Author:
Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD
Date
05/29/2021
PDF
As you read this, we should already be – or on our way – to APEC. But alas, COVID-19 is still a persistent enough problem that the halls of the Phoenix Arizona Convention Center will be empty this year and 2021 will play host to mostly virtual trade shows (again).
That’ll never become less disappointing, and hopefully, it won’t have to for long.
June’s issue deals with “Lighting and Illumination,” and our contributors discuss it from the perspectives of vehicle headlights, connected buildings, facility safety, and several more.
Bill Plageman, from Amerlux, mentions how the dramatic transition from incandescents to light-emitting diodes is old news – the next “revolution” driving the future of solid-state lighting is connected buildings.
These days, LEDs are inextricably linked with building automation.
“Lighting now serves a key entry point into building automation systems, which uses interconnected networks of software and hardware to monitor and control all the building’s electrical and mechanical systems,” Bill says.
Texas Instruments’ Brandon Seiser discusses another new development that’s “Illuminating the Future of Vehicle Headlights.”
For most of their existence, cars used two modules for their headlights – a low-beam base light and a manual on/off high beam. In order to increase road safety with maximum illumination but without distracting other drivers, “adaptive beam headlights” have been developed.
As Brandon explains, “An ADB system automatically controls the entire headlight, including high beams, enabling drivers to focus on the road and stop toggling their high beams on or off based on lighting conditions and the presence of oncoming vehicles.”
Additionally, for cars that don’t have beam field-of-view (FOV) segmentation, ADB systems turn high beams on and off automatically.
The last article I’d like to highlight deals with lighting’s ability to bolster your facility’s safety (though not in the way you’re probably thinking).
We’ve often discussed the propensity for UV LEDs to disinfect workplaces (and inactivate SARS-CoV-2), but the CEO at Dialight, Fariyal Khanbabi, is equating lighting with injury prevention.
And the statistics are troubling – 105 million days are lost to work-related injuries each year, with 4,572 people killed in workplace incidents in 2019, and workplace injuries cost the U.S. more than $171 billion, including $1 billion paid out per week by employers for direct workers’ compensation costs.
As Fariyal points out, “Reliable, high quality industrial lighting is essential for workplace safety. Providing clear visibility is the number one factor in preventing some of the most common lost-time and injury-producing accidents.”
And since modern LED lighting is the safest source of industrial lighting on the market, that could be one of the most important factors in workplace safety.
Best Regards,
Jason Lomberg
North American Editor, PSD
