Lighting Research Center Launches Light and Health Alliance

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched a new collaborative initiative—the Light and Health Alliance—to bridge the science of light and health to practical applications, and to provide objective information based on basic and applied research. The Alliance is led by Dr. Mariana Figueiro, LRC Light and Health Program director and associate professor at Rensselaer.

Light has a profound effect on health and wellbeing, including sleep, alertness, and performance. Humans need to be exposed to a sufficient amount of light of the right spectrum, for a sufficient amount of time, and at the right time, for the circadian system to remain synchronized with the 24-hour day. The LRC is researching light as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including jet lag, Alzheimer’s disease, insomnia and other sleep disorders, seasonal affective disorder and depression. Light can be used to improve sleep, alertness, and performance, along with overall health and wellbeing among the general population, and in populations with rigorous work schedules, such as submariners and night shift nurses. 

“Through this collaborative initiative, we will conduct evaluations, demonstrations, and research projects to develop practical devices and applications using light to improve people’s lives,” said Dr. Figueiro. “We will also hold seminars and present at conferences to educate key audiences and advance attention to light and health.”

The Light and Health Alliance is a collaboration among manufacturers, government organizations and NGOs, codes and standards bodies, along with architects, specifiers, medical facility managers and physicians, working to enable the broad adoption of lighting for human health by producing factual information based on basic and applied research and by visualizing future applications. Acuity Brands, Ketra, OSRAM SYLVANIA, and Philips are current members. Dr. Figueiro is seeking interested organizations to join this innovative program. Please email figuem@rpi.edu for details about becoming a member.

Why you need a LED Flat Panel Light

Led Flat Panel is made by the Led light. The light source of the Led flat panel light is high brightness white led light or warm white led light with  some features such as high effective, low power, long life, easy to control, non-maintenance, safe and environmental etc. It is a new cold light source.
The Led panel light can be used in hospital, office, bank, hotel and some other place that indoor. For more features, pls read the commonets as below :
1, LED panel light energy efficient: the degree of electricity consumption is only 1000 hours (normal 60W incandescent light 17 hours of electricity consumption of an ordinary 10W energy saving lamp 100 hours of electricity consumption of 1)
2, LED panel light and long life: light-emitting semiconductor chip, no filament, no glass bulbs, not afraid of vibration, less breakable, life of up to 50,000 hours (incandescent life of only 1000 hours, ordinary life is alsoenergy-saving lamps Only 8000 hours)
3, LED panel light is health light: light healthy does not contain ultraviolet and infrared light, does not produce radiation (ordinary light contains ultraviolet and infrared ray)
4, Green products, environmental: Led panel light is not harmful elements such as mercury and xenon, conducive to Centrifugal Fan recovery and, it does not produce electromagnetic interference (ordinary lamps contain mercury and lead, elements,energy saving lamp electronic ballasts will produce electromagnetic interference)
5, Protection of eyesight: DC drive, no strobe (ordinary light are AC drive, will inevitably produce strobe)
6, Light efficiency is high: fever small, 90% of the electrical energy into visible light (80% of normal incandescent heat into electricity, only 20% of the electrical energy into light energy) 

7, High safety factor: LED panel light required voltage, current is small, less heat, not produce safety hazards, mines and other dangerous places in the 14, impact resistance, anti-Lei Lijiang, no ultraviolet (UV) and infrared ( IR) radiation. No filament and glass case, there is no fragmentation of the traditional lamp problem, the human body without harm, no radiation.
8, low thermal voltages: safe and reliable. Surface temperature ≤ 60 ℃ (Ta = 25 ℃ ambient temperature when);
9, Wide voltage range over the globe. 85V ~ 264VAC full voltage range constant current, ensure the life and brightness from voltage fluctuations;
10, Using constant-current PWM technology, high efficiency, low calorie, high precision constant current;
11, LED Panel light reduce line loss, pollution-free power grid. Power factor ≥ 0.9, THD ≤ 20%, EMI meet global targets to reduce the power supply line power loss and to avoid pollution of the power of high frequency interference;
12, Common Criteria can directly replace the existing grille light
13, the market potential: low voltage, DC power supply, battery, solar power, in remote mountainous areas and field lighting electricity, less electricity places.
LED Panel light source lighting market in the 21st century of hope, notice the many benefits of its future will gradually replace the traditional light source, high brightness LED oko committee that will be the man, after following the Edison incandescent light bulbs, one of the greatest inventions, the current global energytimes of crisis, energy is a valuable resource, saving energy is our future problems.
LED Flat Panel light, as a new energy-saving, environmentally friendly products the green light, must be the future Hydraulic Fittings trend.

Anchor to Expand LED Lighting Business and Begin Manufacturing in India

Anchor Electricals, a subsidiary of Panasonic India, is reportedly looking to expand its LED lighting business. Last week the company opened an LED lighting experience center in Mumbai and announced plans for a similar center in Bangalore."Our next such showroom will be in Bangalore and we will continue expanding to other major cities in India and hope to increase to 1,000 stores, including distributor and dealer stores, by around FY 2014-15," Anchor Electricals vice president sales Ashok Gangar said. "We will open four distributor stores in Mumbai and gradually spread out to other main urban areas." Gangar further stated that Anchor would soon select a site for a new plant to manufacture LEDs in India, however, he refused to share the details of the location.

