Reporter: Yang Qiu Ni Editor: Yu Zhantao
Editor's note: The driver circuit is an important part of LED application products, and its technology maturity is gradually increasing with the expansion of the LED market. Whether in lighting, backlight or display panels, a number of mature products have emerged. However, with the further development of LED applications, the industry has put forward higher requirements for drive solutions, and also brings huge opportunities and challenges to the LED drive industry. How do we view the technology trends of LED drivers? How to interpret the current difficulties and hot spots? Where is the market direction? Faced with various questions, Optoelectronics News produced the "LED Driver IC Drives LEDs to Popularize" news topic, conducts a comprehensive analysis of existing technical solutions, interviews well-known experts in the industry, explores the development trend of the industry, and strives to the LED industry. The status quo and future trends are reported in all directions. The following is the view of Doug Bailey, vice president of marketing at PI.
Optoelectronic News Network: What are the unique features and advantages of PI's LED driver IC? What LED applications can I apply to?
Doug Bailey: Power Integrations has been engaged in the AC-DC power conversion business for 20 years, and has accumulated a deep technical advantage to develop the most energy-efficient offline LED driver IC. Our system-level understanding of safety rules, power device operation, and EMI suppression enables us to build high-voltage products that are easy to design and highly reliable in the field. Our devices are extremely energy efficient and accurate, and integrate multiple safety features to further reduce component count and cost.
PI introduced the LinkSwitch-II family of primary side control ICs for low power LED Bulb replacement applications. LinkSwitch-II enables designers to design energy-efficient, non-isolated and isolated LED drivers. LinkSwitch-II greatly simplifies low power constant current design by eliminating the optocoupler and secondary side control circuitry. Built-in frequency modulation eliminates the need for bulky EMI components, and precise constant current control improves device-to-device tolerances. For example, with a tapped buck topology, LinkSwitch-II enables designers to design 80 W with 3 W LEDs with a substrate size of only 16 x 24 mm for easy loading into GU-10 bulbs.
Watch the LinkSwitch video
Recently, PI also introduced HiperPLC power control ICs for high-power LED applications, including LED Street Lights and other outdoor lighting applications. The HiperPLC power controller combines power factor correction (PFC) and resonant (LLC) control functions into a single integrated circuit, enabling simple and cost-effective circuit design. HiperPLC is the first high-power product from Power Integrations to control AC-DC converters with power ranges from 80 to 600 watts.
Please read the LED Street Light reference design
Other design examples can be found in Power Integrations' LED street lighting application site: http://
Optoelectronic News Network: What are the technical obstacles to the future development of LED drivers?
Doug Bailey: The development of LED drivers faces two major technical obstacles:
• Heat Dissipation: LEDs will increase in temperature during operation, so LED applications require energy-efficient power supplies that do not exacerbate thermal issues.
• Size: Putting the power supply into the LED holder smoothly is an ongoing challenge.
PI's LED driver ICs are extremely energy efficient and highly integrated, making it easy for designers to overcome these two challenges.
Optoelectronic News Network: What is the competitive advantage of PI in the LED driver IC market?
Doug Bailey: Power Integrations has the most integrated solution in this market and has achieved impressive results in terms of high reliability. These are key elements for the LED driver IC market, which requires a lifetime of 35/50 kWh and is space constrained. According to the latest IMS survey data, in the world of LED applications, we estimate that one-quarter of the products use PI devices, which is unmatched by any other IC supplier!
Optoelectronics News Network: What are the main differences between China's LED driver manufacturers and international LED driver manufacturers?
Doug Bailey: LED Lighting is growing rapidly around the world and will replace general lighting. This growing market provides tremendous opportunities for a wide range of competitors. Power Integrations is committed to our traditions and continues to innovate, and we hope that other peers will continue to follow the path of innovation.
Optoelectronics News: What is the marketing strategy for PI to enter the emerging LED market?
