EVERLIGHT Electronics Co., Ltd. (EVERLIGHT) on June 10, 2017 filed a patent infringement action against Bridgelux, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. EVERLIGHT is claiming that Bridgelux infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,335,548 and 7,253,448 by manufacturing and selling infringing LED products, including for example the Bridgelux 2835 series.

The leading designers seized the opportunity of the ‘Picnic Passover with Black Coffee’, a pumping electronic music event presented by The Tripping in Tel Aviv’s most famous urban oasis, Hayarkon Park, to utilise 48 x Spiiders and 24 x Robe Pointes on a circular trussing structure, forming a massive ‘sun’, which was winched above the crowds on a crane

Future Lighting Solutions, the world-class leader and innovator in demand creation, marketing and distribution of solid-state lighting technologies, announces the inclusion of non-visible LEDs and horticultural LEDs to its Usable Light Tool (ULT). Available free of charge to engineers worldwide, the ULT enables lighting designers to simulate usable light from LEDs, allowing the user to make critical LED selection decisions.

On 13 June 2017 the Zumtobel Group opened the first showroom displaying the international lighting group’s entire product range. In collaboration with the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta, the Zumtobel Group has created a space over approximately 250 square metres in which light can be experienced in all its diverse areas of application. The display is located in the Swedish city of Malmö, which is already home to Zumtobel Group’s main sales office for the Nordic region. The site is now being extended with the showroom in the same building. 

Traxon Technologies, an Osram brand and global leader in dynamic lighting, has announced the launch of Dot XLQ-8 RGBW, a fully customizable, dynamic LED node solution for a wide range of lighting and media applications. The high brightness and intelligent four-colors-per-node RGBW media dot design supports Ethernet communication and Remote Device Management (RDM), making it ideal for even the most complex lighting scenarios.

Ring spotlights are for general indoor lighting. The slim elongated spotlights offer considerable light output that enhances every inch of any interior space.

At this moment in the history of the LED industry, we have already witnessed it passed into the maturity stage, struggled to revive by finding new beachhead markets (and it succeeded), and advanced its production, ready to embrace future business possibilities. LED chip manufacturers and packagers worldwide have now been gradually shifting their focus to develop products for niche markets, including UV LED, IR LED, automotive, horticultural, and even smart lighting.

Keystone Technologies, a major manufacturer of quality-driven lighting solutions for over 70 years, announces the release of a new LED module that installs 50% faster than a standard LED module. AlumaGroove is a patented technology combining a rigid aluminum chassis with a pre-mounted linear LED module. It is a stand-alone system that can be installed almost anywhere without the need for further heat sinking. Integrated thermal management means exceptionally cool operating temperatures. 

Philips Lighting announced that the stadium lighting in Parc Olympique Lyonnais (Parc OL) will change to LED lighting. The 59,286-capacity stadium - host to French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais - is the first stadium in France to integrate dynamic LED pitch and grandstand lighting with moving entertainment color spots. This combination offers exceptional pitch lighting at sporting events, and the ability to enrich the fan experience through dazzling light shows during a diverse range of entertainment events from pre-match and half time shows to concerts and much more.

Philips Lighting announced that it will provide LLC Agro-Invest, Russia’s most innovative greenhouse produce company, with LED grow lights to support cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses covering an area of more than 25 hectares (equivalent in size to about 40 soccer pitches). The project, which is the largest LED horticultural lighting project ever undertaken, will enable year-round growing, help boost yields - especially in the winter - and will save 50 percent on energy costs compared to conventional high-pressure sodium lighting. The project also underlines a global trend for large-scale LED horticultural lighting implementations that can support demand for locally grown produce. 

In the ever-growing LED market, automotive LEDs are witnessing a rapid development. This is driven by various regulations enforced by governments around the world for fuel-efficient gasoline vehicles. In addition, manufacturers of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles have increasingly embraced new technologies. Also, with substantial development in automotive electronics, many LED manufacturers are now trying to gain their positions in this market.

The world LED lighting market has passed into the maturity stage, of which the saturation makes a few segments struggle. According to stats from LEDinside, a division of market research company TrendForce, the world LED lighting market reached a value of USD 29.6 billion in 2016 and by 2017 the number will have possibly amounted to USD 33.1 billion, suggesting more room for the penetration rate of LED lighting, currently at 52% and continually to grow. However, price wars and technology competitions that run in the low-end market rankle international LED manufacturers. Hence, as part of Tier 1 companies, fairly competitive in finance and technology, tend to focus on high efficient LED lighting and other niche markets.

Taiwan’s major annual optoelectronics industry exhibition, Photonics Festival 2017, will be held in Nangang Exhibition Hall of Taipei World Trade Center from June 14 to 16. Some of the highlights in the LED section of this exhibition includes products for the automotive industry and applications related to ultraviolet (UV) LEDs. LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, projects that the scale of the global UV LED market will increase from US$288 million in 2017 to US$526 million in 2020. Furthermore, the CAGR of the UV LED market in the 2015~2020 period is currently estimated at 34%. These and other data can be found in LEDinside’s 2017 UV LED vs. UV LED Module Market Report.

