FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates to an LED lighting device and a driving circuit for LED lighting device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[002] A lighting device using a light emitting diode (LED element, hereinafter also referred to simply as LED) is characterized by having a longer life and lower power consumption than conventional lighting fixtures such as a fluorescent lamp and an incandescent lamp. It is expected as a next-generation lighting equipment.

[003] When the AC power supply is subjected to half-wave rectification, it becomes an intermittent pulsating waveform of only one half of the alternating current alternating waveform. On the other hand, when full-wave rectification is performed, it becomes a continuous pulsating current waveform in which the other polarity (minus side) half wave is folded back to one polarity.

[004] The LED has a predetermined voltage (lighting voltage) and a predetermined current (lighting current) for lighting, and it is necessary to apply a current / voltage that satisfies these conditions. Therefore, AC-DC conversion is required to smooth the pulsating current waveform to a predetermined voltage.

[005] In a general LED lighting device, an LED drive circuit including a capacitor for storing electric power is used so that the above-mentioned pulsation waveform is as close as possible to direct current as much as possible, and can always be turned on even during idle periods of commercial power. It is the mainstream to drive the LED element with a waveform that emits light constantly without flickering of the LED due to the direct current voltage. However, this DC conversion circuit requires a large-capacity capacitor using a chemical reaction with a short lifetime to achieve good stability and uninterrupted light emission, thus increasing cost and decreasing reliability. It has been a problem that leads to a decline. [006] In the direct current driving method, an alternating current is temporarily converted into a smooth direct current voltage, and an LED is driven by a direct current of a predetermined level. An AC / DC conversion circuit used to convert an AC power supply into a direct current, that is, a power supply circuit that performs switching operation with a so-called inverter circuit has a large number of elements, and the circuit becomes complicated and expensive. In addition, the rectifier circuit in this case requires a large capacity capacitor such as an electrolytic capacitor or a transformer. Such an electrical component has a shorter life as compared to the LED, and is not preferably used in combination with the LED characterized in that it is a long-life lighting means.

[007] As disclosed in the prior art concerning the drive of LED, for example, in patent document JPB2009-283542, the power consumption generated in the constant current drive circuit at the time of light emission drive of the LED is suppressed and reduced, and the stable and normal operation of the constant current drive circuit is realized A headroom voltage monitoring circuit having a first feedback circuit comprising an LED array, an LED driver IC, a DC-DC converter, a voltage dividing resistor, and a controller and a second feedback circuit, The feedback circuit of No. 2 is proposed to feed back the headroom voltage obtained respectively to the current terminal of the LED driver IC to the DC-DC converter.

[008] As a social requirement, it is possible to increase DC stability performance with a three-dimensional structure, and to reduce the circuit constant by enhancing the performance, and as a result it is possible to reduce the number of parts and to manufacture at low cost. There is a need for an LED drive circuit and an LED lighting device that can achieve stable light emission that solves the problems of flicker and dark time as well as high reliability, and can achieve low power consumption and long life.

[009] The present invention solves these problems, provides stable light emission with a simple configuration, can reduce the number of parts, can be manufactured at low cost, improves long-term reliability, and reduces power consumption. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting device using LED and a driving circuit of the lighting device using LED. [0010] The present invention can reduce the board size by reducing the number of parts at the same time, and can make the whole lighting apparatus compact, and can use simpler parts because of the higher performance, thereby reducing the product cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting device using LEDs and a driving circuit of the lighting device using LEDs.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention can take advantage of a three-dimensional structure and a redundant structure, and since fault tolerance is exhibited, functional operation continues even if some circuits stop during long-term continuous use. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting device using an LED and a driving circuit for a lighting device using the LED, which contributes to improving the reliability over a long period of time.

