Lighting module with semiconductor light sources and carrier plate

Abstract

Various embodiments may relate to a lighting module which is equipped with several semiconductor light sources, in particular LED-chips and includes a metallic carrier plate. Several metallic carrier substrates are arranged on the carrier plate and are electrically insulated therefrom. At least one semiconductor light source is arranged on the carrier substrates and the carrier substrates are electrically connected in series.

Claims

1. A lighting module with a number of semiconductor light sources, comprising: a metallic carrier plate, wherein a number of metallic carrier substrates are arranged on the carrier plate and electrically insulated from it, on which carrier substrates a number of semiconductor light sources are respectively arranged, and the semiconductor light sources are directly electrically connected to each other in series; wherein the number of semiconducting light sources arranged on the carrier substrate determines the electrical potential between the first semiconducting light source and the last semiconducting light source in the series; a first terminal contact of the lighting module, wherein the first terminal contact is connected to a first semiconductor light source of the series; and a second terminal contact of the lighting module, wherein the second terminal contact is connected to a last semiconductor light source.

2. The lighting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lighting module is set up for applying an electrical potential to at least one carrier substrate.

3. The lighting module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lighting module is set up for applying an electrical potential to all the carrier substrates.

4. The lighting module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the electrical potential of the carrier substrate corresponds to the mean value of the electrical potentials at the series of the at least one semiconductor light source of this carrier substrate.

5. The lighting module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lighting module comprises a voltage divider for providing the electrical potential for the at least one carrier substrate, or is connected to such a voltage divider.

6. The lighting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein an equal number of semiconductor light sources are arranged on the carrier substrates.

7. The lighting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein all the semiconductor light sources are electrically connected in series.

8. The lighting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier plate is fastened to a heat sink.

9. A method for operating a lighting module, the lighting module with a number of semiconductor light sources, comprising: a metallic carrier plate, wherein a number of metallic carrier substrates are arranged on the carrier plate and electrically insulated from it, on which carrier substrates a number of semiconductor light sources are respectively arranged, and the semiconductor light sources are directly electrically connected to each other in series; wherein the number of semiconducting light sources arranged on the carrier substrate determine the electrical potential between a first semiconducting light source and a last semiconducting light source in the series; a first terminal contact of the lighting module, wherein the first terminal contact is connected to the first semiconductor light source of the series; and a second terminal contact of the lighting module, wherein the second terminal contact is connected to the last semiconductor light source; wherein a mains voltage is applied to the first terminal contact.

10. The lighting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor light sources are LED chips.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lighting module comprises a voltage divider for providing the electrical potential for the at least one carrier substrate, or is connected to such a voltage divider.

12. A lighting module with a number of semiconductor light sources, comprising: a metallic carrier plate, wherein a number of metallic carrier substrates are arranged on the carrier plate and electrically insulated from it, on which carrier substrates at least one semiconductor light source is respectively arranged, and the carrier substrates are electrically connected in series; wherein the lighting module comprises a voltage divider for providing an electrical potential for at least one carrier substrate, or is connected to such a voltage divider.

13. A lighting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor light sources are electrically connected in at least one series.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosed embodiments. In the following description, various embodiments described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1 and 2 shows conventional lighting modules;

(3) FIG. 3 shows an equivalent circuit diagram, corresponding to FIG. 2;

(4) FIG. 4 shows a lighting module according to various embodiments as a sectional representation in side view; and

(5) FIG. 5 shows the lighting module from FIG. 4 with a connected voltage divider.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 4 shows a lighting module 1 according to various embodiments based on CoB technology with a carrier plate 2 of aluminum, on the front side 3 of which a number of carrier substrates 5 or 5-1, 5-2 and 5-3 of aluminum have been applied laterally spaced apart over a dielectric layer 4. The plate-like carrier substrates 5 rest with their rear side 6 against the dielectric layer 4 and respectively bear on their front side 7 a number of LED chips 8, only the first LED chips 8h and last LED chips 8l respectively of which are shown here. It is assumed here purely by way of example that there are three (=3) identical carrier substrates 5 with in each case an equal number m of identical LED chips 8, for example with in each case m=45. The lighting module 1 therefore includes altogether 3 m=135 LED chips 8. All the LED chips 8 are electrically interconnected in a single series. The carrier substrates 5 may have in particular a reflective surface, for example in the manner of MIRO or MIRO SILVER from the Alanod company.

(7) The first LED chip 8h of the first carrier substrate 5-1 is connected by way of a bonding wire 105 to a first terminal contact (not illustrated) of the lighting module 1, so that at this bonding wire 105 there is a highest electrical potential HV of the lighting module 1, which also corresponds to the highest potential HV1 of the first carrier substrate 5-1. For a computational example, here the highest electrical potential HV or HV1 may be at 400 V.

