USHIO Commences Sales of LED Modules for Office Automation Equipment for Reading Documents
Reducing power consumption by 75% while retaining the brightness of conventional products
USHIO INC. (USHIO; Head office: Tokyo; President and CEO: Shiro Sugata) is pleased to announce the January 2011 start of sales of LED modules for office automation equipment (full-color multi-function devices, copiers, scanners and other equipment for office use) for reading documents.
Today, manufacturers of office automation equipment are focusing on reducing the power consumption of the equipment, increasing the recycling ratio by using recyclable parts, and reducing the number of manufacturing processes by decreasing the number of components used, in view of the need to take the environment into consideration. As part of these efforts, the LED has replaced the conventional rare gas fluorescent lamp(*1) as the light source for reading documents.
In response, Ushio has applied the light source technologies for office automation equipment(*2) that it has cultivated over 40 years since the foundation to the LED and optimized them, thereby achieving a 75% reduction in power consumption(*3) compared to the rare gas fluorescent lamp.
Moreover, by utilizing the unique high-output LED and light guide(*4), the number of LED chips used per module has been reduced significantly, to just one or two(*5). In addition, the utilization of a unique optical design has enabled a uniform, stable readout, with fewer irregularities and fluctuations, and less decline in light quantity at the edges.
Today, LED modules have been standardized to suit manuscript sizes and lighting intensity, along with other performance requirements of office automation equipment. Utilizing LED modules in combination with the optimized light source eliminates the need for office automation equipment manufacturers to design, manufacture, or optimize the light source section to suit the equipment model and performance requirements, enabling the number of design and manufacturing processes to be reduced.
In conjunction with office automation equipment manufacturers, USHIO will continue to develop high-performance and high added-value products that take the environment into consideration, thereby contributing to achieving a recycling-focused and environmentally considerate society.
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*1)This refers to a discharge lamp that has fluorescent material applied to the inner surface of a light-emitting (glass) tube, which has xenon or other rare gases sealed inside it. *2)For more than 40 years, Ushio has manufactured and sold light sources for office automation equipment for reading documents, and light sources (halogen heaters and others) for fixing toner and ink, ever since the days of blueprint copiers (diazo copiers). The company boasts the top share worldwide (as of the end of December 2010, assessed by our company). *3)As of the end of December 2010, assessed by our company. *4)This refers to a special bar-shaped part that diffuses the light coming in from the sides and emits a uniform light on the surface. *5)In the case of an LED array light source in which LED chips are lined up along one module, the number of LED chips used is 40 to 50 (in office automation equipment that is compatible with A3-sized pages). |
USHIO’s LED modules for office automation equipment for reading documents
Appearance (left) and When lit (right)
Comparison of environmental data
| Lighting method |
LED module |
Conventional lamp (rare gas fluorescent lamp) |
|---|---|---|
| Power consumption*6 |
55.3 kWh/year |
228.1 kWh/year |
| Electricity cost*7 |
About 553 yen/year |
About 2,281 yen/year |
| CO2emissions*8 |
23.8 kg/year |
98.1 kg/year |
| wavelength |
400 to 700nm |
|
| Guaranteed service life |
1,500hours |
|
| Lighting intensity |
7,500 to 50,000lx |
|
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*6)Power consumption when used 24 hours x 30 days x 12 months *7)Calculated assuming the charge to be 10 yen per kWh *8)Calculated assuming the emissions to be 0.43kg-CO2 per 1kWh |
Equipped with USHIO’s unique optical technology
Stable, uniform brightness is achieved by irradiating the light from a high-output LED placed on both edges of the module, utilizing the light guide and unique optical design.