[0013] An LED lighting device and a driving circuit for LED that can achieve stable light emission, can reduce the number of parts, can be manufactured at low cost, has long-term reliability, and realizes low power consumption. In order to achieve this, a plurality of LED lighting device and a driving circuit for LED for driving the same are provided, and the LED driving circuit efficiently stabilizes the driving current supplied to the LED lighting device and reduces the capacity of the capacitor used for reliability. The LED drive circuit includes a configuration in which a plurality of ballast circuits are connected in parallel, and the output from the plurality of ballast circuits including the portion connected in parallel is a constant current control circuit. By supplying the light emitting diode to the LED lighting device, stable light emission can be obtained by removing the ripple, and the capacity of the capacitor used can be suppressed to achieve both reliability and cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the functions of an LED lighting device and a drive circuit used therefor according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention comprises: a plurality of LED light emitting elements and an LED driving circuit for driving the same, wherein the LED driving circuit efficiently stabilizes the driving current supplied to the LED lighting device and suppresses the capacitance of the capacitor used. The LED drive circuit includes a configuration in which a plurality of ballast circuits are connected in parallel, and the current from the plurality of ballast circuits including the portion connected in parallel is constant current control circuit. By supplying through the LED lighting device , ripples are removed and stable light emission is obtained, and the capacity of the capacitor to be used can be suppressed and both reliability and cost can be compatible.

[0016] Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an LED lighting device and a drive circuit, wherein the LED drive circuit is configured by arranging and connecting a plurality of ballast circuits in a matrix. Further, the matrix of the plurality of ballast circuits included in the LED drive circuit is characterized in that the plurality of ballast circuits constituting the matrix include at least a plurality of rows and / or a plurality of columns.

[0017] Further, according to the present invention, the plurality of ballast circuits included in the LED drive circuit includes a configuration in which the plurality of ballast circuits are at least connected in parallel, and further, units connected in parallel and / or units connected in series are mixed.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the ballast circuit used in the LED drive circuit is a switching regulator. Furthermore, the ballast circuit used in the LED drive circuit is a switching regulator, and the control method thereof is any of voltage mode, current mode or hysteresis control. Alternatively, the ballast circuit used in the LED drive circuit is a switching regulator, and its operation system is either a pulse frequency modulation system or a pulse width modulation system. Alternatively, the ballast circuit used in the LED drive circuit is a switching regulator, and the switching regulator is characterized by including a chopper type ballast. [0019] The present invention is also an LED lighting device and a driving circuit for LED, wherein the ballast circuit used in the LED driving circuit is a linear regulator.

[0020] Further, according to the present invention, the constant current control circuit used in the LED drive circuit outputs a constant current by changing the operating resistance of the switch by the load resistance so that the voltage drop across the current detection resistance becomes constant. It is a type | mold constant current control circuit, It is a drive circuit of the illuminating device using LED.

[0021] Further, according to the present invention, the constant current control circuit used in the LED drive circuit outputs a constant current by changing the operating resistance of the variable resistor by the feedback circuit so that the voltage drop across the current detection resistor becomes constant. A lighting device using an LED and a driving circuit for a lighting device using the LED, which are characterized by being a linear constant current control circuit.

[0022] The present invention also relates to an LED lighting device and a driving circuit for LED, wherein the control of the resistance value in the constant current control circuit used for the LED driving circuit is performed by a transistor.

[0023] Furthermore, the transistor used in the constant current control circuit used in the LED drive circuit is any one of FET transistor, bipolar transistor or IGBT.

[0024] Also, the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of ballast circuits of the LED drive circuit is configured including a portion where the ballast circuits are connected in parallel and a portion where the ballast circuits are connected in series.

EXAMPLE

Example 1 ; [0025] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the functions of an LED lighting device according to the present invention and a drive circuit used therefor. The present invention relates to an LED lighting device and a drive circuit used therefor, including a plurality of LED light emitting elements and an LED drive circuit for driving the LED drive circuit, the LED drive circuit driving the LED light emitting element The current is efficiently stabilized, and the capacity of the capacitor used is suppressed to achieve both reliability and cost, and the LED drive circuit includes a configuration in which a plurality of ballast circuits are connected in parallel, the parallel connection By supplying the output from a plurality of ballast circuits including the above-mentioned portion to the LED light emitting element through a constant current control circuit, ripples are removed, stable light emission is obtained, and the capacity of the capacitor used is suppressed to ensure reliability. It is characterized in that it can be compatible with both reliability and cost.

[0026] In this embodiment, as schematically shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of ballast circuits included in the LED drive circuit are arranged and connected in a matrix. Here, in the matrix of the plurality of ballast circuits included in the LED drive circuit, the plurality of ballast circuits constituting the matrix includes at least a plurality of rows and / or a plurality of columns.

