Articles & Interviews

LpR Article | Jul 04, 2016
Energy Efficiency and Thermal Simulations of a Retrofit LED Light Bulb by the University of Turku
Energy Efficiency and Thermal Simulations of a Retrofit LED Light Bulb by the University of Turku Mika Maaspuro and Aulis Tuominen from the University of Turku investigated the energy efficiency of a LED driver mounted inside a retrofit light. The heat generation of the LEDs and the driver of the light bulb have been simulated and measured. A thermal model for the light bulb has been created and simulated using a Finite-Element-Method (FEM) software. Parameters of the model have been adjusted to match the temperature measurements which have been done with IR-camera and thermocouples. Read more »
LpR Article | Jul 04, 2016
Mesopic Photometry - An Accurate System of Road Lighting Evaluation by Surya Roshni Ltd.
Mesopic Photometry - An Accurate System of Road Lighting Evaluation by Surya Roshni Ltd. For a long time, photopic vision was the basis for all light measurement tasks, but today this approach is challenged. According to several research results, it seems that mesopic vision should be used as a basis to evaluate street lighting applications or other low level lighting applications. Prija Jain from the Executive Design and Development (Photometry & Optics) department of Surya Roshni Ltd. in India gives us an overview on the recent status of the discussion, explains it and shows the resulting consequences. Read more »
LpR Article | Jul 04, 2016
Aspects of Light Quality in Solid State Lighting by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors
Aspects of Light Quality in Solid State Lighting by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors For ages the quality of light has been one of the biggest topics for luminaire manufacturers. But since the introduction of LEDs in general lighting the definition of light quality has got a new dimension. Pros and cons of LED lighting quality are often very controversial. Alexander Wilm, Application Engineering Manager of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, presents facts about LED lighting quality that provide a sound basis for discussions. Read more »
LpR Article | Jul 04, 2016
Additive Manufacture of Optics Goes Digital by LUXeXceL B.V.
Additive Manufacture of Optics Goes Digital by LUXeXceL B.V. With a new technology for additive manufacturing, optics fabrication has gone digital, making more product innovation and variety affordable by eliminating the expense of molds and tooling, enabling just-in-time manufacturing and bringing a new freedom for optics and lighting designers. Marco de Visser, Business Development Manager at LUXeXceL B.V. gives an update on this technology and its new opportunities. Read more »
Tech-Talks Bregenz | Aug 09, 2016
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Francis Wong, AVP Lighting Business Unit, Lextar
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Francis Wong, AVP Lighting Business Unit, Lextar Francis Wong, Associate Vice President Lighting Business Unit at Lextar, visited the LED professional team for a Tech Talk in Bregenz after Light & Building 2016. Siegfried Luger, Arno Grabher-Meyer and Dr. Guenther Sejkora could discuss Lextar's history, current position, future orientation and strategies. Further exciting topics were the ongoing technology developments, the requirements on modern lighting systems, the latest lighting trends from Light & Building and the relevance of OLED and IoT technology for the company. Read more »
LpR Article | Research | Aug 09, 2016
Flicker Beyond Perception Limits - A Summary of Lesser Known Research Results
Flicker Beyond Perception Limits - A Summary of Lesser Known Research Results Since the introduction of fluorescent lamps, the lighting industry knows about flicker issues. However, many aspects are still unclear. Especially effects beyond the flicker fusion threshold are mostly ignored, and sometimes even denied. Dr. Walter Werner, CEO of Werner Consulting, gives a summary of research results indicating that further research is needed and that for high quality lighting very likely a much higher PWM modulation frequency is required. Read more »
Commentary | Aug 10, 2016
Lifetime and Reliability by Günther Sejkora
Lifetime and Reliability by Günther Sejkora Although questions regarding lifetime and reliability of Solid-State-Lighting (SSL) products are essential for customers, knowledge about it is still fragmentary. It was easy to give answers to these questions in the times of conventional lamps (incandescent, fluorescent, high pressure): light output degraded over time and end of life was reached when light output fell below a certain level or when the lamp “burned out”. Read more »
LpR Article | Technologies | Aug 11, 2016
Concepts to Overcome Lifetime Issues of LED Drivers
Concepts to Overcome Lifetime Issues of LED Drivers Lighting technology has changed significantly in recent years after a century of little to modest advancements. LED luminaires offer advancement in lower power consumption and expected life. Maggie Nadjmi, EE Product Manager at SL Power Electronics, explains why this new technology will probably not meet the life and reliability expectations if no attention is paid to the drivers and power supplies used to power LEDs. She discusses the main components affecting lifetime and how to eliminate them or design a product to still achieve the desired lifetime. Read more »
LpR Article | Quality | Aug 11, 2016
TM-30 or the Quest for New Metrics to Measure Light Color Quality
TM-30 or the Quest for New Metrics to Measure Light Color Quality As the lighting industry’s need for an unambiguous measure of lighting color quality becomes more urgent, the TM-30 test method put forward by the Illumination Engineering Society of America (IES) is one approach that could offer a solution. Arno Grabher-Meyer, Editor in Chief at LED professional gives a quick status overview. Read more »
LpR Article | Technologies | Medical | Aug 11, 2016
High-End White Light Sources Fiber Optics Technology for Medical Applications
High-End White Light Sources Fiber Optics Technology for Medical Applications Often technologies that are too expensive for the mass market at the beginning are already adopted in medical applications. When reaching a certain level of maturity, costs usually become more reasonable and adaptations for the consumer market begins. Holger Laabs, Oliver Mehl and Henning Rehn from Osram GmbH present a light source technology and its prerequisites for fiber optics that could become one of these technologies. Read more »
LpR Article | Aug 11, 2016
LED Lamps Recycling Technology for a Circular Economy
