As the 4th generation lighting source, LED car lighting applications are feasible and advanced than other traditional car lights. In this article, we will discuss about the current situation of LED lights applied in automobile industry.
Vehicle lighting industry was emerged in the early of 20 centuries. Kerosene lamps and acetylene lamps were two oldest lamps that used in cars. After the invention of electricity in 1910, incandescent lamps, halogen lamps and high-intensity discharge lamps (HID) became the main vehicle lighting products in succession. Since 1985, LED lighting technology started to emerge in a verity of vehicle lighting applications and meanwhile the LED used Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS).
Currently, LED has been made used of by many vehicle manufacturers: BWM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, etc.. In order to improve the overall competitiveness, they have launched new cars with applications of vehicle LED lights.
LED car lighting applications have many advantages: 1) longer service life, better anti-vibration capability. In theory, LED can maintain a normal work for more than 50,000 hours, the practical working time is no less than 20,000 hours (still longer than the that of traditional halogen bulbs, which can continue to work about 150 to 500 hours). That means, LED lights have longer service lives even than cars themselves. Besides, there are no moveable compartments within the entire structure of LED car lighting applications, giving them a much better anti-vibration capability. 2) Environmental friendly. LED can obtain sufficient luminous flux under low voltage and low current, consuming only 10%-20% energy of other traditional lamps, no health-hazard mercury, there is no environmental pollution during production and recycling. 3) Fast respond. Unlike incandescent lamps, the respond time of LED lamps has reached tens of nanoseconds. Thus LEDs are more competent in vehicle tail lighting applications, which can speed up the respond of the follow-up driver. 4) Small size. Compact LED can diversify the automotive-style design, and consequently make the model more stylish. Compared with traditional lamps, the installation depth of LED signal lighting system can decline by 80mm, which is rather significant for the layouts of internal compartments.
At present, the automotive industry is still the pillar industry in the global economy, and in the phase of rapid development. There is no doubt that all this will drive the development of vehicle compartments, including LED car lighting applications.