LED Lighting Assembly Surge Protection via Transient Voltage Suppressor
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Solution Overview
Problem
LED replacement bulbs for fluorescent fixtures face the challenge of withstanding high strike voltages, typically requiring removal of the ballast to prevent damage, as LED lights are not designed for such voltages.
Innovation Solution
The LED lighting assembly incorporates a bypass path and driver hardware, such as a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor, to absorb strike voltage and provide a constant voltage load to the ballast, allowing for adjustable brightness and protection of LED lights from voltage surges, while maintaining compatibility with traditional fluorescent fixtures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If LED replacement bulbs are designed to fit into fluorescent light fixtures, then compatibility with existing fixtures is improved, but the LED lights are damaged by high strike voltage from the ballast
Solution Approach 1:
A transient voltage suppressor is introduced as an intermediary component between the ballast and LED lights. This suppressor absorbs the high strike voltage from the ballast through its breakdown voltage characteristic, protecting the LED lights while allowing the bulb to remain compatible with fluorescent fixtures that use ballasts. The suppressor acts as a mediator that handles the voltage incompatibility issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful strike voltage from the ballast is converted into a beneficial protective mechanism. The transient voltage suppressor is designed to break down at a specific voltage level, absorbing the harmful strike voltage and converting it into a protective action that prevents damage to the LED lights. The harmful high voltage becomes the trigger for the protection mechanism.
2Reliability
If a bypass path is added to protect LED lights from voltage surges, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transient voltage suppressor is merged with the LED light circuit in a parallel configuration. Instead of adding a separate complex protection system, the suppressor is integrated into the existing circuit path, sharing the same electrical connections and space. This merging approach provides protection while minimizing additional complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The transient voltage suppressor provides self-service protection by automatically activating when voltage exceeds its breakdown level. It requires no external control or additional components to function - simply the voltage condition itself triggers the protection mechanism, eliminating the need for complex control circuits or external monitoring systems.
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 configuration enables LED lights to safely replace fluorescent bulbs by absorbing high strike voltages, allowing for adjustable brightness and protection of healthy LEDs, while maintaining compatibility with existing ballast systems, providing a visually superior and reliable lighting solution.
Implementation Method 1
a transient voltage suppressor electrically connected in parallel with the plurality of input pins so as to absorb the strike voltage of the ballast when the fluorescent lighting fixture is turned on
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of LED lights
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
An LED lighting assembly includes, according to various implementations, mechanisms for protecting the LED lights from voltage or current surges, including hardware that absorbs the strike voltage and hardware that provides a bypass path. The provision of a bypass path in the event of the failure of one or LED lights in an LED string allows the string to be, in effect, "turned off in order to protect the remaining LED lights, thereby allowing the healthy LED lights to stay lit.