Thin lens for LED lighting

The expanding role of LED lighting and its challenges

Characterisctic differences between fluorescent lamps and LED

The range of applications of LED lighting continues to expand, with its excellent light adaptation, nearly no irradiation of infrared or ultraviolet radiation, and ecological characteristics such as long life and low power consumption. LED lighting emits intense light from light emitting diodes, as opposed to the conventional lighting typified by incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lamps, which emit light equally in all directions-360 degrees. Highly directional lighting equipment such as ceiling-mounted light fixtures allows you to implement structures that make the most of the light, whereas the difficulty of emitting light that is diffused evenly is regarded as a weak point of such lighting devices. When you can freely direct light with highly directional LED lighting, you can also diffuse the light in all directions, as a matter of course, which should lead to new applications of LED lighting. MinebeaMitsumi has launched the development of a lens for lighting that will be capable of skillfully controlling light.

The lens that will be vital for LED lighting

By using a special lens to collect and diffuse the light generated by light emitting diodes, the mechanism of this LED lighting spreads the light efficiently to brighten the entire space. The lens of the LED lighting plays a vital role in affecting the quality of the lighting itself. Up to now, a thick lens known as a cup-shaped lens was commonly used as the part of the lens needed for the complex operations of the light. Although the cup-shaped lens was excellent for adjusting the angle of the light, the light tended to be attenuated in the lens, resulting in a loss of the light generated by the light emitting diode. Although MinebeaMitsumi actually manufactured a collimating lens drawing on its optical simulation technologies, there was still room for improvement with respect to the attenuation of light. The light transmittance of the lens is also directly connected with the power consumption of the LED lighting. Can't we further reduce the loss of light, and can't we collect and diffuse light more efficiently? MinebeaMitsumi has ultimately achieved one of the solutions toward realizing the lens of the future by drawing on its specialty light guiding panel technologies to make a thinner lens.

The future of LED lighting changed by the thin lens

While LED lighting effectively saves around 60% of the energy compared to conventional light bulbs and fluorescent lamps, using this thin lens achieves an additional energy savings of about 30%. By adjusting the optical pattern of the lens, you can skillfully control the direction of the light, allowing for various combinations of light distribution and diffusion.
If you use a thin lens in a street light that serves to illuminate the road, for example, you can control the direction of the light so that it illuminates only the road brightly. In addition to improving visibility on the road, it solves the problem of uselessly illuminating the surrounding buildings and the like as well.