OLEDWORKS LLC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 10b

Description

The OLED lighting market requires significant acceleration to realize its promise of expanding SSL adoption, saving energy and creating US manufacturing jobs. Today it is difficult to find affordable OLED luminaires that show off the unique advantages of OLED lighting – thin, curved, high efficacy, high-quality light. This proposal addresses the scarcity of commercially available OLED luminaires by simplifying their design and manufacture in order to grow OLED lighting panel volumes, thereby reducing OLED panel costs and opening pathways to general lighting applications. In this project, an ultra-thin, curved, high efficacy OLED light engine will be designed and prototyped incorporating an OLED lighting panel on thin, flexible glass with a high efficiency driver and an easy to use mechanical/electrical connector that will offer designers a new simple and creative component to inspire revolutionary designs and faster product introduction. This curved light engine will expand on the rigid, flat OLED light engines currently available and will make it much easier and lower cost to design and manufacture OLED lighting fixtures, for both the consumer market and the commercial architectural lighting industry. In Phase I, the project lead OLED panel manufacturer will develop the ultra-thin, bendable glass, high efficacy OLED panels and will specify or develop high efficiency drivers for use in the light engine. The sub-contractor luminaire manufacturer will design the light engine together with a prototype consumer fixture and commercial luminaire for use with the ultra-thin, curved, high efficacy light engine. The concept of a stylish, quick-connect “lamp” (light engine) overcomes the concerns of some customers about user- replacement of the lamp in case of premature failure and drastically simplifies the OLED fixture or luminaire design. During Phase I, a thorough assessment of the innovative curved light engine will be performed to identify any improvements required prior to commercialization in Phase II. Also in Phase II the efficacy of the OLED panel will be increased from 60 lm/W to 90 lm/W through addition of internal light extraction. One of the major distribution channels identified for early success of OLED light engines is in consumer fixtures offered through “big box” retail chains. OLED light engines are ideal for this channel, where attractive fixtures containing a small number of panels (light engines) can be offered at a very competitive price. Due to the scale of the channel (number of stores and outlets), the uptake rate in such a market can be quite fast, thereby accelerating the rate at which people can gain personal experience with the superior qualities of OLED lighting. This is a key element in the strategy for accelerating the slower pull-through cycles into commercial lighting. With a rigid light engine version already available, this innovative curved light engine should have rapid uptake following Phase II rollout to the market. The ultra-thin, curved, high efficacy OLED light engine will also be attractive to commercial luminaire makers, particularly smaller, more innovative lighting manufacturers who do not have as much expertise in driving the OLED panels or in handling thin glass elements, as all of this is provided for them in the light engine. This innovative project will significantly help the industry grow, and will help the US compete in this industry thereby creating US manufacturing jobs.