You've probably heard "light distribution" before, but you may not have known precisely what it meant. In this article, we'll explain the various types of light distribution and how they differ. This can be a good introduction if you want to learn more about what Type of lighting would work best for your space and how you can achieve it.
Lighting design can be challenging because it requires careful consideration of various factors, including the size and shape of a room, the desired aesthetic effect, and functional requirements, such as task lighting. This article will help you understand how different light distributions work to make an informed decision when choosing a lighting solution for your project or home.
Let's go through each Type of lighting and discuss how it works.
The Type I Distribution
The Type I distribution is a commonly used type of light distribution. It is also known as the inverse Gaussian or non-normalized Weibull. This shape is similar to the normal distribution, but it's shifted upwards and left one standard deviation width more positive than the normal distribution.
The Type II Distribution
The type II distribution is a common distribution for light fixtures, capable of providing an even spread of light throughout a room. This Type of distribution is the most common in residential homes because it's easy to calculate and provides good performance.
The Type III Distribution
A type III distribution is a type of light distribution used in lighting fixtures for ceiling-mounted lamps, pendant lamps, and chandeliers that have an even number of bulbs (two or four) and are installed vertically as well as horizontally. The three segments of the bulb are positioned at 120 degrees from each other—that is, evenly spaced around the fixture—and form a triangle when viewed from above or below.
Type IV
Type IV, or flat distribution, is a type of light distribution that has a sharp falloff at the edges of the beam. This means that there's not much light outside your vision's center. This type of distribution is used for lighting up large areas because it illuminates an area evenly and evenly across its surface. It's not great for lighting smaller objects, though, as it gives off very little light from its center (which makes sense if you imagine it).
Type V
The type V distribution is symmetrically distributed with the same amount of light in each quadrant. Sometimes it is referred to as the triangular or equiangular distribution, but we'll stick with "type V" because it's shorter and easier to remember.
The type V distribution is also an equilateral distribution because all sides are equal in length—in this case, 60°.
Type VS
A sharp falloff characterizes the Type VS light distribution pattern in intensity with distance from the source. It's used for floodlighting, stage lighting, and other applications where a large area needs to be illuminated.
Conclusion
Understanding the different types of light distribution is essential because they tell you a lot about the quality of a lamp. The more evenly distributed light, the more efficient it will be, and vice versa. It's also important to know how many lumens your light source produces and if it has any special features like adjustable brightness levels or color temperature ranges.
Hopefully, you now better understand the different types of light distributions. If you want to know more about these topics or anything lighting-related, contact us, and don't forget: we're always happy to answer any questions or help out in any way!
