News and Events

Upstream introduced its latest projector engine architectures at Projection Summit and Infocomm exhibition for picoprojector and data projector manufacturers. The unique polarization conversion system targeted for LCoS picoprojectors requires no additional space and gives significant boost for the lm/W performance. Mainstream data projectors are moving for LED based light sources too, and Upstream will have an excellent illumination module available for that segment during this summer.

Upstream demonstrated its FreeForm and color mixing products at Light+Building exhibition in Frankfurt. The FreeForm concept allows quick development of application specific lighting with higher energy efficiency. The PV color mixing concept provides solution for high performance entertainment lighting.

Upstream lauched a new design and manufacturing service concept for custom FreeForm optics. With its advanced proprietary design software and inhouse prototyping process, Upstream is now able to make a FreeForm design with application specific beam characteristics and manufacture the first prototypes within one calendar week. This service will enable quick development of application specific LED lighting products with premium lighting quality and significant energy savings.

Upstream introduced FreeForm optics for streetlamps and commercial lighting applications. The FreeForm technology provides uniform solid beam with smaller optics size. The optics are based on an advanced proprietary design algorithms that are allowing unbeatable design flexibility and light distribution characteristics.

Upstream demonstrated its PV Beamer LED products at Valo09 exhibition in Helsinki. The PV Beamer LED series includes white LED and RGBW color mixing products that are providing incredible brightness performance for the most challenging spot lighting applications.

Upstream Engineering introduced a new LED color mixing optics and modules for architectural and entertainment lighting. The PV_CMLED160 module combines colors from large RGBW LED chips with single optics providing uniform color beam with very high efficiency. The PV_CMLED160 module can output over 1000lm with 10 degree FWHM output beam angle.

The color mixing optics is based on proprietary PhotonVacuum design that the Finnish optics company has developed for LED based projector applications. Company is sampling the modules for the key customers and expecting to enter mass production by the end of 2009.

Upstream released new web pages to include more information about its new products for LED projectors and advanced LED lighting applications. The new web pages are reflecting better company's business segments - especially the fast growing advanced LED lighting segment.

Upstream attended Projection Summit and Infocomm exhibition demonstrating its proprietary PhotonVacuum technology for picoprojector and home theater projector manufacturers. The unique optical design enables significant brightness improvement and helps the market entry of the LED based projector devices.

Upstream introduced the advantages of its proprietary PhotonVacuum technology for advanced LED lighting applications. Company believes that its technology enables many industrial and professional application developers to replace their conventional lamp based illuminators with LED based illuminators. PhotonVacuum illuminators are especially suitable for brightness and etendue critical applications like industrial measurement equipments, microscopes and professional spotlights.

PhotonVacuum based ultra-portable LED projector engine was demonstrated at CEATEC 2008 by a major Japanese ODM company. The engine provides very high light use efficiency with small and thin package. The engine is based on single 0.45" DMD microdisplay imager and it permits thin palm-sized portable projector with light output up to 100 lumens.

Upstream's illuminator (PV4003_237) for high brightness LED projectors was demonstrated in the Luminus Devices' private suite in CES 2008 show. In the demonstration there was a standard LGE HS101 projector, which was purchased from the shop, where original illuminator was replaced by Upstream's illuminator. This modified projector with Upstream's illuminator provided significantly improved brightness, clearly over 100 lumens was measured and size of the illuminator was one fourth of the original illuminator. In this demonstration same PT39 LEDs from Luminus Devices were used, than in original one. With little bit bigger PT54 LEDs, the engine enables over 200 lumens brightness almost in the same size.

Finnish optics company Upstream Engineering Oy introduced new smaller and more efficient illumination optics for small portable and embedded projectors. Samples were shown for selected partners and customers in CES 2008 in Las Vegas. Upstream's PhotonVacuum technology is advanced optical illumination technology for LED based projection displays. It makes possible to collect all the light from the LED die, which lead to the best possible lm/W ratio. By integrating several optical functions into the one etendue preserving component, the technology enables the superior performance in the smallest size.

The technology provides all-in-one illuminator including extremely efficient light collection, beam shaping and homogenization functions and resulting uniform and rectangular illumination. The output is telecentric with solid beam in both spatial and angular space.

First one of the now released modules was PV4003_237, which is designed for high brightness pocket projectors and enables over 200 lumens devices.

Smaller of the newest releases was PV4003_080 for extremely small stand alone or embedded picoprojectors. Diameter of the component is only 4.5mm and it makes all the same optical functions than it's big brother. This illuminator is ideal to be used with small microdisplays in the size range of 0.17" up to 0.5". Both LCoS, DMD and LCD displays can be used with both of these new releases.

Upstream Engineering (based in Oulu, Finland) is ready for picoprojector market with it's LED based illumination engines. Technology, which is called PhotonVacuum, is perfect for small consumer accessory- and integrated projectors, but also for certain special illumination applications like used in military-, medical-, aviation- and automotive industry. Upstream's technology can be used with different microdisplay (LCD, LCoS, DMD) technologies and LEDs, which are already available on the market. PhotonVacuum illumination module enables development of extremely small projector devices already this year.

Upstream Engineering also demonstrated it's working picoprojector prototype at Infocomm and Projection Summit. Product was stand alone accessory type of projector including all needed electronics and internal battery, all in one package in the size of only around 100cc (about cigarette box size). Product was demonstrated together with video iPod and Nokia multimedia mobile phone.