(8) With an assumed forward voltage Vf of the LED chips 8 of 2.9 V, a cluster voltage Vn=45.Math.2.9 V=130.5 V drops across the series of LED chips 8 of each of the n carrier substrates 5. At the bonding wire 105 which forms the electrical junction between the first carrier substrate 5-1 and the second carrier substrate 5-2 there is consequently a lowest potential LV1 of the first carrier substrate 5-1 of LV1=400 V130.5 V=269.5 V. This corresponds to the highest electrical potential HV2 of the second carrier substrate 5-2, that is to say LV1=HV2. By analogy, at the bonding wire 105 which forms the electrical junction between the second carrier substrate 5-2 and the third carrier substrate 5-3 there is a lowest potential LV2 of the second carrier substrate 5-2 of 139 V. This corresponds to the highest electrical potential HV3 of the third carrier substrate 5-3, that is to say LV2=HV3. The last LED chip 81 of the third carrier substrate 5-3 is connected by way of a bonding wire 105 to a second terminal contact (not illustrated) of the lighting module 1, to be precise at a lowest electrical potential LV3 of the third carrier substrate 5-3 of 139 V130.5 V=8.5 V, which corresponds to the lowest electrical potential LV of the entirety of the m=135 LED chips 8 of the lighting module 1. Altogether, there is therefore an (operating) voltage HVLV of 391.5 V at the series of all the LED chips 8.

(9) Here, too, the front side 9 of the carrier plate 2 is cast with casting compound 107, to be precise including the carrier substrates 5, the LED chips 8 and the bonding wires 105 connecting them. The lighting module 1 may in turn be connected by its rear side 10 to a heat sink by way of a dielectric intermediate layer (not illustrated).

(10) FIG. 5 then shows the lighting module 1 from FIG. 4 in a variant with a connected voltage divider 11, which is fed by way of a high-voltage LED driver 12. The high-voltage LED driver 12 also outputs the operating voltage HV-LV to the series of m=135 LED chips 8 and for this purpose is connected on the one hand by way of a bonding wire 105 which is at the highest potential HV to the first LED chip 8h of the first driver substrate 5-1 and on the other hand by way of a bonding wire 105 which is at the lowest potential LV to the last LED chip 8l of the third driver substrate 5-3.

(11) The voltage divider 11 is arranged electrically between these terminals HV, LV of the high-voltage LED driver 12 and has here four series-connected ohmic resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4, which have a resistance value of R, 2R, 2R and R, respectively, R having here a value of 500 kiloohms. The total resistance of the voltage divider 11 is consequently 3000 kiloohms or 3 megaohms. With an operating voltage HV-LV of 391.5 V, consequently a current I of 130.5 microamperes flows through the voltage divider 11.

(12) An electrical line 13 branching off between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 leads to the first carrier substrate 5-1, so that at the carrier substrate 5-1 there is a free electrical potential Vc1=(5/6).Math.(HVLV)+LV=(HV1+LV1)/2=334.75 V. This potential Vc1 therefore corresponds to the mean value (HV1+LV1)/2 of the electrical potentials HV1 and HV2 at the series of LED chips 8 of the first carrier substrate 5-1. The difference in terms of amount between HV1 and LV1 is only 65.25 V and represents the greatest potential difference between a bonding wire 105 connected to an LED chip 8 of the carrier substrate 5-1 and the carrier substrate 5-1. Consequently, a considerably smaller electrical field is built up between the bonding wire 105 and the first carrier substrate 5-1 than otherwise with 400 V. As a result, the forming of secondary current paths and/or partial discharges is greatly suppressed, and it is then also possible for metallic carriers 2, 5 to be used easily and inexpensively for the high-voltage operation of LED chips 8.

(13) By analogy, an electrical line 14 branching off between the second resistor R2 and the third resistor R3 leads to the second carrier substrate 5-2, so that at the second carrier substrate 5-2 there is a free electrical potential Vc2=(3/6).Math.(HVLV)+LV=(HV2+LV2)/2=204.25 V. This potential Vc2 differs in terms of amount between HV2 and LV2 only by 65.25 V.

(14) Furthermore, an electrical line 15 branching off between the third resistor R3 and the fourth resistor R4 also leads to the third carrier substrate 5-3, so that at the third carrier substrate 5-3 there is a free electrical potential Vc3=(5/6).Math.(HVLV)+LV=(HV3+LV3)/2=73.25 V. This potential Vc3 differs in terms of amount between HV3 and LV3 only by 65.25 V.

(15) While the disclosed embodiments have been particularly shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the disclosed embodiments is thus indicated by the appended claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced. For instance, two or more than three carrier substrates 5 may also be used. The greater the number n of carrier substrates 5, and therefore the smaller the number n of LED chips 8 per carrier substrate 5 can be, the smaller the maximum potential difference between a carrier substrate 5 and an associated bonding wire 105 may be.

(16) In principle, the carrier substrates may also be formed differently, for example have different dimensions, for example a different diameter. The carrier substrates may also bear a different number of LED chips, it being possible when there is a voltage divider for the value of the associated resistors to be adapted to it.

(17) In general, a, one, etc. may be understood as meaning a singular or a plural, in particular in the sense of at least one or one or more, etc., as long as this is not explicitly excluded, for example by the expression exactly one, etc.

(18) A numerical indication may also include the indicated number exactly and also a customary tolerance range, as long as this is not explicitly excluded.

(19) While the disclosed embodiments have been particularly shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the disclosed embodiments is thus indicated by the appended claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced.