What is Human Centric Lighting (HCL)? Asking ten different people within the lighting industry may result in ten different answers. Nichia’s perspective remains that true Human Centric Lighting effects people’s daily lives via many different paths, including methods that help synchronize people’s circadian rhythms, thus improving alertness during the day and sleep at night. The simplest form could be the visual element of color tunable lighting which synchronizes the lighting color with the colors of the sky throughout the day. In addition to the visual element, there are various forms of non-visual elements, such as spectrum tunable lighting as well as clear-vision lighting introduced in previous blogs. Additionally, “disinfection lighting” could also be considered Human Centric Lighting based on its impact to people’s daily lives, which this final blog introduces.

The words “disinfection lighting” may give the impression of a product that uses powerful ultraviolet light to kill germs and bacteria. That is exactly what UV-C products do, utilizing the microbicidal effect1 of short-wavelength ultraviolet rays. Nichia’s UV-C LED products have been widely accepted for air and water disinfection2 applications. Apart from these UV-C LED products, this blog re-introduces another type of disinfection lighting that incrementally disinfects a space while maintaining the appearance of ordinary white lighting, in occupied spaces. Although this type of disinfection lighting does not have the same strong sterilizing effect as UV-C LED products, it provides a comfortable white light in daily living spaces while also providing a certain level of disinfection. In Nichia’s broader view of HCL, defined as “lighting that supports a richer and more comfortable life through the effects of light,” this disinfection lighting is also a part of HCL.

Nichia’s disinfection LED provides a natural white color suitable for general lighting by combining a chip that emits purple light at 405nm, which is closer to ultraviolet light in the visible spectrum, with a phosphor that is excited by the light from the chip, instead of the blue light-emitting chip at 450nm used in ordinary white LEDs. The 405nm light, which has no adverse effect on the human body and inactivates bacteria that cause food poisoning, is particularly suitable for public places and areas where a high level of hygiene is required. Nichia’s disinfection LED, with the unique concept of “making spaces clean and comfortable,” has gradually and extensively been used.

Nichia has introduced its concept of human centric lighting over the past four blog posts. As introduced in the posts, Nichia will broaden its view not only to the “quality of light,” which enables people to see clearly and brilliantly, but also the “function of light,” such as effecting the hormone production mechanism of the human body and disinfecting bacteria. Nichia will continue to strive in its research and development to achieve “human centric lighting” in the broadest view, making life even richer and more comfortable.

TrendForce 2024 Global LED Lighting Market Analysis
Release Date: 01 February 2024 / 31 July 2024
Language: Traditional Chinese / English
Format: PDF and Excel
Page: 90-100 / Semi-Annual