Energy saving through LED in signaling functions for automotive exterior lighting

Safety considerations have always driven the way for improving exterior automotive lighting legal requirements. With the recent adoption of day-time running lamps for passenger cars, the steadily increasing need for reduction of vehicle power consumption has led to the introduction of LED-based day-time running lamps. Solutions with incandescent bulbs have also been implemented, as they present price advantages while offering limited design perspectives. In the meantime, technology developments has turned LED sources into ideal candidates for daytime running lamps by increasing their lumen per watt efficiency ratio towards values around 100 1m/W or higher. In this work, taking as an example the new Mercedes-Benz roadster SLK (R172), we present the first single LED day-time-running lamp, with a total power consumption below 5W per vehicle. After reviewing legal requirements, the optical and electronic concepts are discussed. Details on the tail lamp LED functions are also discussed, and particularly the advantages from the realization of fog lamp with LEDs.