Advances in solid-state lighting is the standardization process

         Solid-state lighting in a very short period of time has come a very long history, although the last few years have prospects, "light", but not much success. Today, a growing number of applications it has become a direct competitor to the prior art. Unsupported product claims, specification unqualified and irrelevant to compare the atmosphere has been replaced by a more orderly atmosphere. This is due to the development of key standards bodies and test methods for the most part, such as: IES, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the American National Standard Lighting Group (ANSLG), American National Standards Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology Institute of Underwriters Laboratories, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Commission on Illumination and the Canadian Standards Association.

 

Although there has been great progress in standards, but there is still much work to do, which is why the US Department of Energy (DOE) will continue to provide technical assistance to the standard-setting bodies, efforts to promote dialogue between them, so that they contribute to better coordination and cooperation. But there is a big difference a few years ago out of SSL upcoming new standards and. Since the "western wasteland" The problem has been resolved, the focus today is from the prominent "buyer's Notes" issue, more standards and testing methods can help turn SSL market growth.

 

One topic of concern more recently is how long the product can provide reliable, efficient light. This is difficult to determine both the SSL can not be simply defined, but it is the potential long-life technologies are closely associated. Involved very early (but not solve) the problem is that the life of IES LM-80, which defines a method for measuring the LED package, arrays and modules lumen maintenance. But LM-80 data only tells how to collect lumen maintenance, but did not specify how to predict lumen maintenance performance changes over time. This task is performed by the 2011 publication of IES TM-21 completed.

 

This is just the beginning, there was an increasing number of life issues. 年初 2012, IES published LM-82 "Characterization of LED light engines and licensing of electrical and optical properties of LED lights with temperature changes." It provides a method for estimation of their products lumen maintenance rate, based on the manufacturer of the test fixture or light engine integrated lamp made for lighting manufacturers. Light engine or lamp by manufacturers under different temperature test, then the test data of commercial lighting manufacturers make an estimate lumen maintenance, without having to do a lot of testing.

 

Related standards recently approved the IES LM-84, "LED lights, test methods and lamps lumen and color engines maintained." LM-84 beyond the LM-80, covering all the lamps, not just LED package, arrays and modules. IES TM-26 "rated life estimate an LED package approach" is still in development, it goes beyond the gradual lumen depreciation methods, and in consideration of the LED package level of catastrophic failure.

 

Another relevant standards working group is to TM-28, which is used to predict the lumen maintenance of LED lamps and luminaires, and hope to provide an estimation method for those who need a limited test of the complete product. The idea is to do a small amount of light or lamp test, and compared with the LED chip LM-80 data, to minimize the testing burden on manufacturers.

 

Of course, LED lighting products is a complex system, which not only affected the life of the LED light source, but also by the concern of the components - the drive impact. This component may be designed for some product limiting subassembly. ANSLG currently being developed to solve the "LED drive reliability" standard issue, hoping to provide a reliability test and evaluation specifications for the drive.

 

US Department of Energy and the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance four years ago set up a committee to solve these puzzles, trying to make a comprehensive solution possible LED lamps and lamp life and reliability of the approach. So far has formed two files (can be found in www.ssl.energy.gov/advocates.html), helps to clarify good life SSL core issues and errors. The Commission is currently a subsidiary of LED products for destructive testing. To learn more about the failure mode of the entire system, the purpose is to test the solid-state lighting product life and reliability.

 

Life and reliability are not the only focus of the new standards effort. There is also a part of the standard related to a specific product type or function. For example, NEMA SSL 4 "modified lights: the minimum performance requirements", which is completed in early 2012, on the LED lamps provide different forms of the proposed performance standards can be used as a general reference, given what the requirements are important. In addition, by focusing on the development of "electrical and photometric measurements of organic LED light source", the industry is trying to take advantage of OLED at the forefront of the competition. The standard reference for all the different test methods and standards OLED needed, and confirmed what must build from scratch, which can adapt existing standards to obtain LED.

 

DOE also supports the standard solid-state lighting development of other complex issues, including strobe and dimming. For example, there is not a flicker on how to measure a standard or broad consensus, so we developed our own procedures, and share with the standards working groups and other testing laboratories, use it to measure hundreds of solid-state lighting products. Data and analysis of standards-related work can be produced directly or providing technical education and awareness in the form of seminars. GATEWAY demonstration project by project, and solid-state lighting in the city with the support of the implementation of the Association, and the Association for the development of model specification, we indirectly support the development of outdoor lighting control standards. This is a particularly important area because controllability saving rate can be greatly improved, SSL applications in all controllable better than other lighting technologies.

 

In fact, these new standards and test methods to solve more complex problems more broadly, but also reflects the development of solid-state lighting market. With the solid-state lighting to penetrate into the market, there is more demand for industry standards to identify and clarify. In turn, these new standards increase the likelihood of new products and the need to provide the desired functionality and performance, and to help them realize their full potential.