A comparison of lighting technology

Spotlights, floodlights and wallwashers are flexible and efficient lighting tools for the effective presentation of art. The quality of lighting technology is not only important for the precise distribution of light and a qualitative art experience, but also for the long-term cost-efficiency of the lighting installation.
Luminaires are efficient if the energy deployed reaches the target plane in the form of light. For this reason ERCO uses individually arranged LEDs and an in-house developed lens system consisting of collimators and interchangeable Spherolit lenses. Conventional optical systems however consist of chip-on-board (COB) LED modules and a reflector. Here several LEDs are arranged below a phosphor layer and form a large luminous surface. Not all light beams can be directed with this construction – this creates spill light (the red lines). The result - the optical system has less efficiency and precision.

Reflection: light control via reflectors

With light control via reflectors, only the light rays emitted to the side are controlled. Therefore very narrow light beams are not possible. Furthermore, high spill light losses (red lines) or not clean beams (e.g. halos) occur. Unfocused and sometimes coloured edges to the light beams may also occur as well as a non-uniform distribution of illumination in the centre.

ERCO lens wallwashers enable uniform vertical lighting with wide spacing between the luminaires. Despite the spill light component, a higher quantity of wallwashers with conventional LED reflector technology is needed to achieve comparable uniformity and illuminance.

A range of interchangeable light distributions gives exhibition organisers the flexibility to select the light beam according to the exhibits. This dispenses with resource intensive solutions with complex installations and several luminaires.

Precise Spherolit lens technology enables accent lighting with high efficiency (lx/W). The energy converted into light is projected onto the target plane and does not escape uncontrolled into the room in the form of spill light.