作者：Blade

The development trends of the led lighting design industry

2010 was a bumper year of China’s lighting design. This year, the Government promote the demonstration project”ten city thousand lights”. The world-class lighting project, the Shanghai World Expo and Guangzhou Asian Games debut; This year, led lights power supply,  lighting designers in China than 10,000, Tsinghua University, Fudan University dozens of colleges and universities offer a led lighting design courses; This year, the scale of China’s LED industry is about to exceed 110 billion yuan, representing an increase of 30 percent over 2009!

led lighting design

However, China’s led lighting design still have many deficiencies-imperfect market order, large differences in technical standards, severe light pollution and many other issues from time to time emerge;” experts refer to certain business district business district seems to light the garbage dump, poverty-stricken countries of Jiangsu spent million to build a world-class lighting project, the residents that night street lights like a day”articles are frequent newspaper. For doubt, five expert opinion pointed out that the lighting design industry, the next step in the development of the ten trends.

The surface of the smoked: Chairman of the Japan Association of led lighting design, a well-known led lighting products designer

Japanese design has never been compatible with the sense of form and function to win from their landscape and buildings, revealing the beauty of an warm. Japan’s famous lighting designers face the smoked lights, shining advantages.

Trends: designers should be good at the role of transposition, add the humane thinking

Crowned by the lighting industry a number of honors was the smoke that: Lighting design is not just the times the surface of the consumables, but on Earth the diversification of the various places “on the basis of the light culture. Excellent lighting designer should be familiar with this principle, lighting rendering “people feel comfortable” environment.

So, life in order to feel happy and “light design” what is it? On this point, a smoked surface as a lighting designer revealed the artist’s side: the light is directly on the person’s inner world impact, should have a better than a work of art moved, so that the sadness of the people’s hearts are cure, and more emphasis on moderate excitement, and physical and mental illness battle.

Talked about the lighting industry in China “exports and domestic sales”

The industrialization in developed countries has been completed, the process of urbanization in city has apparently slowdown. Habitat plain near consumer has entered the service sector, the basic stability of the demand for lighting products. However, the pace of mediation of industrial structure in developed countries did not stop. Some labor-intensive industries continue to make substantial transfer to developing countries(view led lights), making a difference in the degree of developed countries, domestic coherent industry supply some landing lighting industry products for the Chinese to go abroad create a certain market space.

lighting industry

Lamps exports: for example the 2010 Guangdong Zhongshan lighting

In 2010, Zhongshan lighting value of exports reached $ 1.348 billion,  ranking the biggest this year, an increase of 37%. Zhongshan, electric light and lighting are the main exports to other regions like Europe, USA, Middle East and ASEAN, the EU and the Zhongshan lamps largest export market, export value reached  $ 325 million.US market growth rate ranks the first of four major export markets last year, Zhongshan exports to the U.S. $ 300 million, an increase of 41.5%. The rapid growth of emerging markets, last year, lighting exports to Africa, South American market increased by 107.8% and 78.6%, coming from behind the revival of the Russian market, and increase of up to 72.3%.

On the category of export lamps, LED products increased three times. Last year, LED products, exports of about $ 42,923,000, an increase of 344%, indicating that the LED technology speed up application speed of the electric light and lamps, replace some incandescent and energy-saving lamps needs. At present, Zhongshan has formed a major lighting manufacturers for nearly 20 annual export of over a hundred million, of which some enterprises gradually opened up to Europe and the United States and other high-end market to high-quality products, but most enterprises on an OEM basis to participate in the international division of labor. Thus, the export situation of the entire lighting industry is showing an upward trend of the straight line.   Lighting export enterprises in 2011 is not difficult to see the light.

With the upgrading consumption ability of domestic products, Southwest, Northwest, Northeast and other places have great demand in modern lights. Local consumers with the lighting of the modern style have a lot of stress, which will promote the new type of light source lighting products. The future outlook of domestic lighting industry market is very impressive.

