Design of test method for analysis and estimation of LED luminaire lifetime performance under cycle based realistic operating conditions

LED-based lighting technology is widely adopted as it offers a range of benefits, including energy efficiency, durability, and flexibility in design. LED luminaires’ performance during their lifetime is always a concern as several subsystems are in play. The best-adopted strategy yet is accelerated degradation testing with continuous hours of operation. The major drawback is that it does not mimic realistic scenarios or consider the effect of turning ON/OFF LED luminaires, and the life is predicted for those accelerated conditions only. The work presented adopts modified testing where LED luminaires are turned ON/OFF after the LED luminaire temperature is settled to a steady value. The LED light engine and associated LED driver are operated continuously in three different environmental conditions. The results are analyzed considering lumen maintenance and equivalent series resistance of the electrolytic capacitor of the LED driver. Spectral power distribution and SEM-EDS analysis also revealed the reason for the deterioration of LEDs. An empirical model to predict the lifetime performance for different operating conditions is presented, and the cycle-based lifetime is estimated. Overall, the work offers a realistic performance testing, analysis and estimation technique considering all the possible scenarios the LED luminaire might encounter in a real-world application.