Articles & Interviews

Security | LpO Article | Resources | Smart Lighting + IoT | Sep 05, 2017

Is the Light Industry Still in the Dark When it Comes to Cyber Security?

This May, the global news headlines announced that a penetrating chain of attacks had taken place. Over the course of just 24 hours, 45,000 cyber-attacks had taken place in 99 countries around the world. The ‘WannaCry’ ransomware attack hit multiple organisations hard, created over 200,000 victims, and even left vital operations having to be cancelled in UK hospitals. Read more »

Interior Automotive Lighting Control Redefined

In modern car’s interior lighting, tough requirements and rising complexity are a huge challenge. A new industry consortium was formed to meet this technological challenge and to provide a comprehensive ecosystem for the new digital LED lighting paradigm. The founding members of the Open ISELED Alliance are Inova Semiconductors (ISELED "Digital LED" concept and LED controller), Dominant Opto Technologies (LED manufacturing and packaging), NXP (system microcontroller), TE Connectivity (system integration and connection technology) and Pforzheim University (theoretical framework). The alliance recently added LucieLabs (software, firmware), a French IoT Software startup to its line-up. The goal of all these organizations is to work in close cooperation to present a complete system solution - a true ecosystem. Roland Neumann, CTO of Inova Semiconductors introduces the challenges and the worked out innovative solution that uses a single system controller to individually address up to 4,096 LEDs. Read more »

Avoiding Brightness and Color Mismatch with Proper RGB Gamut Calibration

For well over a decade, proponents of Solid-State Lighting (SSL) have been offering bullish forecasts concerning the adoption of LEDs for general and specialized lighting applications. Recent years have seen those rosy predictions come true, with LED lighting now almost completely dominating the market for new construction, retrofit, and many replacement lighting applications. For many of these applications accurate color calibration is required. Rood Bouten, CTO at Admesy, explains the reasons and how to perform a proper RGB gamut calibration. Read more »

SoC Technologies in Lighting - Today’s Landscape and Tomorrow's Practices

A system-on-chip (SoC) quite suddenly became an important component in the lighting industry, fueling IoT innovation and opening new opportunities, while at the same time bringing disruption and new challenges. With rapid advancements in wireless communication, the impact of connected technologies on the lighting business will only keep increasing. This means deeper integration with SoCs and more attention from silicon vendors as they start competing for market share in this promising segment. But what is the current state of SoC design from the lighting perspective? Are chipmakers keeping up with the growing expectations for wireless lighting control solutions that are mature and truly reliable? When developing its complete Bluetooth software stack for professional lighting, Silvair worked with a number of different SoCs. Therefore, Piotr Winiarczyk, Wireless Solution Architect, and Szymon Rzadkosz might have found the answers to these questions. Read more »

LED Driver Miniaturization - Opening New Opportunities for Solid State Lighting

While LEDs have significantly improved over the past decade, driver technologies have not kept pace and are, in some respects, the limiting factors for new applications. Size is a particular issue. Dramatically increasing the switching frequency helps to reduce size but often causes other issues or is costly. Mickey Madsen, CEO of Nordic Power Converters, explains how his company has overcome the hurdles and made it feasible by designing very high frequency LED drivers. Read more »

LED-Retrofit Based on AlGaN/GaN-on-Si Field- Effect Transistor Drivers

Efficient driver technologies for LED systems are still a relevant topic. Several new approaches are proposed and new technologies are under development. Andreas Zibold, PhD student at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, and his co-authors, M. Kunzer, R. Reiner, B. Weiß, P. Waltereit, R. Quay, J. Wagner, and O. Ambacher demonstrate the suitability of AlGaN/GaNon- Si field effect transistors (FETs) for their use in LED drivers. The transistors are tested in an isolated buck converter and an efficiency of 86% is measured for the full converter circuit. The driver circuit is combined with an LED module based on a laser-structured Aluminum Nitride (AlN) ceramic board onto which 21 high power white-emitting LED chips are mounted. This combination resulted in an LEDRetrofit lamp with a total light output of 2676 lm at an efficacy level of 119 lm/W. The results compare favorably to state-of-the-art commercial solutions. Read more »

