Sharp Corporation has developed four “oblong” type LED Lightings for use in factories and offices that deliver brightness equivalent to the commercial fluorescent lamp devices typically used in such locations. In addition, Sharp has also developed a "square" type LED Lighting ideal for use in conference rooms and similar spaces. All models will be available in the Japanese market beginning September 1, 2008.

Fluorescent lamps, which are currently the dominant form of lighting in factories and offices, account for a significant percentage of the electricity consumed nationwide in Japan. In response, Sharp considered the need for lighting devices that would offer a higher level of environmental performance, and developed a family of LED Lightings featuring long product life, low power consumption, and containing no hazardous substances such as mercury, that are designed to be used not as partial illumination, but as primary sources of light.

The “oblong” models to be introduced at this time feature an elongated form factor and are ideal for use as lighting in factories and offices. On top of delivering brightness equivalent to conventional fluorescent lighting devices equipped with twin 40-watt straight-tube fluorescent lamps, they offer power consumption about 25% lower than fluorescent lights as well as high energy efficiency performance based on a luminaire efficacy*² of 74 lumens/W, the highest in the industry for LED Lightings*³. In addition, although LEDs have traditionally been regarded as having problems such as the light being uneven when used for surface-emitting illumination, Sharp employed its proprietary optical technology to achieve bright, uniform surface-emitting lighting that had been previous difficult to achieve with LEDs. In addition to standard types intended for general office and factory use, Sharp has also developed a “high-intensity spot-pattern” model for factory and warehouse spaces that have high ceilings. The line-up also includes a "square" type appropriate for use in conference rooms and reception areas. Users can select the appropriate model depending on the design of the space and their specific application.

In the future, Sharp will be working to expand its LED lighting business to spark a “lighting revolution at the factory, in the office, and in commercial facilities” based on high environmental performance and reliability.

1.		Luminaire efficacy*3 of 74 lumens/watt, the industry’s highest*4 for an LED Lighting (model DL-N001N).
2.		Light output equivalent to conventional fluorescent devices that use twin 40-watt-equivalent straight-tube fluorescent lamps with about 25% less power consumption (models DL-N1001N, DL-N002N and DL-N006N).
3.		Bright, uniform, surface-emitting illumination (models DL-N002N, DL-N006N and DL-A001N).

Achieved the industry's highest luminaire efficacy for an LED Lighting of 74 lumens/watt by adopting LED with superior luminous efficiency.

(1) Realizes light output equivalent to conventional fluorescent devices
These LED Lightings can be used as primary lighting in offices, factories and commercial facilities.

(2) Power consumption 25% lower than lighting fixtures that use twin fluorescent tube lamps
Power consumption is reduced by approximately 25%.

The use of LEDs for surface-emitting lighting has been regarded as problematic because LED are point-like sources of light with a high degree of directionality. But Sharp developed proprietary optical design technology that reduces light absorption and boosts the percentage of light utilized by treating surfaces to have high reflectivity. This technology provides efficient surface-emitting illumination while minimizing the uneven color and variations in light intensity that have been problems with LED-based lighting in the past.

With fluorescent lights, the distribution of light may be more spread out than necessary in spaces with high ceilings such as factories and warehouses because of diffusion of the light. But the DL-N003N High-Intensity Spot-Pattern Luminaire delivers 1,000 lux of illumination directly underneath the fixture at a distance of three meters based on optical design technology that employs a proprietary condenser lens. Adequate levels of illumination can be ensured with good efficiency even in spaces with high ceilings.

These LED Lightings offer excellent heat dissipation capacity based on configuring the low-power LED in a uniformly spaced array in order to efficiently disperse the heat generated by the LEDs. This arrangement minimizes deterioration in light output resulting from LED-generated heat and ensures a consistent, ample level of illumination. As a result, these units have design product life*⁴ of 40,000 hours, and can be expected to remain in operation for 10 years or longer, even when lit for 10 hours per day. They are ideal for installation in locations that require lights to remain on for long periods of time, or in locations where lamp replacement is difficult such as high places and multi-story open spaces like stairwells and foyers.

•		Power consumption 25% lower than lighting devices that use twin 40-watt-equivalent straight-tube fluorescent lamps, currently the dominant light source used in factories, offices and commercial spaces.
•		Use no toxic mercury.
•		Use lead-free solder.
•		Completely eliminated specific bromine-based flame retardants.

•		Double-insulated construction
•		Flame retardant materials used