High-performance LED move into headlights:

Out of this world

Source: Pininfarina

REGENSBURG - Behind the surprisingly low-profile headlights on a futuristic sports car are high-performance LED from Osram Opto Semiconductors. The study by top Italian designer Pininfarina was presented at the 73rd International Geneva Car Show (March 6 to 16, 2003).

Designers very quickly spotted the creative potential that these tiny high-performance lights have. The tiny dimensions and small mounting depth of the light emitting diodes mean that designs can be flat and futuristic. Dr. Rüdiger Müller, CEO at Osram Opto Semiconductors, commented: ""With our high-performance LED we are opening up completely new design options, and this now also applies to headlights."" In the extremely flat headlights, Pininfarina has used LED of different sizes and outputs. These tiny light sources provide brilliant light that looks out of this world. At the 2002 Detroit Auto Show the Ford Tonka concept car was shown with LED headlights. Pininfarina is now taking LED one stage further in Geneva. In both cases, high-performance LED are used in the headlights, the tail lights and the indicator lights. Not only does this bring considerable flexibility in design, but there will be a tremendous benefit in terms of driver comfort and safety because LED light can illuminate the road ahead more efficiently than light from conventional sources. However we shall have to wait a number of years before these lights go into mass production. Development work is being carried out into the optical, electrical and thermal properties of LED and their packages with the aim of tailoring the light sources to their operating environment in headlights. As the luminous efficacy of LED increases further, fewer will be needed in the headlights. As one of the leading suppliers of high-performance LED, Osram Opto Semiconductors will be at the forefront of developments.

For the past ten years, LED have gradually been conquering the world of automotive lighting. These tiny light sources have long been at home inside the passenger compartment. They are used in large numbers as tiny dots of light or as backlighting in dashboards, radios, navigation systems, climate control systems and various switches. LED have numerous advantages. They fit just about anywhere, bring light into the smallest spaces and last longer than most of the vehicles in which they are fitted. What’s more, they are world champions in energy saving. What started inside the car is now being taken successfully outside the car. LED are already used as standard in high-level brake lights. Vehicles of unusual design such as Phaetons or Bentleys have combined rear light clusters equipped with point light sources.

About Osram Opto Semiconductors
Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH, Regensburg, is a subsidiary of Osram, one of the three largest lighting manufacturers in the world. It offers its customers solutions based on semiconductor technology for the lighting, sensor and visualisation sectors. The company has sites in Regensburg, San José (USA) and Penang (Malaysia). In the 2002 fiscal year (to the end of September) its 3370 employees produced sales totalling EUR 309 million. For more information go to www.osram-os.com.

High-performance LED move into headlights:
Out of this world
Behind the surprisingly low-profile headlights on a futuristic sports car are high-performance LED from Osram Opto Semiconductors. The design study by Pininfarina was presented at the 73rd International Geneva Car Show (March 6 to 16, 2003).

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OSRAM

Christian Bölling
Tel: +49-89-6213-2597
Fax: +49-89-6213-3457
Email: c.boelling@osram.com