Ushio Lighting Inc. has started sample shipment of the "LED Filament Bulb," a light bulb that uses LEDs as its "filaments." The company says the bulbs have a color temperature of 2,500K and a transparent glass bulb.

    LED Filament Bulb

Ushio Lighting offers three types of glass bulbs, specifically C32 (chandelier bulb), G40 and G50 (globe bulbs). The caps come in two sizes, E17 and E12. They are expected to replace ornamental bulbs and intended for use as indirect illumination and ornamental illumination inside buildings.

    the globe bulb

    the chandelier bulb

In addition, the company has developed an LED enclosed in a transparent package to emit light in all directions regardless of the orientation of the LED. The filament-like shape was realized by arranging the LEDs in a three-dimensional configuration, to "homogeneously distribute soft light."

    a closeup of the bulb

The rated electric power is 0.6W. The total luminous flux is 18lm, and the luminance efficiency is 30lm/W. The rated life is 20,000 hours. The power consumption is about 1/9 and the lifetime is about 10 times of a 5W ornamental incandescent lamp, according to Ushio Lighting.

During the current fiscal year, the company will ship several thousands of samples of the LED per month. And, in the next fiscal year, it plans to sell 100,000 units per year. There is no suggested retail price.