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Imagine OLED Light for Automotive Interiors…

Interior automotive lighting has historically been focused on generic overhead lighting that is purely functional in design. This light has traditionally been unflattering, specular, and lacking unique or differentiating features.

Today, lighting is expanding into specific functional applications within the vehicle doors, dashboard, center console, gear sticks, and floor area, with more locations expected in the future. But finding the necessary space can be challenging for traditional technologies like inorganic LEDs that require bulky optical components to reduce glare and intensity.

OLED illumination addresses this challenge by providing naturally diffuse, highly uniform, and low in glare lighting within a panel less than one millimeter thick. The Lambertian emission provides a wide viewing angle that fills the vehicle with comfortable light, free from harsh contrast or shadowing. The compact profile of OLED lighting panels allows easy integration in tight spaces, such as the vehicle ceiling, doors, seats, center console, and vanity mirrors – even curved surfaces can be addressed using bendable OLED panels.

The ease of OLED integration will enable an increased emphasis on personalization and branding with ambient vehicle interior lighting systems, such as mirrors with illuminated logos and animated segmentation of shapes or entire lighted surfaces. As an added benefit, OLED technology is cool-to-the-touch, making it is possible to integrate OLED lighting into more delicate luxury materials such as wood and leather.

Self-driving cars and the move to automation will shift the approach to interior lighting design even further. Drivers will increasingly become more like passengers, requiring interior spaces to reflect comfort and design qualities comparable to their homes and workspaces. Lighting personalization and adjustment will need to become reflective of the desired mood and activity inside the car. With OLED lighting technology, automakers will have greater flexibility to put their brand differentiating style inside the vehicle, incorporating elements that improve driver safety, comfort, and satisfaction.