作者：Blade

The customization of LED chips makes LED lighting devices more popular among ordinary buyers

The latest market data shows that, the retail price of LED bulbs in America has dropped to 8 USD, and the retail price of LED tubes has dropped to around 5 USD as well. In consideration of the much lower selling prices, consumers are more likely to buy LED lamps. It is estimated in 2015, the global LED lighting market will usher a rapid development.

 

The customization of LED chips makes LED lighting devices more popular among ordinary buyers

 

But in the meanwhile, some experts believed that the growth of LED general lighting market will exceed people’s expectation. According to MR. Fang Lezhang from CrpowTech Co., Ltd., with the sharp price dropping of LED lighting products, the household application market is about to take off. The estimated growth rate of it is about 30%. In his point of view, the actual growth will be greater than this. Especially for the mainland LED lighting market, the estimated growth could be more than 50%. The current average ex-work price of LED lights has dropped to $1.38/each. This is no price barriers to keep them away from household furniture market. In 2013, there will be a large number of consumers try to adopt LED lighting products in their home. If LED lighting technology could keep on progressing at such speed, there will be a large number of procurement in 2014.

 

LED lighting is a large market that should not be ignored by large LED enterprises. In the past, the lacking of fund and design capabilities slowed down the developing rate of domestic LED chip manufacturers. In fact, today, many foreign companies started to shift their attention on customer-made LED chips, which create large design space for LED lighting applications. Unfortunately, the development of Chain’s LED industry is still in a very early stage: standardized products increase the intense of competitions in the market, reduce the gross margin. For customized LED High Bay Light chips used in specially applications, namely the simulated ASic chips, the gross margin is much higher. In 2011, the entire simulated LED chips market output is approximately 40 billion dollars, in which more than 90% is from customized market. Therefore, customer-made chips became a large market target for many international manufacturers of LED chips.

 

In order to meet the requirements of special LED lighting applications, LED makers need to have long-term sustainable developing strategy and strong design capabilities. They need to improve their service capabilities continuously, providing practical solutions and products for their clients.

LED light source started to be used in medical lighting applications

Environmental friendly: LED is a type of solid-state semiconductor light source (SSL), the working principle of which is based on electroluminescent rather than thermoluminescence. Thus LEDs are also known as a kind of cool light source. Unlike other traditional light sources, LED light source is free from hazard and toxic materials. Normally traditional light sources, like fluorescent lamps, sodium lamps (HID), mercury vapor lamps, xenon lamps, all contain harmful materials, such as mercury, sodium, cadmium and other toxic substances, which will cause huge damages to the soil and pollute the environment. An energy-saving (fluorescent) lamps contains 5mg-10mg mercury, once broken, will seriously contaminate the water and the soil. 1mg mercury can contaminates approximately 5 ton of water. Moreover, the recycling and processing cost of traditional light sources is very high, while LED light source causes nearly zero pollution on the environment.

 

LED light source started to be used in medical lighting applications

 

Pure spectrum: III-V semiconductor electric-luminescence light-emitting principle gives LED light source a pure spectrum. The half-wave width is only 20nm-30nm. Red (R), blue (B), yellow (Y), green (G) and other monochromatic light contains no ultraviolet (UV) rays and infrared (IR) rays (except for UVLED and IRLED). Even multicolor mixed light, such as white (R or other wide-spectrum light), is completely free from UV and IR, which may cause huge damages to our eyeballs and skins. Compared with other artificial light sources, like incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, the spectrum of which contains 45%-70% IR rays; fluorescent lights, sodium lights, the spectrum of which contains 15%-25% UV lights. Using such products without any protections will cause pollution and damages to our body.

 

As a type of semiconductor light source, LED High Bay Light can have an instant response (only several ns), under the driving of tens of kHz or even hundreds of kHz, without any flickers. Thus, LED lighting products can realize digital/intelligent control. It is rather difficult for other artificial light sources to realize a continuous adjustment of color temperature, while LED could. This is rather important in surgical lighting and surgical debridement lighting, helping surgeons in observing different lesions, different tissues, blood color clarity.

