Table of content
- LED Lamps Beam Angle Explained
- Spill Light and Beam Angle of LED Lamps
- Beam Angles of LED Luminaires and Their Applications
- How to Pick the Right Beam Angle for LED Lighting
- Beam Angle and LED Downlights Performance
- Wide and Even Beam Angle for LED Floodlights
- Beam Angle and LED Street Lighting Safety
- Outdoor LED Facade Lighting with Beam Angle
The quality and effect of LED lighting depend largely on the beam angle, which is a key technical parameter. The beam angle tells us how wide the light beam is and how much area it covers. To make the best use of LED lighting, we need to understand how the beam angle is defined and measured, so that we can choose the right LED lamps for our needs.
- LED Lamps Beam Angle Explained
The CIE International Commission on Illumination has a standard for measuring the beam angle of LED lamps. The beam angle is the angle on the plane where the beam axis is, between the two areas where the light intensity is half of the maximum. The beam axis is the line from the center of the lamp to the front. The beam angle shows how wide the light beam is and how big and bright the spot on the wall is. The spot is usually brightest right under the lamp, and the beam angle is the angle between this point and the points where the light intensity is 50%. The figure below shows what the beam angle looks like:
The beam angle affects how much area the light covers and how bright the space is. The space inside the beam angle will have higher brightness because of the direct light. The space outside the beam angle will have lower brightness because of the indirect light.
- Spill Light and Beam Angle of LED Lamps
The beam angle and the spill light are two related concepts in LED lighting. The spill light is the part of the light that does not fall within the beam angle, and it is usually indirect and dimmer. The beam angle is the angle between the two directions where the light intensity is half of the maximum on the plane of the beam axis.
The beam angle affects the size and brightness of the spot on the wall, as well as the amount and quality of the spill light. For example, if we use the same light source in different reflectors with different angles, we will get different results. The figure below shows how a spotlight with 10°, 24°, and 38° beam angles creates different spots on the wall with different power and different beam angles:
The following diagrams show the light distribution curves of the three beam angles:
