LED LIGHTING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF PROTECTING LED ELEMENTS, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE LED LIGHTING APPARATUS

摘要

The present invention relates to an LED lighting apparatus and to a method for controlling the LED lighting apparatus, which enable the protection of LED elements by preventing LED elements from being short-circuited or opened due to a rise in internal temperature resulting from the degradation of LED elements and the resultant increase in the variation of the current in LED arrays, which might cause serious problems in the LED light as a whole. The LED lighting apparatus of the present invention comprises: a constant-current generator; current-sensing means for sensing the amplitude of the current flowing along each of the LED arrays; an analog-to-digital signal converter, which receives current voltage signals from the current-sensing means and converts the received signal into digital signals; a central processing unit which determines whether each LED array is degraded, opened, or short-circuited based on the current signal inputted from the analog-to-digital signal converter, and outputs commands for controlling the amplitude of the constant current generated by the constant-current generator or for stopping the generation of the constant current; and a digital-to-analog converter for converting the digital signal outputted from the central processing unit into an analog signal, a pulse-width modulator for converting the digital signal outputted from the central processing unit into a pulse-width modulation signal. The constant-current generator generates current or stops the generation of current in accordance with the signal outputted from the digital-to-analog converter or from the pulse-width modulator. The LED lighting apparatus and the method for controlling same according to the present invention enable other LED arrays to operate normally even when an LED element is degraded or opened, and the cut-off of lighting when an LED element is short-circuited, thereby protecting the constant-current generator.