 

LED uses low-voltage drivers, safe and reliable. LED light source drives by low voltage, could instantly convert into the battery-mode in emergency lighting cases. The converting time is only a few tenths, causing no power off accidents.

Advantages of LED medical lighting products

According to the report of “Health Development Statistics Report” published by the Ministry of Health in 2008, China has 278,000 institutions involved into the research and study of medical and health industry, including more than 20,000 hospitals, 60,000 health centers, 170,000 community clinics. All of these places are still using traditional lighting products (incandescent lamps / fluorescent lamps), which is a large market full of potentials. From the side of energy saving, LED medical lighting products based on advanced semiconductor lighting technology will inevitably become the mainstream in this field.

 

According to the report of “Health Development Statistics Report” published by the Ministry of Health in 2008

 

Noticeably, as a branch of medical instrument industry, the medical lighting industry must meet the strict requirements of legal regulations and certifications in various aspects: technique, security. Compared with general functional lighting applications, LED medical lighting products have much higher technological risks. Thus, examines and verifies of access licenses should be more stringent.

 

LED lighting industry is shifting its focus from landscaped lighting area to functional lighting area, from outdoor lighting area to indoor lighting area, from general lighting area to special lighting area. This is an inevitable progress of technology and the society.

 

LED is the most suitable light source for medical lighting devices, adjustable, controllable, reliable, and long service life, which is the best solid light source that replaces halogen lamps, mercury lamps and xenon lamps. Since 2010, the domestic LED surgical shadowless lamps have been in a number of large hospitals, and exported to Japan, Australia, the Philippines and other countries.

 

LED light source: energy saving, environmental friendly, low production costs. LED is undoubtedly the most energy-efficient artificial light source presently. Replacing traditional incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, sodium lamps (HID), halogen lamps mercury vapor lamps and xenon lamps with LED light source could save 30%-80% energy. Currently, LED has the lowest use-cost among all light sources during their lifetime.

 

The special technical characteristics of LED High Bay Light sources. High luminous efficiency: up to now, LED has the highest luminous efficiency within all existing lighting sources. Low pressure sodium lamps (LPS) have the lowest photoelectric conversion, which is 140lm/W. In 2011, the lab result luminous efficiency of high-powered LED lighting devices can reach up to 203lm/W.

 

Intelligently controllable: LED has very fast response, color temperature adjustable, dimmable (optical power) and projected direction adjustable, the most important feature of it is intelligently controllable.

Analysis of the LED medical lighting industry from the aspect of technical characteristics

Our LED medical lighting industry is in the early developing stage. The production process and technology of LED lighting products used in the medical field (except functional lighting devices) are on a relatively low level, less brand concentration. Most hospitals preferred to purchase medical lighting products from abroad, such as Germany Martin, Creator and other large brands. The corresponding market is almost monopolized by foreign manufacturers. In spite that medical lighting market is far smaller than general lighting market (commercial, industrial and residential), plus the over-expensive selling prices, this type of products have rather high market value, which is a market that must not be ignored.

 

Analysis of the LED medical lighting industry from the aspect of technical characteristics

 

In China, the medical lighting industry belongs to the medial instrument industry. According to related statistics in 2008, there are approximately 7300 companies engaged in the production and promotion of medical instrument industry. But less than 3% of these manufacturers provide medical lighting devices, and most of them are only produced low-end products, like film viewers. Not until recent years, a few of LED medical lighting applications emerged in the market.

 

As both the society and people become more concerned, especially for the community healthcare, medical rehabilitation, environmental protection and energy saving, since 2007, our domestic LED medical lighting industry took the first step. But during the very early stage of development, this industry has already met some problems: the entry threshold is too high; high technological risk; most of medical instrument enterprises have little knowledge of LED performances, working principles, application range, plus applications used in the medical lighting area must involve to medical mechanism, optics, electronics, thermotics and other pluridisciplinary. Only a very small number of enterprises had cooperation with large medical institutions to produce such products. In addition, the certification process of medical lighting products is rather complicated. Thus LED medical lighting products are in short supply.

