University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) continues to guard its patent of filament LED by filing a new patent lawsuit against General Electric (GE). According to a report covered by World Intellectual Property Review, the regents of UCSB filed a patent lawsuit at the US District Court for the Central District of California on December 20, claiming GE’s vintage LED bulbs products infringe three patents of UCSB. (Image: Pixabay) UCSB started to take legal action to secure its intellectual property since July, 2019, when the un...

TCL Electronics announced that it will showcase the next generation of Mini-LED technology at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, January 7–10, 2020. TCL continues to improve and drive the penetration of Mini-LEDs. With Quantum Contrast technology, TCL claims that it has established a new standard for TV picture quality. Its latest development, the next generation of Mini-LED, will be unveiled at TCL’s press conference at CES on January 6, 2020. (Image: TCL) "TCL is thrilled to be at tech's biggest show and stand on tech's ...

Micro LED is expected to bring a revolution to display technology with its high brightness, long lifetime, refined performance and low power consumption. However, its miniaturized size and the massive amount of chips bring challenges for mass production. In order to overcome the bottlenecks of Micro LED technology, the integration within the supply chain is critical. Over the past two years, we have seen partnerships built in the industry for speeding up Micro LED research and development. Equipment makers, Micro LED technology developers as well as display producers h...

Chinese LED chip producer Sanan Optoelectronics reported that the company has received subsidies from the local government for its Micro LED project which started this year based on the company’s RMB 12 billion (US$ 1.7 billion) investment in Hubei Province, China. The company received a subsidy of RMB 66 million (US$ 9.43 million) on December 24, 2019, according to the agreement signed by Sanan and the local government. Sanan announced that investment plan for building a development center for Micro LED and Mini LED wafer and chip production in ...

LG Electronics said it will unveil an indoor gardening appliance at CES 2020, its first foray into the booming indoor gardening movement. The refrigerator-look indoor gardening appliance adopts LED lighting, temperature and water control, all-in-one seed packages and a growth-monitoring app to help users cultivate nutrient-rich and flavorful greens inside their own homes. Utilizing flexible modules, the appliance replicates optimal outdoor conditions by precisely matching the temperature inside the insulated cabinet with the time of day. LED lights, forced air circulation, a...

Many companies of the LED industry initiated their organization or business restructuring since 2018 and their rebuilding have come to an end in 2019. In 2018, we have seen companies announcing sales of their old lighting business and diving into new areas. By the end of 2019, most of the companies are ready to enter a new page with the coming 5G connection and more. Again LEDinside would like to wrap up the year with some of the significant events in the past year. 1. Cree Concentrates on GaN-on-Sic Products, Cutting Lighting Business Cree has been shifting its...

Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Epistar and the Leyard Group announced their collaboration to set up Mini/Micro LED production center in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China. Yenrich, the subsidiary of Epistar which focuses on innovative LED technology research and development, and Leyard signed an agreement with the Wuxi government for the Mini/Micro LED production center establishment. According to the agreement, they plan to invest a total of RMB 1 billion (US$142.8 million) in the project and expect to mass production by 2023. Epistar said that it might...

Taiwan-based LED company Lextar announced that its 17.3-inch Mini LED backlight module will be adopted by notebook brand and will be demonstrated at CES 2020. Lextar has transformed its business structure by cutting of lighting business and focusing on automotive applications, IR LEDs and Mini/Micro LED since 2018. With the transformation, the company has presented its novel technologies including automotive Mini LED, Mini LED backlight products and Mini LED RGB displays at various international events in the past year. (Image: Lextar) The M...

Heliospectra announces a new order from Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, United Kingdom. Heliospectra will replace antiquated metal halide lighting with new MITRA modular LED grow lights and controllable spectra DYNA LED solutions. One of the world’s oldest agricultural research institutions, Rothamsted Research works with a wide array of food and cereal crops in both glasshouses and walk-in plant growth chambers. The new Heliospectra LED solutions offer ease of installation for the large scale retrofit of existing chambers and significant reduction in...

French laser company Lumibird announced that it has signed an agreement with the Australian company Ellex Medical Lasers Limited to acquire Ellex’s laser and ultrasound business for AUD 100 million (US$ 69.17 million). This acquisition will help LUMIBIRD to enlarge its business into the diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases. Under the transaction agreed on December 23, 2019, the Lumibird Group will acquire all of Ellex’s laser and ultrasound activities, with pro forma revenues of AUD 65.5 million based on the year ended June 30, 2019. The a...

