An American National Standard, ANSI/IES LM-79-19: Approved Method: Optical And Electrical Measurements Of Solid-State Lighting Products, helps measure light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products.
At the center of the solar system, there is a smoldering ball of plasma that permits planetary orbit and helps sustain life. The sun also sends photons to these planets, granting light. The invention of the lightbulb, which succeeded the formation of the sun by 4.5 billion years, accomplishes this same feat, albeit on a much smaller level.
Traditional—incandescent or fluorescent—lightbulbs create light with filaments and gases encased in a glass bulb. Alternatively, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) consist of semiconductors that convert electricity into light. In fact, this yields numerous benefits—LEDs can provide 50,000 hours or more of life, use 75% less energy, and are often more durable.
While LED lighting applications date back 50 years, they didn’t rise to consumer prominence until the 2000s. Since then, they have flourished. In fact, 58% of Americans prefer LED light bulbs. By 2027, it is projected that widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh of electricity—a total savings of more than $30 billion.
Furthermore, while a newer technology, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products are on the rise. These two lighting technologies—which are considered solid-state lighting (SSL)—offer numerous benefits, but their reliability needs to be assured.
ANSI/IES LM-79-19 covers an approved method for measurements of LED and OLED luminaries, integrated LED and OLED lamps, non-integrated LED lamps operated with a driver designated by a manufacturer’s identification number or by a defined reference circuit, and LED light engines. For the purposes of the American National Standard, these are all referred to as SSL products or device under test (DUT).
For these SSL products, ANSI/IES LM-79-19 details procedures and precautions for performing measurements of electrical power, system efficacy, color quantities and/or spectrum, and total luminous, radiant, or photon flux and intensity distribution.
Please note, however, that ANSI/IES LM-79-19 does not cover SSL products that need external heat sinks or components of SSL products (e.g. LED packages or LED arrays). The standard also does not cover housings or luminaires designed for SSL products and sold without a light source, nor does it address the determination of the performance rating of products.
ANSI/IES LM-79-19 revises IES LM-79-2008, “Approved Method: Electrical and Photometric Measurements of Solid-State Lighting Products.” The current edition of the standard was changed to provide better guidance based on information gathered from proficiency testing associated with laboratory accreditation and independent research. These revisions reduce the variation of measurement results across testing laboratories and are meant to minimize the burden on testing laboratories.
Furthermore, the structure of the ANSI/IES LM-79-19 document was changed significantly to match the approved IES Testing Procedure Committee document structure.
ANSI/IES LM-79-19: Approved Method: Optical And Electrical Measurements Of Solid-State Lighting Products is available on the ANSI Webstore.