Simple and practical home lights are the king

In recent years, driving by the property market, Lighting consumption develop to the energy conservation, overall development of intelligent, professional lighting store, lighting store are rising. Lighting product design shows a variety of personalization trend, crystal home lights, children’s lighting, creative lighting, all kinds of lighting ranging. It is gratifying that, in the pursuit of individuality at the same time, more and more lighting products began to focus on energy efficiency, green lighting concept has been  the unanimous approval of the businesses and consumers.

home lights

Simple lighting is the more popular one

The person in charge of a dealer Miss Yu said, appliance lighting business in 2010 are off season compared to the previous light. She believes that the biggest reason is the decoration people is relatively few. Qingyuan property prices may be inflated, and invest more.” Some people have two or three suites, actually, they can not live so much, so mostly they invest.

Secondly, lighting shop are getting more and more, competition is intense lighting design style, type of update soon, a shop can not cover every style, competition is inevitable. “Miss Yu said, as a brand to ensure that business still have certain advantages. Such as after-sales service, factory support.

In another aspects, in the product application, simple is the mainstream of lamps in the market. Miss Yu introduced, “the Op products has  always been a concise, easy to clean and more popular.” The modern lamps are in the “light up” to “pretty up” transition, focusing on the decorative and aesthetic effect of the lamps. Many consumers do not like complicated decorations. “Simple is not simple, but taste, simple lighting can better reflect the taste of home.”

LED lights entered the home lighting

With the popularity of green lighting, energy efficient lighting market is more open. At the same time, consumers can largely accept the energy-saving lamps. “Our energy-saving lamps sold well, consumers are aware of the benefits of energy-saving lamps. “Miss Yu introduced, in addition to the ordinary energy-saving lamps, LED home lights are gradually getting popular. If the 2009 is LED landing home lighting “signs of the Year, 2010” Try the year, so 2011 is likely to enter the year.

How far does the gap between reality LED lighting market and the ideal one?

Incandescent will be eliminated, and energy-saving lamps are emerging, LED lights are in the ascendant, but the industry on the LED lighting market prospects and rashness. It is based on LED prospects promising, from the international semiconductor giants to unknown small factory. Some insiders jokes that now is not involved in LED ashamed speaking of the lighting industry.

LED lighting market

However, the industry’s lighting market outlook is very rashness, more concentrated in low-end market, a conservative estimate of 3 yuan of each incandescent lamp. The world’s 2 billion stock market, but six billion; 10 billion energy-saving lamps of 20 yuan but 200 billion, while the high-end intelligent LED lighting market, the report estimated that the capacity will reach $ 200 billion in five years.

The data show that the lighting energy consumption accounted for 22 percent of the world total electricity consumption is green lighting. The significance of 80% power consumption can be reduced from incandescent to energy-saving lamps. When the replacement completed, the global LED lighting market energy consumption will be reduced according to 17% of current NXP chip used in energy-saving lamps of 60 million, equivalent to an annual reduction of 500 million kilograms of carbon dioxide, and future sales is expected to expand 10 times and 20 times, saving significance is enormous. Criticized by the world energy-saving lamps mercury pollution, in fact, there is a great misunderstanding. On the other hand, energy-saving lamps mercury contamination does exist. However, many natural areas have mercury pollution, the relative energy-saving lamps talk about mercury discoloration. Study have shown that the mercury in a energy-saving lamps are less than a marine fish such as salmon sharks.

Right now, International semiconductor giants basically has embarked on the LED layout, NXP already has a chip by 70 005 thousand hours, 105-degree heat of the experimental test, which is the world’s first application-level LED chips, and its SSL2101/2102 since 2009since May, has sold 10 million in May this year, sales momentum, Jin Meng, more than dozens of well-known companies have for dimmable LED bulbs. Which SSL2102 International Lighting Fair in Las Vegas in May 2010 Technology Innovation Award.

For the heat problems that LED lamps designed. Although there has the fan, open and  short-term solution, yes solving the fundamental direction of the LED application is to improve the light efficiency of the same upgrade. LED is also a semiconductor, subjecting to Moore’s Law. The performance will be greatly improved on a regular basis. Talking about the LED market applications, some people think that the direction should be intelligent, innovative lighting.