CIE Research Strategy on Defining New Calibration Sources and Illuminants

In photometry and radiometry, traceability of measurements requires appropriate calibration sources and transfer detectors. A major challenge is the technological revolution of lighting products towards LED lighting and the ban of incandescent lamps. This raises concern about the availability of incandescent photometric standard lamps in the future while the prices of such standard lamps are already increasing. In addition, calibration conditions should ideally be chosen to be as close as possible to the measurement conditions. Furthermore, the number of LED lighting measurements in laboratories and in the field has significantly increased, while the calibration of photometers is still done using incandescentbased standards. Therefore, it is important to investigate the pros and cons of replacement of conventional standard lamps with new solid-state technology. Peter Blattner and Tony Bergen, Division 2 Director and Secretary respectively, explain how CIE has defined the research topic “New Calibration Sources and Illuminants for Photometry, Colorimetry, and Radiometry” to address these concerns. Read more »

Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Jamie Singerman, Future Lighting Solutions

We recently sat down with Jamie Singerman, Worldwide Corporate Vice President, and Patrick Durand, Technical Director for Future Lighting Solutions, a leading provider of Solid-State Lighting technologies, engineering expertise and online simulation and design tools, to discuss the company’s differentiators and their views on the ever changing lighting market. Read more »

Lighting Delivering Increased Value To Society - A Strategy For Growth

In recent years we have seen energy efficiency as the key driver for regulation as well as growth. Thanks to the arrival of LEDs the industry is already providing energy savings greater than any other sector. As the LED revolution rapidly continues, where next for the EU lighting industry? LightingEurope, the European industry association for the lighting industry has developed a strategy for growth which aims to fundamentally deliver value to society while aligning with the need to move towards a circular economy. Read more »

Andreas Weisl on the Future of Seoul Semiconductor

Andreas Weisl is Managing Director and Vice President Sales SEOUL SEMICONDUCTOR Europe GmbH. Read more »

Smart Lighting + IoT | Outdoor Applications | Resources | LpR Article | May 16, 2017

Enabling Total Control in the Next Generation of Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting is certainly one of the applications with the greatest potential for energy saving. Although many approaches are discussed, they all end up with a smart lighting solution. In order to accommodate this, intelligent software and electronics are required as well as standardized, robust interfaces. Ronald Weber, Global Industry Manager, Building Automation and Benjamin Nelson, Business Development Manager, Intelligent Buildings, both from TE Connectivity, present a Zhaga compliant solution. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Quality | Applications | May 16, 2017

Technology Challenges in Professional Tunnel Lighting Applications

The guide for tunnel lighting CIE 088:2004 is the most established international standard for the illumination of road tunnels. However, Switzerland’s ASTRA (Bundesamt für Strassen) and the ASFINAG in Austria both provide guidelines that go well beyond these requirements. Maximilian Herzig, Product and Key Account Manager Lighting at SWAREFLEX GmbH shows solutions to satisfy these requirements and explains why the commonly used value of "lumen per watt" is not a perfect method of evaluating system performance and efficiency. Read more »

Variability in LED Production and the Impact on Performance

LEDs are subject to manufacturing deviations, which have an impact on the end product. Benoit Bataillou and T. Merelle, guest authors from Pi Lighting, review the surprisingly large impact on LED performance and light quality. They used traditional as well as modern indicators like CRI and TM-30 as well as the latest circadian indices to measure. The results are explained by spectral modeling and a variability study. They show the large impact on CRI, even with small deviations inside the same bin. Read more »

Smart LED System in Package through Wafer Level Integration Approach

It is believed that LEDs will dominate all lighting applications in the near future. Integration and packaging are the two critical issues that, if resolved, will enable efficient and reliable solutions for lighting requirements. Z. Kolahdouz, H. van Zeijl, and G. Q. Zhang from the Institute of Microsystems and Nanoelectronics (DIMES) at the Delft University of Technology, and M. Kolahdouz from the Thin Film Laboratory and Nano-Electronics at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Tehran show that wafer level packaging is a promising method to ensure lower cost, higher scale, and superior yield. A new integration approach of a smart unit of LED lighting is introduced: LED System in Package (SiP). Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Optics | May 16, 2017

