Lighting devices with individually compensating multi-color clusters

A method for fabricating a light fixture or lighting apparatus comprising a plurality of lighting devices, wherein each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices includes:

• (i) a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) chips mounted on a submount, the plurality of LED chips including at least one first LED chip and at least one second LED chip, wherein spectral output of the at least one first LED chip includes a first peak wavelength, and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip includes a second peak wavelength that is substantially different from the first peak wavelength;
• (ii) at least one thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips, wherein the lighting device is devoid of any light sensing element configured to sense light and generate a sensing element output signal used to adjust supply of current to the plurality of LED chips during operation of the lighting device;
• and (iii) at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element mounted on the submount, and configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one thermal temperature sensing element to maintain a color or color temperature of aggregate emissions of the plurality of LED chips;
• wherein the light fixture or lighting apparatus includes at least one of the following features (a) to (e):
• (a) each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices is mounted to a common substrate of the light fixture or lighting apparatus;
• (b) each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices is in conductive thermal communication with a single heatsink of the light fixture or lighting apparatus;
• (c) each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices is configured to cause emissions to be reflected by a single reflector of the light fixture or lighting apparatus;
• (d) each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices is configured to cause emissions to be transmitted through a single lens of the light fixture or lighting apparatus;
• or (e) each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices is configured to cause emissions to be diffused by a single diffuser of the light fixture or lighting apparatus, the method comprising:
• for each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices, testing the plurality of LED chips to determine spectral output as a function of thermal temperature of the at least one first LED chip and the at least one second LED chip;
• and
• for each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices, setting at least one parameter of the at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element responsive to the testing of the plurality of LED chips.

A lighting device comprising:

• a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) chips mounted on a single submount, the plurality of LED chips including at least one first LED chip and at least one second LED chip, wherein spectral output of the at least one first LED chip includes a first peak wavelength, and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip includes a second peak wavelength that is substantially different from the first peak wavelength;
• at least one thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips;
• and
• at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element mounted on the single submount, and configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one thermal temperature sensing element to maintain a color or color temperature of aggregate emissions of the plurality of LED chips;
• wherein the at least one first LED chip comprises a blue shifted yellow emitter including a principally blue LED chip configured to stimulate emissions from a principally yellow phosphor, and the at least one second LED chip comprises a principally red LED chip;
• and
• wherein the lighting device is devoid of any light sensing element configured to sense light and generate a sensing element output signal used to adjust supply of current to the plurality of LED chips during operation of the lighting device.

A method for fabricating a lighting device that comprises:

• a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) chips mounted on a single submount, the plurality of LED chips including at least one first LED chip and at least one second LED chip, wherein spectral output of the at least one first LED chip includes a first peak wavelength, and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip includes a second peak wavelength that is substantially different from the first peak wavelength;
• at least one thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips;
• and at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element mounted on the single submount, and configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one thermal temperature sensing element to maintain a color or color temperature of aggregate emissions of the plurality of LED chips;
• wherein the at least one first LED chip comprises a blue shifted yellow emitter including a principally blue LED chip configured to stimulate emissions from a principally yellow phosphor, and the at least one second LED chip comprises a principally red LED chip;
• and wherein the lighting device is devoid of any light sensing element configured to sense light and generate a sensing element output signal used to adjust supply of current to the plurality of LED chips during operation of the lighting device;
• the method comprising:
• testing the plurality of LED chips to determine spectral output as a function of thermal temperature of the at least one first LED chip and the at least one second LED chip;
• and
• setting at least one parameter of the at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element responsive to the testing of the plurality of LED chips.