Panasonic acquired Anchor, the 49-year-old Indian family-owned electrical equipment brand, in 2007. Anchor sells products like switches, fans, CFL and LEDs and also sells switches under the Panasonic brand, which are priced slightly higher.

"By March next year our turnover would be Rs 2,100 crore and it has almost doubled. In 2007, when Panasonic acquired it, the turnover was around Rs 1,000 crore," he said, adding that it has remained in number one atop the electrical switch gear industry. Currently, 55 percent of the company's revenue comes from this business segment, Gangar noted.

Although, presently the company does not export, Ganger revealed the company has plans to export in next two years to Gulf and Africa. "Till now there is no export from us. But in last few years, changes have happened. Our quality has improved as new technologies are coming from Japan. In next two years, we would start exporting our products to Middle East and Africa under Anchor by Panasonic brand."

2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Headquarters Incorporates Energy- and Maintenance-Saving GE LED Fixtures

LED fixtures at Rio de Janeiro site will save half a million dollars in energy costs compared to fluorescent technology

The modular headquarters of the Organizing Committee for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games is the first commercial building in Brazil to adopt GE Lighting’s Lumination™ ET Series Recessed LED Troffer, an ultra-thin fixture as thin as the width of a finger that brings modern styling to traditionally uninspired commercial ceiling spaces.

LED fixtures at Rio de Janeiro site will save half a million dollars in energy costs compared to fluorescent technology.

Approximately 3,000 Lumination ET Series Troffers offer an indoor lighting solution with lower energy consumption, longer life and lower greenhouse emissions resulting from power consumption compared with other options available in the market. The technology will help make the headquarters of 2,000 employees a benchmark in the search for more efficient solutions in the sports field and also will create an important legacy in infrastructure and technology for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.

"LED technology plays a fundamental role in the model that sustains the environmentally conscious construction of the new headquarters for Rio 2016,” says Alexandre Ferrari, general manager of GE Lighting in Brazil. “We worked in partnership with Rio 2016 and the International Olympic Committee to create and enable a solution that combines energy efficiency, innovation and long-term, tangible benefits.”

By opting for the GE LED solution, Rio 2016 will save nearly half a million dollars on its energy bills over the four years the building will be used by the Organizing Committee. During this period, maintenance costs will be marginal, as the fixtures have an 11-year lifespan, approximately 120 percent longer than conventional fluorescent fixtures that last about five years.

"The headquarters of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016 is a project that seeks to use best practices in the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and solutions, creating an important and lasting legacy for the Brazilian society,” says Leonardo Gryner, operations general director for Rio 2016, “GE is certainly a strategic partner that contributed directly to achieving the goals of this initiative.”

The innovative design of the Lumination Luminaires allows greater lighting uniformity with fewer lighting points. When illuminated, the Lumination ET Series Recessed LED Troffers produce a perfectly even glow, delivering exceptionally uniform light to fill the space. While off, they appear free of a light source, while fluorescent fixtures are typically visible. The ultra-thin panels (0.5 inches) fit seamlessly in most common T-bar ceiling grids and feature a built-in dimmable LED driver to help make installation less complex and time consuming compared to traditional fixtures. As the Rio 2016 headquarters is a modular construction, the LED solutions will be available for future use after the closing of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The lighting design for this building was completed by Peter Gasper, a well-known lighting designer for several major Brazilian landmarks.

LED technology is part of a range of energy-efficient and lower-environmental-impact solutions provided by GE for the Rio 2016™ headquarters. The company also is responsible for state-of-the-art technologies used in energy security and electrical distribution. The building also uses 25 Uninterruptible Power Supply units supplied by GE Digital Energy, which continue the energy supply for 10 minutes in the event of a failure while the generators are turned on, preventing the interruption of work. Electrical distribution components also have been installed in the building, including circuit breakers, relays, plugs and other equipment from GE Industrial Solutions.

Efficient Technologies

LED technology is part of a range of energy-efficient and lower-environmental-impact solutions provided by GE to for the Rio 2016™ headquarters. The company also is responsible for state-of-the-art technologies used in energy security and electrical distribution. The building also uses 25 Uninterruptible Power Supply units supplied by GE Digital Energy, which continue the energy supply for 10 minutes in the event of a failure while the generators are turned on, preventing the interruption of work. Electrical distribution components also have been installed in the building, including circuit breakers, relays, plugs and other equipment from GE Industrial Solutions.

Both the LED Lumination Luminaires and the UPSs are part of GE’s ecomagination℠ initiative, which helps customers improve operational efficiencies while allowing a significant improvement in their environmental impact.

GE has been an official sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2006. Its commitment to contributing to the quality of the Games led the company to announce, in August 2011, the extension of its sponsorship agreement until the 2020 Games. Since the beginning of this partnership, GE has done more than $1 billion in Olympic-related business.