UV LED as a division of LED technology is still at its initial stage and has a great market potential with a wide range of applications, attracting more and more global companies to join the business. According to “2019 Deep UV LED Application Market- Sterilization, Purification, and Water Treatment Markets” by LEDinside, UV LED manufacturers’ revenue grow stably with growing momentum coming from applications in surface and air disinfection, static and flowing water disinfection. In the past year, we have seen some innovative application...

At the joyful time of the year, LEDinside of Trendforce would like to send our greetings to all readers around the world.  We are glad to share the latest trends and insights of the industry and hope to continue updating the on-going technology developments and applications of LED.  We wish you a happy holiday season and a new year filled with good fortune.   ...

Transmitting data with light is not a new idea but it is getting more materialized with improving technologies. At the coming CES 2020, SLD Laser and CEA-Leti are presenting their development in LiFi applications. SLD Laser, a visible laser light sources expert, has announced high-resolution sensing and ultra-high speed LiFi communication technologies for automotive and consumer applications. The company will demonstrate these innovations at CES 2020. SLD has developed LaserLight LiFi communication technology that delivers high-speed data rates of over 2...

With new technology and products emerging in the market, public sectors and associations continue to update regulations and standards, helping manufacturers and consumers to better understand the current specifications of different products. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published a new standard “American National Standard for Electric Lamps— Performance Specifications for Direct Replacement LED Lamps,” describing the electrical, mechanical, and photometric characteristics of LED lamps that are direct replacements for ...

The year of 2019 was a fruitful year for Micro LED as the technology entering a more mature stage with increasing global manufacturers announcing their progresses and updates in Micro LED applications. LEDinside pointed out in its “2019 Micro LED Next Generation Display Key Technology Report,” that with outstanding performance in brightness, contrast, response time and energy saving, Micro LED technology might out beat LCD and OLED and be adopted in wearable applications, automotive displays, AR/VR and large displays. In the past year, ...

Researchers from Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in an international team have analyzed data on the impact of light pollution on melatonin formation in humans and vertebrates. They found that even the low light intensities of urban skyglow can suppress melatonin production. Melatonin synchronizes the day-night-rhythm in animals and humans. It adjusts the circadian clocks of cells, tissues and organs, and regulates other seasonal processes like reproduction. In vertebrates, differences in light levels are detected by photoreceptors for examp...

Pioneer and its subsidiary, Pioneer Smart Sensing Innovations (PSSI), announced their development of a mass-production 3D LiDAR sensor in a compact size and improved performance with an extended measurement distance and more. The new LiDAR sensor is expected to be equipped in level 3 and above autonomous driving vehicles and will be released in 1H20 and enter full scale production in the second half of 2020. Pioneer and PSSI have been providing various companies with verification models from 2017 to 2018, and continued verifying performance through demonstration...

Each year the innovative products and technologies showcased at CES bring us closer to our imaginative future life. This year at the event, LiDAR manufacturers, sensor chip providers, automobile companies and other technology builders are joining force to present solutions for autonomous driving and smart city applications. Artificial perception provider AEye announced that it has integrated Infineon’s microcontroller into AEye’s iDAR™ platform to ensure a robust, software-definable platform that is functionally safe for automated and autonomous vehicle...

China display manufacturer BOE and Micro LED technology builder Rohinni officially announced the launch of their joint venture, BOE Pixey. The two companies reported in January 2019 that they will form a joint venture focusing on Micro LED and Mini LED based display backlight technology. In development for more than two years, BOE Pixey will design and build LCD display backlights, direct-emission displays and display-related sensors for televisions, video walls and other large-format end products. The joint venture will roll out at CES 2020, with ...

Israeli TowerJazz announced the process development partnership with Aledia, the French 3D LEDs display manufacturer. This development is based on Aledia’s IP and utilizes TowerJazz’s Transfer Optimization and Development Process Services (TOPS). Financed by Intel Capital among others, Aledia's nanowire-LED display technology offers breakthrough solutions for the global display market’s constant growing demand. (Image: TowerJaxx/Aledia) Aledia has expanded its technology to 3D Micro LED production by adopting Veeco’s...

