Just when you thought there were no unique selling points left in the world of LED light engines, Bridgelux releases a water-resistant series designed to future-proof outdoor luminaire manufacturing.
Called Outdoor Lighting Module (OLM), it integrates LEDs, optics and environmental protection in a package that can be screwed to a heatsink, and is designed to replace high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps.
“High-pressure sodium lamps are highly efficient and prolific. We realised there is no equivalent LED that has that versatility,” Bridgelux marketing director Todd Farmer told Electronics Weekly
Although others are planned, “right now, there is one sort of OLM platform. It comes in lots of different CCTs and CRIs, and various optical patterns from different optics”, said Farmer.
Optical patterns are available to suit OLM to various applications: streetlight, parking lots, high bay, wall pack, canopy, tunnel and floodlights, listed Farmer, adding: “Luminaire makers can design a casting around the profile of this module, then they can proliferate across multiple segments with same casting or two castings.”
Two castings?
“A single module (2,100-4,500 lm) can replace 50 or 70W HPS lamps. A casting with two modules can replace 150W HPS, and upwards. Also, you might have one casting for street and area lighting, and one casting for canopy,” he explained.
Heatsinking
Within the OLM, light comes from two of Bridgelux’ Vero 10 chip-on-board (CoB) LED arrays. There is no long heat path – the rears of the actual CoBs project slightly from the back of the OLM and are pressed onto the heatsink surface by the mounting screws.
“One of the nicer parts, is that the back of each array is exposed out of rear of module so it can be managed exactly same way as two of our CoB modules,” said Farmer. And if one side is screwed down before the other, “the housing has enough flexibility to ensure one side is not left high and dry.”
For more detail: LED light engine is sealed for outdoors
