Recently, Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has announced to set up a joint venture with Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (Toyoda Gosei), for GaN LED Business by the end of 2012. SDK is producing and selling a wide variety of LED chips, including aluminum-gallium-indium-phosphide (AlGaInP), gallium-arsenide (GaAs), gallium-phosphide (GaP), and GaN. It will split its business in gallium-nitride (GaN)-based blue LED chips, and transfer 70% of shares in the new company to Toyoda Gosei. The joint venture will be established in the area of GaN LED chips being pr...

Recently,Toshiba International Corporation has launched new PAR38 and MR16 lamps to its LED lighting line. The new PAR38 1100 Series is a direct replacement for 90 to 110W halogen lamps, offers outputs of up to 1170 lumens, and uses up to 75% less energy than halogens. It’s is available in 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, and 4000K. And the new MR16 450 Series is a direct replacement for 35W halogen lamps, offers lumen outputs of up to 475 lumens, and uses up to 80% less energy than halogens. It comes in 2700K, 3000K, and 4000K color temperatures. Both models...

The sales of LED celling lights have boomed from the aftermath of the Great East Japan earthquake, with energy efficient appliances performing particularly well. According to GfK, LED celling lights have seen a remarkable increase, with their unit sales share soaring from 2.9% in March 2011 to 50.1% in March 2012. In terms of value, there was a notable rise of 64.1% over the same period of analysis, marking the first time sales of LED celling lights have exceeded fluorescent celling lights in both units and value. In 2011, the overall celling light market experienced...

According to Nichia, the company has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Harvatek and the German distributors MSC Microcomputers Systems Components Vertriebs GmbH, "Gleichmann & Co." Electronics GmbH and Glyn Jones GmbH & Co. Vertrieb von elektronischen Bauelementen KG, at the District Court Düsseldorf in Germany on March 29, 2012. The court found with judgments of the same day that Harvatek and said distributors infringe Nichia's patent EP 936 682 (DE 697 02 929) (hereinafter called "YAG patent") concer...

The the joint venture relationship between Mitsubishi Electric and Osram will be constructively dissolved in the process of the merger. However, in consideration of the solid 23-year relationship, Mitsubishi Electric and Osram have agreed to maintain ties in the areas of sales and production, and continue to be strategic global partners in the lighting business.

According to Taiwan-based Delta Electronics CEO Yancey Hai, the company has under its talks with several Japanese customers for contract orders for LED bulbs as well as solar power generation and storage systems, as they’re plagued by an estimated 20-30% shortage of power supply following the mandatory suspension of commercial nuclear plants in Japan. Hai pointed out that inquiries for the said products from Japanese customers are expected to keep increasing in the short term. And the company is optimistic about business outlooks in the second quarter of this year. ...

Taiwan lamp maker China Electric Mfg. Corp., has intended to sell more than 200,000 LED lamps in Japan through its shareholder Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd., and distributors in 2012, nearly triple that sold in the world’s No.3 economy in 2011. The general manager, Z.W. Chang has pointed out that the LED lamps the company will promote in Japan include downlights as well as 9W and 12W light bulbs, estimating the sales will help drive up the company’s LED revenue by 200% from last year’s. According to Chang, LED lamps are becoming popular...

A lot of major manufacturers from Europe, the United States and Japan also exhibit at Singapore Int’l LED/OLED Technology Show 2012 (LEDTEC ASIA 2012). Here is LEDinside’s observation on their products.   Philips Lighting Philips Lighting’s booth Philips Lighting has been in the Singaporean market for quite some time, supplying the market with high bay light products for industrial, commercial and residential uses. The panel light caters to dinning rooms, offices and other commercial spaces Philips’...

Taiwan-based Delta Electronics Inc. and AcBel Polytech Inc. have gained LED lightings orders from Japan, to help Japanese enterprises fight against upcoming price hikes of electricity caused by upcoming suspension of nuclear power plants. Reportedly, Japan has ordered a total of 54 commercial nuclear power plants to suspend operations by the end of April for periodical maintenance. However, due mainly to the public’s fear about radioactive contamination in the environment, it didn’t come out the concrete timetables for resumption. In addition, electricity ...

Sharp has added a new white high-performance LED series to its Pico Zenigata LED portfolio. The line-up now comprises three different series that shine with luminous flux levels of up to 72.5 lumens and with an efficiency of up to 125 lm/W. With just a single LED, the types of the GM2BBxxQK1C series achieve luminous flux levels of up to 24.5 lumens and an efficiency of up to 125 lm/watt. Luminous flux and efficiency of the other two series were improved accordingly: above all the GM2BBxxQKAC (2 LED dies) reaches up to 46.7 lumens with an effective powe...