 

At present, there are nearly 3000 led high bay light enterprise, most of which have strong researching, developing and procuring capabilities in the landscape lighting area and functional lighting area. But since they are not classified as medical device industry, plus lacking of entry ways, it is very difficult for them to enter the LED medical lighting market.

Domestic LED industry: advance in difficulties

Domestic LED industry started in the 1970s. After nearly 40 years development, 7 national semiconductors lighting engineering bases have been set up in seven large cities: Shanghai, Dalian, Nanchang, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Yangzhou and Shijiazhuang. Products are widely used in landscape lighting area and general residential lighting area. Currently, China has become the world’s largest producer and the second largest exporter of LED lighting applications. By the end of 2011, there are more than 3000 LED companies, among which, only 140 companies have annual output value of more than 100 million yuan. However, among these 140 companies, no one has an annual sales of more than 1 billion yuan.

 

Domestic LED industry started in the 1970s. After nearly 40 years development,

 

What is the real reason for domestic LED industry advancing in difficulties? Lacking of core technologies. Large LED enterprise mainly concentrated on downstream application area. Researches and developments for upstream (LED chip technologies), mid-stream (packing technologies) are much less. Almost all core LED technologies are in the hands of foreign LED giants or large enterprises from Taiwan. Companies from the mainland had no choice but paid more attention on downstream application area.

 

There is no doubt, domestic LED industry lacked competitiveness in core technologies. A great number of LED patents are created by all kinds of research institutes. In the field of epitaxy, the top three research institutes with the most patents are the Semiconductor Department of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Physics and Beijing University of Technology. In the field of chip, the top three institutes with the most patents are the Semiconductor Department of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing University of Technology and Beijing University. Compared with research institutions, domestic enterprises are more likely to apply for application patents.

 

Strengthening the cooperation among production and researching is the most effective way to speed up the development of LED High Bay Light industry in China. Some domestic research institutes have independent research abilities, while some LED enterprises have strong manufacturing capabilities. Sense of cooperation between enterprises and research institutes should be strengthened, transmitting research results from research institutes to manufacturers.

 

Overall, China’s LED companies much attach importance to the early accumulation of intellectual properties, arm themselves by suing science and technology, exploit overseas market via patents, change every “trap” into good market prospect.

LED industry under an international perspective

As the world’s most famous new generation light source, LED is known as the most promising green light source in the 21st century, because of its high brightness, low heat generation, long lifetime, non-toxic, recyclable utilization. With the further increase of global LED market, our domestic LED industry is facing great opportunities. But there are also many unprecedented challenges waiting in the front. Currently, LED core technologies and patents are basically controlled in the foreign companies’ hands. It can be said that China’s LED enterprises are just OSAT of the world. They are slowly and painfully moving forward.

 

As the world’s most famous new generation light source, LED is known as the most promising green light source in the 21st century

 

After 20 years development, the general global industrial pattern has been formed: Asia, North America, Europe are the three major market center of global LED industry. And most core technologies have also controlled by Nichia Chemical, Toyoda Gosei, Corey, Puri and OSRAM. Several large international manufacturers from Japan, the U.S. and Europe represent today’s LED upstream industrial level, which has significant influences on industrial development, especially in the aspect of price monopoly and technology monopoly. More than 50% core patents are in the hands of large LED enterprise. Relatively, our domestic LED industry is still in the immature stage. 80% applications are from outdoor landscape lighting area, traffic lighting area and other outdoor led high bay light application market. General residential lighting market is still on the way of promoting.

 

With the rapid development of domestic LED lighting market, more and more foreign companies shifted their attention to China. In recent years, the number of patent applications in our country has showed a significant increasing trend. According to the report “Risks Analysis of Semiconductor Lighting Patents” published by the Development Research Center of the State Intellectual Property Office, there are 22 countries and regions around the world have applied for patents in China. The top five countries are Japan, South Korea, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. Among them, Japan holds a safe lead by 1306 patents, accounting for 24%. In the aspect of valid patents, the ratio of domestic patent applications and foreign patent applications (in China) is around 4:5. However, among these domestic patent applications, companies from Taiwan occupied the most proportion: 53%. Seen from the distribution of industry chain, overseas companies have more patents in LED chip industry and packing industry. More than half of the LED core invention patent applications happened in our county.