Cooling design of high-power LED tunnel lights

LED is a type of photoelectric devices. Take the existing most advanced high-power LED chips for instance, the conversion from electrical energy to optical energy is only 15%-20%, far less than the requirements of most industrial applications and commercial applications. The rest 85%-80% energy will be transformed into heat, keeping LEDs in an over-heated state. That is the reason why most high-power LED lighting products have relatively short service lives. On the other hands, the luminous flux (lumen output) of LED lights will be reduced with the increase of PN junction temperatures. Thus an incompetent cooling design may dramatically cut down the lighting effect and working time of high-power LED tunnel lights.

 

Thus an incompetent cooling design may dramatically cut down the lighting effect and working time of high-power LED tunnel lights.

 

Currently, there are three major solutions for cooling technology of high-power LED tunnel lights: 1) natural cooling. Adding fans/ventilators and heat pipes/sinks to assist cooling. Natural heat dissipation is base on natural convection and thermal radiation, reliable structure, waterproof, but strict in the structure design, cannot be easily handled. Normally, the practical effects are far less than the theoretical results. 2) Mandatory cooling through fans/ventilators on the base of forced convection. This method can provide a much faster cooling effect, but generate more noise and cost a lot, hard for waterproof. 3) Mandatory cooling through heat pipes/sinks. This technology takes the use of heat pipes to conduct unwanted thermal energy to heat sinks/pins to realize a rapid thermal dissipation. There are no other motion compartments and the entire system is more stable, but correspondingly cost a lot.

 

Different from ordinary roads, tunnels have many special properties. Mandatory cooling with the help of heat pipes and heat sinks would be the most suitable cooling technology for high-power LED tunnel lights among three. The vertical design of heat dissipation channel can realize the modularization of cooling section. Normally, high-power LED lamps using this cooling method can maintain a working temperature below 70℃, keeping LED chips working in a stable low-light-attenuation state, improving the maintenance factor to save more maintenance costs.

 

According to the airflow characteristics within tunnels, scientists usually made asymmetry ventilation designs, ensuring the air convection cooling. Meanwhile these asymmetry designs also can reduce the mass of soot and other pollutions generated by vehicles to enter the cooling chamber. These dusts may probably absorbed by cooling devices and reduce heat dissipation effects.

Global emerging markets in all lighting are very active

Since 2008, the U.S. and European markets influenced by the financial crisis, so the demand decreased. The importance of global emerging markets are also increasingly subject to the attention of manufacturers: South America and South Africa in recent years. The rapid development of the Middle East market has large demand for low-priced products. In addition, Russia and Eastern Europe is also a potentially large market, many companies have also demonstrated the interest of Russian and Eastern European markets.

Global emerging markets in all lighting are very active

Indian market, India is 80% all lighting products imported from China in the Indian market, the LED lights outdoor use huge space, while the Indian Government is considering the traditional lighting systems for environmental protection and energy saving LED lighting system, which is expected to LED lighting market in India. The growth rate will reach 41.5 percent, and continued until 2015. In South America, Neo-Neon since last year already and gradually increase to expand efforts to develop LED lighting market in South America, led by Brazil. The first LED tunnel light project in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s central city of Neo-Neon Group’s Silver Rain Lighting do the tunnel Ayrton Senna throughout South America’s first highway LED tunnel lighting, which is the landmark projects for LED lighting applications in the tunnel and highway.

In the South African market, there are Chinese enterprises active figure. Zhang Qingyu, NVC lighting Vice president, said that South Africa has become one of the NVC sales overseas markets. In South Africa, NVC dealer business model matures. Right now, the key distribution channels, specialty channels, modern supermarket channels.

Take the Middle East as an example, UAE and other Gulf countries are in a period of economic prosperity, retail, trade and real estate development has led to demand for all lighting, and other areas of Dubai and the UAE population growth has also led to development of the lighting industry.

