A new European benchmark is bringing cabin lighting standards into the LED age. The DIN EN 4731 European Standard, published last year, covers LED lighting systems used in aircraft equipped with photoluminescent floor path marking, but its adoption is expected to affect LED lighting throughout the cabins of these and other aircraft.

Unlike the fluorescent lighting they often supplant, LEDs have highly individual light spectrums, primarily determined by the specifications of the incorporated LEDs. Next-generation LED cabin lighting systems that include mood lights, for example, have an almost infinitely variable light spectrum. Charging times for the systems can also vary widely.

DIN EN 4731 (Aerospace series—Spectral quality of LED luminaires used with photoluminescent marking systems) creates a tool that can help all individuals involved in designing cabin lighting systems achieve standardized levels of luminosity, according to technicians at Lufthansa Technik, which helped develop the standard. The new standard can also be used to calculate the charging efficiency of LED light sources for photoluminescent products and the charging time for LED cabin lighting systems. Previously, new LED light fittings required elaborate tests before installation to confirm that they could charge the light strips sufficiently.