Articles & Interviews

LpR Article | Sep 06, 2016
LEDs Reveal Paintings Hidden in Paintings
LEDs Reveal Paintings Hidden in Paintings Artists are often early adopters of new technologies and new solutions and methods that bring art to a new level. For fine arts artist, light and their material are the two major elements to play with. It’s no wonder that LED lighting has become an important element for them. The artist, Clint Eccher, and Arno Grabher-Meyer from LED professional show how LED lighting is used to transform static paintings into some of the most advanced paintings in the world, in dynamic, “living” pieces that transform their appearance with LED light. Clint Eccher's work, how it is done, and the role of LED technology will be explained. Read more »
Commentary | Interview | Nov 24, 2016
Review of the LED Lighting Design Approach
Review of the LED Lighting Design Approach A rapidly changing world leaves little time to react to new trends. Nokia lost its lead position because it failed to recognize market changes and take appropriate action in time. This has caused anxious industries to react quickly when changes come about. But, in some cases, such hasty reactions can also be harmful. Read more »
Tech-Talks Bregenz | Nov 24, 2016
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Prof. Christian Cajochen, Univ. Basel, Head of Center of Chronobiology
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Prof. Christian Cajochen, Univ. Basel, Head of Center of Chronobiology Human Centric Lighting has become a catchphrase used by industry and the press. But the press has also started reporting that research emphasizes the danger of LED lighting in connection to our health and has coined the term “Blue Light Hazard”. These claims have caused confusion amongst end users and throughout the lighting community. Prof. Christian Cajochen, Head of the Centre for Chronobiology at the University of Basel - an expert on this topic - held a lecture at the LpS 2016 entitled “Light Beyond Vision”. Afterwards, LED professional seized the opportunity to talk to him personally and get some in-depth information about the risks and benefits of LED lighting. Read more »
LpR Article | Innovation | Nov 24, 2016
On-Chip Beam Forming Optics Paves the Way for New Luminaire Designs
On-Chip Beam Forming Optics Paves the Way for New Luminaire Designs An LED luminaire’s optical system usually consists of primary and secondary optics. This concept always causes a trade-off between light quality, system size, efficiency and light distribution. New concepts to make secondary optics obsolete have already been researched. Paul Drosihn, Head of Modular Products, and Samir Mezouari, Optics & Lighting Design Specialist at Plessey Semiconductors present the first of its kind chip scale beam forming technology, StellarTM. They explain how it works and how it helps to overcome the limitations of traditional optical solutions for LED lighting. Read more »
LpR Article | Research | Nov 28, 2016
The Perspective of Bio-Hybrid White Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Rubber-Like Down- Converting Coatings
The Perspective of Bio-Hybrid White Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Rubber-Like Down- Converting Coatings At first, white LED technology seems to be mature. But in truth, the technology is still far from being perfect and research on all LED materials and components is ongoing. At the LpS 2016 the research of Rubén D. Costa, Lukas Niklaus, Katharina Weber and Prof. Uwe Sonnewald from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) was honored with the LED professional Scientific Award. These authors investigated the use of organic light conversion materials for white LEDs. Their research shows that these bio-hybrid white LEDs could lower costs and improve light quality. The article describes the current status of the research and future perspectives. Read more »
Resources | LpR Article | Technologies | Manufacturing | LEDs | CoB LEDs | Nov 28, 2016
Comparing New Dielectric Materials for Chip-on-Board LED Packages
Comparing New Dielectric Materials for Chip-on-Board LED Packages Thermal management is still one of the most challenging issues in solid state lighting. With the increased application of COB LED technology, the portion of the dielectric material on the overall thermal resistance has become an important topic. Different solutions and new materials have been proposed over the last few years. Hui Zhang, Max Wagner, and Prof. Tran Quoc Khanh from the Laboratory of Lighting Technology at the Technische Universität Darmstadt compared different materials and present the results of their extensive research. Read more »
Resources | LpR Article | Technologies | Optics | Nov 28, 2016
Structured Glass Light Guides for Efficient Lighting
Structured Glass Light Guides for Efficient Lighting Glass injection molding technology (GIMT) for precision glass optics is a relatively new manufacturing technology. This expertise allows for producing efficient glass optics for LED lighting applications with special properties like undercut geometry or mounting flanges. A lot of progress has been made since it was introduced. Christian Passlick, Optical Engineer at Auer Lighting, shows how this improved technology supports making state-of-the-art light mixing structures for RGB/RGBW LED systems. Read more »
Trends | Smart Lighting + IoT | Resources | LpR Article | Nov 28, 2016
Flicker: Standards and Test Methods
Flicker: Standards and Test Methods Much has been written and said about Temporal Light Artifacts (TLAs). What is essential about TLAs is that they consist of flicker and/or stroboscopic effects induced by a light stimulus whose luminance or spectral distribution fluctuates with time and causes undesired changes in visual perception for an observer in a certain environment. Walter Parmiami, Senior Engineer at UL International Italia S.r.l., discusses the current status of regulations and measurement standards and proposes a certification to help manufacturers to generate user confidence, and consumers and specifiers to find the right product for an application Read more »