The Konka Group reported that it has increase an investment of RMB 1.5 billion (US$ 213.8 million) for Micro LED R&D and is entering the consumer electronics market in North America in 2020. (Image: Konga) Konka launched its Micro LED TV, named “Smart Wall,” in order to compete with Samsung’s “The Wall” Micro LED display. The Chinese company also formed a joint venture with Chongqing Liangshan Industrial Investment as its Micro LED initiative. The joint venture will invest a total of RMB 2.55 billion (US...

A pioneer in sustainable energy technology, University of California-Santa Barbara materials professor Shuji Nakamura, has won the 2019 Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy from the University of Louisville. The prize recognizes outstanding renewable energy ideas and achievements with proven global impact. Nakamura is recognized for scientific innovations and commercialization of efficient solid-state LEDs. His innovations have enabled efficient use of energy, reduced the burden on the environment and helped create sustainable lighting worldwide. In March ...

CES, the first highlight of the technology industry every year, will take place from September 7 to 10 in Las Vegas. At the coming CES 2020, what are the featured technologies and products that will amaze the industry? Following the on-going trends, LEDinside points out the products and innovations that we might find at the big event in the beginning of 2020. Micro LED Displays and Applications Micro LED technology has moved few steps towards commercialization after years of development. Samsung unveiled its stunning Micro LED displays at CES in the past t...

Researchers at The University of Manchester in the UK discovered that blue light may not be as disruptive to our sleep patterns as originally thought. According to the team, using dim, cooler, lights in the evening and bright warmer lights in the day may be more beneficial to our health. The scientists claimed that twilight is both dimmer and bluer than daylight and the body clock uses both of those features to determine the appropriate times to be asleep and awake. In the research on mice, the team used a specially designed lighting whose color can be adjusted without changin...

École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) together with Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) developed a wearable sensor that measures how much light an individual is exposed to along with the spectral resolution of that light. The wearable sensor, named “Spectrace,” can detect the amount of light one person receives by being put around the neck like a pair of headphones or attached to an item of clothing with a magnetic pin. (Image: EPFL) Scientists have taken a growing interest in how a shortage ...

Korean media etnews covered that Samsung is planning to make an investment in Micro LED facilities in the first half of 2020 to kick off mass production of Micro LED. According to the report, Samsung has been in contact with equipment manufacturers and pending on the scale of the investment. The Korean giant might make its final decision for the Micro LED investment after CES 2020. Samsung was said to reveal the specifications of the Micro LED product at CES 2020 and decide further on the production volume afterwards. The company has showcase its Micro...

Many leading companies in across the world have proactively dedicated to setting up and achieving sustainable goals with the awareness of climate change and other environmental issues. Signify recently announced that it has achieved carbon neutrality in five more market; while AIXTRON reported its certification as a climate neutral company. Osram, also unveiled its intension to become climate neutral by 2030. Signify has achieved carbon neutrality in the market of ASEAN, Far East, India, Indonesia and Pacific, boosting its number of markets with carbon-neutral operati...

Researcher at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) found that tailored lighting intervention can significantly help Alzheimer patients to improve sleep quality, and reduce depressive symptoms and agitation behavior. In addition to memory loss, people diagnosed with Alzheimer disease also suffered from sleep disturbances, depression, and agitation. Dr. Mariana Figueiro, the Professor and Director at LRC, has been investigating how lighting intervention can lessen the impact of these symptoms in older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADR...

The Chinese government aims to push innovative display technology development and revealed a new regulation of subsidy.  The Guangzhou government published a notice pointing out that with the goal to upgrade the display technology of the province, the government will support companies investing in novel display technologies including OLED, AMOLED, Mini/Micro LED, QLED, printing display, laser display, 3D display, holographic display, e-paper flexible display, grapheme display and others. (Image: Pixabay) The government will provide a one-time subsidy ...

MaxLite announced that it has filed an additional petition for inter partes review (IPR) before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeking to invalidate U.S. Patent No. 9,807,826 (’826 patent), owned by Jiaxing Super Lighting, a Chinese contract manufacturer. This IPR is in addition to the two that were filed last month by MaxLite to invalidate Jiaxing Super Lighting’s 9,897,265 (‘265 patent) and 9,723,662 (‘662 patent) patents. (Image: MaxLite) Like the...