With many advantages such as high energy conversion efficiency, low unit power consumption and long life, LED lighting is blowing up a “green whirlwindâ€, which not only sets off the “lighting revolution†that replaces traditional incandescent lamps in the world, but also becomes the most developed in the world. One of the technical areas of the future. The Patent Analysis Report of LED Lighting Industry published by the Patent Office of the State Intellectual Property Office attempts to reveal the current status and development trend of the LED lighting industry and the overall situation of patent technology through patent analysis methods.
Technology: "Guerrilla" PK "Group Army"
If there is no "a father of blue light" Zhongcun Xiu's series of important inventions for the LED lighting to pave the way for industrialization, perhaps now LED can only lie in the laboratory and no one cares. In such a fast-growing emerging industry, an important core patent rewrites the history of the entire industry. The "Report" also supports this. Although the patented LED lighting technology appeared as early as 1955, the real development of the "blowout" type began in 2001. Before 1991, the number of applications had not exceeded 1,000. Since then, more than ten years have shown an increasing trend of development. In 2011, the number of applications reached 31,000, and the total number of global LED lighting patent applications has exceeded 206,000.
Because of this, major manufacturers will spare no effort in technology research and development. “Nichia Chemical, Cree, Philips, Samsung and other companies have a large R & D team of hundreds of people, and pay great attention to the systemic and holistic nature of patents.†Director of Semiconductors, Department of Electrical Inventions, Patent Office, State Intellectual Property Office Tang Yueqiang said.
If we say that the international giants holding the entire set of patents in the whole industry chain are like well-equipped "group army", then domestic enterprises are more like "guerrillas" that bloom everywhere. "Our application volume is large, but there are many applicants, which are relatively scattered. The application amount of individual domestic enterprise applicants is not large enough to form an overall competitiveness. It is difficult to compete with foreign giants such as Philips, Nichia, Cree, Samsung. Wang Yanni, director of the second division of Applied Optics, Optoelectronics Department of the Beijing Branch of the State Intellectual Property Office, said: "The result is that it is difficult to form a patent layout for its own results, forming a layered and multi-faceted protection. When foreign companies have patent disputes, they often lose sight of one another and it is difficult to form a protection for themselves."
Compared with the “Group Armyâ€, we are not only “small and scattered†but also “relatively weakâ€. Wang Yanni further pointed out that although China's LED patent applications rank first in the world, domestic enterprises have fewer applications for invention patents with higher gold content. "In the case of Guangdong, a province with large LED lighting industry, the invention patent is less than 30%, and the utility model patent is over 70%. Compared with foreign patent applications, it focuses on invention patents. In blue, white, MOCVD, substrate, extension, etc. In the basic field, China has a small number of applications and is concentrated in peripheral areas, lacking core patents."
Industry: Upstream “eat meat†downstream “drink soupâ€
From the perspective of industry, it can be found that the LED lighting industry has flourished in the past 10 years, which is quite similar to the integrated circuit industry of the year. There is a well-known "Moore's Law" in the IC industry: the performance of microprocessors doubles every 18 months, and prices remain the same. LEDs are also rapidly evolving in "Haitz's Law", which doubles in brightness every 18 to 24 months and 90% in price every 10 years.
At the same time, the LED lighting industry has a long industrial chain and a high degree of market segmentation. Different manufacturers have different positions in the industrial chain and their division of labor is clear. The "Report" reveals: "Upstream epitaxial growth and chip manufacturing are the parts that best represent the level of technology and industry of enterprises or countries. They are also the areas with the highest technical content, the most fierce patent competition, and the most risky business. They are also the strongest patent barriers. According to statistics, 70% of the profits in the LED industry are concentrated in this segment; the mid-stream device and module packaging and downstream display and lighting applications are technical and labor-intensive industries."
Mid-upstream companies in the field of LED lighting rely on patent barriers to enjoy the “technical dividendâ€. For example, the blue LED technology path invented by Nakamura Shuji is a complete solution that can commercialize LEDs and belongs to the upstream core technology. Relying on the research of Nakamura Shuji, Nichia has grown from a small company of less than 200 people to a world-renowned LED leader, holding a large number of core and basic patents for blue LEDs, and frequently litigating the industry's giant hair to obtain high amounts of money. Patent license fee.
Since upstream technology is often a core patent, it is difficult for domestic companies to overcome the technological divide. They can only buy by buying devices, buying chips, and buying epitaxial wafers, which is more like an "assembly factory." Domestic patent applications also focus on lighting components and integrated luminaires in the downstream industry chain, such as luminaire assembly and heat treatment. “These patent applications are low in technology and often have multiple alternatives. The patents at the foreign application level have begun to be deployed in terms of intelligent control and automatic color temperature adjustment. It is difficult for domestic enterprise patents to protect themselves and combat competitors. Effective weapons," said Wang Yanni.
