It is reported that a tiny new LED power source could serve in applications ranging from automotive interiors to architectural fixtures to television backlights.
The device, measuring a scant 3.5 x 3.5 x 1.2 mm, could carve out a special niche for itself in hybrid vehicles and electric cars, where packaging is tight and power budgets are tighter, its manufacturer says.
"Due to its small size, you can put just one or two of them in an appliance and there's still plenty of light," says Rodney Bailey, vice president of optoelectronic components for TT electronics OPTEK Technology, maker of the new power source. "It's attractive for electric hybrids because those vehicles need to use the bare minimum of current."
Known as the OVS5MxBCR4 Series LED package, the new product dissipates a half a Watt of power, but is approximately half the size of other half-Watt power sources. Moreover, its low power-draw means it needs no thermal management, Optek engineers say.
"There's not enough power coming out of it to merit thermal management," Bailey says.
Optek is positioning the device in a "sweet spot" between 1W packages - which draw twice as much power and need thermal management – and very small devices that don't offer sufficient light intensity for many interior applications. The company says the device is already been designed into several forthcoming hybrid electric vehicle programs for interior lighting applications. There, the low power requirements are making it an attractive alternative to incandescent bulbs, which can draw as much as 6A. In contrast, the OVS5MxBCR4 Series LED package uses about one-tenth of that. The use of the device in such applications is consistent with a trend toward growing use of LEDs in the auto industry.
Optek says power dissipation for the device at 150 mA is 0.48W for white, warm white and blue LEDs, 0.51W for a green deice and 0.33W for red, amber and yellow packages. Luminous flux for white, warm white, blue and green LEDs is 25, 25, 6 and 25 lm, respectively.
Applications include automotive interiors and exteriors, architectural indoor and outdoor lighting, mobile appliances and display backlighting, especially in televisions.
As the time goes by, the tiny LED should be popular in applications where they need good light.