Articles & Interviews

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 »
Resources | LpR Article | Technologies | Thermal Management | Mar 13, 2017
Looking for the Best Thermal Solution for CSP Module Designs
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 »
Resources | LpR Article | Applications | Animal Farming | Mar 13, 2017
Bio-Effective Lighting for Humans, Livestock and Plants
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 | Applications | Horticulture | Mar 13, 2017
SSL Growth Strategies and USDA Corn Breeding Objectives
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 | Research | Optics | Applications | Mar 20, 2017
Roadway Lighting Optics for Environment Adaptive Spatial Light Distribution
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 | LpO Article | Event-Reports | Trends | Sustainability | Human Centric Lighting | Apr 03, 2017
First LightingEurope Summit – An Outstanding Figure in the Lighting Branch, Hands Over His Responsibilities
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 »
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