HBLED driving strategy with reduced storage capacitor based on load modularization

As one of the major advantages of High-brightness LED (HBLED) is their lifetime, electronic equipment used in power conditioning for HBLED should avoid some technologies as electrolytic capacitors that reduce significantly the operation lifetime. In this paper, a new strategy to drive HBLED from the AC mains is explored in order to reduce the required energy storage, while keeping a reduced level of current harmonic injection. It is based on splitting the load in several parts or modules and the phase shifted operation of these modules. As a result, the required energy storage is dramatically reduced, and bulk electrolytic capacitors can be removed. The theoretical principle of operation has been validated through a proof of concept prototype.