Design and Implementation of a Current-balancing Circuit for LED Security Lights

This paper presents a current-balancing circuit for security lights that uses parallel-connected LEDs. The parallel connection of LEDs causes current differences between the LED strings because of characteristic deviations. These differences can reduce the lifespan of a particular point of LEDs by thermal spotting. They can also cause non-uniform luminance of the lighting device. Among the different methods for solving these problems, the method using current-balancing transformers makes it easy to compensate for current differences and it has a simple circuitry. However, while the balancing transformer has been applied to AC light sources, LEDs operate on a DC source, so the driving circuitry and the design method have to be changed and their performances must be verified. Thus in this paper, a design method of the balancing transformer network and the driving circuitry for LEDs is proposed. The proposed design method could have a smaller size than the conventional design method. The proposed circuitry is applied to three types of 100-watt LED security lights, which use different LEDs. Experimental results are presented to verify the performance of the designed driving circuits.