LED Lamps Recycling Technology for a Circular Economy While having a long propagated lifetime, LED lighting products, especially lamps, have a foreseeable end of life. And since they contain many valuable elements they practically beg to be recycled. However, like other highly integrated electronics products recycling is not a simple task. Andrea Gassmann, Jörg Zimmermann, Roland Gauß, Rudolf Stauber and Oliver Gutfleisch from the Fraunhofer Project Group Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS and the Technische Universität Darmstadt Institute for Materials Science respectively, present and discuss a method that could open the way to successful recirculation of precious components and materials. Read more »
LpR Article | Research | Aug 11, 2016
Quality and Health Aspects of LED Lamps for the European Residential Lighting Market
Quality and Health Aspects of LED Lamps for the European Residential Lighting Market Because of shortfalls in regards to consumer information about high quality, energy efficient, substitute products for incandescent lamps, there has been a significant amount of irritation on the side of the consumer. As part of the Intelligent Energy Europe Program of the European Union, Prof. Dr. Georges Zissis from the Paul Sabatier - University Toulouse and his team investigated 370 LED lamps. All relevant parameters of 95 different lamp types from store shelves in 12 European countries were measured and evaluated regarding quality and health issues. Read more »
Commentary | Interview | Sep 02, 2016
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Good the Bad and the Ugly We sit as lighting designers in our offices and look at beautiful pictures of beautiful lighting scenarios in beautiful glossy magazines. We are inspired by possibilities that new lighting technologies can offer us and allow ourselves to dream of the beautiful projects to come. Read more »
Tech-Talks Bregenz | Sep 02, 2016
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Sebastian Huelck, Director Lighting, EBV Elektronik
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Sebastian Huelck, Director Lighting, EBV Elektronik Solid State Lighting has not only changed the way that light is generated but also how areas or objects are illuminated. It has changed the whole industry and business. Sebastian Huelck, Director of Segment Lighting at EBV Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG, discussed these changes and the new requirements for modern distribution with Siegfried Luger and Dr. Guenther Sejkora. He explained the transition of distributors from pure logistic specialists to one-stop shops and full service providers, and commented on regional differences. He finished off by giving insights into the future projects of the company. Read more »
LpR Article | Sep 05, 2016
How to Design with LEDs: Concurrent Engineering Yields Fully Optimized Lighting Systems
How to Design with LEDs: Concurrent Engineering Yields Fully Optimized Lighting Systems LEDs are often viewed as a replacement for other light sources. The right starting point for designing an appropriate replacement is crucial to the result. Brian S. Jasenak, Optical and Process Engineer at Kopp Glass, describes a concurrent engineering approach that optimizes the optics and other system components, and may help to reduce the number of LEDs needed as well as the overall cost of the LED lighting fixture. Read more »
LpR Article | Sep 05, 2016
Easing Lighting System Design with Online Tools
Easing Lighting System Design with Online Tools The technical intricacies of an LED lighting system design can be quite complicated. The interdependencies of design parameters such as light source flux, efficacy, lumen maintenance, drive current, series/parallel light source layout, compatible optics, compatible drivers, thermal dissipation and others make the calculation of system performance a laborious process if performed manually. One simple change in one parameter could potentially force the lighting designer to consult the datasheet for every other component considered in the design in order to calculate the impact on the system as a whole. Patrick Durand, Worldwide Technical Director, Future Lighting Solutions demonstrates the capabilities of modern online tools to solve these problems giving a typical application example based on the Future Lighting System Creator (LSC). Read more »
LpR Article | Technologies | Sep 05, 2016
Technologies for Engineering an LED Light Closest to Sunlight
Technologies for Engineering an LED Light Closest to Sunlight TRI-R is a next-generation LED light source made possible by Toshiba Materials technology and commercialization together with TOL STUDIO. Using natural light that recreates the solar spectrum, TRI-R suppresses glare, prevents the loss of object color, and gives fresher, clearer expression to textures and details. Based on professional research examining the relationship light has with humans and the environment, this is illumination technology that provides the world surrounding us with the true and real value of light. Masahiko Yamakawa, Senior Specialist of Toshiba Materials Co.LTD., presents how this technology was developed and applied in some projects. Read more »
LpR Article | Sep 05, 2016
Lighting Fabrics - A New Approach for Flexible Light Sources
Lighting Fabrics - A New Approach for Flexible Light Sources Different groups from the lighting business have been dreaming of truly flexible light sources for a long time. OLEDs are being promoted as the solution of the future but there are other solutions already on the market. Managing Director R&D at Carpetlight GmbH, Mr. Till Sadlowski, takes a look at the common history of light and fabrics, the evolution of flexible circuity and the latest development in form free scalable light sources. Read more »
Lp Article | Technologies | Sep 06, 2016
LightSpeed Experience Center
LightSpeed Experience Center On August 26th, 2016 the editors of LED professional Review were invited by EBV Elektronik to visit their newly established “LightSpeed Experience Center” in Poing near Munich. It’s a very special meeting center, where you can view advanced and future technologies in the optoelectronics world. You could call it a tech incubator and think tank that enables innovation and creativity to combine. Read more »
Health + Environment | LpR Article | Sep 06, 2016
Botanical Light Pollution - Red is the New Blue
Botanical Light Pollution - Red is the New Blue In the beginning, the industry argued that LED lighting could help reduce light pollution. Meanwhile, various organizations claim the opposite effect is true and often sight light color as an issue. The opinions of different groups are frequently quite the contrary to those of other groups. Ian Ashdown, FIES Chief Scientist at byHeart Consultants & Lighting Analysts, demonstrates and discusses the negative effects of light pollution through LED lights and how different light sources affect vegetation. Read more »
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