The "Report" study pointed out that "the lack of Blu-ray core patents and white light patents related to the long-term development of the industry will constrain the long-term development of the domestic industry." Although there are 1,200-1,500 packaging companies in China, no Chinese company can enter. The top ten in the number of patent applications for LED packaging technology, “Building a local superiority enterprise has become an urgent problem for China.†In addition, the related patent applications of China's LED packaging industry are mainly concentrated in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta region, regional development. Very unbalanced.
Outlook: catch up with the core, however, due to the LED technology continues to progress the process, LED industry is far from mature technology <br> <br>, future technology roadmap in continuous development, substrate, epitaxy, chip packaging technology are Constantly updated, China's LED industry still has many breakthrough opportunities. Therefore, if we find the right time and strive to break through the patent barriers, it is still unclear what the deer will die.
In terms of key technologies, the Report recommends that domestic companies focus on the development of new materials such as graphene, semi-polar substrates, and non-polar substrates. These technologies are very important in high-power, flexible LEDs. For example, graphene has the hardest and thinnest features in the world, and also has strong toughness, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, which deserves special attention.
At the same time, Tang Yueqiang introduced that MOCVD equipment is the key equipment for LED manufacturing, accounting for 40% of the product cost; while the heater technology in MOCVD equipment belongs to the core technology, but due to confidentiality, the number of patent applications worldwide is small, and it is not easy to cause infringement. as a result of. It is recommended that domestic enterprises increase R&D investment in this core technology, and at the same time strengthen the investment and development of precision instrument processing equipment related to it.
The "Report" reminds that since the blue LED core patent invented by Nakamura Shuji has expired, Chinese enterprises should actively use these well-known technologies to stand on the "shoulders" of Nichia, and develop a more practical and forward-looking The patents make up for the lack of core technologies and patents in the upstream field of LED in China. But also pay attention to the potential risks that foreign giants bring around the peripheral patent layout of the technology.
At the application level, due to the different standards and interfaces of domestic manufacturers, and the technology of foreign manufacturers in the field of packaging component interface parts nearly 75% of the technology focused on standards and interfaces, the "Report" suggests that Chinese manufacturers should strengthen the standardization of optical components. Cooperation and layout. At the same time, the trend of global networked and intelligent lighting has arisen. Foreign companies such as Philips have begun to deploy. Domestic enterprises should combine street lighting with intelligent network drive control to strengthen the research and development and reserve of their core technologies.
State Intellectual Property Office Patent Office Patent Examination Collaboration Beijing Center Optoelectronics Department of Optics Department Deputy Director Yang Yunfeng suggested that Chinese companies may wish to play their own advantages in the downstream of the industry, close contact with customers, familiar with the development of the domestic LED lighting market, through market guidance technology R & D, continue to explore new application areas of LED lighting technology, and quickly occupy the application field.
Technology: "Guerrilla" PK "Group Army"
If there is no "a father of blue light" Zhongcun Xiu's series of important inventions for the LED lighting to pave the way for industrialization, perhaps now LED can only lie in the laboratory and no one cares. In such a fast-growing emerging industry, an important core patent rewrites the history of the entire industry. The "Report" also supports this. Although the patented LED lighting technology appeared as early as 1955, the real development of the "blowout" type began in 2001. Before 1991, the number of applications had not exceeded 1,000. Since then, more than ten years have shown an increasing trend of development. In 2011, the number of applications reached 31,000, and the total number of global LED lighting patent applications has exceeded 206,000.
Because of this, major manufacturers will spare no effort in technology research and development. “Nichia Chemical, Cree, Philips, Samsung and other companies have a large R & D team of hundreds of people, and pay great attention to the systemic and holistic nature of patents.†Director of Semiconductors, Department of Electrical Inventions, Patent Office, State Intellectual Property Office Tang Yueqiang said.
If we say that the international giants holding the entire set of patents in the whole industry chain are like well-equipped "group army", then domestic enterprises are more like "guerrillas" that bloom everywhere. "Our application volume is large, but there are many applicants, which are relatively scattered. The application amount of individual domestic enterprise applicants is not large enough to form an overall competitiveness. It is difficult to compete with foreign giants such as Philips, Nichia, Cree, Samsung. Wang Yanni, director of the second division of Applied Optics, Optoelectronics Department of the Beijing Branch of the State Intellectual Property Office, said: "The result is that it is difficult to form a patent layout for its own results, forming a layered and multi-faceted protection. When foreign companies have patent disputes, they often lose sight of one another and it is difficult to form a protection for themselves."
Compared with the “Group Armyâ€, we are not only “small and scattered†but also “relatively weakâ€. Wang Yanni further pointed out that although China's LED patent applications rank first in the world, domestic enterprises have fewer applications for invention patents with higher gold content. "In the case of Guangdong, a province with large LED lighting industry, the invention patent is less than 30%, and the utility model patent is over 70%. Compared with foreign patent applications, it focuses on invention patents. In blue, white, MOCVD, substrate, extension, etc. In the basic field, China has a small number of applications and is concentrated in peripheral areas, lacking core patents."
