Rambus Acquires Patented Lighting Technology from Imagine Designs

Technology licensing company Rambus Inc. has acquired the lighting and display portfolio of patents and technology from privately held Imagine Designs Inc. The patented innovations include technology for general lighting, LCD backlighting, and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) displays, expanding the breadth of products in these applications that can be addressed by Rambus (News - Alert).

In addition, Imagine Designs’ founder and principal inventor Brian Richardson will join Rambus as a technical director in the lighting and display technology business.

In a statement, Jeff Parker, president of lighting and display technology at Rambus, said, “This acquisition complements our portfolio of leading-edge technology, allowing us to provide a wider range of solutions to our customers for their next-generation LED based lighting and display products.”  

He added, “With his strong track record of invention, we are very pleased that Brian joins our world-class team of engineers and scientists to continue the development of this breakthrough technology."

Pete Pappanastos has also joined Rambus as a director of strategic development for the lighting and display technology business. Rambus intends to support and further build the customer relationships and momentum that Imagine Designs established in the entertainment, architecture, street light and general lighting markets, said Rambus.

To accelerate LED product development, last year GE Lighting, a unit of the General Electric Company's Appliances & Lighting business inked a licensing deal with Rambus for the use of Rambus' patented lighting innovations, including its product reference designs and manufacturing process know-how.

As per the GE Lighting announcement, the initial focus will be to create a flat-panel LED lighting system for architectural and commercial lighting for global markets.

According to the International Energy Agency, approximately 19 percent of electricity consumed globally is used for lighting. LED lighting, also referred to as solid-state lighting, is among the most energy-efficient lighting technologies of the 21st Century with great promise for general lighting applications that could reduce energy consumption worldwide.

It is essentially a semiconductor-based light source that provides long operating life and high energy efficiency, making it superior to many traditional light sources, according to the company.

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