[0027] Specifically, in the present embodiment, a plurality of ballast circuits are connected in parallel (three rows are formed), and three columns are provided. With such a configuration, the load required for each of the ballast circuits can be reduced, and the capacity of the capacitor used can be reduced, thereby improving reliability and reducing costs at the same time.

[0028] It should be noted that although the matrix by a plurality of stable circuits is effective in removing ripples and reducing the capacitor capacity as the number of elements in both matrices increases, it also causes cost increase, so it is necessary to select a good number of elements taking these into consideration.

[0029] Here, although it has been practiced to reduce the capacitance of the capacitor to be used by using a plurality of ballast circuits to achieve both reliability and cost, its configuration is exclusively connected by connecting a plurality of ballast circuits in series. It was only reduced. By including a configuration in which at least a plurality of ballast circuits according to the present invention are connected in parallel, ripples are removed more effectively, stable light emission can be obtained, and the capacity of the capacitor used is suppressed to improve reliability and reducing the cost at the same time. It became possible to achieve both.

[0030] In the present invention, these problems can be solved, stable light emission can be obtained with a simple configuration, the number of parts can be reduced, manufacturing can be performed at low cost, and long-term reliability can be improved. It has been possible to provide an LED lighting device that realizes power consumption and a driving circuit for LED.

[0031] In addition, the present invention can reduce the substrate size by simultaneously reducing the number of parts, and can make the entire lighting apparatus compact, and can use simpler parts because of the higher performance, thereby reducing the cost of the product. It has been possible to provide a lighting device using an LED contributing to the down and a driving circuit of the lighting device using the LED.

[0032] Furthermore, since the present invention can continue functional operation even if some circuits stop during long-term continuous use, a lighting device using an LED that contributes to improvement of reliability over a long time and it has been possible to provide a drive circuit of a lighting device using LEDs.

[0033] In this embodiment, a switching regulator is used as a stable circuit used for the LED drive circuit, and the control method is a voltage mode, and the operation method is a pulse frequency modulation method. Here, when a switching regulator is used as a stable circuit used in the LED drive circuit, any of voltage mode, current mode or hysteresis control is suitably used as its control system, and its operation system is a pulse frequency modulation system or Any of the pulse width modulation methods is preferably used. Furthermore, the switching regulator may include a chopper type ballast.

[0034] In the present embodiment, as a constant current control circuit used in the LED drive circuit, a constant current can be obtained by changing the operating resistance of the switch by the load resistance so that the voltage drop across the current detection resistance becomes constant.

[0035] The output of switching type constant current control circuit is used. Here, as a constant current control circuit used in the LED drive circuit, a constant current is outputted by changing the operating resistance of the variable resistor by a feedback circuit so that the voltage drop across the current detection resistor becomes constant. A mold constant current control circuit is also preferably used.

[0036] In addition, it is effective that the control of the resistance value in the constant current control circuit used in the LED drive circuit is performed by a transistor, and the transistor used in the constant current control circuit used in the LED drive circuit is an FET. It is preferable to use any of transistor, bipolar transistor or IGBT.

[0037] With such a configuration, the illumination device using the LED according to the present invention and the drive circuit of the illumination device using the LED efficiently stabilize the drive current supplied to the LED light emitting element and suppress the capacitance of the capacitor used. It is a combination of reliability and cost, and ripples are eliminated and stabilized by supplying the outputs from a plurality of ballast circuits including parallel connected parts to the LED light emitting element through a constant current control circuit. It has been possible to provide a lighting device using an LED and a driving circuit for a lighting device using the LED, which can achieve light emission and can reduce the capacitance of a capacitor to be used and achieve both reliability and cost.

Example 2;

[0038] In the present embodiment, a linear regulator is used as a ballast circuit used in the LED drive circuit in the configuration of the first embodiment. Moreover, control of the resistance value in the constant current control circuit used for the said LED drive circuit used the FET transistor.

[0039] Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of ballast circuits are connected in parallel (two rows are formed) in parallel, and one column is used. With such a configuration, the load required for each of the ballast circuits can be reduced, and the capacity of the capacitor used can be reduced, thereby improving reliability and reducing costs at the same time.