Since the initial production began in the second half of 2018, Mini LED products including backlit panel and RGB displays are gaining more and more visibility in the industry with a wide range of applications launched in 2019 and the coming 2020. The LED industry players in Taiwan and China see the rising market of Mini LED and are putting their strength into product development and capacity increase. Epistar, as a Mini LED pioneer, has already shipped backlight product for high-end monitors, notebooks, automotive displays and smartphones. The company is going t...

Osram will join the Essen Motor Show 2019 from November 30 to December 8 to present its latest LED rear light as well as its automotive lighting series including headlight and mirror indicator. Osram upgraded its rear lighting from halogen to LED for the VW Golf VI and the Ford Fiesta MK7. The company also extended the headlight range to include the VW Amarok and the BMW 1 Series (F20 series). According to Osram, the new headlight deliver light output three times more compare to other products with similar standard. (Image: Osram) In addition, Os...

Apple’s autonomous vehicle development, also known as “Project Titan,” seems to go on progressing with more and more related patents published. Patently Apple and appleinsider both covered that the company has won new patents of automotive applications. One of the new Apple patents is titled “Systems with Synchronized Windows,” describing a LCD integrated car window with adjustable transparency which enhance privacy. Apple noted in the patent that the vehicle window would include a light modulator layer such as a liquid crystal layer with polari...

Japan Display (JDI) announced the development of a Micro LED display. The prototype Micro LED display will be presented at “FINTECH JAPAN 2019,” which is taking place in Makuhari Messe from December 4 to 6, 2019. The 1.6-inch Micro LED display of JDI is based on LTPS backplane developed by the company and Micro LED chips from glō, a Micro LED technology provider. The display achieves a resolution of 265 ppi with a pixel number of 300*300. (Image: JDI) JDI also noted that the Micro LED display has a wide viewin...

In order to push the development of autonomous driving technology, worldwide LiDAR developers continue to release new products and build partnerships with different industry players. Apart from the mechanical LiDAR suppliers and US-based solid-state LiDAR makers, LEDinside also tracks the progresses of solid-state LiDAR makers around the world and the following is their update in the past year. Related reading:  Global LiDAR Companies 2019 Progresses: Solid-State LiDAR Manufacturers in the U.S. Global LiDAR Companies and Their Lates...

MaxLite has filed petitions 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. 9,897,265 and 9,723,662 owned by Jiaxing Super Lighting Electric Appliance, a Chinese contract manufacturer. (Image: MaxLite) MaxLite reported that the patents that are the subjects of these petitions are part of Jiaxing Super Lighting’s recently-announced patent licensing program for LED tube lamps. According to the petitions, these pate...

Acuity Brands announced its acquisition of LocusLabs, an indoor mapping and location platform supporting navigation applications used on mobile devices, web browsers and digital displays in airports, event centers, multi-floor office buildings and campuses. LocusLabs’ proprietary reality-capture tools and rendering processes produce a highly detailed 3D map of the interior of a large venue in a matter of days. In turn, LocusLabs Venue Management System software allows venue managers to populate and maintain 3D maps with thousands of places, products and other points of...

UV-C LED water disinfection solution provider AquiSense Technologies announced its partnership with SUEZ to provide the UV-C LED Water Treatment Technology for water disinfection directly at the point of use in critical laboratory applications. AquiSense and SUEZ have been engaged in close co-operation for over a year in a detailed joint development effort to deliver a laboratory water purification unit equipped with advanced UV-C LED technology. The new laboratory product offers a high-level microbial disinfection barrier directly at the point of use. T...

NSF International’s drinking water treatment standard has recently updated it to allow a more efficient method of treating microorganisms in drinking water. The revision to NSF/ANSI 55: Ultraviolet Microbiological Water Treatment Systems establishes new criteria for use of UV-LED technology for microbial reduction and provides a new test method to certify manufacturer claims. Treatment systems covered by the standard use UV light to inactivate or kill bacteria, viruses and cysts in microbiologically unsafe water (Class A systems) or to reduce the amount of...

Canada-based automotive component provider Magna announced the acquisition of Wipac Czech, an automotive lighting engineering firm located in Czech Republic. The transaction was closed last week and will expand Magna’s engineering capabilities globally. Wipac Czech’s engineering team designs and develops automotive forward lighting, primarily for European exotic and luxury brand including Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce, McLaren, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Audi, Daimler, BMW and Porsche. (Image: Magna) “We see Wipac Czech playing an imp...