Doug Bailey: Power Integrations has launched a wide range of IC products ranging in power from 0 to 600 watts. Our strategy is to continuously innovate and deliver high quality, reliable and competitive products, while providing useful tools, reference designs and experienced local technical support. Our popular PI Expert design software supports LED lighting constant current mode design, which is currently available in Simplified Chinese and English. Power Integrations' marketing network is global, so we can quickly find new LEDs by providing the best technical support and the most reliable products to the local:
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Editor's note: The driver circuit is an important part of LED application products, and its technology maturity is gradually increasing with the expansion of the LED market. Whether in lighting, backlight or display panels, a number of mature products have emerged. However, with the further development of LED applications, the industry has put forward higher requirements for drive solutions, and also brings huge opportunities and challenges to the LED drive industry. How do we view the technology trends of LED drivers? How to interpret the current difficulties and hot spots? Where is the market direction? Faced with various questions, Optoelectronics News produced the "LED Driver IC Drives LEDs to Popularize" news topic, conducts a comprehensive analysis of existing technical solutions, interviews well-known experts in the industry, explores the development trend of the industry, and strives to the LED industry. The status quo and future trends are reported in all directions. The following is the view of Doug Bailey, vice president of marketing at PI.
Optoelectronic News Network: What are the unique features and advantages of PI's LED driver IC? What LED applications can I apply to?
Doug Bailey: Power Integrations has been engaged in the AC-DC power conversion business for 20 years, and has accumulated a deep technical advantage to develop the most energy-efficient offline LED driver IC. Our system-level understanding of safety rules, power device operation, and EMI suppression enables us to build high-voltage products that are easy to design and highly reliable in the field. Our devices are extremely energy efficient and accurate, and integrate multiple safety features to further reduce component count and cost.
PI introduced the LinkSwitch-II family of primary side control ICs for low power LED Bulb replacement applications. LinkSwitch-II enables designers to design energy-efficient, non-isolated and isolated LED drivers. LinkSwitch-II greatly simplifies low power constant current design by eliminating the optocoupler and secondary side control circuitry. Built-in frequency modulation eliminates the need for bulky EMI components, and precise constant current control improves device-to-device tolerances. For example, with a tapped buck topology, LinkSwitch-II enables designers to design 80 W with 3 W LEDs with a substrate size of only 16 x 24 mm for easy loading into GU-10 bulbs.
Watch the LinkSwitch video
Recently, PI also introduced HiperPLC power control ICs for high-power LED applications, including LED Street Lights and other outdoor lighting applications. The HiperPLC power controller combines power factor correction (PFC) and resonant (LLC) control functions into a single integrated circuit, enabling simple and cost-effective circuit design. HiperPLC is the first high-power product from Power Integrations to control AC-DC converters with power ranges from 80 to 600 watts.
Please read the LED Street Light reference design
Other design examples can be found in Power Integrations' LED street lighting application site: http://
Optoelectronic News Network: What are the technical obstacles to the future development of LED drivers?
Doug Bailey: The development of LED drivers faces two major technical obstacles:
• Heat Dissipation: LEDs will increase in temperature during operation, so LED applications require energy-efficient power supplies that do not exacerbate thermal issues.
• Size: Putting the power supply into the LED holder smoothly is an ongoing challenge.
PI's LED driver ICs are extremely energy efficient and highly integrated, making it easy for designers to overcome these two challenges.
Optoelectronic News Network: What is the competitive advantage of PI in the LED driver IC market?
Doug Bailey: Power Integrations has the most integrated solution in this market and has achieved impressive results in terms of high reliability. These are key elements for the LED driver IC market, which requires a lifetime of 35/50 kWh and is space constrained. According to the latest IMS survey data, in the world of LED applications, we estimate that one-quarter of the products use PI devices, which is unmatched by any other IC supplier!
Optoelectronics News Network: What are the main differences between China's LED driver manufacturers and international LED driver manufacturers?
Doug Bailey: LED Lighting is growing rapidly around the world and will replace general lighting. This growing market provides tremendous opportunities for a wide range of competitors. Power Integrations is committed to our traditions and continues to innovate, and we hope that other peers will continue to follow the path of innovation.
Optoelectronics News: What is the marketing strategy for PI to enter the emerging LED market?
Doug Bailey: Power Integrations has launched a wide range of IC products ranging in power from 0 to 600 watts. Our strategy is to continuously innovate and deliver high quality, reliable and competitive products, while providing useful tools, reference designs and experienced local technical support. Our popular PI Expert design software supports LED lighting constant current mode design, which is currently available in Simplified Chinese and English. Power Integrations' marketing network is global, so we can quickly find new LEDs by providing the best technical support and the most reliable products to the local:
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