New technology for manufacturing LED panels

Abstract

The recent technological advances allow the use of LEDs (Light Emission Diodes) in various applications, ranging from lighting to digital advertising. Digital media systems, especially LED panels, are a trend with increasing demand whose limitation is partly limited by the costs involved. Large scale LED panels are relatively expensive systems mainly due to the value of its basic components. The LED panel costs in the domestic market is even greater because of the taxes associated with the importation. The existing technological implementation on the market uses a PC (Personal Computer) associated with specific cards and relatively expensive modules. The ongoing research proposes an innovative, simpler and more economical architecture using a mini-pc, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array), alternative manufactured modules, without requiring complex printed circuit boards and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) .Considering technical specifications and costs, we will specify the most appropriate mini-PC. The development of an operating system with special features must be designed relying on open source software. The implementation of digital systems using FPGA will be done using hardware description languages and EDA software / CAD (Electronic Design Automation / Computer Aided Design). One of the main innovative points of the research is the integration of circuits responsible for multiplexing and the brightness control into a single integrated circuit. This approach enables the implementation of signage and small panels with low-cost controllers. Modules that implement arrays of LEDs are being built manually but we hope in the future to employ machinery and small tools in order to develop an experimental manufacturing process.In addition to large LED panels, custom lighting and architectural scenography, displays systems with remote control among others, may also be implemented from the results obtained by this research project. The results are also fundamental for the exact specification of the goods and services and to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of the enterprise. (AU)