Ultrathin Direct-Lit LED Module with Beam Shaping Thin-Film Optics

Thin, high quality, LED light panels are still a challenge. LED professional’s scientific partner, CSEM, investigated and developed a new approach with its partners, GAIKER-IK4 and BASF-SE. The authors, Oscar Fernández and Rolando Ferrini, from CSEM, Leire Barruetabeña, from GAIKER-IK4, and Sorin Ivanovici from BASF SE, present a solution that uses low-cost and spectrally poor, ultra-cool white LEDs in conjunction with optical color conversion foils, to transform the output to a high-quality light. They also describe a combination with added lime and red LEDs for a color tunable solution. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Light Conversion | May 16, 2017

New Glass-Based Phosphors for White Light-Emitting Diodes

Phosphors were always the key component of high quality white LED light. With the increased effîcacy and the higher power capabilities of blue high power LEDs, the phosphors become even more important for reliability, color consistency and overall light quality. Franziska Steudel, Florian Wagner, A. Charlotte Rimbach, Bernd Ahrens, Peter W. Nolte and Stefan Schweizer, scientists at the Fraunhofer Application Center for Inorganic Phosphors, a Branch Lab of Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, investigated different glass and ceramics based phosphors for white LEDs. Read more »

Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Philipp Henrici, President and Managing Director at BJB

It’s unusual for a lighting company to be older than electric lighting itself, but BJB in Arnsberg, Germany is celebrating their 150th anniversary this year. LED professional’s Siegfried Luger and Dr. Günther Sejkora spoke with Philipp Henrici, the President and Managing Director at BJB about disruptive technology changes, starting from petroleum lamps to electric lighting as well as conventional lighting versus solid state lighting. They also touched on the subjects of chances and drawbacks of LED component standardization, modular systems and automated production processes. Read more »

A Lighting Designers Relativity of Light Performance

The LED will always be the superstar of light sources. Their precise and clear lighting possibilities have been targeted by lighting planners and architects for the past ten years. The coming years will see the performance of the LED getting progressively closer to the spectrum of daylight and that will, in turn, generate biologically effective LEDs that are even higher in contrast and promise a new kind of feel-good light. Read more »

CIE Fosters Co-Ordination of Global Research and Standardization on Temporal Light Modulation

Dr. Jennifer Veitch, recently convened the CIE Stakeholder Workshop for Temporal Light Modulation Standards for Lighting Systems. Below is the exclusive report she provided on the workshop findings and the attitude of the CIE towards this important issue. Read more »

First LightingEurope Summit – An Outstanding Figure in the Lighting Branch, Hands Over His Responsibilities

Diederik de Stoppelaar, one of the most influential and esteemed personalities in the lighting branch, has retired and passed over his responsibilities to Ourania Georgoutsakou. One of his last activities was initiating the first LightingEurope Summit, a one-day program, where a number of respected and eloquent lecturers were invited to speak. The venue, The Steigenberg Wiltcher's, in Brussels, was a good choice for this first of its kind event. About 150 lighting specialists, friends, and colleagues of Diederik de Stoppelaar attended the conference and farewell event. Read more »

Roadway Lighting Optics for Environment Adaptive Spatial Light Distribution

Roadway lighting for different environmental conditions is a challenging task. But even more challenging is to find a solution with outstanding task efficiency for both dry and wet tarmac surface conditions. The drawback of these types of solutions is that they are usually made up of two different lighting systems. Since the two systems are not usually used to an equal degree, they age at a different rate. Solving this problem is very complex. Viktor Zsellér, PhD student, and Dr. Krisztián Samu, Senior Lecturer, both from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, propose an optical system that solves this conundrum. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Applications | Horticulture | Mar 13, 2017

SSL Growth Strategies and USDA Corn Breeding Objectives

The SSL horticulture lighting industry has become one of the fastest growing branches of lighting worldwide. Much research has already been done in regards to horticultural SSL technology and continues to be rigorously explored. While most other inputs for plant growth are monitored and controlled based on plant needs, it is still common practice for light control to be rudimentary (on/off). Brandon Newkirk, Marketing Communications Manager at LumiGrow Inc., gives a short overview on the current state of dynamic LED lighting with a focus on USDA corn breeding trials and objectives. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Applications | Animal Farming | Mar 13, 2017

