White paper on optimizing LED-based recessed downlight apps

MONTREAL, CANADA: A new white paper providing guidelines for developing high-performance solid state downlights is now available from Future Lighting Solutions.

The paper, titled “Enabling LED-Based Recessed Downlight Applications,” describes the considerations and components for implementing LED-based downlight fixtures that meet market needs as well as ENERGY STAR requirements, including light output, efficacy and longevity benchmarks.

Topics covered in the paper include component selection, how to determine the corrected drive parameters, and the role of optical, thermal and power solutions in producing reliable solid state downlighting.

Examples provided utilize Philips Lumileds LUXEON Rebel LEDs, NXP dimmable IC drivers, and Future Lighting Solutions simpleLED light engines that accelerate time to market by providing LEDs, secondary optics and onboard connectors already mounted on circuit boards.

The simpleLED off-the-shelf assemblies also include UL recognition that eliminates the need for a full in-system LED component investigation to obtain UL Listed status for new luminaires.

The paper provides a road map for implementing a Future-developed 4” and 6” reference design for recessed downlight systems.

The attention to downlight applications reflects the fact that downlighting accounts for up to one-fourth of the lighting energy used. LED-based downlights reduce energy consumption by 45% to 80% over conventional luminaires. They also significantly reduce bulb replacements costs because they have longer hours of operation compared to traditional light sources, provide a green RoHS-compliant, and enable far more flexible designs because of their small form factor.