Single LED Driver with Shared Heat Sink
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED lighting systems require a dedicated controller for each LED light unit, leading to increased cost, form factor, and heat dissipation challenges due to the need for separate heat sinks for both the LEDs and controllers, which limits the size and efficiency of the lighting units.
Innovation Solution
A single driver system that provides ripple-free constant direct current to multiple high-powered LED units, using a digital controller and an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) to regulate the current and adjust for heat dissipation, allowing for a shared heat sink and reduced component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a dedicated controller is used for each LED light unit, then the LED unit can be individually driven and controlled, but the cost and form factor increase due to requiring separate heat sinks for both LEDs and controllers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the controller with the LED light unit by integrating the controller directly into the LED module structure. This allows the controller and LED to share a common heat sink, eliminating the need for separate heat dissipation structures while maintaining individual control capability for each LED unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated controller is designed to perform multiple functions: it controls the LED lighting while also serving as part of the heat dissipation structure. The controller housing or mounting structure doubles as an extended heat sink surface, allowing it to dissipate heat from both the controller electronics and the LED simultaneously.
2Temperature
If separate heat sinks are provided for LEDs and controllers, then heat dissipation is optimized, but the manufacturing cost increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heat dissipation function for both LEDs and controllers into a single integrated heat sink structure. This reduces the total component count and manufacturing complexity while maintaining effective heat dissipation for both heat-generating elements through shared thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The single heat sink structure is designed to serve dual purposes: dissipating heat from the LED and from the integrated controller simultaneously. The heat sink includes thermal pathways and contact surfaces that accommodate both heat sources, eliminating the need for separate heat dissipation components.
3Device complexity
If a single driver is used for multiple LED units, then cost and component count are reduced, but current ripple increases which affects LED performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms in the single driver system to monitor and regulate the current supplied to multiple LED units. By using feedback control, the driver compensates for current ripple and variations, maintaining stable and reliable current delivery across all connected LED units despite the shared driver configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A LED driver having at least one Integrated Circuit (IC), the IC programmable using a hardware description language; a first electronic switch operable to provide a first switching time period to control power factor voltage, the first switching time period programmable by the at least one IC; and a second electronic switch operable to provide a second switching time period to regulate ripple free constant DC electrical current flowing into the at least one LED, the second switching time period is programmable by the at least one IC.