GE’s Lumination™ LED DownLights Provide Customizable Lighting Design

The first led downlight of GE’s Lumination™ LED Luminaires, the DI Series offers easy customization through an ideal ambient lighting solution for high-end retail, commercial office, and hospitality applications. Featuring the breakthrough design of GE Lighting’s Infusion™ technology, users can easily select their preferred lumen output and color temperature to illuminate key products or focal points with the simple switch of an LED module.

Offering greater flexibility and future-friendly versatility than typical LED downlights, the GE Lumination LED DownLight modules can be quickly and effortlessly removed and upgraded in seconds through a twist-fit design that doesn’t require a fixture change. The Infusion technology provides outstanding efficacy and color rendering—including high R9 values across all color temperatures—which is ideal for retail settings, lobbies and other areas where the color, richness and detail of merchandise and key interest areas can pop.

Source: GE Lighting

Additionally, the energy-efficient DI Series is available in 4- and 6-inch round and square shapes that allow users to choose the perfect light for each application.

“GE Lumination LED Downlights provide dramatic illumination to any store, office or hotel,” said GE Indoor LED Product Manager John Koster. “At the heart of the design is the Infusion DLM downlight module, which uses a unique color-mixing technology to deliver 90+ CRI and very high R9 at all lumen levels and color temperatures without sacrificing efficiency. Better yet, the socketable module allows for easy upgrade as LED technology advances, ensuring the lowest total cost of ownership. Customers will finally be able to upgrade or service just the LEDs—tool-free—without having to change the entire downlight. With lumen package options from 1,000 to 4,000 lumens, the Lumination DI Series truly is the ideal LED alternative to everything from 13-watt CFL to 100-watt metal halide downlights.”

A product of GE ecomagination℠, the LED modules of GE Lighting’s Lumination LED DownLights come in a variety of lumen outputs, color temperatures and offer up to 90 CRI color rendering—ideal for 10-16-foot ceilings. Additionally, the DI Series has a 50,000-hour rated lifetime, providing considerable maintenance savings compared to 20,000-hour rated lifetime for many CFL downlights.

Learn more about Lumination LED lighting fixtures at www.ledpanel-light.com. Read more about GE’s commitment to innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges at www.ecomagination.com.

Lutron to Widen PhotonStar LED Product Distribution

PhotonStar customers will have the option of ordering many of the company’s high performance LED lighting products with a prewired Lutron Ecosystem driver, straight from the factory.

Lutron’s EcoSystem protocol seamlessly communicates with all Lutron EcoSystem digital controls from the recently launched Energi Tripak solution to the complete building system Quantum and all systems in between.

PhotonStar’s Marketing Director Fenella Frost commenta, “Adding seamless Lutron EcoSystem protocol compatibility as an option on our products is in line with our mission to provide the most reliable and workable control and lighting solutions to our customers. We intend to further deliver on this aim through collaboration with many respected industry leaders.”

Rishang Malaysia to Launch LED Commercial Lightings in Malaysian Market

Rishang LED, the leading manufacturer of LED lighting modules and components in the world and renowned lighting brand, will be launching its wide range of products for the Malaysian market. Marketed through Rishang Malaysia, there will be all types of products that can be used in the commercial lighting sector of the local market segment that will cover commercial and private properties respectively.

Rishang Malaysia is the sole and exclusive distributor for Rishang LED products in Malaysia where the company will be involved in all areas of distribution, marketing, sales and support for the complete product line. This is a significant milestone for Rishang Malaysia which will see the rolling out of all types of commercial lighting modules, LED power supply, components and LED bulbs that are suitable for use in all spaces.

LED or Light-Emitting Diode lights have been one of the fastest growing technologies in the world especially through its known benefits which offer better cost savings in utility bills like electricity. Apart from that, LED lights can operate for a longer time up to 7 times more than conventional lighting. By emitting lesser heat, LED lights help the premise owners to depend less on cooling units like air-conditioning systems which will in the long-run provide more savings and making them the ideal replacement for conventional light bulbs.

Rishang Malaysia will be offering a wide range of LED bulbs in Malaysia which can be used in all types of environments. This product is highly energy-efficient and cost-effective which can be used for lighting, illumination, decoration and any other purposes required. The LED bulbs can be used for spotlights, wall-washers and in display cabinets as well as for customized purposes like garden and outdoor lighting in which the bulbs can be mounted into waterproof enclosures to withstand any type of extreme weather conditions.To launch the campaign, Rishang Malaysia will be bringing in popular modules like LED modules and LED strips for lightboxes and signages in Malaysia. In offering affordable options in this area, business owners who are using lightboxes and signages in their premises have a more economical and beneficial option. Rishang LEDs have been used in many businesses to replace fluorescent bulbs for signage purposes. The brand is currently being used by large corporations and organisations like AIA and the Pavilion Shopping Center in Kuala Lumpur. Apart from that, Rishang LED products are used in retail and convenience stores like 7-Eleven and many others.