Signify announced that it installed Interact Industry in the newly developed warehouse facility of Pilkington Automotive in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, marking its entrance into the Industrial IoT space. This cloud-based, wireless connected lighting system is specifically designed for warehouses and manufacturing facilities. Pilkington Automotive, part of NSG Group, is one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive glass. Its new European central warehouse meets the latest storage systems and warehouse design standards and is fully aligned with the company’s...

Japanese LED manufacturer Nichia reported that it has filed patent infringement lawsuits in Brazil for its YAG patent. Since Nichia’s Brazilian YAG patent has not expired and is still in force, the company filed two patent infringement lawsuits in the Judicial District of the Capital of the State of São Paul on November 13, 2019 against two Brazilian distributors, Karimex and Arrow, who sell Everlight’s LED products. At the same time, Nichia also accused ASUS Do Brasil, a Brazilian affiliate of ASUSTek, of infringing its YAG...

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ 046890), a leading global innovator of LED products and technology, announced that it will auction its radio frequency (RF) semiconductor patent portfolio and its high power LED package patent portfolio. In the first auction, Seoul Semiconductor is seeking the top bidder for 98 patent assets related to power amplifiers and gallium nitride (GaN) RF semiconductors, including 55 U.S. patents. Three of the patents are licensed to the U.S. Air Force or the U.S. Army, confirming the value of the portfolio. This RF pate...

Increasing studies have indicated the effects of lighting on human well-being. Lighting design in healthcare facilities thus become even more critical to enhance patents’ condition and provide staffs suitable working environment. Based on the understanding and its expertise in lighting, Osram indicated that lighting design techniques play an influential role in the overall patient experience and healing process. The company thus introduced five trends in lighting design for healthcare facilities. (Image: Osram) Flexibility a Must Flexibility is identify as an indisp...

Environmental Lights launched announced the launch of the new Continuous LED Strip Light. (Image: Environmental Lights) Continuous LED Strip Light is a new style of strip light that utilizes chip on board LEDs to create one diffused line of light. It is ideal for use around reflective surfaces, such as marble floors and countertops, because it eliminates the dots seen with standard SMD LED strip light. It also enables designers to use diffused light in tight spaces where standard channel systems wouldn't be ideal. The LED chips on Continuous LE...

Signify announced the upgrade of its European specification portfolio of luminaires for office applications from CRI 80 to CRI 90 as standard. This step-up in Color Rendering Index will more accurately render object colors – displaying them even more precisely – compared to the standard CRI 80 products. Signify is the first lighting company to make the change to CRI 90 with a red color rendering index (R9 of 50 or higher) across the board of its office project luminaires in Europe. (Image: Signify) With office lighting design high on many organizatio...

Viavi Solutions filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to initiate an investigation under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, against LG Electronics, LG Electronics U.S.A., LG Innotek, and Optrontec. Viavi claimed that the LG group engaged in unfair trade practices by importing and selling in the United States certain mobile phones and tablet computers that infringe Viavi’s patents related to 3D sensing. Viavi also filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California asser...

Automotive lighting and electronics provider Hella announced a new lighting system with high resolution, Digital Light SSL | HD. With the new lighting technology, more than 30,000 pixels can be controlled intelligently and individually, enabling numerous new safety functions like optical lane markings. According to Hella, "Digital Light SSL | HD" is a consistent further development and miniaturization of existing matrix LED systems. Together with an enlarged light-emitting surface, the s higher number of pixels is the basis for a multitude of new functiona...

As Mini LED products entering the market, equipment producer FitTech, who experts in Mini LED probing, sorting and testing is expect thriving business in 2020. (Image: FitTech) Mini LED and Micro LED technologies became more mature in the past year, leading to higher demands and requirements for back-end manufacture processes such as testing and probing. Thus, FitTech is taking orders from LED companies in Taiwan and China. Taiwanese chip producer Epistar just revealed that it will increase investment in testing equipment in 2020. In addition, currently...

Chip provider Epistar announced that it will double its capital expenditure to gear up for booming demands with increasing Mini LED applications in the coming years. The Taiwan-based LED chip maker sees rising demands in Mini LED products in the near future and plans to prepare its capacity in advance. As a result, Epistar said that it plans to increase its capital expenditure to above NTD 5 billion (US$ 163.83 billion), comparing to the regular expanses of NTD 2.5 billion (US$ 82 million) in the past. Currently the two major applications of Mini LED a...

