Automotive Interior LED Lighting

/ Interior Auto Lighting is Essential in Many Ways

Calling automotive interior lighting mission-critical is an understatement. It optimizes the driving experience while enhancing safety and comfort in many ways. It also adds touches of personality and luxury to the design. 
Interior lighting design gives engineers and OEMs great impact in a vehicle’s comfort and convenience. Placement, color, and color temperature of LEDs, empower designers to create a driving environment with positive impacts on mood and overall experience.

Look throughout a vehicle’s cabin, and you’ll find energy-efficient LEDs just about everywhere you turn: 

• Doors
• Trun
• Overhead  
• Storage areas
• Glove box
• Car doors
• Backseat reading lights

Several systems must work together to provide a seamless experience with real-time switching and alerts as needed. Innovative features in the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) use lighting to warn drivers of danger and changes in driving conditions. However, the old tried-and-true applications are still needed, such as overhead lighting, backseat lighting, trunk lighting, and more. 

/ Application Considerations

Because interior lighting plays such an important role in the safe operation of vehicles, design engineers should factor in the following design considerations: 

• Thermal performance - minimizing energy losses while reducing heat within lighting systems is essential
• High-efficiency driver design - reducing heat and energy losses is a vital function that also reduces load on the vehicle’s battery
• Compact footprint - space is limited for interior lighting systems, so compact components should be used to maximize space and minimize overall vehicle weight
• Low on-resistance - the lower the RDS(on), the more of the input voltage is applied to the LED, improving efficiency and light output 
• Stable LED current control - maintaining constant current at the appropriate levels is essential for optimal performance
• Switching speed - real-time functionality is critical for lighting applications, including inside the dashboard, backlit displays, and throughout the cabin
  
• High current handling - for ambient and reading lights, high-current drivers may be needed
• High-temperature capability - the ability to withstand extreme conditions is essential for automotive applications
• Low reverse recovery time - provides reverse protection for the battery while reducing EMI and enhancing efficiency
• Industry standards & requirements - components must comply with stringent quality and reliability standards, such as AEC-Q, for automotive applications