Another popular product that business owners can consider through the launch is to replace the current fluorescent lights with Rishang Malaysia’s T5 and T8 LED tubes. These tubes are among the most commonly used and installed in many spaces where the dimension and length are identical. With minor adjustments, business operators can now enjoy up to 50% in electricity savings per month which would be highly advantageous in the long term.

Customers of Rishang Malaysia will enjoy technical support and customer service in terms of installation and on design. Pricing of the products are very competitive and based on the current market rate where bulk purchases will enjoy additional discounts. All Rishang LED products come with 5-years warranty with 1-to-1 exchange against manufacturer’s defects with no questions asked.

As part of this launch, Rishang Malaysia is inviting LED distributors from all regions around Malaysia to apply for exclusive distribution privileges. Entry into this market requires very low capital where Rishang Malaysia will be offering support in all areas. This includes providing the appointed distributor with a website for better online presence and e-commerce facilities for ordering of stock and other services. From there, Rishang Malaysia will facilitate all orders and make arrangements like logistics, delivery and technical support. Meanwhile, Rishang Malaysia will be responsible in the support of the distributor’s network through a well-planned and run advertising and promotions campaign throughout the year to ensure business growth for the partners.

On top of that, Rishang Malaysia is partnering with the Malaysian Advertisers’ Association through a collaborative programme which will be venturing into a major campaign to improve the Association’s services to its members. Rishang Malaysia will work with all parties involved to assist the Association in becoming more relevant and to play a more integral role for the enhancement and strengthening of the Malaysian advertising industry.

EOI Automotive LED Lighting October Revenue Up from Last Year

Following the rise in the automotive electronics market, Excellence Opto. Inc. (EOI) is trying to make a mark for itself in the automotive LED lighting market. The company’s single month consolidated revenue for October reached NT $172 million (US $5.8 million), growth of 46 percent compared to October last year. Accumulated consolidated revenue for Jan.-Oct. was NT $1.38 billion, increase in revenue of NT$ 243 million compared to same period last year with a yearly performance growth of 21.44 percent mainly due to increase in automotive LED lighting module shipments.

Over the past few years, automotive LED applications have become EOI’s new blue ocean market as the company continues developing this niche market. For automotive LED lighting to be manufactured by automotive LED lighting module suppliers, every project must undergo meticulous design and go through stringent TS1649 product quality system and spec certification, due to strict safety regulations. Once entering the automobile OEM’s automotive LED lighting supply chain, the company can then hope to establish stable long term orders. The company’s product gross profit margin has improved since focusing on this niche market.

EOI has maintained their principal of making impeccable products. The company has gradually entered the close industrial supply chain, and manufacturer automotive electronic components which have a lifespan over 10 years. EOI’s long-term  development of automotive industry strategy has lead to revenue growth. Revenue contribution for automotive LED lighting products last year was 60 percent higher than total revenue. Target revenue contribution for this year is expected to rise to 65 percent.

EOI has continued to receive automotive lighting module orders for new vehicles from automotive manufacturers such as Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Audi, and more. The company hopes to become the biggest benefactor from automotive LED lighting market growth. 

China Electric Enters LED Lighting Field with Takeover of GIO Optoelectronics

China Electric Manufacturing Corp. has announced its acquisition of GIO Optoelectronics Corp. in hopes to meet their operation goal of increasing LED lighting revenue share by 20 percent next year. The company announced yesterday its acquisition of 160 million shares at NT $ 0.8 per share with allocated funds reaching NT $83.9 million. Main shareholder of GIO, Chimei Corp. sold its 39.2 percent stake to China Electric and relinquished chairmanship. China Electric will join GIO in LED lighting product R&D, but will not interfere with the company’s operations.

With poor tablet manufacturing prices this year, China Electric has slashed backlight application prices. The company has therefore temporarily ceased OEM for backlight applications due to low profitability, leading to a drop in operation revenue for the year. October consolidated revenue reached NT $207 million, a yearly decrease of 63.24 percent. Consolidated revenue for the first 10 months of 2013 was NT $2.77 billion, a yearly decrease of 53.24 percent.

China Electric’s lighting brand TOA is a conventional lighting leader in Taiwan.

PIDA’s Unveils Top 10 LED Lighting Manufacturers List

Photonics Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA) compiled a list of the top 10 global LED lighting manufactures, according to Economic Daily News, with international heavy weights Philips, Osram, and Panasonic among the top three. No Taiwanese manufacturers made the list. Taiwanese lighting brands currently include China Electric, Everlight, Delta, Tatung, Adata, Tsannkuen, and Leotek.

PIDA top 10 global LED lighting manufacturers in order are Philips, Osram, Panasonic, Toshiba, Cree, ENDO, Zumtobel, Koizumi, Iris Ohyama, and Sharp. Global LED lighting output value reached NT $11.5 billion (US $390 million) with a penetration rate of 11 percent

PIDA looks optimistically on business opportunities in the start of 2014, when Europe and North America markets begin to replace most commonly used 40-60W incandescent bulbs in households. Global LED market penetration rates were pushed up by U.S. companies that have slowly switched from conventional lighting to LED, such as GE, and by domestic Chinese manufacturers and OEMs that are global powerhouses for lighting manufacturing. Taiwanese manufacturers are all rushing to grasp this business opportunity whether it is through their own brands or as OEMs. 

