Makers of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) continue to improve their products for longer lifetime, higher efficiency and brightness, and other performance factors. With these enhancements, LEDs are paving the way for brighter, more attractive lighting in applications such as vehicles and signage, and finding new uses in areas such as agriculture.
The global LED lighting market size was estimated at $29.65 billion in 2016, according to a report by Grandview Market Research titled, “LED Lighting Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product.” The firm says that increasing demand for power-efficient illuminating systems across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors; rising concern over reduction of non-renewable sources of power; and decreasing price of LED lights are likely to aid industry growth over the coming years.
Ultrabright LEDs
Material and fabrication advances continue to improve LED brightness. The optoelectronics group of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. has introduced a series of blue and true green ultrabright LEDs in compact, untinted surface-mount packages with dome lenses. Utilizing the latest advanced InGaN /sapphire chip technology and offering a narrow emission angle of ± 9° without the need for an external lens, the VLD.1232 series (Figure 1) delivers extremely high brightness with luminous intensity to 16,000 mcd typical.
Supplied in 2.3 mm x 2.3 mm x 2.8-mm plastic cases, the LEDs suit traffic signals and signs, interior and exterior lighting, and indicators and backlighting for audio and video equipment, LCD switches, and illuminated advertising.
Available in gull-wing and reverse gull-wing versions, the devices offer high luminous flux, withstand ESD voltages up to 2 kV per JESD22-A114-B, and are luminous- and color-categorized per packing unit.
Cree, Inc. has announced the next-generation XLamp® XP-E2 Photo Red (660-nm) and Far Red (730-nm) LEDs (Figure 2). The Red XP-E2 LEDs provide a drop-in upgrade for the previous generation that outperforms competing LEDs by up to 68 percent. Designed for agriculture applications, these LEDs increase the efficiency of LED luminaires and shorten their payback periods, making it more affordable to grow food under optimized lighting.
The XP-E2 LEDs are a drop-in upgrade for existing XP-based horticulture designs with the same mechanical and optical characteristics as the previous generations. They measure 3.45 x 3.45 mm with a maximum drive current of 1 A and a maximum power of 3 W. Maximum light output is 283 lumens and the viewing angle is 110 deg.
Dialight has launched two snap-in panel mount indicators for application in mounting holes over 1/2 in. The 653 and 654 Series (Figure 3), for 0.57-in.(14.7-mm) and 0.657-in. (16.7-mm) mounting holes, are Dialight’s first snap-in panel mount LED indicators for mounting holes exceeding 1/2 in., filling a gap in the industry for applications in process machinery, warning light panels, and other indoor and enclosed applications. Both products are available in red, green, yellow, and blue.
The 653 and 654 Series are compatible with panels 0.7 to 3.5 mm thick. Both high-intensity LEDs provide up to 100,000 hours of clear, uniform illumination in an energy-efficient solution that uses up to 90 percent less power than an incandescent indicator. The low-profile, polycarbonate colored lenses match the LEDs to provide truer, richer color for high visibility in a durable housing.
The LEDs have a rated operating temperature range of -20°C to +80°C, and are compatible with 12- and 24-VDC drive circuits.