In Russia, the Kremlin theater lighting project is one of the Shenzhen Mason representative to participate in the global market competition. This prestigious Ballet Theatre “Swan Lake” by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally wrote an inscription, called the world”s most elegant theater one. Party on the theater scene design requirements are very harsh. And layers of rigorous testing and screening, Mason eventually stand out from the many international brands.

White Ray will become the mainstream of architectural LED lighting industry in 2013

It is estimated that the compound annual growth of LED lights industry in Europe is around 38% in next five years, which is the second fastest growing mature market after Japan. Topping the lists were architectural LED lighting (45.8%) and commercial LED lighting (39.2%) due to the price-carelessness and quality-chasing of customers in these two fields.

 

 

White Ray will become the mainstream of architectural LED lighting industry in 2013

 

It is showed by European LED lighting market research report (2011-2015) that the total size of the global architectural LED lighting market is about 3.191 billion USD, accounting for approximately 29% of the overall LED lighting market. Europe, as the prime market, will occupy more than 35% of the global LED lighting market, with an estimated market size of 1.12 billion USD.

 

The multi-color property of LED chips made most business organizations in Europe more willing to spend money on colorful lighting design to promote the cultural and tourism value to attract more visitors.

 

In the past, RGB lighting products were the mainstream in outdoor landscape lighting and indoor decorations. Not until 2011, LED demands were far exceeded by supplies, making the ASP of high-power White Ray LED lighting products dropped by 35-40%. Architectural LED lighting manufacturers started to use White Ray LED lamps. With the rapid improvement of White Ray lighting efficiency and the sharply dropping of prices, it is estimated that by 2013, White Ray will take place of RGB/Color become the mainstream among architectural lighting applications.

 

According to the recent research results, our country has six giant production bases for architectural LED lighting currently. In the first half of 2011, China has put more than 30 billion yuan in LED lighting industry, in which architectural lighting took up 30%.

 

However, the rapid growing trend also brought in disadvantages: the “vicious competition” between companies will weaken the digestion capacity of the market, or even worse, destroy the new-built confidence of this emerging market. Customers’ trust can be easily seriously injured by low-quality products. Once failed to obtain sufficient recognition from market, it is very easily for a new-born industry to be at a virtual standstill for many years. Experts suggested that, before developing architectural LED lighting, government and giant LED enterprises should and are responsible to establish a uniform standard to keep from a potential market chaos.

Three major development potential of LED dimming technology

Dimming is a commonly used technology in the lighting industry. For filament lamps, dimming technology can be easily realized on them in the case of low production costs. While LED dimming technology is much more difficult. For architects and ordinary families, they have no willing to lose the dimming function in the process of replacing traditional lamps with LED lighting products. In this article, we will give a small talk on LED dimming technology to provide some helpful information for someone needed them.

 

In this article, we will give a small talk on LED dimming technology to provide some helpful information for someone needed them.

 

Power Factor (PF) is a rather important parameter among electrical appliances. A higher PF can effectively reduce the energy consumption of distribution network. Thus regulatory agencies around the world are striving to restrict the PF of their electrical appliances within a reasonable region. Energy Star Solid-state Lighting Efficiency Certificate is one famous example, in which the PF of residential electrical applications should be larger than 0.7 and the PF of commercial applications should be larger than 0.9.

 

There are three major methods for LED dimming technology. All of them realize the dimming function through changes of LED drives current. They also can be divided into simulated dimming and PWM dimming on the base of different circuit systems.

 

1)       Dimming LED lights by modulating the derive current. Brightness of LED chips is proportional with the LED drive current, therefore it is available for us to dim LED lights by varying the input current.

2)       Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). ① Convert the input current into square waves, increasing its pulse width; ② Adjust the constant lighting time by adjusting the pulse width, realizing the PF control and dimming at the same time. The dimming frequency is about 200Hz – 10KHz. Due to the visual lag of our eyes, flickers cannot be seen by us. PWM are good at improving cooling sections, which is the biggest advantage of it. However, it also has defects: the excessive input pulse may reduce the service life of LED chips. Currently, PWM is the most common method in LED dimming area.

