Wave-Shaped LED Light Strip for Automotive Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED lighting systems for automotive applications face issues with voltage variations, inefficiency due to resistor-based current control, lack of transient load protection, limited flexibility, and inability to mount on surfaces with compound curvatures, leading to uneven lighting, reduced lifespan, and potential thermal runaway.
Innovation Solution
A lighting system comprising a power supply control box with transient load protection, microprocessor, and high accuracy switching voltage regulators, along with flexible LED light strips with parallel electrical buses formed in a wave shape, allowing independent control of LED strings and flexibility on two axes, and encased in resin for protection and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If resistors are used for current control in conventional LED systems, then current limiting is achieved, but energy efficiency deteriorates due to heat loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the passive resistor-based current control mechanism with an active switching voltage regulator system. The switching regulator uses electronic components (transistors, diodes, capacitors, and control circuitry) to dynamically adjust voltage and current to the LEDs, eliminating the need for resistors that dissipate energy as heat. This substitution of mechanical/passive components with electronic/active components achieves precise current control while maintaining high energy efficiency.
2Device complexity
If fixed resistance is used in conventional LED circuits, then current control is simplified, but adaptability to voltage variations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic switching voltage regulator system that continuously monitors and adjusts output voltage and current based on real-time conditions. The control circuitry modifies the duty cycle of the switching element to maintain stable LED operation despite input voltage fluctuations, load changes, or temperature variations. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to adapt to a wide range of voltage conditions while maintaining precise LED current control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the control circuitry monitors the actual current through the LEDs and adjusts the switching regulator output accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures that the LEDs receive the precise current required for optimal performance and color consistency, regardless of input voltage variations or component tolerances. The feedback system compensates for changes in real-time, maintaining stable operation.
3Strength
If rigid housings are used in LED light bars, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility and adaptability to curved surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the LED lighting system into modular segments or individual LED modules that can be independently mounted. Each module maintains its own structural integrity and housing, allowing them to be arranged and mounted on various surfaces including curved ones. The segmentation allows the lighting system to conform to complex geometries while each individual module retains adequate structural strength for protection and heat dissipation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible mounting solutions such as flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs) or adaptable mounting brackets that allow the LED modules to be positioned on curved or irregular surfaces. The housing design may incorporate flexible elements or mounting mechanisms that enable the rigid LED modules to be securely attached to non-planar surfaces, combining structural protection with mounting versatility.
4Ease of operation
If conventional flexible LED light strips are made flexible on one plane, then ease of mounting on curved surfaces is improved, but flexibility on multiple axes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional flexible circuit board to a three-dimensional flexible structure. The LED modules are arranged in a configuration that allows bending and conforming in multiple directions and axes, not just along a single plane. This may involve spherical or radial arrangements of LED modules that can adapt to complex curved surfaces, enabling the lighting system to wrap around corners and conform to multi-axial geometries while maintaining electrical connectivity and structural integrity.
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
The system provides stable, efficient, and flexible LED lighting that adapts to voltage variations, prevents thermal runaway, and can be conformably mounted on complex surfaces, enhancing lighting uniformity and longevity while maintaining compactness and visibility.
Implementation Method 1
high accuracy switching voltage regulators
Implementation Method 2
light emitting diode (LED) lighting products
Implementation Method 3
an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs)
Implementation Method 4
The electrical buses may be encased in a flexible transparent resin
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, devices and/or apparatus related to lighting systems, and, specifically, to LED lighting systems for vehicles. One example provides a lighting system that includes a power control component, a wire harness, and a light emitting diode component. The power control component may be in electrical communication with a power supply. The power control component may receive an input voltage from the power supply, adjust the input voltage to generate an output voltage, and output the output voltage. The wire harness may be in electrical communication with the power control component. The light emitting diode light component may be in electrical communication with the wire harness, and may include a plurality of light emitting diodes electrically coupled in a parallel configuration via a plurality of wires, each of the plurality of wires being substantially shaped as a wave.