Thermomechanical Actuators for Light Flux Regulation of LED Light Sources

Abstract

LED lighting nowadays has become the main lighting technology because of better performance: high efficiency, long lifespan, mercury free etc. LED lamps still produce some amount of excessive thermal energy in the form of heat. Present work describes the application and effective use of this excessive energy to obtain additional advanced functionality of the lamp – use it for actuator operation. Several types of thermomechanical actuators are investigated. The possibility and feasibility of utilization of the heat energy produced by LED lamps are investigated. Also, the possibility to use electrically controlled thermomechanical actuators for positioning and focusing of light beam produced by the LED lamp is considered. The prototype devices based on Shape Memory and Bimetal actuators are constructed and tested.