Sony Announces Latest OLED Displays

Sony has come out with new professional OLED-based computer monitors. The new models (PVM-A250, 25" and PVM-A170, 17") are approximately 40% thinner in depth and 40% lighter in weight compared to previous Sony models. The newly designed monitors were the result of Sony completely re-engineering them. Sony reportedly made numerous changes from the chassis to the OLED panel module's structure to the signal processing board, material and parts. The monitors have also reduced power consumption by 9% compared to previous versions of its high-end Trimaster El OLED monitors.

"Higher resolution content creation – 4K and beyond – requires monitors with larger screen sizes for accurate color evaluation on site," said Daniel Dubreuil, senior product marketing manager, professional monitors, Sony Europe."But bigger monitors are harder to carry and take up more space. These new models have the screen size needed for critical evaluation, with a thinner and lighter design that’s perfect for live broadcast and outdoor shooting. They even have a handle for easy carrying."

The monitors improvements include an I/P conversion system that delivers automatically optimized signal processing according to input signals, with low latency (less than 0.5 field). The new monitors will be available in January, 2014. Retail prices for the 17" and 25" OLED monitors will be well over $4 thousand and $6 thousand respectively. So don't plan on having that monitor added to your gaming system unless you have lots of money to spend.

Dialog Semiconductor Introduces New SmarteXite Technology Platform for Intelligent LED Lighting

SmarteXite enables solutions for digital dimming, wireless control and sensor control while supporting unprecedented time to market, optimised LED bulb quality and production yields

Dialog Semiconductor plc, a provider of integrated power management, AC/DC, solid state lighting and short-range wireless technologies, today announced its smarteXiteTM platform, enabling a new generation of highly flexible, programmable LED driver ICs for smart lighting applications. SmarteXite, based on fully configurable logic, is the first LED driver technology to directly and easily support wireless connectivity, light sensor control and allow easy integration into lighting control systems.

The first device from the smarteXite family, the iW6401, supports multiple dimming interfaces, including digital dimming via a simple main on/off switch, the new Ledotron(TM) digital dimming protocol and toggle-switch based dimming. All dimming-curves can be memory-configured to enable a highly optimised end-user lighting experience. The integrated digital loadline transmission (DLT) receiver in the iW6401 supports the Ledotron IEC 62756-1 dimming protocol, making it the world's first single-chip plug-and-play Ledotron solution.

Using a standard I2C digital interface, the iW6401 can serve as a powerful frontend for wireless communication modules like low-energy Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or ZigBee. Additionally, intelligent sensor devices enabling color- or proximity-sensing can be directly connected. When such a peripheral device is used, the integrated power management unit in the iW6401 provides a stable power source, reducing the external component count and cost.

Combining Dialog's strengths in configurable power management with state-of-the-art digital signal processing design, the iW6401 is the world's first programmable AC/DC retrofit LED lamp driver IC, which allows engineers to design and configure the bulb design via software with an optimised bill of material (BOM) versus a time intensive iterative hardware design process. This greatly reduces the time to market and allows a smarteXite-based design to support many different global configurations and lighting requirements.

'Solid state lighting components and manufacturing costs have fallen to a level enabling LED bulbs to be sold in retail stores for under 10 dollars; this price point drives consumers to adopt the technology and retrofit their homes,' said Mark Tyndall, VP Corporate Development & Strategy and GM Power Conversion Business Group at Dialog Semiconductor. 'Market analyst firm McKinsey predicts a 57 percent compounded annual growth rate for LED bulbs units to be sold between 2012 and 2016, with more than 2.6 billion units to be sold in 2016.'
SmarteXite supports final stage digital calibration on the production line where the bulb manufacturers can reconfigure the illumination calibration settings like brightness and colour via the A/C mains terminals. This allows lower tolerance LEDs to be used with less binning or waste of LED's. Additionally, using this final stage calibration feature, the adjustment of the LED currents can be done even in the installed state, making the smarteXite platform also ideal for Zhaga compliant power supplies. The iW6401 can be configured to actively manage the lamp temperature using either an on-chip or off-chip temperature sensor together with configurable state temperature control.

LEDs are especially suitable to be dimmed in a wide range. Unlike CFLs and other discharge lamps, LEDs can be set to almost zero current by applying digital control principles. With smarteXite, intelligent control algorithms can be employed and configured to provide a wide dimming range. Additionally, the smarteXite platform offers a range of protection and supervision functions, which can be customised for the different lamp requirements.

Technical Consumer Products Introduces LED Home Lighting System

Technical Consumer Products, Inc announced the immediate purchase availability of its new smart home LED lighting system. Connected by TCP™ utilizes LED technology that operates on a home’s Wi-Fi network and is controlled by any iOS or Android-enabled device, allowing instant control of any home or business lighting system.

