Articles & Interviews

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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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Brave New World and the Dualism of Light(ing)

The lighting business has been quite predictable over a long period of time. Technical changes were introduced slowly, dominated by a handful of leading companies, and mostly due to new, but not disruptive light sources. The life of engineers was mainly determined by a manageable number of parameters: Lighting requirements, light source parameters, costs, product dimensions, and the odd, required feature. Read more »

News-Spot | SciPiL | Sep 11, 2017

Luger Research Creates an Active Network to Secure the Future of Innovation in Lighting: SciPiL

Luger Research establishes the first scientific lighting partnership network for research experts and leaders in the lighting industry. The scientific partnership in lighting - SciPiL - has been created to form an active network that will strengthen and build the connections between universities, research laboratories and industry. The scientific partnership’s mission is to enable and secure the continued development of innovation in lighting technology. Read more »

CIE Calls for Focused Research Efforts to Support Healthful Lighting Recommendations

Not so long ago, vision scientists thought that light detection - photoreception - was exclusively performed by rod and cone cells in the retina. Photobiologists, however, conclusively demonstrated otherwise with the identification of the intrinsically photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) [1]. Whereas rods and cones detect pattern and color, and send this information to the visual cortex, ipRGCs (of which we are learning there are several subtypes) detect irradiance, and route their information to many brain structures. The most thoroughly studied of these is the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, location of the central circadian clock, where the light and dark signals trigger the offset and onset of production of the hormone melatonin. As shown in figure 1, however, ipRGCs also project to other structures, about which, as yet, we have little information. Read more »

Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Dr. Wilfried Pohl, Research Director, Bartenbach GmbH

Bartenbach is one of the pioneers in light planning and lighting research. Since Christian Bartenbach Senior founded the engineering office in 1976, the company has been dedicated to light and visual perception. Several lighting inventions made over the years, can be attributed to Bartenbach. Dr. Wilfried Pohl, as a member of the Managing Board and Director of Research at Bartenbach GmbH, has played a substantial role in many developments. LED professional talked with him about Bartenbach’s history, education in the lighting business, the lighting parameters he deems very important, the quality of light, "Human Centric Lighting" and "Biodynamic Lighting“, and how LEDs have changed the light planning and lighting research company, in general. Read more »

Measurement of Angular and Spatial Resolved Spectral Rayfiles

The enhanced complexity of modern lighting systems has increased the importance of realistic light source models during the optical design process of LED-based luminaires. I. Rotscholl, Research Associate, K. Trampert, C. Neumann, I. Leopoldo Sayanca from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, U. Krüger and F. Schmidt from the TechnoTeam Bildverarbeitung GmbH, propose a method to enhance the often used LED light source model “rayfile” towards a “spectral rayfile”. A spectral rayfile would be a model that associates each ray with its own spectrum and therefore describes varying spectra as a function of angular direction and spatial starting position. The PMBS (physical motivated basis spectra) method is based on the assumption that each LED spectrum consists of a weighted sum of individual basis spectra, for instance those of individual semiconductors and phosphors. There is no need for any special measurement equipment but a classic nearfield goniophotometer and some off-the-shelf optical filters. This method requires at least one spectral measurement and just a minimum of goniophotometric measurements with different optical filters. Finally, the authors demonstrate the potential of this method by applying the concept on a typical LED and compare the results to the often used Blue/Yellow approach in terms of accuracy and applicability. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Medical | Sep 12, 2017

Challenges when Designing LED-Based Illumination Systems in Medical Applications and Diagnostics

LEDs have become indispensable in medical technology and dentistry. But the requirements placed on these lighting products are very high: Minimized size, high, application specific color rendering index, efficient temperature management, usability and excellent disinfection opportunities are all extremely important. Prof. Paola Belloni from the Steinbeis Transfer Center Illumination Optics and Lighting Engineering and Furtwangen University, and Alexander Gärtner from the Faculty of Mechanical and Medical Engineering of the Furtwangen University discuss the requirements for different applications such as endoscopy, surgeries, dental devices, and photodynamic therapy. Further topics are the development of a self-disinfecting operation interface with edge-lit UV-A LEDs, and a new optimization approach, taking into account the reflection and absorption properties of human tissues. Read more »

Quantum Dot Based White LEDs for General Illumination

Colloidal quantum dot based white LEDs can be integrated into commercial products meeting the stringent reliability requirements for general illumination and providing LED efficiency gains of 5% to 15% over commercial phosphor based LEDs at CCT’s ranging from 5000 K to 2700 K. Unlike earlier demonstrations, the QD material is applied in an on-chip configuration resulting in drop-in fit, form, and function compatibility to existing LED based luminaires and lamps. Ken T. Shimizu, Director, Novel Technologies and Devices, Research and Development, M. Böhmer, D. Estrada, S. Gangwal, S. Grabowski, H. Bechtel, E. Kang, K. J. Vampola, D. Chamberlin, O. B. Shchekin, and J. Bhardwaj from Lumileds showcase the advantages of on-chip QD LEDs: A commercial lamp at 3000K color temperature and 90 CRI is substituted with QD based LEDs resulting in a system level efficiency gain up to 17%, attributed to the reduced blue LED droop from the lower drive current and the lower heat sink temperature when compared to the standard phosphor based LED lamp output. Read more »

