BCD Electric Blog

Posted on Monday, May 21, 2007

NEW LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY: TINY SOURCE THAT LASTS UP TO 22 YEARS

NEW LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY: TINY SOURCE THAT LASTS UP TO 22 YEARS
01/03/2002
SAN JOSE, CA -- Lumileds Lighting has introduced a groundbreaking new lighting technology called Luxeon™ that gives lighting designers the ability to create a new breed of fixtures with tiny light sources that don’t need to be replaced for decades.
The Luxeon Power Light Source family consists of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that have been specially engineered to match the brightness of traditional lighting. Using patented technology that makes it possible to enlarge the LED chip for more light output while maintaining proper heat and current management, Luxeon LEDs are able generate 10 to 20 times more light than standard indicator lights. This makes LEDs a practical illumination source for lighting fixtures for the first time.
For lighting designers, this means:
New design possibilities -- Since Luxeon LEDs are a fraction of the size of incandescent and halogen light sources, designers can create lighting solutions that are smaller, sleeker and lighter in weight than ever before. That can mean new silhouettes, invisible light points, and the ability to shrink the size of the optical lens.
‘Permanent’ bulbs -- A Luxeon device will last up to 100,000 hours compared to 1,000 to 2,000 hours for a typical incandescent bulb — long enough to last for 22 years in virtually any general lighting product, based on average operation of 12 hours per day. As a result, the light source can be integrated directly into the fixture without worrying about lamp replacement. Just fit it and forget it.
Energy savings -- Luxeon is more energy-efficient than incandescent and many halogen lamps. This stems from low power consumption as well as Luxeon ’s ability to produce 20 lumens per watt in white and as much as 50 lumens per watt in color — far surpassing an incandescent bulb in efficiency. Those efficiencies are continually climbing, with significant advances expected to hit the market in 2002.
Environmental soundness -- Because it is based on LED technology, Luxeon contains no mercury, thereby avoiding potential health hazards inherent in light sources like fluorescent lamps. The long life of a Luxeon device also eliminates waste and disposal problems that can take a toll on the environment.
High light output -- Luxeon can generate up to 324 lumens of white light, as much as 792 lumens of red light, and comparable brightness in other colors, depending on the number of Luxeon LEDS in the array configuration purchased. This output — the highest in the industry for LEDs — continues to rise through ongoing R&D.
White and color options-- Luxeon is available in white as well as green, blue, cyan, red, red-orange and amber.