The question: why does the same light from two different LED light sources, which are measured to be exactly the same, look different?
This question has been baffling scientists for 85 years. Over the decades scientists have been aware of the phenomenon of colour perception versus reality colour measurement of different light sources. This occurs in general lighting when there are several LED white light sources in the same space; for example downlight, spotlights and wall washers.
To understand and answer the question, Osram onto Semiconductors, the German lighting giants, undertook physiological research into how human eyes perceive colour.
One key assumption, before this research, was that blue, green and red cones in the eyes – responsible for colour perception – were evenly distributed, and that colour perception over various viewing angles is constant.
This however, is not correct, the research found that pigment density over the field of view’s size varies significantly.
The findings show that there has been a big impact on retail businesses and museums as colour inconsistency is not an option, and is sometimes unpleasant as it does not show the item, whether its a dress or an oil painting, in the best possible and consistent illumination. The artist would expect their work to viewed as they had originally intended, not under a false of disturbed lighting solution.
A new technology, called TEN° binning, created by Osram, has been developed and eliminates any disturbances in physiological colour perception between different light sources.
The future is a new level of LED lighting that achieves unprecedented colour consistency!
