Two common methods utilized in LED illumination to achieve power conservation may include LED pulse driving and driver circuit multiplexing. For maximum power reduction, it is common to use both methods in conjunction with each other. Hyperion® Displays has done just that. Multiplexing simplifies overall circuitry and reduces the component count by strategically grouping the LED light anodes and cathodes together. Pulse driving delivers a series of short electrical pulses to illuminate the light emitting diode or array. This reduces the total power consumed by the LED yet has little to no effect on the visual aspect or what you see. To calculate desired power consumption, the engineer will first determine the duty cycle. To calculate duty cycle, simply divide the pulse width, or amount of time the LED illuminates, by the period, or the amount of time between pulses. The result conveniently expressed as a percentile, indicates how much power the LED lamp will consume while pulsed at this duty cycle. Consider a pulse width of 0.001 second and a period of 0.01 second. When divided, we get a duty cycle equal to 0.1 or 10%. At this duty cycle, the LEDs will consume only 10% of the power they normally would consume if turned on fully all the time.
As opposed to a state of steady operation, a pulsating LED array remains on or partially on for only a fraction of a second. LED indicator lamps operating in strobe function consume much less power when compared to a state of continuous LED operation. Unlike traditional lighting systems, LEDs do not suffer from degradation due to a constant switching routine. The lifespan of an incandescent light bulb may suffer dramatically if the operation consisted of a continuous strobe or flash routine. The exact opposite is true with LED technology. Applying a pulsed signal to the LED will actually increase the overall LED lifespan.
During strobe routines, a dramatic heat reduction promotes an extended LED lifespan. With Hyperion® Displays you get all this plus another feature as well. With our VisionsPlay 3000 software, we also have a setting that allows you to reduce the intensity ( Display brightness) setting by 50% for a period of time ( one button setup) saving even more energy when the sign is expected to have less traffic. All this is done automatically, so it occurs day in and day out without any effort required by you.