Industry: Upstream “eat meat†downstream “drink soupâ€
From the perspective of industry, it can be found that the LED lighting industry has flourished in the past 10 years, which is quite similar to the integrated circuit industry of the year. There is a well-known "Moore's Law" in the IC industry: the performance of microprocessors doubles every 18 months, and prices remain the same. LEDs are also rapidly evolving in "Haitz's Law", which doubles in brightness every 18 to 24 months and 90% in price every 10 years.
At the same time, the LED lighting industry has a long industrial chain and a high degree of market segmentation. Different manufacturers have different positions in the industrial chain and their division of labor is clear. The "Report" reveals: "Upstream epitaxial growth and chip manufacturing are the parts that best represent the level of technology and industry of enterprises or countries. They are also the areas with the highest technical content, the most fierce patent competition, and the most risky business. They are also the strongest patent barriers. According to statistics, 70% of the profits in the LED industry are concentrated in this segment; the mid-stream device and module packaging and downstream display and lighting applications are technical and labor-intensive industries."
Mid-upstream companies in the field of LED lighting rely on patent barriers to enjoy the “technical dividendâ€. For example, the blue LED technology path invented by Nakamura Shuji is a complete solution that can commercialize LEDs and belongs to the upstream core technology. Relying on the research of Nakamura Shuji, Nichia has grown from a small company of less than 200 people to a world-renowned LED leader, holding a large number of core and basic patents for blue LEDs, and frequently litigating the industry's giant hair to obtain high amounts of money. Patent license fee.
Since upstream technology is often a core patent, it is difficult for domestic companies to overcome the technological divide. They can only buy by buying devices, buying chips, and buying epitaxial wafers, which is more like an "assembly factory." Domestic patent applications also focus on lighting components and integrated luminaires in the downstream industry chain, such as luminaire assembly and heat treatment. “These patent applications are low in technology and often have multiple alternatives. The patents at the foreign application level have begun to be deployed in terms of intelligent control and automatic color temperature adjustment. It is difficult for domestic enterprise patents to protect themselves and combat competitors. Effective weapons," said Wang Yanni.
The "Report" study pointed out that "the lack of Blu-ray core patents and white light patents related to the long-term development of the industry will constrain the long-term development of the domestic industry." Although there are 1,200-1,500 packaging companies in China, no Chinese company can enter. The top ten in the number of patent applications for LED packaging technology, “Building a local superiority enterprise has become an urgent problem for China.†In addition, the related patent applications of China's LED packaging industry are mainly concentrated in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta region, regional development. Very unbalanced.
Outlook: catch up with the core, however, due to the LED technology continues to progress the process, LED industry is far from mature technology <br> <br>, future technology roadmap in continuous development, substrate, epitaxy, chip packaging technology are Constantly updated, China's LED industry still has many breakthrough opportunities. Therefore, if we find the right time and strive to break through the patent barriers, it is still unclear what the deer will die.
In terms of key technologies, the Report recommends that domestic companies focus on the development of new materials such as graphene, semi-polar substrates, and non-polar substrates. These technologies are very important in high-power, flexible LEDs. For example, graphene has the hardest and thinnest features in the world, and also has strong toughness, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, which deserves special attention.
At the same time, Tang Yueqiang introduced that MOCVD equipment is the key equipment for LED manufacturing, accounting for 40% of the product cost; while the heater technology in MOCVD equipment belongs to the core technology, but due to confidentiality, the number of patent applications worldwide is small, and it is not easy to cause infringement. as a result of. It is recommended that domestic enterprises increase R&D investment in this core technology, and at the same time strengthen the investment and development of precision instrument processing equipment related to it.
The "Report" reminds that since the blue LED core patent invented by Nakamura Shuji has expired, Chinese enterprises should actively use these well-known technologies to stand on the "shoulders" of Nichia, and develop a more practical and forward-looking The patents make up for the lack of core technologies and patents in the upstream field of LED in China. But also pay attention to the potential risks that foreign giants bring around the peripheral patent layout of the technology.
At the application level, due to the different standards and interfaces of domestic manufacturers, and the technology of foreign manufacturers in the field of packaging component interface parts nearly 75% of the technology focused on standards and interfaces, the "Report" suggests that Chinese manufacturers should strengthen the standardization of optical components. Cooperation and layout. At the same time, the trend of global networked and intelligent lighting has arisen. Foreign companies such as Philips have begun to deploy. Domestic enterprises should combine street lighting with intelligent network drive control to strengthen the research and development and reserve of their core technologies.
State Intellectual Property Office Patent Office Patent Examination Collaboration Beijing Center Optoelectronics Department of Optics Department Deputy Director Yang Yunfeng suggested that Chinese companies may wish to play their own advantages in the downstream of the industry, close contact with customers, familiar with the development of the domestic LED lighting market, through market guidance technology R & D, continue to explore new application areas of LED lighting technology, and quickly occupy the application field.
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