“In today’s smart device driven society, phones and tablets enable us to control several aspects of our personal and professional lives”
“In today’s smart device driven society, phones and tablets enable us to control several aspects of our personal and professional lives,” said Ellis Yan, Founder and CEO of TCP. “With the combined power of Connected by TCP and any smart device, our customers can now enjoy the performance of LED technology in the palms of their hands. As technology advances, we believe everyone’s lighting should get smarter too.”

Connected by TCP is powered by GreenWave Reality’s award-winning cloud-based Home2Cloud platform providing a smart home infrastructure that makes it easy to combine everyday household items, and make setup fast and simple. By linking to a home’s existing Wi-Fi network, users can easily program a LED lighting system to turn on and off while arriving or leaving the house, or dim the bulbs to create the desired ambience. Connected by TCP also enables users to create a Smart Control routine using free app software that will automate the bulbs to a personalized setting to be used at any time during the day or evening. The smart routine can be programmed for any time period and used while home and away.

When compared to incandescent lighting, LED light bulbs utilize 80 percent less energy and have an average lifespan of over 10 years. With the use of Connected by TCP home and business owners can eliminate the need for light dimmer switches and save on energy costs.
The Connected by TCP kit includes: three A-Lamp 11 watt 800 Lumen LED bulbs (60 watt equivalent), one Greenwave Gateway – providing anywhere access – one Gateway power supply, one remote control with batteries that can be used in addition to any smart device, one LAN cable, free downloadable app software, and installation instructions.

Roadblocks for Chinese LED Manufacturers to Overcome

Quotes/ Perspectives from LEDinside： 

"Consumers have only heard about LED lights, but do not really understand its benefits. Aside from energy saving benefits, the lights also have exceptionally long lifetime...Our long term goal is to lead Chinese enterprises out of China and introduce them to the world." -Roger Chu, Director of LEDinside.

In the midst of China’s tightening natural resources, serious environmental pollution, degrading ecosystems, society is increasingly focused on the “beautiful China, ecological civilization, and green development.” The LED technology has become an emerging industry comprised of a two core business strategies, a new generation of communication technologies and energy saving technology. LED companies in lighting, display and backlight industry have sprung out like young bamboo shoots after spring showers. 

However, the industry’s development has not been a smooth ride. Foreign manufacturers have monopolized the technology market in China. The industry in China also faces challenges of being overtly small, incomplete supply chains, and oversupply in the midstream and downstream markets. Despite being the “star” of the era, the industry is facing a bottleneck. How can companies cope pragmatically during an industry low tide? How should social awareness change to create a better environment for industry development? How can the Chinese government speed up industry standardization and corresponding development policies?

Recently, LEDinside Director Roger Chu and Lawrence Lin, Marketing and Sales General Manager at MLS were invited as guest speakers to “China’s Positive Energy” (literal translation), a TV program produced by Xinhuanet. The two shared insights on LED green lighting industry. 

Below are excerpts from the interview:

TV host: LED has been viewed as the “green lighting” of the 21st century. It has naturally become the focus of society since the day it was made and continues to be appraised. LED advantages and its groundbreaking technological progress has earned it the honorable title of “the fourth revolution in human lighting history.”

Lawrence Lin: The LED lighting era might be similar to a saying from the “Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin”—“After Qin Dynasty collapsed everyone came fighting over the kingdom. However, only the most talented and fastest won the kingdom.” It can be foreseen that the LED industry will be able to quickly replace Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) in the near future.

Lawrence Lin,Marketing and Sales General  Manager at MLS speaking on the "China's  Postive Energy" TV show, the hostess listens attentively as he explains the questions. Roger  Chu, Director of LEDinside straightens his tie as the MLS manager speaks. Front left:  Xinhuanet TV host. Front right: Lawrence Lin, Marketing and Sales General  Manager at  MLS. Back left: Roger Chu, Director of LEDinside. (LEDinside)

TV Host: However, conceptual, innovative, or R&D waves in the LED industry have failed to introduce the technology to ordinary homes.

Lawrence Lin: The global LED lighting market penetration rate is less than 10 percent, which means the industry still has 90 percent of room for growth.

TV Host: What challenges and changes will the LED industry face when it enters the lighting market? Compared to traditional lighting, what are some of its incomparable advantages? 

Roger Chu, Director of LEDinside at the TV show interview. (LEDinside)

Roger Chu: Consumers have only heard about LED lights, but do not really understand its benefits. Aside from energy saving benefits, the lights also have exceptionally long lifetime.

TV Host: Over a long 16 year period, the LED world of large enterprises was built on top of dreams, defeats, and silent reflections. How should these enterprises deal with the industry low tide pragmatically, and find innovative development opportunities?

Lawrence Lin: Government policy support is one option, the other is urbanization projects in China. Objectively, there are massive numbers of urbanization projects in the country. On its own, these offer a huge momentum for lighting demands. 

