Resistive protection to prevent reverse voltage breakdown in anti-parallel wired LEDs
AssigneeJLJ, Inc.
InventorJohn L. Janning
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dual color series-wired LED light string formed of a plurality of sockets, each of which receives an LED housing containing a pair of LEDs connected in anti-parallel configuration. Each LED socket includes a protective resistive component which is electrically connected across each pair of anti-parallel LEDs of the respective LED housing to protect each LED of the pair from reverse voltage breakdown damage in the event of a failure of the other LED in the housing. The protective resistive component also further serves as a shunt to electrically bypass a failed LED to keep the remaining LEDs in the light string fully illuminated.
Claims8
A dual color series-wired LED light string comprising:
- a plurality of LED housings each containing a pair of LEDs connected in anti-parallel configuration,
- a current limiting resistor disposed in series with the plurality of LEDs to control the current in the light string, wherein the current limiting resistor is shunted by a diode,
- and
- a protective resistive component connected across each pair of anti-parallel LEDs to protect each LED of the pair from reverse voltage breakdown damage in the event of a failure of the other LED in the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.