Trends | Smart Lighting + IoT | Resources | LpR Article | Nov 28, 2016
Smart Lighting Market and Technology Trends
Smart Lighting Market and Technology Trends Intelligent lighting technology that enables its users to control lighting through connected devices such as smart phones or remote controls is a big topic in the industry. A new report sheds light on different aspects of this business including drivers, restraints and opportunities. Jasmine Hinduja, Research Analyst at The Insight Partners, summarizes the major findings and how the trend to intelligent systems affects the companies regarding technology skills and strategies. Read more »
Commentary | Smart Lighting + IoT | Resources | LpR Article | Jan 26, 2017
Lighting Up Smart Cities, Dr. Wu Chou, Huawei
Lighting Up Smart Cities, Dr. Wu Chou, Huawei Although streetlights have been associated with cities for more than a thousand years, they are rarely considered for functions other than luminary purposes. One of the distinct features of streetlights is their geographic location. In particular, streetlights follow the roads and streets that are the arteries of the city, and at night they outline the city so it can be seen from many miles away. Read more »
Resources | LpR Article | Tech-Talks Bregenz | Light Conversion | Jan 26, 2017
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Dr. Rubén D. Costa, Group Leader, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Dr. Rubén D. Costa, Group Leader, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Light quality and costs of LED systems remain an important topic even though big improvements have been made. New approaches are always welcome and stir up hope. It was exactly a year ago that LED professional published the article by Dr. Rubén D. Costa, Liebig Group Leader at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, about his amazing new „Bio-Hybrid“ white LED approach. At LpS 2016 his presentation on the latest research results and improvements also won him the LpS 2016 Scientific Award. Consequently, we just had to invite him to a Tech-Talk Bregenz! In the interview below he gives us some interesting background information about why he started the project, how it works and what he expects in the future. He also gives us his views on LEDs and lighting in general. Read more »
Resources | LpR Article | Event-Reports | Business | Technologies | Applications | Jan 26, 2017
LuxLive and SILE Sharpen Focus on End-Users
LuxLive and SILE Sharpen Focus on End-Users On November 23rd and 24th, as in previous years, LuxLive was held in the Excel Center close to London’s City Airport. This year, for the second time since the merger of Revo Media and Pennwell, LuxLive and Strategies in Light Europe were co-located. Arno Grabher-Meyer, Editor-in-Chief at LED professional, summarizes his impressions of the event, picking out the more technical oriented lectures held in the different "arenas". Read more »
LpR Article | Smart Lighting + IoT | Event-Reports | Sustainability | Human Centric Lighting | Manufacturing | Resources | Jan 26, 2017
Swiss Photonics Workshop on Intelligent Efficient Solid State Lighting
Swiss Photonics Workshop on Intelligent Efficient Solid State Lighting Swiss Photonics held their Swiss Solid State Lighting Workshop in the Pantheon at Muttenz near Basel on December 12th of last year. The ambience of the automobile museum was perfect! The program covered a broad range of topics including Human Centric Lighting, Internet of Things and the results of the LASSIE project (Large Area Solid State Lighting Intelligent Efficient: A 7th Framework Program for Research and Technological Development). In the following article, Arno Grabher-Meyer, Editor-in-Chief at LED professional, summarizes the highlights. Read more »
Smart Lighting + IoT | Usability | LpR Article | Resources | Software | Jan 26, 2017
Enhancing the LED Experience - UI & UX as Success Factors for IoT Based Lighting Controls
Enhancing the LED Experience - UI & UX as Success Factors for IoT Based Lighting Controls As LED lighting systems become part of the Internet of Things, getting the interface right is essential if all of the potential benefits are to be realized. Karl Jónsson and Christian Moormann of Tridonic explain why UI and UX are crucial for the acceptance of the “Internet of Things”, give design hints and describe what this type of user interface that accommodates scalability, simplicity and ease of handling could look like. The authors also discuss examples based on a system Tridonic pre-launched in 2016. Read more »
Resources | LpR Article | Applications | Harsh Enviroment | Controls | Jan 26, 2017
Technical Aspects Regarding the Equipment of Show Caves with Modern LED Systems
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 »
Resources | Technologies | Light Generation | Thermal Management | Medical | Jan 26, 2017
Thermal Management of an LED Light Source for Microscopes
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 »
Resources | LpR Article | Commentary | Business | LEDs | Trends | Mar 13, 2017
From Component to System, Andreas Weisl, CEO at Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH
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 »
Resources | LpR Article | Tech-Talks Bregenz | OLEDs | LEDs | Mar 13, 2017
Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Norman Bardsley, President of Bardsley Consulting
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 »
Resources | LpR Article | Research | Light Generation | Light Conversion | Material Science | Mar 13, 2017
Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals - A New Promise for Light Emitting Devices
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 »
Technologies | Resources | Smart Lighting + IoT | Standardization | LpR Article | Mar 13, 2017
A Standardized Open Platform Is Key to the Future of Smart Lighting System Design
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 »
page_peel