Category: Lighting Technology

Detailed discussions of lighting related technologies.

Lighting Technology

openAIS project

Brad Koerner

OpenAIS is a new EU-funded research consortium which is developing open standards for Internet protocol (IP)-based lighting networks, specifically for office applications.  Philips Lighting, Zumtobel and Johnson Controls are among the participants. Good luck guys…the industry really needs this! From the OpenAIS website: Following the trends of the creation of the “The Internet of Things” (IoT) and the rapid penetration of SSL based lighting, it is very advantageous to connect the luminaires in buildings to the Internet. OpenAIS aims at setting the leading standard for inclusion of lighting for professional applications in to IoT, with a focus on office lighting. This … Continue reading openAIS project

Lighting Technology

U.S. DOE SSL releases 4 SBIR grants

Brad Koerner

As part of my ongoing effort to track innovative small companies in the lighting world (see this post and this post for some more ventures), here is a release from the U.S. DOE on their latest Small Business Innovation Research grants: Four SBIR Grants Awarded for SSL Technology (FY14 Release 2 Phase I) The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science has awarded four Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants targeting advances in solid-state lighting (SSL) technology. The FY14 Release 2 Phase I awards will explore the technical merit or feasibility of an innovative concept or technology. The SBIR and … Continue reading U.S. DOE SSL releases 4 SBIR grants

Lighting Technology

project haystack

Brad Koerner

Perhaps some digital “glue” to hold the building automation world together?  Check out Project Haystack. Most of this site is for software programmers (and beyond me) but it fits nicely with my concept that the next evolution of lighting will be enabled by smart new industry standards that will drive innovation by connecting dynamic lighting systems with architects and contractors (via BIM), and the lighting specification community (via enhanced lighting system simulations). Project Haystack is an open source initiative to develop tagging conventions and taxonomies for building equipment and operational data. We define standardized data models for sites, equipment, and points related … Continue reading project haystack

Lighting Technology

transphorm – GaN power electronics

Brad Koerner

I just found an interesting 2011 article from MIT’s Technology Review :  A startup called Transphorm is using GaN power electronics to substantially reduce power converter sizes. The possibility of using gallium nitride in power electronics has been known for decades, but producing high-quality versions of the material has been a challenge. That problem, however, was largely solved by researchers who figured out how to use gallium nitride in LEDs, Mishra says. Transphorm has optimized the material for power electronics, and it has developed novel devices (such as transistors), circuits, and complete modules that include all the components needed to … Continue reading transphorm – GaN power electronics