Analysis of LED hotel lighting applications

In hotel lighting environment, good lighting applications can make customers feel safety and comfortable, highlighting the quality and taste of the hotel and bringing about multiplier effects. Thus among all service industries, it is hotel and restaurant that have more strict requirements on lighting decoration.

 

In hotel lighting environment, good lighting applications can make customers feel safety and comfortable, highlighting the quality and taste of the hotel and bringing about multiplier effects.

 

Hotel lighting designs should be achieve different lighting effects, rendering different atmosphere via different lighting schemes in different areas. Mr. Zhen Zihao is an owner of a four-star hotel in the mainland. He shared his invaluable experience with us in the respect of hotel lighting design and decoration. In his point of view, different parts of the hotel should adopt different lighting decorative concepts to achieve different lighting effects. For example, the purpose of external wall lighting is to highlight the entire outline of the building during the night, reveal high taste styles, make it stand out from the surrounding environment. Of course, the final goal of this is to attract more customers, improving the occupancy rate. The three main areas of the hotel lobby should also present different features: the reception should show an atmosphere of welcome, elegant, expressive and infection. The major functions of the Services Desk are to meet the guest registration, checkout, and other operations, thus the lighting design in this area should be brighter. The guest lounge area should create a comfortable, casual, intimate atmosphere. There are no natural led high bay light in the hallway and elevator waiting area, thus a 24-hour lighting effect should be maintained within these areas. Lighting products used in these areas should be functional, comfort, secure, and also energy-saving, with long service life, etc..

 

Taken energy-saving and user-friendly into account, more and more hotels tended to use green lighting products. LED lighting technology is undoubtedly the most “well-known” green light sources. LED hotel lighting applications also became a hot topic in recent years. Driven by the need of energy saving, the development trend of hotel lighting industry will go direct to low-power applications and small size. LED hotel lighting applications provided such possibilities. Good-quality light sources gave designers more creating space. In the meanwhile, due to the development of LED technology, the future LED hotel lighting applications could also realize intelligent control.

How to choose LED controllers?

LED controllers control every switch in LED control circuits via chip processing. With the continuous growing of LED light sources, more and more clients and end users required to use controllers. However, unlike LED lighting fixtures, LED controllers have developed only for a few years, still in the immature stage. Ordinary consumers had little knowledge on this part, plus lacking of uniform standards, many consumers had on ideal of how to choose suitable LED controllers for their LED lighting devices.

 

LED controllers control every switch in LED control circuits via chip processing.

 

  1. LED controllers for low-power LED devices:

The normal working voltage of low-voltage LED devices is usually 12VDC-24VDC, normally 3-6 series in each branch, using current-limiting resistances to control the current in each branch under 20mA. Multi-branch LED lighting devices have both advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: low-voltage, simple structure, simple design; disadvantages: high current in large-scale applications, low-voltage switching power supply required. Low-voltage cannot realize long-distance transmission. Usually electronic devices with low input voltages are relatively small, like billboards, advertising signs, etc. According to this feature, controllers for small LED lighting devices have their own design specifications: 12V LED lamps are usually controlled by 75A/30V MOS power transistors. 24-36V LED devices are usually controlled by 60A/50V MOS power transistors.

 

  1. LED controllers for high-power LED devices:

High-power LED products work under 220VAC (or different AC in different countries). There are usually 36-48 LED chips connected in series in one branch. The normal working current for each branch is less than 20mA. There are two major current-limiting methods: a. current limitation though resistors. Demerit of this method is high power consumption. It is recommended that using 1/4W metal mold resistors after each four series LEDs, to dissipate the heat evenly. Currently, this is the most stable method. Another method is limiting the current via resistor-capacitor connecting in series. By doing so, most potential will drop on capacitors, low power consumption, only can be used in a stable long bright state.

 

  1. Low-voltage LED devices + DMX 512 controllers:

Many architectural and decorative led high bay light projects need to use a large number of LED lighting products. At present only DMX 512 controllers could realize multi-branch control. There are two methods: a. Achieving the purpose of control through serial signal transmission; b. Achieving the purpose of control through parallel signal; In order to avoid the drawback of serial signal chips (easily damaged), DMX 512 controllers adapt parallel connecting of their signal lines. Thus the failure of one branch has no influences on other branches.

