Application Watch: Luminous efficacy enhanced in high-power LEDs for drones

More suppliers of high-power LEDs in China are expected to target the rapidly expanding drone market.

Drones now span retail consumer and commercial applications, with growing use not only during daylight hours but also at night time. These include those adopted for light shows, event shoots, search and rescue, and mining, besides construction, agriculture and surveying.

To take advantage of opportunities in this niche, China makers of high-power LEDs are directing product initiatives toward greater luminous efficacy. Compared with general types with 100 to 130 lm/W, diodes for drones reach up to 150 lm/W. Companies will also have enhanced brightness, low power dissipation and miniaturization on the agenda.

In addition, more makers are expected to offer high-power LEDs for this application in coming years. At present, there are fewer than 100 in the line, including those with foreign investment. For the locally owned suppliers, such diodes have a shipment share of between 5 and 20 percent. This will increase with demand in coming years.

The forecast for the consumer drone market is a CAGR of 31 percent from 2016 to 2021, hitting up to 29 million units shipped worldwide by the end of the period, according to Business Insider Intelligence. In the enterprise segment, the anticipated volume is 805,000 units for a 51 percent CAGR.

In China itself, the drone industry will be in the scale of $2.06 billion by end-2018, surging from $360 million in 2015, according to AskCI Consulting.

From these positive developments, domestic high-power LED makers expect to gain with an annual sales increase of more than 20 percent in the next one or two years.

The boom in drones has likewise encouraged some in China's LED lighting sector to enter this market. CNLight, a major local supplier, invested $42 million to start producing drones in 2016. Its latest release, the Wingsland S6, integrates LEDs for use as night lighting and in rescue operations.

The main production bases for high-power LEDs in China are in the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan and Zhongshan in Guangdong province, Ningbo in Zhejiang and Suzhou in Jiangsu.

Drone LED lighting

The typical high-power LEDs for drones from China companies come in top view orientation, and RGB and white illumination colors, and with more than 90 CRI. These have a rated power of over 1W, forward voltage of 3 to 5V and luminous efficacy surpassing 100 lm/W. Product life span reaches up to 50,000 hours.

SMD types lead supply, with units in 5050 and 5074 packages widely available for this application market.

Shenzhen Xinke’s 5074 SMD LED series with 1W rated power lasts more than 50,000 hours, exceeding the typical mainstream range.

Especially designed for drones, Shenzhen Wenen’s SMD top view RGB LEDs are in 5050 size and have 80 CRI, 1.5W rated power, 3.2V forward voltage, 5V reverse voltage and 20mA rated current.

Most local makers ensure their products conform to industry standards such as CE, FCC, RoHS and UL.

To guarantee high-quality LEDs, companies use ICs from foreign suppliers such as Cree and Epistar. Some also import adhesive. Gold wire, brackets and substrates and other materials and components are sourced locally.

Thanks to the stable cost of manufacturing inputs, product prices remain steady. The majority of makers believe this trend will carry over to 2019.

The products in this gallery have been handpicked by our mainland China-based market analyst for representing current trends in high-power LEDs from Greater China makers.

7,500 to 12,500mcd high-power LED

The model GT5630-8W1AHXX high-power LED from Good Take International Ltd delivers 7,500 to 12,500mcd luminous intensity. The 5630 unit has 2.8 to 3.6V forward and 0.9 to 1.2V reverse voltages, 120mA forward current and 460mW power dissipation. The operating temperature is -40 to 85 C.

The minimum order is negotiable. Delivery lead time is 7 days.

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RoHS-compliant 1806 SMD LED

In 1806, this right-angle SMD LED from Kingbright Electronic Co. Ltd, KPDA-1806 Series model, has 120 to 3,200mcd luminous intensity and 25-degree viewing angle. The RoHS-compliant unit uses a water-clear lens.

The negotiable minimum order has a delivery time of 7 days.

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4W-rated RGB LED

Shenzhen Best LED Optoelectronic Co. Ltd's 5050RGBSMDLED model is a high-power LED with a 4W rated power. Its luminous flux in red is 45 to 55 lumens, green 70 to 80 lumens and blue 25 to 35 lumens.

The negotiable order quantity is delivered within 7 days.

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High-power LED with 135mW power dissipation

Toyo LED Electronics Ltd offers model TY-Y1206CW1 1206 SMD LED with 400 to 600mcd luminous intensity, 2.9 to 3.3V forward voltage, 25mA continuous forward current and 135mW power dissipation. The operating temperature is -40 to 85 C.

The minimum order for this RoHS-compliant unit is negotiable. Delivery lead time is 7 days.

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