In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the incandescent lamp, which marks the human into the era of electric lighting fire lighting. From the incandescent generation, it has been lasted more than 130 years, with the advancement of technology, the illumination light source keep the direction of more energy efficient development. In the 1930s, the Dutch scientists developed the first branch fluorescent lamps, on this basis, to the 1980s, he also has developed a compact fluorescent lamp, and quickly occupied the market with energy saving, long life and other advantages than incandescent, incandescent light has now entered the phase-out period. Since the 1940s, scientists have since developed high-pressure sodium lamps, metal halide lamps, high-intensity gas discharge lamp. Due to its high efficiency, high power density, etc., it is widely used in outdoor lighting, road lighting and commercial lighting and other fields.

In the 1960s, the U.S. Hewlett-Packard run mass production of the red LED production for the first time. After nearly half a century of development, the semiconductor light-emitting diode (LED lights)-based lighting, because of its low power consumption, long life, fast response, small size, rich colors dynamically control advantages, more and more widely used in indoor and outdoor lighting, large-size LCD backlight display, medical, transportation and other fields. After following incandescent, the fluorescent lighting technology revolution open a new era of lighting.

LED technology matures gradually

Currently, developed countries, the lighting power consumption accounts for about 20% of the total electricity consumption, energy-saving potential is considerable. In the context of today’s world energy crisis, the growing pressure on energy saving, the world’s major developed countries have to increase from the National Strategic support and attention of the semiconductor lighting to give strong support in terms of policy, such as the development of semiconductor LED technology and industrial development planning, accelerated incandescent high energy-consuming lighting source phase-out plan, the introduction of demonstration applications and promotion policy, attaches importance to and actively promote the testing and standardization process, to seize the industry dominance.

2010 METI “bulb-type LED technology included in the eco-point system to support and clearly indicate LED lighting products market share of 50% in 2015, and LED lighting products 100% market share by 2020. The South Korean government regard solar, semiconductor lighting, hybrid cars as three green growth engines, proposed to the government office lighting LED product replacement rate in 2012 that reached 30%, and to 2015 reached into the world top three semiconductor lighting industry.

As a global supplier of automobile lighting and electronic led street lights system, HELLA (German) indicated that LED technology will tremendously impact the vehicle lighting design in next few years. In the interview, Dr. Herbert Wambsganss, the Engineering Director of Internal Lighting Section of HELLA suggested that LED lighting will bring a new era to internal vehicle lighting system. Drivers will find significant changes within cabs, and this LED-related improvement will give them a brand new and comfortable feeling. And also can exalt the brand popularity.

“LED is the most advanced lighting technology currently, not only for us but also for our customers. LED lamps emit monochromatic rays, any potentially harmful or unwanted radiation, such as ultraviolet or infra-red light, can be eliminated. Without any flickers, this light is totally harmless to user’s eyes.”

Although lighting design is not a primary consideration for passenger cars or commercial cars, HELLA still put this item in the first line of their development agenda for next few years. Some senior managers believed that the usage of internal LED vehicle lighting applications will increase four times within next 5 years.

LED technology provided internal automobile designers with a new design concept: how to improve their value in use and users’ driving experience. Data reveal that internal vehicle lamps with different colors will bring passengers different feelings. In one project carried out by HELLA and University of Hamburg, color of internal vehicle lamps will exert different impacts on users’ feelings and comfort levels. Nowadays, every driver in German will spend around 4 hours on average on their daily driving, even more for taxi drivers and lorry drivers. Long-term driving can easily causing visual fatigue and even wore traffic accidents. Over the past decade, HELLA always stressed the importance of internal automobile lighting design. However, no matter how hard they tried, automobile manufacturers were still unable to remove the hazard caused by traditional lamps, such as ultraviolet rays and flickers. It was LED technology that brought them a new life. Now internal vehicle lighting designers can have better performances with the help of LED. Compare with traditional lamps, LED lights gave them much less restrictions.