Bio-Effective Lighting for Humans, Livestock and Plants

Mood lighting is often misleadingly interpreted as HCL. But HCL is much more because it includes biologically effective light that is beneficial or dangerous, depending on the correct application. While the relevant parts of the radiation spectrum may differ, light is also biologically effective for plants and animals and it is used to achieve well-defined effects. Volker Neu, General Manager LED at Vossloh-Schwabe Lighting Solutions, presents examples, discusses similarities and differences between humans, animals and plants in respect to the relevant spectra, and scrutinizes possible consequences. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Technologies | Thermal Management | Mar 13, 2017

Looking for the Best Thermal Solution for CSP Module Designs

Chip Scale Package (CSP) LED technology is not new but while it has been used for a while in TV backlighting applications, it is relatively new to lighting applications. In many respect CSPs are a new world for lighting module manufacturers as they are smaller, usually don’t have any ESD protection, have different light distribution, and, last but not least, have a smaller heat dissipation area. The latter asks for re-thinking the traditional thermal design for modules. Dr. Giles Humpston, Applications Engineer at Cambridge Nanotherm, explains in detail why CSP LEDs present a significant thermal challenge for module designers and outlines some fundamentals in calculating the thermal flow required to keep CSP LEDs cool. Read more »

A Standardized Open Platform Is Key to the Future of Smart Lighting System Design

The LED industry’s pace of evolution is more prevalent now than it has ever been. The shift from traditional standalone LED bulb lighting to fully connected digital LED systems is upon us and is transforming the industry for the better. For years, LED manufacturers have focused on driving cost down rather than focusing on improving quality, but with the advent of connected lighting, smart lighting and human-centric lighting, the focus has shifted back onto quality. Dr. Kyeongik Min, Principal Engineer in the LED business team at Samsung Electronics, explores how the LED industry can accelerate the transition from standalone lighting to fully connected lighting through a deeper understanding of current market trends. Read more »

Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals - A New Promise for Light Emitting Devices

Perovskites structured materials have attracted scientific and technological interest in the last four years. Recent studies have shown that these materials could deliver high photoluminescence efficiency at any desired wavelength in the visible spectrum. Mirko Prato and Francesco Di Stasio, Technologist and Marie Curie Fellow of the Institute of Photonic Sciences at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia focus on the application in single color LEDs (red, green and blue) and white emitting color-converting layers. They discuss what limits their application in everyday technology like toxicity and limited functional stability. Read more »

Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Norman Bardsley, President of Bardsley Consulting

Professor of Physics, Dr. J. Norman Bardsley, has become an internationally recognized expert in SSL through his activities as an advisor for DoE and ISA. Dr. Bardsley has a profoundly deep knowledge and understanding of OLED technology, which includes the manufacturing thereof, cost structures and research activities. LED professional talked with him about the different aspects of OLED lighting technology and asked for his thoughts on future perspectives. Read more »

From Component to System, Andreas Weisl, CEO at Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH

The history of Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) is quite short compared with some other electronic device industries. However, it has changed and revolutionized the entire world of light within a very short period of time. The history of Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) is quite short compared with some other electronic device industries. However, it has changed and revolutionized the entire world of light within a very short period of time. Read more »

Thermal Management of an LED Light Source for Microscopes

Thermal management is a challenge for every LED and LASER solution. Microscope lighting solutions have some very critical requirements, especially if they concern medical applications. ESCATEC in Heerbrugg, Switzerland has a lot of experience in that field and covers all relevant technical disciplines. Wolfgang Plank, head of the MOEMS Future Laboratory and cleanroom, and Gerd Harder, Key Account Manager, give insights on the design process, thermal simulation and production of an LED light source for Leica Microsystems’ Ophthalmic Microscope Proveo 8. Read more »

Technical Aspects Regarding the Equipment of Show Caves with Modern LED Systems

Caves have an almost magical attraction over people, drawing them again and again into their depths. The first electrification started in the 19th century, culminating in today’s digitalization and “LEDification”. Vladimir Vashkevich, Technical Manager at Cave Lighting CL GmbH & Co KG, describes the tough requirements on luminaires and the whole installation. He explains the advantages for the operators and the ecosystem and finally discusses solutions, practical examples and future prospects. Read more »