We are confident that in the next two to three years, we will be able to build a LED lighting enterprise worth millions of Renminbi.

Roger Chu: Our long term goal is to lead Chinese enterprises out of China and introduce them to the world.

TI Floating Switch Architecture Transforms Offline LED Drive Design

Texas Instruments introduced the industry's first floating switch architecture that simplifies the offline linear drive of LEDs in lamps, downlights and fixtures. The AC switched matrix technique features TI's TPS92411 floating MOSFET switch and is an innovative approach to producing low-ripple LED drive current without magnetic components. The architecture provides excellent compatibility with legacy wall dimmers and delivers high power factor and low total harmonic distortion (THD). For more information, samples and evaluation modules, visit www.ti.com/tps92411-pr.

Texas Instruments (TI) new floating switch architecture. (LEDinside/ Texas Instruments)

Flyback, buck and boost converters are common switch-mode power supply (SMPS) topologies in LED lamps today. These circuits operate at high frequencies and require inductive components to turn mains AC current into the constant DC current necessary to drive LEDs. Selection of inductors and transformers for power transfer is complicated, often requiring expensive custom components. In addition, an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter consisting of four to ten passive components is required to prevent the SMPS circuit from harming other electronic equipment. If phase dimming is required, multiple design iterations may be necessary to optimize dimmer compatibility and prevent LED flicker.

The floating switch architecture with TI's TPS92411 overcomes these challenges. It requires no inductive components for power transfer, eliminating cost and bulk and simplifying design. 

Key features and benefits of TPS92411:

• 100-V, 2-Ohm floating MOSFET switch with 350 mA of current capability
• LED drive performance is comparable to traditional flyback, buck and boost converters:
• Greater than 0.95 power factor.
• Less than 15 percent of total harmonic distortion.
• Low LED current ripple results in efficient LED utilization as compared with "tapped linear" drivers.
• Low-frequency, slew-rate controlled switch action produces very little EMI noise.
• Unlike designs using traditional converters, the very low-cost floating switch architecture requires no inductive components.
• Works well with both TRIAC and reverse phase wall dimmers.
• Supports lighting designs up to 70 W.
• Availability, packaging and pricing 
• Available now in volume from TI and its authorized distributors, the TPS92411 is offered in a 5-pin SOT-23 package priced at US$0.23 each in 1,000-unit quantities. An evaluation module is offered at $75.00. The TPS92411 in an 8-pin PowerPad™ SOIC package will be available in the first quarter of 2014.

Tools and support:

• Order the TPS92411 light engine evaluation module.
• Download the TPS92411 design calculator tools: 120V or 230V.

Philips Lumileds Introduces Luxeon TX

Philips Lumileds has introduced the new Luxeon TX emitters for a variety of directional and omnidirectional led lighting applications. The Luxeon TX LEDs come with a choice of 3- or 5-step MacAdam color definition. According to the company, the LEDs either have 10 to 20 percent brighter lumen output or have more CRI options than the Luxeon T. The LEDs have versions with new 85 minimum CRI options in 2700, 3000, 3500, 4000, and 5000K color temperatures.

“These emitters are truly transformative in that they enable customers to achieve performance metrics -- such as a true 50W equivalent MR16 lamp at 2700K that meets ERP/DIM2 requirements -- which LEDs simply could not meet previously,” said Kathleen Hartnett, Product Line Director at Philips Lumileds.

“We use the term ‘extreme efficacy’ because of the remarkable performance customers can expect from these emitters,” said Hartnett. “For instance, outdoor fixture manufacturers who need 4000K at 70 CRI are taking advantage of the Luxeon TX 360 lm output at 1.0A and 85˚C to decrease overall system cost, but have the ability to drive the same part @350mA to deliver 155 lm/W LED efficacy and enable streetlights with a system efficacy of more than 120lm/W.”

The Luxeon TX platform is available in a range of correlated color temperatures and CRIs for downlights, high bay and low bay lighting, indoor area lighting, outdoor lighting and replacement lamps. In addition the company has added a minimum 85 CRI option.

“Designers have typically had to choose between the lower efficacy associated with a 90 CRI LED or the poorer color rendering associated with an 80 CRI LED. Now Luxeon TX 85 CRI emitters bridge that gap by providing high CRI with increased efficacy in a full CCT range from 2700K to 5000K, ” Hartnet said.

For applications that require a minimum 90 CRI, Luxeon TX delivers up to 100 lm/W warm white light (3000K CCT, 90 CRI and 700 mA at 85˚C).

Cree to Provide LEDs for QuantumLED Commercial Lamp Bulbs

CRS Electronics Inc. ("CRS" or the "Company"), a developer and manufacturer of LED lighting products, today announced they have selected Cree, a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, to provide the LEDs for their new QuantumLED commercial lamp (bulb) brand. QuantumLED lamps will feature Cree's latest XP-G2 LED technology.

"We do all of our product development in-house and consistently look to Cree for the latest in LED technology," said Scott Riesebosch, Chief Technology Officer at CRS Electronics. "As a customer that uses the XP package, we're excited to be able to extend our product portfolio with the newest XP-G2 LED."

