LED Headlights Shine Light on New Power Architectures

By James Patterson – In 1991, the first high-intensity discharge (HID) xenon-based headlight was introduced, shifting the front lighting landscape into the power electronics realm.

In 2007, the first light-emitting diode (LED)-based headlights became available in new automobiles. LED-based systems also require some method of power conversion. An LED driver is required to convert the battery voltage source into a constant current drive for a series or series/parallel string of LEDs. While the LED driver also adds cost and complexity to the headlight system compared to incandescent sources, there are many benefits to the LED system, including size reduction, much higher controllability of intensity and color, efficiency improvement, and longer lifetimes. more> http://tinyurl.com/bccrr73

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New fluorescent lighting won’t flicker, shatter, or burn out

R&D Magazine – Scientists at Wake Forest University have developed a flicker-free, shatterproof alternative for large-scale lighting.

The lighting, based on field-induced polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology, also gives off soft, white light—not the yellowish glint from fluorescents or bluish tinge from LEDs. more> http://tinyurl.com/d6onhjn

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Osram’s technology makes illumination possible and efficient

SIEMENS – Three-hundred high-efficiency cutting-edge LED projectors from Siemens‘ Osram subsidiary are illuminating the conference symbol, which is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. To mark the world-famous statue’s 80th anniversary in 2011, Osram equipped the monument with state-of-the-art lighting technology. The new LED system is reducing the energy needed to light the nearly 40-meter landmark by more than 75 percent. Solutions that combine high-efficiency lighting products with light management systems can yield energy savings of up to 80 percent. Artificial lighting accounts for some 20 percent of world electricity consumption.

Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, will attract a large number of heads of state and decision makers from around the world. The conference will take place on June 20-22, 2012 – 20 years after the Earth Summit, the historic United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Hence, the conference name: Rio+20. more> http://tinyurl.com/7nop3m6

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Five more minutes? New clock answers resounding ‘no’

By Ted Shaffrey – There is no snooze button. If you unplug it, a battery takes over. As wake-up time approaches, you cannot reset the alarm time. Once it goes off, to stop it you must get out of bed, go into the kitchen or bathroom, and punch the day’s date into a telephone-style keypad. That’s the only way to stop the loud ‘ding-ding’.

It was invented by Paul Sammut, a 25-year-old engineer who lives in Hoboken. He started working on the gadget because he was finding it hard to get up and make it to work on time after college. more> http://tinyurl.com/bovr7z4

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LEDs Light Up Dodge Dart

By Charles Murray – The Dodge Dart, which will soon be back on the streets after a three-decade hiatus, uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in a way that drivers, passengers, and pedestrians are unlikely to miss.

More than 150 (152, to be exact) LEDs form a ruby red “racetrack” around the Dart’s trunk, tail lights, and rear decklid. The full-width LED-based design is said to be a first in its segment, and it’s the most prominent use of the technology in any compact car to date. more> http://tinyurl.com/85ykrrk

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