Fortimo LED downlight platform

At Philips Lighting I was senior system architect for the Fortimo downlight platform. I defined the system architecture, the technical strategy and the technology roadmaps, and I was the technical link between product managers, optical and electronics designers, marketing, manufacturing and project management.

Fortimo used a remote phosphor: the phosphor sits at a distance from the blue LEDs instead of on the chip. I introduced several technologies that made it easy to extend the product range while keeping the number of different components low. I also defined the test strategy and protocols, the manufacturing monitoring and the performance metrics.

It was a fun job. Most of the work was trading off what each discipline gains and loses, to get the most performance for the lowest cost.

After I left Philips in 2009 to start my own consultancy, Philips Lighting hired me for several years as a part-time interim system architect for remote phosphor downlight and streetlight systems.