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OLEDs and printed electronics will have a major part to play in the future of automotive lighting, says Audi Head of Development, Lighting Functions and Innovations, Stephan Berlitz.
In an interview with LOPEC Congress, Mr Berlitz said that Audi was already deploying OLEDs into the construction of vehicles, especially in tail lamps. The auto-maker will be showcasing prototypes at the LOPEC Congress, to be held between 5 and 7 April in Munich.
OLEDs, as radiating light sources, provide uniform illumination – more so than LEDs, which are point light sources and need to be diffused to produce an even light. OLEDs also has various design-related advantages, such as its thinness, and its clean and simple surface whether it is turned on or turned off.
A major challenge in adopting OLEDs for automotive purposes is that the technology has to withstand cold, heat, humidity, UV radiation and constant vibration. All these factors can reduce the lifespan of OLEDs, but Mr Berlitz says they have been solved. Audi no hermetically encapsulates its OLEDs, resulting in stable performance on par with LEDs.
Automotive manufacturers, however, are waiting for OLED technology to be further developed for greater light intensity, which will make it suited for turn signals and brake lights. They are also working on flexible OLEDs based on plastic foil substrates, which will allow even greater design flexibility.
“In the next 10 to fifteen years, we will be seeing innovations in vehicle lighting that we can scarcely imagine today,” said Mr Berlitz.
“A vehicle's lighting equipment already acts as a form of communication—think brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights, for example—and the driverless cars of tomorrow will need to interact even more powerfully with other road users.”
One possibility is a three dimensional OLED display which covers the entire tail of teh vehicle, as well as integrating OLED coatings directly to the bodywork panels, or applying OLEDs into the windshield.