A Japanese research group led by Chihaya Adachi and Kenichi Goushi, professors at the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA) of Kyushu University, has developed a high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED device without using any rare metal. It has an external quantum efficiency of higher than 5%, as one of the highest in the world for phosphorescent OLED devices that do not contain any rare metal.   Because phosphorescent materials can realize an internal quantum efficiency of 100%, they are popular in being using in high-efficiency OL...

Recently, Panasonic has made a donation of 2,000 Solar LED Lanterns to 15 NPOs and NGOs working toward the solution of various social issues in Cambodia. As a member of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), Cambodia is experiencing firm growth, but due to its long civil war, it still faces problems such as in education and healthcare. In particular, electricity in particular has only a 24% spread (Source: The International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2011). And the gift of solar LED lanterns to NPOs and NGOs active in education, healthca...

Recently, Japanese LED product supplier Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. has filed a lawsuit with the Taoyuan District Court in northern Taiwan, accusing its Taiwanese counterpart Formosa Epitaxy Inc. of infringing on two patents asserted by the Japanese firm related to GaN-based LED chip production. According to Hsu Hung-sheng, a lawyer for the Japanese firm, said his client has sought damages from Formosa Epitaxy and requested the court issue an injunction to bar the Taiwanese defendant from manufacturing and selling the disputed LED products. Additionally, not...

Panasonic’s LED Clear Light Bulb (LDAHV4L27CG) and HD Integrated Camera (AW-HE120) are received two Gold Awards, the highest honor in the iF Product Design Award at the recent iF Design Awards 2012 presented by iF International Forum Design based in Hannover, Germany. This year there were a total of 4,322 entries from 48 counties in all award categories, and 1,218 products were selected by the panel of judges. Among these, 100 products were recognized with the prestigious Gold Awards. The Gold-winning LED Clear Light Bulb provides...

Japanese Kyushu Sangyo University’s professor Taro Ochiai has developed LED traffic lights which can be seen by colour-blind drivers. Prof Ochiai starts to study LED application in 2003, when they first began to be used in traffic lights in preference to regular light bulbs. Sources has shown that colour-blindness affects around 8 per cent of males and 0.5 per cent of females, with most people with the condition experiencing problems differentiating between red and green. As a result , Colour-blind drivers reported that the LED signals were more difficult for the...

Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corp has added two daylight- and incandescent-color cylindrical (T-type) LED light bulbs to its "E-core" series. According to the company, the brightnesses of the daylight products are 600lm, and 485lm for incandescent-color products, equivalent to the brightness of a 40W incandescent light bulb. Both of them have rated power consumption of 7.4W. It is the first time that the company has announced to release a T-type LED light bulb. The external diameter, length and light distribution angle of the 7.4W T-type product are ...

Lately, Japanese LED Company Rohm Co Ltd has launched an E17-base small krypton gas (MiniKrypton) LED light bulb, "LDA4L-G-E17". The new LED light bulb is smaller, and the shape of its globe (semispherical cover) is closer to a sphere. By employing an LED module (light source) having a chip-on-board (COB) structure, the light distribution angle realize 180°. What’s more, the new product, which is equivalent to a 25W MiniKrypton light bulb, is made by using Rohm's own light-diffusing material for its globe. Other features inc...

Taiwan Delta Electronics is to promote its own-brand LED lamps in Japan and mainland China in 2012. Delta has worked as a contract supplier to Japan’s LED lamp brands to tap the market, and will begin selling own-brand lamps in Japan throughout B2B channels, according to the company’s executives. In particular, the company has recently introduced a 130-gram, 1,000-lumen light bulb for Japan’s and mainland China. The bulbs are lit by chips from Epistar. The company thought that because of further markdown of LED light bulbs to points acceptable...

Recently, Japan's Tazmo has designed a new A4 in size (210x297mm) flexible Inorganic LED panel with quite efficient at 30 lm/W. The company has utilized a coating process - which is easily adapter for I-LEDs as they have a simpler element structure when compared to OLEDs. I-LED is different from LEDs as they use the EL (electroluminescence) phenomenon. And the new panel can easily be bent....

Recently, NetLED system developed by Tokyo-based lighting tech startup Net LED Technology Corp. will go on sale in Japan on February 20,marking Japan gets the world’s first cloud-based LED lighting system. The 40W lights of 40,000-hour lifespan come with built-in Wi-Fi: users can control each tube over the web after installing the NetLed app on a smartphone, tablet, or computer. It’s possible to dim the lights and to turn them on or off. Users can control individual, multiple, or a set of lights (which can be located in separate rooms) via the app,...

