation
Implementation Method 3
minimizing heat dissipation through balanced circuit design and conductive bus bar enhancements, such as widening or rolling bus bars to reduce panel width and enhance conductivity
Data Source
AI summary
Inventive embodiments include a device for distributing power to devices over an area, with a power density of at least one Watt per ft2 (or 900 cm2 if we go metric). The device includes a flexible substrate; a circuit comprising a thin film conductor having a thickness of 400 nanometers or less, wherein the circuit is adhered to the substrate; a plurality of devices positioned on the sheet and attached to the circuit wherein each device of the plurality is driven at substantially the same voltage; and the power delivered to the devices is at least 90% of the input power of the energized circuit.