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Tech-Talks Bregenz (TTB)
Controls, drivers, IoT

Guido van Tartwijk - CEO of Tridonic

Many traditional luminaire manufacturers are currently facing difficult times. LED professional discusses how this situation affects an electronics manufacturer. The company’s approaches to the hot topics of IoT, Smart Lighting, Human Centric Lighting, and Artificial Intelligence are addressed, including the underlying technologies. Light quality is covered as well as the future prospects of the company.

LpS Best Papers
Scientific award nominated

Smart Design of Freeform Micro-Optical Elements for Thin Direct-Lit Luminaires

Direct-lit LED luminaires consist of LED arrays. In order to achieve homogenous light distribution a diffuser sheet is placed at a certain height above the LED array. Usually the distance between the LEDs and the diffuser has to be bigger than the distance between the LEDs on the array. To overcome this limitation, additional optical elements like freeform lenses are necessary. In this contribution a smart design concept for an extremely flat, direct-lit lighting system is discussed. The concept emphasizes the use of mask-less laser direct write lithography for the cost-effective fabrication of the thin freeform micro-lens array.

Research
Medical applications

Optical Designs to Improve LED Lighting Efficiency of Medical Endoscopes

The lighting efficiency for endoscopic instruments has been deemed as very poor, at only about 20%. While laboratory tests demonstrate that fiber optics bending is not problematic, optical simulations clearly show that the lighting efficiency is strongly limited by the etendue. Because of usually strong geometrical constraints in the light coupling area of an endoscope system, only a radical new optical design can provide a significant improvement. Possible approaches will be discussed.

Special
Zhaga Book 18

Zhaga Enables IoT-Upgradeable Outdoor LED Lighting Fixtures

The latest Zhaga specification defines a standardized interface between outdoor LED luminaires and modules for sensing and communication, bringing the Internet of Things to the outdoor lighting market via smart, upgradeable, future-proof fixtures. The article on Zhaga Book 18 Ed. 1.0 explains the mechanical interface between outdoor LED luminaires and extension modules, including a discussion of vendor differentiation and a benchmark against NEMA C136.10.

Special
LightingEurope guidance document

Evaluating Performance of LED Based Luminaires

Widespread performance data supplied by manufacturers make it difficult for the professional user to use an “apple-to-apple” comparison, especially if the data is not based on standardized metrics. This is, however, critical for the preparation of lighting projects or tender specifications. Experts from LightingEurope have therefore developed a guidance document that recommends a fixed set of performance data for LED based luminaires with particular emphasis on the useful life and data that is necessary for lighting application design.

Technologies
Controls,  smart, human centric, lighting, IoT

The Challenge of Making Lighting Controls Future Proof

Recently, in a very interesting discussion, one statement was especially striking: “Basically, what we need is to future proof lighting control.”  This was the first time that this important aspect was so clearly addressed by a representative of the industry. In light of this, LED professional asked for a technical article to clarify the current situation, explain the technical background that led to this conclusion and to give an idea of the requirements a controls solution must fulfill to be truly future proof.

Engineering
3D additive optical printing

Additive Optics Design and Fabrication for Smart Lighting Systems and Tailored Project Solutions

Since its initial invention back in 2009, printed optics has come a long way in the lighting industry. It is now a future proof methodology for rapid prototyping of custom LED optics by means of digital manufacturing technologies. The authors break down the technology, explain how its features add value to the design and manufacture of smart lighting applications, and demonstrate the benefits of the "target-to-source" optics design software for an optimized design process.

Engineering
Thermal management

Materials, Manufacturing and Technologies for Designing Passive Cooling Devices

While a decade ago incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lights were the dominant light sources, today it’s the energy efficient, durable and, in the meantime, cost effective, LED. But to achieve these attributes appropriate cooling is still necessary and due to progress over the last few years the need for active cooling solutions is limited to a few high power applications as long as the material and technology is carefully chosen. The author describes the different technologies and materials and gives practical advice on how to find the right solution for an application.

Applications
Artificial intelligence in lighting applications

Interactive Lighting Control is Opening New Doors for LED Applications

Interactivity has been a growing feature of consumable technology for a number of years. Advancements in lighting control technology are allowing for sophisticated interactivity in LED mapping. These new technologies are bridging the gap between lighting control and AI, with the ability to analyze and map data input (such as audio) in real-time. Installations driven by interactive LED control technologies have their place in a variety of application spaces. The authors explain how this new technology works, what its applications are, and what the future of interactive lighting control looks like – not only for end-users, but also for lighting designers and technicians.