Outside the exhibition center of Lighting Japan 2012   Lighting Japan 2012 4th LED/OLED Lighting Technology Expo, organized by the renowned Reed Exhibitions Japan, commences on January 18th, 2012. The exposition comprises not only companies from Europe, United States, Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan showcasing the latest LED and OLED lighting technologies, but also attendees from all over the world in seek of the lighting market’s booming prospects.   Lobby of the exhibition center The exhibitor search corner at...

Recently, Sharp has developed the second generation of its 10W Mini Zeni white-light LED arrays, featuring 47% higher luminous efficacy of up to 106lm/W in standard operation, greater luminous flux of up to 900lm, and a (typical) color rendering index (CRI) of 82. According to the company, it has retained the 15mm x 12mm x 1.6mm dimensions, along with an aluminium ceramic plate as carrier material. The flat surface of the ceramic plate and the existing soldering points make it possible to attach the modules to a suitable heat sink, without too much effort or additional conne...

Endo company Icon International is introducing Japanese new track LED lights to the U.S. grocery sector. According to the company, the series of RS track LED lights is the first of Endo’s 2600 products that ICON will be bringing to the U.S. market. Michael Goeller, ICON president, introduced that “The RS light provides energy savings of 75% over conventional lighting and almost 30% over existing LED lights. It has higher lighting output and sells for 10-20% less than existing LEDs.” About ICON International ICON designs...

Toshiba has launched E-CORE LED 6W candle shaped incandescent lamps. The new lamp delivers a true 250 lumen, 25W incandescent lamp replacement without compromising on the quality of light. The design of the virtual filament inside the E-CORE Candle LED gives the superb illusion of a traditional lamp and directs the light in a uniform and elegant manner perfect for chandeliers, table lamps and wall mounted decorative fixtures. The range is available in clear and frosted, SES and BC,as well as Ball shape versions....

Sony has unveiled a "Crystal LED Display"--a 55-inch prototype TV that actually uses miniature LED in place of pixels at CES 2012. The Sony prototype uses 6 million LEDs (2 million each of red, green, and blue) mounted directly on the front of the display, which Sony says improves the efficiency of light output. According to the company,the technology is superior to both LCD and plasma, with higher contrast, a wider color gamut, and wider viewing angles. While the TV is nowhere near actual production, Sony says it could be used in a wide range o...

Digital print industry professional Yasushi Katsuta has been appointed Business Development Manager - Japan for UK UV LED innovator Integration Technology Ltd. The Oxfordshire-based company opens its first office in Fuchu-shi, Tokyo in March (2012) to provide technical sales, parts stores and administration functions for the territory and for ITL's exclusive distributors. Osaka-born Katsuta joins ITL from NEopt, where for the past two years he represented ITL interests in Japan.  He previously worked extensively for inkjet print head ma...

To center on energy sector, Panasonic Corp. has reorganized its business fields and two wholly owned units into three main groups. According to the company, the major electronics maker's business fields as of Sunday are now divided into three groups — consumer, components and devices, and solutions — after it restructured five segments. Its 16 divisions were consolidated into nine, including appliances, energy and health care, under the three business fields. The move is aimed at expanding Panasonic's energy-solutions business by selling energy-saving produc...

On December 20th, 2011, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (“MCC” "; Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshimitsu Kobayashi), has filed an infringement lawsuit in Seoul Central District Court against a US company, Intematix Corporation and a Korean distributor, GVP, to enjoin them from importing and selling their phosphor products, claiming that they infringe a red phosphor patent in Korea (No. 816693) which is owned by MCC and National Institute of Material Science. The Korean patent No. 816693 (*) relates to a nitride-type red ...

Panasonic is announced to make a restructuring plan aimed at quickly snatching up sizable share of mainland China market for LED lighting. And Taiwan’s LED Industry may benefit from the plan. In January 2012, the Japanese company is to combine the LED lighting operation with the independent Panasonic Lighting with the aim of bagging around 40% of the Chinese mainland’s market for LED lighting by the end of 2015 and boosting profit by 10% through halving costs. According to Panasonic, the consolidated entity’s sales to reach 200 billion yen (U...

Recently, Sharp has announced 50W Mega Zeni LED models featuring an efficiency of up to 100lm/W, a luminous flux of up to 4700lm and a (typical) CRI value of up to 93. It’s one of the first industrial LED solutions to replace traditional 50W HID lamps. According to Sharp, the devices are designed to maintain the same compact dimensions and high CRI values but with greater luminous fluxes. Sharp says they have a luminous efficiency of between 3590 and 4770lm, a light output of up to 100lm/W in standard operating mode and a service life of 40,000 hours at an...