Innovations in Optics, Inc. introduces the 5500A Solid-State Source Driver/Controller to independently drive, control and modulate as many as 18 different solid-state sources, including combinations of LEDs and LDs and even IR VCSEL arrays.  The 5500A Solid-State Source Driver/Controller provides precise, independent, constant current control up to 3A per source channel to achieve optimal performance. Its ground based design is configured for common cathode LED or LD devices which allows for multiple channels to be run in parallel for a combined current of up to 54A.

The latest mini-collection from Zumtobel brings together creative solutions with real technological innovation. Four existing high-quality products have been technologically enhanced to create the editions – extended collection. Available from June 2017, these fittings incorporate a bit of ‘TECHxtra’, demonstrating the courage to blaze a new trail through the design landscape. 

More than 25 years ago, the Topled set a worldwide standard as the first surfacemountable LED. Osram Opto Semiconductors now presents the latest generation, the Topled E1608, which has a package that is smaller than its predecessor models by factor 20. Despite this considerable miniaturization the low-power LED is bright, reliable and robust. The compact Topled offers greater options and greater design flexibility, particularly for car interior applications. 

LumiGrow Inc., the leader in smart horticultural lighting, will be premiering their LED lighting and software suite at this year’s United FreshTEC Expo for the first time in Chicago on June 13th to 15th. 

To improve forward visibility for drivers and provide customized styling options for automakers, Magna introduces D-Optic™ LED headlamps. D-Optic lighting represents the next generation of LED headlamps and an auto-industry first by combining multiple high-power LEDs with precise, injection-molded lenses to achieve high performance with efficient energy use.

LUMIBRIGHT is a globally active manufacturer of smart LED lighting solutions across all elements of lighting: Power, Control, and Luminaries. The main objective is to provide highest quality LED products and superior customer service through a commitment to excellence, continuous improvement and innovative technology. With over 4000 products ranging from elegant showpiece pendant lights to complex architectural lighting solutions, LB range cover all aspects of residential and commercial lighting including indoor lights, outdoor lights, decorative lights, tube profiles, LED neon flex and all electrical accessories including drivers for light fitting.

Oscilloscape, a pioneer in neuroscience of music technology, announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign (//kck.st/2swLl5S) to fund its first consumer offering, the Synchrony™ LED Controller. The Intelligent LED Controller creates spectacular lighting effects for music enthusiasts.

  Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, announced it has repurchased 57,818 shares in the period June 5, 2017 to June 9, 2017. The shares were repurchased at an average price of EUR 34.49 per share and an aggregate amount of EUR 1.99 million.

The 22nd edition of the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE), the most influential and comprehensive lighting and LED event in Asia, has just ended on June 12th 2017 in Guangzhou. Shanghai Wellmax Lighting Industry Co. (WELLMAX), as the industry-wide renowned “LED Bulb Expert” exhibited the trendiest and the best-selling products during the four-day fair, gathering international buyer and media attentions.

U.S. Gas & Electric, Inc. ("USG&E"), a national retail energy supplier operating in eleven states and the District of Columbia, announces the launch of its Simply Green program featuring greencents™.  USG&E provides energy products and services to nearly 250,000 customers across the U.S. and offers a variety of value-added energy products.  In addition to USG&E Rewards, which provides qualified customers exceptional rewards each and every month, customers now have the opportunity to benefit from the latest in energy-efficiency technology and information provided by USG&E's Simply Green program.

CORIAL, a pioneer in design and manufacturing of plasma processing equipment for specialty semiconductor markets, is expanding its global business reach. The company is actively looking for new distributor partners to join its sales and support network.

MaxLite has launched a full line of LED lamps certified to meet Joint Appendix 8 (JA8) of the Title 24 2016 building code requirements for the State of California.

It is inevitable to find some exhibitors keep harping on the same old products at a tremendous lighting exposition as GILE 2017 (of course it is for they were there to trade), but it is also fairly reasonable to spot something new, let alone when walking around in the hall of LED chips and packages (of which the market is now a deep red ocean in China).

Hitachi, Ltd. announced the development of a prototype system for a new breath-alcohol detection device equipped with facial recognition, and verification field tests with Hitachi Capital Auto Lease Co., Ltd. (Hitachi Capital Auto Lease). 

The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (hereinafter “TNO”) and USHIO INC. (HQ: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenji Hamashima) announced that TNO opened an experimental EUV exposure and analysis facility (“EBL2”) on March 27, 2017. Through this facility, TNO provides EUV-related companies and institutions with the services to study and evaluate EUV optics as well as masks, pellicles, and sensors.

The slim elongated spotlights offer considerable light output that enhances every inch of any interior space.

Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, introduced Dow Corning CL-1000 Optical Silicone Binder, a new, more thermally stable, high refractive index (RI) material available only in China that is formulated to expand design options for high-power chip-scale LED packaging (CSP). The latest addition to the company’s portfolio of advanced solutions for LED lighting, CL-1000 Binder offers best-in-class thermal stability and is optimized for compression molding processes.