Many consider solid-state LiDARs the solution to realize autonomous driving technology as they are much cheaper and lighter compared to mechanical LiDARs. In 2019, many solid-state LiDAR providers have reported their technology developments and market expansion. Let’s take a look of the latest updates in solid-state LiDARs. Related reading: Global LiDAR Companies and Their Latest Progresses in 2019: Mechanical LiDAR Suppliers Quanergy Expands Business in Asia and South America Solid-state LiDAR company Quanergy has been proact...

Satco Products filed suit against The Regents of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York to declare that the company does not infringe patents claimed by UCSB. In the press release of Satco, the company noted that it brought the legal action to seek a declaration that Satco Products, identified in the UCSB claim letters, do not infringe any of the ten patents asserted by UCSB. Satco also mentioned that it would aggressively defend its products and protect its custome...

Cree announced that it has extended its existing agreement with STMicroelectronics for silicon carbide supply with double value of the original agreement. In January 2019, Cree and STMicroelectronics revealed their long term partnership that Cree will provide its Wolfspeed silicon carbide wafers valued US$250 million to STMicroelectronics. The two companies now reported expansion and extension of the agreement to more than US$500 million. The increased wafer supply enables the semiconductor leaders to address the rapidly growing demand for silicon carbide power devi...

Semiconductor equipment providers Veeco and K&S (Kulicke & Soffa) announced their financial results respectively. The two companies both reported business decline for the previous quarter. K&S revealed its fourth fiscal quarter of 2019 which ended September 28, 2019. The Company reported fourth quarter net revenue of US$139.8 million, net income of $6.4 million and non-GAAP net income of $9.3 million. The revenue and gross profit of K&S in fiscal 4Q19 have dropped by 24.3% and 23.8% compared to previous year. However, compared to previous quarter, bo...

Adjustable LEDs that deliver light source similar to natural sun light not only help to improve human wellbeing but also enable sustainable fishing. Lighting supplier Signify announced that it is providing underwater LED lighting for the marine-based fish farms of Australis Seafoods in Chile. Australis chose Signify because of its commitment to a sustainable world, strongly supporting Australis’ objectives for responsible and efficient fish farming. (Image: Signify) Signify’s underwater lights that reach up to 100,000 lumen, mimicking the summer sun, conve...

Cree announced that it will team up with ABB to jointly expand the rollout of silicon carbide in the rapidly-growing high-power semiconductor market. The agreement incorporates the use of Cree’s Wolfspeed® silicon carbide-based semiconductors into ABB’s comprehensive product portfolio, enabling Cree to broaden its customer base while accelerating ABB’s entry into the fast-expanding EV sector. (Image: Cree) Cree’s products will be included as part of ABB’s power semiconductor product portfolio, across power grids, train and tractio...

With a tried and true business as well as motivated and talented staffs, one may consider its business covers all essentialities for success. However, one critical aspect might be hidden and ruin it all, which is the suppliers. Choosing the right suppliers will improve reputation of a brand while integrate the supply chain and deliver better purchasing experiences. On the contrary, it might damage the business significantly, costing more money and destroying business reputation. Recently, a case of Ken, a buyer from Africa, who won a large-scale lighting project with great pains ...

Driven by the prospering development of autonomous driving technology, LiDAR companies across the world continue to expand their business and present new products. Many LiDAR builders reported their updates in both technology and business progresses in 2019. Following these news, LEDinside would like to share with our readers updates of the LiDAR industry in the past year. (Image: Ouster/NVIDIA) Velodyne Lidar Partners Hyundai Mobis for ADAS and Supports Varied Applications In 2019, the mechanical LiDAR expert has introduced several new ...

Signify introduced an innovative way to product lighting products: 3D print them! The company unveiled its facilities to 3D print light shades and fittings (luminaires) in the Netherlands and announced its plan to establish more 3D printing factories in the US, India and Indonesia. (Supermarket using 3D printed luminaires; image: Signify) By 3D printing luminaires, Signify uses a 100% recyclable polycarbonate material, allowing lighting products to be bespoke designed or tailored to customer’s exact needs and recycled at the end of their life, supporting a circula...

Macroblock announced that its LED driver IC MBI5353Q is certified to AEC-Q100 Grade 1 for automotive use. With a broad operating temperature range from -40°C to +125°C, MBI5353Q is regarded as an ideal solution and offering prominent user experiences for applications of various automotive display and relevant automotive parts. Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) is an organization founded by Chrysler, Ford, and GM, which established a high-quality standard for automotive electrical components to ensure the safety and reliability of vehicle operatio...