A lighting device comprising:

• a first cluster of light emitting diode (LED) chips and a second cluster of LED chips, each cluster including at least one first LED chip and at least one second LED chip, wherein spectral output of the at least one first LED chip includes a first peak wavelength, and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip includes a second peak wavelength that is substantially different from the first peak wavelength;
• at least one first thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the first cluster of LED chips;
• at least one second thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the second cluster of LED chips;
• a first thermal temperature compensation circuit configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the first cluster of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one first thermal temperature sensing element to maintain aggregate output emissions of the first cluster of LED chips at a substantially constant color or color temperature;
• and
• a second thermal temperature compensation circuit configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the second cluster of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one second thermal temperature sensing element and to maintain aggregate output emissions of the second cluster of LED chips at a substantially constant color or color temperature;
• wherein the first cluster of LED chips is temperature compensated independently from the second cluster of LED chips.

A method for fabricating a lighting device that comprises:

• a first cluster of light emitting diode (LED) chips and a second cluster of LED chips, each cluster including at least one first LED chip and at least one second LED chip, wherein spectral output of the at least one first LED chip includes a first peak wavelength, and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip includes a second peak wavelength that is substantially different from the first peak wavelength;
• at least one first thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the first cluster of LED chips;
• at least one second thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the second cluster of LED chips;
• a first thermal temperature compensation circuit configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the first cluster of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one first thermal temperature sensing element to maintain aggregate output emissions of the first cluster of LED chips at a substantially constant color or color temperature;
• and a second thermal temperature compensation circuit configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the second cluster of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one second thermal temperature sensing element and to maintain aggregate output emissions of the second cluster of LED chips at a substantially constant color or color temperature;
• wherein the first cluster of LED chips is temperature compensated independently from the second cluster of LED chips;
• the method comprising:
• testing the first cluster of LED chips to determine spectral output as a function of the thermal temperature of the at least one LED chip of the first cluster of LED chips;
• setting at least one parameter of the first thermal temperature compensation circuit responsive to the testing of the first cluster of LED chips;
• testing the second cluster of LED chips to determine spectral output as a function of the thermal temperature of the at least one LED chip of the second cluster of LED chips;
• and
• setting at least one parameter of the second thermal temperature compensation circuit responsive to the testing of the second cluster of LED chips.

A lighting device comprising:

• a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) chips including at least one first LED chip and at least one second LED chip, wherein spectral output of the at least one first LED chip includes a first peak wavelength, and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip includes a second peak wavelength that is substantially different from the first peak wavelength;
• at least one thermal temperature sensing element configured to sense thermal temperature of at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips;
• and
• at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element configured to adjust supply of current to at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips responsive to an output signal of the at least one thermal temperature sensing element during operation of the lighting device to maintain a color or color temperature of aggregate emissions of the plurality of LED chips, and the at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element is configured to initiate an altered operating state of at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips responsive to detection by the at least one thermal temperature sensing element of a thermal temperature exceeding a predetermined threshold thermal temperature;
• wherein the plurality of LED chips and the at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element are mounted on a single submount of an LED package;
• and
• wherein the altered operating state configured to be initiated by the at least one thermal temperature compensation circuit element comprises at least one of the following items (a) or (b):
• (a) operation of at least one LED chip of the plurality of LED chips in a blinking mode, or (b) a shift in aggregate output color of the plurality of LED chips to a color differing from at least one output color corresponding to normal operation of the lighting device at a thermal temperature not exceeding the predetermined threshold thermal temperature.

A lighting device comprising:

• an elongated body structure having a length and a width, wherein the length is at least about five times the width;
• and
• multiple clusters of light emitting diode (LED) chips mounted on or over the elongated body structure, each cluster of the multiple clusters of LED chips including at least one first LED chip and at least one second LED chip, wherein spectral output of the at least one first LED chip includes a first peak wavelength, and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip includes a second peak wavelength that is substantially different from the first peak wavelength;
• wherein each individual cluster of the multiple clusters of LED chips independently generates combined emissions including spectral output of the at least one first LED chip and spectral output of the at least one second LED chip, and the combined emissions independently generated by each individual cluster are at a color temperature within a range of not more than four MacAdam ellipses on a 1931 CIE diagram of a color temperature of combined emissions independently generated by each other individual cluster;
• and
• wherein each cluster of the multiple clusters of LED chips is separated from each other cluster by a distance of at least 5 cm.