Trend analysis and forecast of vehicle LED (Photos)

The two factors that attract car buyers and meet the requirements of the new regulations will drive the growth of LED products in automotive applications, especially external applications, Yole development company Eric Mounier said.

Today, car makers are safer and more environmentally friendly, more and more exquisite design, oil and other advantages to attract users. At the same time, the new car models must also comply with the new rules, which leads to new technologies have been applied. In the United States, for example, it requires that all registered vehicles must be equipped with tire pressure monitoring system by 2007. In order to meet the needs of users and the government, manufacturers must also seek higher optical performance in automotive applications.

(photo: Shelby GR-1 concept car: OSRAM Opto Semiconductors company said the energy efficiency as high as 50 lm/W ThinGaN high brightness LED, Ford Motor Co was chosen as the Shelby GR-1 concept car headlights light. From the trend of the automotive industry, we can predict that by 2007 the high brightness LED will be transferred from the concept car to car production, although the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association believes that this situation is likely to happen to 2010. )

LED will be very fast to use one of the optical parts in the vehicle, it can provide improvements in safety and design. In the automotive interior lighting, LED market penetration has a more significant growth (see below), and other high brightness similar products in the following markets will have a large share of the market: the external system and taillight headlight system, such as the headlights, low positioning light, turn lights, side lights and daytime lights etc.. This area will become a popular research topic, and the focus will be directly focused on lowering prices and improving performance.

(high brightness LED figure: Although LED nitride manufacturers still use the traditional for exterior lighting, but in the headlights, turn lights and side lights and other applications, or demand higher brightness. )

Positive and negative factors

Of automobile designers, low energy consumption and long life LED is one of the most attractive features. For example, a typical LED life of 10000 hours, far beyond the other low light lamps guaranteed for 3000 hours. The spectral quality of white LED, with 85 color rendering index and small size, to provide designers with a more flexible space for creation, but also makes the LED has a greater advantage. At the same time, LED faster than traditional light bulbs lamps 250 ms starting time, also can effectively prevent car accidents: a car with 100 km/h cars equipped with LED brake lights follow in the back of the car, braking distance will reduce 7m.

But now there are still many defects LED. The most deadly point is that they can not achieve the desired lighting effects outside the car, while the high cost of white and blue LED (HB) can not be a large number of infiltration into the market. Moreover, compared with the traditional light bulb 200 degrees below C, LED operating temperature limit of less than 100 degrees C, the car is too low. Existing high brightness LED performance and price must be consistent with the cost of demand, in order to drive LED products in the automotive market to get greater application. Specific analysis as shown in figure:

Figure: LED now costs less than the needs of the automotive industry, especially white light LED, at least 10 times to improve. )

In accordance with the prediction Optoelectronics Industry Development Association, 2010 to the performance and cost ratio can be reduced to the car manufacturers required 10 $/klm (or 100 lm/$). Automotive industry is much more optimistic about this, they expect to 2007 high brightness LED can become a feature of high end cars. Industry sources also claimed that the car headlights will demand 15 - 50 of the LED to achieve the necessary functions of the car. These lamps must comply with the relevant regulations on low light and high light requirements. High and low light only in the light intensity distribution is different, but its strength must be between 350 - 1000 lm.

Industry regulation also presents another problem: at present, only the United States are allowed to use the LED in the headlights lighting. However, Japan and Europe should follow up, Europe has been expected in 2007 to allow the use of LED low light lighting. Audi has led to the use of LED technology, released last year in A8 new car, Audi is equipped with 5 Luxeon LED made the headlights, lights the total output is 350 LM, in the daytime operation lamp, the brightness is enough, but in low light and high light application, is not up to standard requirements.

High brightness exterior automotive lighting market is still in the initial stage, but we expect in the next four years, it will be integrated to a 72% annual growth rate (CAGR) gradually expand (below). By 2009, white high brightness LED market will be Lumileds, OSRAM, Toyoda, Gosei and Cree of the Nichia company and several preemption, the market value will reach $9000 million. By comparison, the LED lighting market in the car in 2003, the total value of $3.5 billion, by 2009 only 5% of the annual growth rate.

(Figure: external lighting applications in the next 5 years there will be rapid growth, but the internal application of LED to 2009 will continue to occupy most of the market for vehicle LED. )