3)       VID (voltage ID) method. The linear increase or decrease of drive current will have less effect on LED chips. This method is a simulation of power-on/power-off state, also named linear dimming method.

Introduction of real 3D LED display technology

3D LED LCD has become a trend. However, in the field of 3D LED display industry, there is still no 3D-related product coming out. Throughout the history of led lights display technology, from single color to full color, from plane to 3D, it is obvious that 3D LED display technology is an inevitable trend an can be realized one day.

 

3D LED LCD has become a trend. However, in the field of 3D LED display industry, there is still no 3D-related product coming out.

 

Currently 3D used polarized light technology, which can be captured by human eyes and reconstructed within visual centers in the brain. It is in fact seen as a fake 3D technology. Fake 3D technology can have very high resolutions, but still have obvious distinguish with actual feelings.

 

Many universities and research institutes in the world are striving to develop real 3D technology. In spite that the current fake 3D technology has already meet the requirements of most commercial and residential demands, but still incompetent in some other crucial area, such like military, medical (surgery and teaching). Real 3D LED display technology cannot be simply replaced.

 

At the moment, there is no high precision, low cost real 3D LED display been around, but the initial prototype has already created in laboratories, using transparent acrylic tube matrix, evenly distributed by LED tube chips. This device can realize the real 3D effect through the variations of LED lighting spot. Designers also faced up with a lot of problems: which method should be used in modulating signals? Once decided, this procedure will become the most expensive within the entire deign. If simply increase the number of transmitting channels, it is rather difficult to realize the full control of signal processing and signal synchronization. A large amount of computing will be inevitable involved. Currently, scientists are trapped in the options between Hierarchical Data Processing and Column Data Processing. The current work may just prove that which way is impassible. The creation of real 3D LED display still need a long time. Works done or doing would be the bridge to the success future.

 

In the near future, customers may have opportunities to view a “real fight” between Bruce Lee and Fearless before our eyes. Viewing from different angle will give our different visual effects, unlike the current fake 3D technology (same visual effect from different viewing angle).

How to solve the cooling problem of soft LED bars?

1)       Circuit design. The commonly used input voltages of LED bars are 12VDC and 24VDC. Circuits worked under 12VDC are generally combinations of three series branches and multiple parallel branches, while circuit under 24VDC are combination of six series branches and multiple parallel branches. Since soft LED bars should be connected in series, the particular length of these bars all depends on the width of the circuit and the also the thickness of the copper foil. For the reason that the maximum current density per unit area is closed related to the cross section area (CSA), we have to take this point into account during the wiring. Otherwise, soft LED bars will work in overheated conditions due to excessive current. It is cleared that LED lighting products are not sustainable in constant high working temperatures. It will cause unrecoverable damages to circuits and meanwhile reduce the service life of LED lights chips.

 

1) Circuit design. The commonly used input voltages of LED bars are 12VDC and 24VDC.

 

2)       Problems in production process. Since LED bars used series-parallel connections, failure of one branch will increase the input voltage in other branches. Under such circumstance, LED grow lights will send out brighter light, but in the meantime, generate more heat. The clearest example is 5050 soft LED bars. Short circuit in any one of the branch of 5050 bars will double the working current in other branches (from 20mA to 40mA). Users may observe an instant and obvious light enhancing and all together sharply increased working temperature. Circuit may probably be burned up with several minutes in server cases. However this fault is relatively obscure than other problems and hardly be discovered. If testing technicians only concern about whether LED chips work (sending out light) but pay no attention on whether LED chips work in a normal state (sending out normal brightness light), branch short circuit would be frequently occurred. That is the reason why most LED bar producers frequently received feedback from customers complained that their products were overheated and over-bright with unknown reasons.

Solutions:

1)       Increase the distance between wires on circuits as much as possible. It is proved that the ideal condition is larger than 0.5mm. Increase the thickness of copper foils without violating the customers’ requests. General thickness should be 1-1.5 OZ.

2)       Avoid short circuit during the patch.

3)       Double check the patch location before switching on.

4)       Performing electrical testing after switching on. Measuring the light intensity gradually.