Signify has developed many technologies to solve these technical issues and to improve light performance through tubular LEDs (TLEDs). Using TLEDs can drastically reduce maintenance and energy costs over a longer product lifetime while achieving similar, or even enhanced, lighting results compared to conventional products. Additionally, LED-based light sources can be more easily dimmed than fluorescent tubes and can be integrated into smart lighting systems.
Further, if the installer does not switch off the fixture before inserting the TLED (known as hot-lamping), the installer may touch live pins at one end of the tube. This is possible because some TLEDS have a current path from one end to the other via the electronics. This was not the case with gas-filled fluorescent tubes that did not have a conductive path from one end cap to the other. To fix this problem, Signify has developed various TLED safety patents, an overview of which you can find on slide 24 of the EnabLED Licensing Program for LED Luminaires and Retrofit Bulbs presentation.