Cree's XLamp® XP-G2 LED has been employed throughout the QuantumLED directional lamp product portfolio. The initial product offering includes PAR lamps, as well as MR16 lamps in three distinct lumen packages. A family of R and BR reflectorized lamps will also be offered. Directional lamps will be available in multiple beam angles, and all will offer the highest lumen output, efficacies, and color temperature ranges on the market. In addition, QuantumLED will feature an extremely hard-to-find 2200 Kelvin color temperature option throughout its entire product line.
"CRS Electronics' QuantumLED lamps showcase the advantages of Cree's XP-G2 LEDs," said Paul Thieken, Cree Director of Marketing, LED Components. "The XP-G2 LED allows CRS to seamlessly leverage the higher-performance Cree LEDs without making any additional investment."

Empire State Building to Put on its First Halloween Light Show

NTENNA REVEAL: As a special surprise and gift to New York City and the world, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. has installed for the first time lights to the Empire State Building's antenna—the highest structure on the building.  These custom LED lights can be seen for miles in every direction. On Halloween night, the antenna LEDs will be unveiled for the first-time ever, and will become part of the Empire State Building's light shows and iconic tower lightings, further enhancing and redefining the New York City skyline. 

On Thursday, October 31, 2013, at 8:30 p.m. EST, ESRT and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment will give New York City a Halloween-themed LED light show choreographed by internationally-acclaimed lighting designer Marc Brickman to a Halloween-inspired soundtrack on Clear Channel's powerhouse radio stations Z100 (100.3 FM) and KTU (103.5 FM).

The Empire State Building Halloween Light Show promotional poster. The Empire State Realty  Trusty (ESRT) will release photos and video footage of the Halloween Light Fair after the  show. (Photo Courtesy of Empire State Realty Trust)

The addition of the new antenna LED lights will offer more than 200 feet of new lighting capabilities to extend and amplify the entire tower from choreographed light shows to daily lightings with the same effects and 16 million colors as the other tiers of the tower.

THE SIGHTS: Best Light Show Public Viewing Locations:

• Brooklyn Bridge
• Bryant Park
• The Highline
• Hoboken/Jersey City Waterfront
• Hudson River Esplanade
• Long Island City
• Madison Square Park
• Tribeca Park
• Union Square
• Williamsburg Waterfront

THE SOUNDS: Fans in New York and around the Tri-State area can tune into Z100 (100.3 FM) or KTU (103.5 FM) to hear the synchronized soundtrack in real-time during the light show.

The Halloween-inspired hits for the light show:

• "This Is Halloween"
• "Ghostbusters"
• "Monster Mash"
• "Halloween"
• "Somebody's Watching Me"

Those unable to view the live show can watch the official video of the entire light show on the Empire State Building's YouTube page via the following link: www.youtube.com/esbnyc.

Xeleum Introduces New LED Stairwell Light Fixture

Xeleum Lighting announced the introduction of its new Athena Series LED Stairwell Light Fixture. Specifically designed for use in stairwells that may be unoccupied for long periods of time, this LED Light Fixture is capable of reducing energy usage by up to 75% over conventional stairwell fixtures that do not employ LEDs or occupancy sensors. It achieves this dramatic reduction in energy usage by automatically providing the fully ON light level of over 2,650 lumens only when the space is occupied and, when the space is unoccupied, reduces the light output by approximately 80% while continuing to provide light levels specified by NFPA and ASHRAE.

“We are looking forward to significant savings in both energy usage and bulb replacement costs.”

Mehrdad Ghalebi, President of Xeleum stated that, “Among the unique features of our system is the linking of multiple fixtures through use of a ground breaking intelligent wireless RF system which, together with built-in sensors, automatically tracks occupancy so that the lights are at full brightness at the levels above, below and directly at all occupied locations, irrespective of the direction of the occupant’s motion.”

Additional features include an affordable built-in battery back-up system, capable of operating for at least 90 minutes following a power outage; vandal-resistant construction and electroluminescent tape recharge capability. Installation is simplified because the fixture is self-contained without the need for external sensors. The use of LEDs ensure many years of maintenance-free operation without ever having to change a bulb.

The XASW Stairwell LED Light Fixture is UL 924 rated, NFPA compliant, FCC certified and in conformance with DOE rulings pertaining to ASHRAE 90.1-2010, Section 9.4.1.6(g). Occupied mode light output of 2,650 lumens is reduced by approximately 80% when in unoccupied mode. Occupied mode input power of 29 watts is also reduced by approximately 80% when in unoccupied mode.

Todd Albright, owner of Albright Properties, stated “Because so much energy is wasted on lighting stairwells during the long periods when they are not being used, I expect this new stairwell fixture from Xeleum will quickly find wide acceptance. We especially like the inexpensive battery back-up feature and the fact that installation is simplified because the occupancy sensors are built directly into the fixture”. He added “We are looking forward to significant savings in both energy usage and bulb replacement costs.”

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