ATP's Comfort Diffuser®, the solution to glare

PAMPLONA —25/05/2016— How can a LED street light keep its performance and simultaneously suppress the glare? This question represents a challenge that has surpassed the industry since light emitting diodes technology broke into the public lighting sector. ATP, finally, has found the answer through an R & D effort: the revolutionary Comfort Diffuser®.

Created using the exclusively formulated T5 polymer and specially designed to mitigate the glare of the LED while maintaining a maximum light output ratio, this unique diffuser is called to inaugurate a new era in the world of latest generation outdoor lighting. Once and for all, LED's conquests in terms of energy savings and light quality will be compatible with visual comfort: boulevards, roads and parks will show an exquisite color reproduction and a clear, uncluttered look with no dazzle for passers-by.

This innovation constitutes a big leap in the development of an efficient, economical and eco-friendly lighting since it suppresses the main problem of LED technology and accommodates it to the biological conditions of the human beings. Moreover, Comfort Diffuser softens the shadows produced by the ornaments of the street lights, which favors the uniformity of lighting and improves the overall appearance of the environment.

Glare caused by LED street lights: a big solution to a big problem

While LED lights offer a large number of virtues which have determined its progressive implementation –long lifespan, low power consumption, complete control over the direction of the beam, resistance to vibrations, start time below one millisecond, no flicker, among others–, field experience has revealed an issue that has so far remained unresolved: pedestrians complain that LED dazzles and is uncomfortable to the eye.

This is particularly intensified in the ornamental and functional lighting from three to six meters high, because of the short distance between the light source and the eye. The problem consists in the high light intensity of the LED compared to traditional discharge lamps, which is both one of the biggest advantages and one of the main flaws of light emitting diodes. The challenge, therefore, was to find ways to soften this effulgence without affecting performance and light distribution.

After an extensive research, and combining multiple light's physical phenomena such as specular and diffuse reflection, ATP has succeeded in isolating the aspects to be modified in order to achieve the desired visual comfort. Thus, the company has once again placed itself at the forefront of innovation by the development and implementation of the Comfort Diffuser, which for the first time in the history of LED lighting made possible to obtain visually comfortable street lights that maintain outstanding performance and efficiency. In short: all the advantages of LED technology, without its most troubling flaw.

A matter of eye health

Recent studies, such as that published by researcher Celia Sánchez, from the Department of Optometry and Vision of the Complutense University of Madrid, warn of eye damage caused by LED devices. Her analysis shows that prolonged exposure to the light emitted by these sources occasions lesions in the retinal cells. However, the specialist was in favor of the diodes provided it includes a filter or protection which limits its "blue light" component –the one harmful to the eye–.

In this sense, ATP uses, in combination with the Comfort Diffuser, LED modules with a lower color temperature, which emit less harmful radiation without compromising efficiency. The synergy between these two elements –light source and diffuser– ensures, thus, an adequate visual comfort.

History repeats itself:

Dazzle with high-pressure sodium and metal halide lamps

The nowadays problem with the LED glare occurred in the past when the high-intensity discharge lamps were introduced to the market: the performance of luminaires soared thanks to the enormous lighting package they offered, and numerous techniques were applied over time in order to achieve visual comfort in low-rise installations.

At first, opal type diffusers were used, and though they offered a more pleasant light, they absorbed around 30% of the lamp's performance and did not provide any control of the direction of the light. This meant a disproportionate energy consumption for medium and low height street lights.

It followed the incorporation of the first reflectors, which allowed directing the light beams. However, their efficiency was not optimal and they were not suitable to control the upper hemisphere flux (UHF), which causes light pollution. Finally, the problem was solved with the implementation of optical blocks adapted to low-rise installations, which increased the street lights' performance and cut the percentage of UHF.

With the advent of LED, which had numerous possibilities related to product's longer lifespan and better capacity to direct emitted light --thanks to its multiple diodes-- the problem came also linked to the lack of visual comfort. And again, after noting the difficulties posed by the new light source, ATP has developed a solution that will define the evolution of the lighting sector.

Comfort Diffuser. The LED that can be looked at. The future is here.