A universal platform for solid state lighting (SSL) has been developed by light enabling technology manufacturer TIR Systems Ltd., Burnaby BC.

Called LEXEL, the platform was unveiled at the recent Lightfair International in New York, the lighting industry’s largest annual tradeshow. It not only provides perfectly controllable and high quality illumination, but also will enable the most energy efficient general lighting available anywhere, TIR says.

The light source uses light emitting diodes (LEDs), which TIR says have been identified as having the potential to reduce the world’s overall consumption of electricity by 10% while delivering superior performance and useful life in excess of 50,000 hours or more than 20 years for many applications.

Until now, this potential has gone untapped for illumination because LEDs were an incomplete lighting system on their own and the industry has been struggling with several technology barriers that prevented them from being utilized for general lighting purposes. With LEXEL™, TIR

The firm says it has overcome a number of technology hurdles and now has the first and only fully integrated, seamless SSL source that can be used cost effectively for general lighting purposes.

“In addition to introducing award-winning SSL products into the early adopter markets, TIR has quietly spent the last two years researching and developing a universal general lighting platform that will deliver the phenomenal energy savings and operational benefits that have been promised by LEDs for several years,” TIR President and CEO Leonard Hordyk says. “For the first time ever, the world is now able to take advantage of a perfectly controllable light source that uses up to 80% less energy to produce the same amount of light as a conventional source and at the same time, does not degrade its output or color over its life.”

At Lightfair, TIR demonstrated several light fixtures that provide 1000 lumens of light, approximately equivalent to a 75W incandescent lamp, a quantity of light that addresses more than 60% of the market currently served by conventional sources.

LEXEL also provides precise color temperature control and dimming using a closed-circuit feedback system, resulting in a truly intelligent light source for illumination, TIR says.

“LEXEL addresses all of the major obstacles that have prevented LED-based light sources from entering the mainstream illumination markets and does so in a simple and cost effective way,” TIR Chief Technology Officer Brent York says. “By combining a leapfrog improvement in thermal management with more than 95% drive efficiency, an inexpensive but extremely accurate feedback system, and the most advanced optical system for SSL to date, LEXEL will finally deliver the light output, color temperature control, extremely long life, and energy efficiency that the lighting industry has been promised.”

Building on its recently announced patent for using SSL in grid ceilings found in general illumination applications, TIR says it is rapidly expanding its portfolio of intellectual property, which currently includes 44 patent applications in the field of SSL.

It is meeting with industry partners to determine how best to commercialize LEXEL technology by 2006.