Solar-related LED lighting business is supported by the government

LED industry is the main content of National strategic industries. In recent years, the government has launched a series of support policies. The current industrial prosperous closely related to the encouraging policies of the government, especially for solar-related LED lighting business. In order to obtain sustainable developments in semiconductor technology and renewable resources industry, solar-related LED lighting business was no doubt a breakthrough. It is expected that the corresponding market would be full of potentials and opportunities.

 

Solar-related LED lighting business is supported by the government

 

According to recent relevant announcement, the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology respectively put forward long-term positive plans to support technology innovation / upgrading, application promoting in LED industry, including solar-related LED lighting business.

 

From central government to local governments, all levels of institutions changed the focus from investments and supports to market promotion and support. The State Council has recently release the latest subsidy mode for LED energy-saving lighting products. In addition, local governments all over the country started to replace the old MOCVD production line subsidy mode by support strategy to help local LED-related enterprises to occupy the market. Both of these two them predicted the changes of the government’s support strategy: from investment supports to application promoting supports. This is an important symbol of the developing transition of LED industry. It also means that LED lighting market will path into a mass-market application epoch.

 

As important measures for the transformation of the economic developing modes and adjustments of industrial structure, LED and semiconductor lighting has been listed as the new seven strategic emerging industries. On 16th May this year, the State Council executive meeting decided to implement energy-saving projects, launching 4 types of related subsidies, including high-efficiency lamps (energy-saving lamps and LED lights). On 19th July, the National Development and Reform Commission released the 2012/2013 annual financial subsidy policy to promote semiconductor (LED) lighting products. To support the technical innovations of led high bay light and semiconductor lighting, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology arranged a series of developing projects for electronic information industry, as an important measure of autonomy support for LED innovations. Subsidies used in key technological breakthroughs, technology development, test method development and capability enhancement.

Brightness limitation of LED billboards

Large LED screens that set up outside the buildings always flash blindly. Will flashed neon out of the window kept you from sleeping during the summer night? According to Tu Haiming, CPPCC member, Shanghai will be divided into four sections in accordance with the brightness of environment and different functional properties. By then, the brightness of LED billboards, LED advertising screens will be limited.

 

Large LED screens that set up outside the buildings always flash blindly.

 

“I crossed through this intersection every day after work. I need to wear sunglasses, since the intense light from these screens caused glare and made us easily to run red lights. ” This is a “scared” intersection for many new hands, like Mr. Lee, whose driving age is only one year. Located between Middle Henan Rd and East Nanjing Rd, a huge LED advertising screen was installed on the out wall of one building along the street. When night fell, the bright colorful light coming from the screen greatly attracted pedestrians, but also issued harsh light.

 

In one recently handed in report, Mr. Tu Haiming indicated pointed out that many aspects in the management and supervision of light pollution are still in a blank state: definition of light pollution; testing standards; definition of liability; government authorities and penalties. The first local standard to limit light pollution “Urban Environment (Decorative) Lighting Specification” was introduced on 1st September of 2004 in Shanghai. However, this is an industry standard, having no legal force. Besides, this specification only limited the brightness of traditional outdoor advertising signs and billboards, but without any related regulations for LED billions and outdoor screens.

 

In the aspect of the supervisory subjects, the Environmental Protection Department implied that they had no legal protection. Thus it is rather difficult for them to manage the light pollution, like air pollution and water pollution. The Environmental Protection Department only can cope with led high bay light pollutions caused by outdoor landscape lighting fixtures, while surface reflections coming from building outside walls usually under the management of Construction Management Office.

 

In this regard, the Shanghai Green and Urban Appearance Bureau (SGUAB) is drafting regulations for Shanghai landscape lighting facilities, laying claim in aspects of planning, construction, utilization, maintenance, energy conservation, pollution control and other specific requirements. SGUAB also released relevant rules to control the brightness outdoor LED landscape light-emitting facilities, including LED billboards.