Japan Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) has introduced the S-5855A Series, a PWM output temperature sensor IC for LED lighting designs. The new product begins to decrease the duty ratio of PWM signal output when the temperature exceeds the specified value, thus enables LED lighting circuits to avoid temperatures increasing above design limits, improving safety and efficiency while reducing total design cost. The S-5855A is connected to the DIM pin of an LED driver IC to control the LED luminance, enhancing safety protection and boosting efficiency. It...

Sharp has showcased 70-inch Quattron-series LED TV to CES this year. Under Quad Pixel technology, Sharp added yellow to the red, green and blue color gamut. The LC-70LE732U is the largest in the series thus far, outdoing the previous 60-inch flagship.

The Japan-based LED maker Nichia announced that Lumitronix LED-Technik GmbH had became Nichia’s first official LED distributor in Germany from January 1, 2011. In the past, Nichia had used to supply its LEDs directly to end-use customers, without using distribution channels anywhere in the world. Nichia had also broken with its own tradition by cooperating with Lumitronix.

Toshiba is reported to start offering 40 types of LED tube lamps by March that it will market to offices and factories.   Toshiba will offer standard 40-watt lamps as well as 20-watt tubes. Besides, it plans to have 80 types on the market by June.

It’s reported that Japan-based Mitsui & Co, which had a huge business network with business involving in the monitor and automobile industries, would purchase 74.693 million to Taiwan LED chipmaker Formosa Epitaxy’s private placement, with having a 15% stake, while Unity Opto Technology would increase its investment and purchase 15.307 million of stake.

Targeting to help revive an economy struggling with persistent deflation and a rising yen by creating jobs through green and other potential growth industries, Japan has injected $6.4 billion on 153 low-carbon projects across the country over the next 15 months, using government subsidies as seed money and ranging from production of low-emitting cars, lithium-ion batteries, LED lighting and solar panels to energy-saving electrical appliances.  

Kouichi Okamoto in Japan has created an interesting balloon lamp, which is made of rubber, polypropylene, LED lighting and a lithium-coin battery. Thanks to the LED, this new lamp is energy efficient and can be used continuously over 100 hours by using the 2 lithium batteries.

It’s reported that Sharp Corporation has designed and will introduce the LR56001 LED controller for LED ceiling lights which can independently control up to three types of LED lights including cool white, warm white, and night light with each at the desired level of brightness. By adjusting the brightness of cool white and warm white lights ,the user is able to change the color emitted, anywhere from a warm red color to a cool light blue color.

At Eco-Products 2010, a trade show on green technologies, which took place from Dec 9 to 11, 2010, in Tokyo, Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corp and Panasonic Electric Works Co Ltd individually showcased straight tube LED lamps complied with the "JEL801:210" (defined by Japan Electric Lamp Manufacturers Association )standard .

Toshiba has shown off Power PC1 series TV, which are the first LCD television that has an integrated battery backup. With a rechargeable battery, this new product is capable of delivering around two hours of TV watching time without power, which can cater for users who live in areas with unclean or sketchy power sources that are prone to blackouts and power fluctuations. It plans to offer the Power PC1 series in 32-inch and 24-inch sizes.  

Soitec and Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) has joined force to develop engineered gallium nitride (GaN) substrates. The cooperation will combine with Sumitomo Electric's sophisticated GaN wafer manufacturing technology and Soitec's unique Smart Cut layer transfer technology.The engineered substrates retain the original, high crystalline quality of Sumitomo Electric's GaN wafer at a lower cost.

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has published their 2011-2015 business plan. Their R&D strategy includes four priority items, one of them being OLED Lighting. Their plan is to produce 80lm/W 40,000 hours white OLEDs in 2015. They say that the cost will be ¥4 per lm - which means $3.8 for the 80lm/W device - but they do not specify the size (area) of those OLEDs.

Mitsubishi Electric  has installed an 800-inch Diamond Vision large-scale display system at Hiratsuka Stadium in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, to display textual and graphic information as well as live videos and slow-motion replays. It’s considered as the first large-scale LED screen installed at Hiratsuka City's multi-use athletics stadium, also the home stadium of J. League Division 1 soccer club Shonan Bellmare.

Mitsubishi Electric has introduced a new color TFT LCD module in a 960×540 quarter high definition (QHD) format, which suits to video monitors for broadcasting purposes as it enables easy conversion from full HD resolution.

