Tuesday, August 16, 2011

LED Lighting Modules: Taking The Heat Out Of The Situation


The appeal of using LEDs in lighting applications is growing rapidly. The numerous and significant benefits of using modules that incorporate a matrix of LEDs are being recognized by design engineers in several key industry sectors, including aerospace, architectural lighting, and the �golden egg� automotive market.


No WiringThe long life of LEDs also simplifies the designers� task because it is less important to make the lighting module accessible for servicing in the finished product. This can result in a neater, more integrated installation and also in potential cost savings.Sun ExposureTemperature modellingLEDs themselves are inherently durable. Mounting them on metal based circuit boards only serves to enhance their robustness and that of the finished module, providing excellent resistance to vibration and mechanical shock.Initial CostIf one is considering buying more than one solar powered light, like walkway lighting for example, packaged sets are available for purchase. These sets will include the LED light bulb(s), rechargeable battery, housing, and the PV panel and any other required parts, making set up extremely simple for the purchaser. In most cases, the consumer can set up their own lights without having to pay the money to hire a professional.Flat sheets of insulated metal circuit board comprising copper foil, a dielectric layer and an aluminum base plate have been available for several years. In the eyes of the forward-thinking LED module designer, the main problem has been that flat sheets of insulated metal circuit board limit them to 2D shapes.Automotive lighting clusters provide a good example of how LED modules can provide superior performance compared with traditional filament lamps. On-vehicle applications experience high levels of vibration and wide operating temperature ranges that can cause premature failure of filament lamps. In some operating conditions LEDs can last up to 100,000 hours, which means that they should not require any attention for the life of the vehicle.When designing with new, formable insulated metal circuit board materials it is possible to route the tracks around corners, which alleviates the need to use connectors and hard wiring. There are several benefits to this, including enhanced reliability resulting from having fewer junctions and interconnects. Despite the slightly higher cost of the new materials, the overall cost is reduced because fewer components are needed, and assembly time is reduced.Perhaps the most challenging issue when realizing a module design that uses LEDs is to manage the temperature of individual device junctions during normal operation. If the considerable amount of heat produced by all the devices in a module is not managed correctly then the junction temperatures may reach a level where the LEDs� expected life is shortened and reliability is compromised (see Links).A good example of some other benefits of LED lighting is demonstrated by an application in the cabin of a passenger aircraft. A retrofit LED unit that replaced a fluorescent-tube lighting module enabled finely controlled dimming and also provided mood lighting through the use of differently coloured LEDs.The etched copper circuit is separated from a base plate � usually made of aluminum � by a thermally efficient, electrically isolating dielectric material. The characteristics and capabilities of the dielectric layer are key to the design flexibility and performance of the overall module.A further key requirement of the dielectric layer is to be able to compensate for the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the copper track on the topside of the assembly and the aluminum base plate/heat spreader on the bottom side.In an era when energy proficiency is the need of the hour building lighting is yet another step in this direction and can prove very helpful in a long way for saving energy. The best way to save energy is to control and reduce its consumption and the ultimate method to execute it is by changing old patterns of lighting systems. Energy saving bulbs and lights is the first and very effective approach towards checking the over consumption of energy. Now the time has come to implement the building lighting techniques which saves energy and also saves money. Energy saving technology, energy saving solutions, energy saving bulbs and energy saving lamps hold a promise of solving the energy deficiency problem which is gravely threatening the world.completed, only a small amount of payment owing to use of light is credited on your name as maintenance and servicing charges of LED are next to none. Therefore, this is an additional advantage.The U.S department of energy (DOE) has recommended LED lightings for commercial buildings, government buildings and home owners. Environmental synergy can also be achieved by fitting LED building lightings. It is a well known fact that electricity is the most costly and highly consumed energy and reduction in its consumption is the only way of stalking the threat of energy drought looming in front of the world. Lighting fixtures use three times more energy as compared to the air conditioners and highest amount of energy is used in commercial buildings. Hence for lessening carbon foot print, retrofitting of a building is must. This will enable emission of less amount of carbon while saving good amount trees, energy and money as well. For financial problems caused by excess amount of energy consumption, use of LED for building lighting is the right solution. This way the over consumption can be stopped and the environment can also be saved indirectly. Once the retrofitting is !To address these limitations, new dielectric materials are becoming available that have a low modulus, meaning that they are compliant with mechanical stress and strain. These materials not only accommodate the coefficient of expansion of the metal elements of the construction, but also enable parts to be formed into right angles, and even through 360˚. This enables designers to realize complex-shaped designs and ones that form a complete circle with either internal or external copper traces.The power of the sun is an excellent option for lights that are decorative or serve a fairly non-critical role. But, solar power technology is not yet dependable enough to say that all situations can benefit. In situations where dependable lighting is an absolute must, regular electricity is still the best option.The sun is a continuous energy source that is free to everyone who feels its rays. By using the power of the sun, a consumer no longer requires the use of electricity to run their lights. This means zero cost for the energy. This is especially pleasing for owners of parking lots or anyone who needs certain lighting on twenty four hours a day.That Green Feeling

Thermal analysis software can bring significant commercial and design benefits by helping speed the time to market and reducing the number of iterations needed to reach a production-ready solution.




Author: James Stratford


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