Methods and apparatus for lifetime extension of LED-based lighting units

A method of controlling an LED of an LED node, comprising:

• receiving an external light level input providing an indication of a desired level of light output;
• determining one or more control parameters of the LED of the LED node based on the light level input;
• determining an LED activation probability of the control parameters, the LED activation probability indicative of a probability the LED of the LED node will be in a light-emitting state;
• assigning at least one first parameter to the LED;
• and
• controlling the LED of the LED node based on the control parameters, the controlling including determining whether the LED will be in the light-emitting state based on the LED activation probability, wherein the controlling includes activating the LED in response to determining that said at least one first parameter matches a randomized parameter that is provided by at least one random parameter generator, wherein a probability that the at least one first parameter matches the randomized parameter is said LED activation probability.

A lighting system, comprising:

• a plurality of LED nodes, each of the LED nodes including an LED node controller and at least one LED controlled by the LED node controller,
• each said LED node controller:
• selectively enabling the at least one controlled LED to be in an active light emitting state and selectively preventing the at least one controlled LED from being in the active light emitting state:
• controlling the at least one controlled LED based on one or more control parameters, the control parameters including an LED activation probability and the controlling including determining whether the at least one LED is in the active light emitting state based on the LED activation probability;
• configured to receive an external light level input providing an indication of a desired level of light output;
• and
• determining at least one of the control parameters based on the external light level input,
• wherein at least a subset of said LED node controllers are configured to alternately activate same LEDs of said controlled LEDs multiple times to implement a same total light level output by the system.