Japan Hibino Corp has introduced two kinds of 3D LED displays, one is the "ChromaLED 3D4" with the industry's narrowest pitch of 4mm pixels, and the other is the "ChromaLED 3D6" with 6mm pixel pitch.   

Recently, Japan's Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. is said to develop the world’s first 6-inch diameter gallium nitride (GaN) substrates for white LEDs. Presently, the white LED market has been growing using 2- to 4-inch sapphire substrates. As an alternative to sapphire, Sumitomo Electric began production of 2-inch diameter GaN substrates designed for use in white LEDs.

Tokyo-based OKI Data Corporation has received the "15th Annual, Fall 2010 BERTL's BEST Awards" for four of its new digital LED printers.   Among these four printers ,the C530 and C330 color LED printers received the Best High Performance Color Printer Award and the Best High Performance Monochrome Printer  have given to the mono LED printers, B431 and B411.

LG Electronics starts to sell 10 LED LCD TVs, including three premium FULL LED LCD TVs with 42, 47 and 55 inch screens and seven edge-lit LED LCD models with screen sizes ranging from 22 to 42 inches in Japan from November 19. Over 60 retail stores in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya will adopt LG TV models. The LX9500, a "Best of Innovation" award winner at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is placed at the top of the company's line-up.

Recently, Nichia has filed two lawsuits.

It’s reported that Taiwan Delta Electronics has made a contract with Osram for LED light bulbs using chipmaker Epistar `s high-voltage chip, a solution to making LED luminaires adaptable to household 110-220V power outlets.

Nichia has rolled out new high power point source white LEDs , code named under Nichia part number “NVSx219A”, or “Nichia 219“.It suits for interior and exterior general illumination applications.

Mitsubishi Electric has released a new AA057QD01 5.7" QVGA color TFT-LCD module with a white LED backlight. This module features a built-in LED driver, which not only can promote reduced production cost but also achieve a more compressed design. Plus, the LCD device does not require any high-voltage inverters, and its enhanced backlight structure design brings down the thickness level to 8.8 mm.

Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corp and Panasonic Corp are said to commercialize their straight tube LED lamps to replace fluorescent lamps within 2010. Toshiba Lighting & Technology plans to launch two types of straight tube LED lamps, whose brightnesses are equivalent to those of 20W and 40W fluorescent lamps, respectively, within 2010.   Also,Panasonic  intends to commercialize its straight tube LED lamps within 2010.

TDK Corp showed flexible and see-through passive matrix OLED panels at Ceatec Japan 2010 from Oct 5 to 9, 2010.   According to TDK, the flexible OLED panel is as thin as 0.3mm or less. The weights of the color-display and monochrome-display models are 1.11g and 0.96g, respectively.

American 3,600-square-foot CITGO sign perched beyond the left field wall at Boston's Fenway Park has got an LED makeover. The iconic CITGO sign and its 9,000 feet of dancing LED lights, is having all of its LED lights replaced with more technologically advanced and energy efficient LED bulbs supplied by Nichia and Agilent.

Japan Renesas Electronics Corporation launched new control IC (μPD168891) for automotive LED headlights. Below are the main specifications: (1) an integrated current-control function for constant-current drive of LEDs and a pre-driver function for driving external metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs); (2) integrated protection functions essential for automotive applications, including LED current and external MOSFET overcurrent protection;

Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the availability of its new control IC (part number PD168891) for automotive light-emitting diode (LED) headlights.  

Valeo and its partner in Japan, Ichikoh, have developed a new generation of LED front lighting systems, unveiled as a world premiere on the Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle. The Alliance's engineers have designed a cost-effective LED-based headlamp, combining enhanced illumination close to daylight and distinctive style. While the Nissan Leaf LED headlamp is cost and energy efficient, it delivers a high level of performance, with brighter light color on the road and a longer life span.

Sony Gulf , the regional arm of consumer electronics giant Sony, has shown off its new 3D-enabled LED BRAVIA television series in the Middle East. The new sets comprise of the HX800, NX815/710 and LX900 models, comes in four collections of 40 inch, 46 inch, 55 inch and 60 inch sizes, and contains HD 3D and WiFi connectability.

Recently, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co.,Ltd has begun to sell its Verbatim brand LED light bulbs in the European market. This new LED bulbs were shown at the IFA 2010 consumer electronics before. And they are based on technologies developed by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.