Issue 63 | Challenges in UV Measurement

Over the past decade UV LEDs have emerged as a highly attractive alternative to conventional UV emission sources. They are cost effective and energy efficient devices in a small housing. These advantages allow new fields of applications and access to a larger group of users - even in the consumer market, e.g. water purification. Dr. Tobias Roesener, Product Manager at Instrument Systems, explains what makes accurate measurement of UV LEDs so complicated and what the crucial requirements on the measurement equipment are. In addition, he discusses calibration and stray light issues. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Quality | Perception | Sep 12, 2017

Lighting to Achieve Optimal Appearance

Visual appearance of an object or space depends on the characteristics of the lighting applied. The objective definition of light quality often doesn’t tell the whole story. Light intensity, its spectral composition and distribution in space, as well as individual preference, must be considered. Nevertheless, aiming for the absolute optimum is only recommended when private rooms are concerned. As visual appearance is key in driving consumer demand, it is important to tune the light to maximize effectiveness and visual pleasure for most consumers. Markus Reisinger, owner and CEO of the Lighting Research Studio, discusses this complex situation with examples. Read more »

Trends in Horticulture Lighting

Cree has been a leader in general lighting applications for over 20 years and has customers ranging from restaurant chains to global government agencies. Paul Scheidt began his career in Cree in 2005, working on the development of their lighting applications. During this time, he has seen an increase in the horticulture lighting application. LED professional spoke to Paul Scheidt about horticulture lighting and what he thinks is behind this recent trend. He also shares his views of what he thinks the future holds for both Cree and horticulture lighting applications. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Commentary | Test Equipment | Oct 31, 2017

The Value of High-End Labs for High Quality Lighting

With the relocation to the Augsburg site in 2015, the Osram laboratory equipment includes a number of integrating spheres of different sizes up to 3 meters in diameter, several goniophotometers A/B/C types, a rotary mirror light distribution meter and a hemispherical goniometer with a measurement radius of 2.65 meters, optical bench measuring systems with up to 35 meter measuring distance, corresponding high-quality photometric receivers and spectral radiometers as well as the necessary components for the electrical operation of lamps - according to customer or standardized specifications. Read more »

Color Reproduction and Measurement of 3D Objects

CIE Division 8 Image Technology is responsible for the study of the optical, visual and metrological aspects of the communication, processing, and reproduction of images, using all types of analogue and digital imaging devices, storage media, and imaging media. The Division is continually working on recommendations to improve color image reproduction techniques, including, for example, colorappearance models, color-difference evaluation and gamut-mapping algorithms. Current technology is able to transform color images from one digital medium to another, under various viewing conditions, while maintaining the appearance of each color in the image. This process has been applied in the graphic arts industry with great success. According to Kaida Xiao, Chair of CIE's Division 8 TC 8-17, the CIE standard observer and psychophysical data for color-appearance and color-difference modelling were developed using flat, 2D color samples. He explains that to meet the increasing requirements for color image reproduction for 3D objects, new research and recommendations are highly desired. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Tech-Talks Bregenz | Quantum Dots | Oct 31, 2017

Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Ken T. Shimizu, Research & Development Director, Lumileds

QDs have been a hot topic in lighting for a while already, but up until now they haven’t been adopted on a large scale in lighting. The adoption began in display devices because some of the technical issues were of less concern in this application. With continuing development, QDs are now also becoming interesting for general lighting applications. Ken Shimizu, Director of Novel Technologies and Devices, Research and Development at Lumileds, attended the LpS in Bregenz and made a presentation about the company’s QD technology. In this interview he gives some background information about the QD program and future steps. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Light Generation | Oct 31, 2017

Hybrid Quantum Dot Light Emitting Electrochemical Cells

Several new light generation technologies that are overshadowed by LEDs and OLEDs are investigated. Most of these technologies are in a very early stage of research. One such technology, the LEC technology, was presented at LpS 2017. Light emitting electrochemical cells can be compared to OLEDs, but they are based on a much simpler inorganic architecture. The innovation in the presented approach lies in the combination with quantum dots, resulting in a hybrid solution. This novel attempt with all its consequences and future prospects was the reason that the LpS Scientific Award jury voted to bestow the award on Dr. Ekaterina Nannen, Group Leader of the Research Group „Solid State Lighting“ at the Nano-Energie-Technik- Zentrum (NETZ) of the University Duisburg-Essen and her research team, Julia Frohleiks and Svenja Wepfer. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Thermal Management | Oct 31, 2017

Thermal Issues Posed by Compact Packaging and IoT for Next Generation SSL

Besides general lighting, LEDs are penetrating many areas. At the same time, Internet of Things (IoT) has been rapidly evolving. Added electronics are expected to add an additional 70% to overall heat generation. Therefore, solving thermal problems will become more important again; on a par with footprint area and cost. Prof. Mehmet Arik, Director of EVATEG Center for Energy Efficient Electronics and Lighting Technologies at the Ozyegin University, and Umut Zeynep Uras, master student at the Ozyegin University, present some of the current, local, hotspot thermal issues caused by tight packaging. The severity of the problem for future lighting systems with added IoT will also be discussed. Finally, possible technologies to meet those challenges will be shown. Read more »

LpS Gets a Younger Sibling to Foster a Holistic System Approach

For the most part our readers are aware of the fact that the LpS has a strong focus on the component level, but after the 6th event, the Luger Research team realized that it was time to find a way to push the more holistic system approach. After much consideration and careful planning, the Trends in Lighting (TiL) Forum and Show was initiated and took place in conjunction with the LpS 2017. Arno Grabher-Meyer, Editor-in-Chief at LED professional took a close look at both exhibitions and the lectures to find out what the audience thought of the extension and broader outlook. Read more »

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