Hella exploring a new world of lighting with OLEDS

Thanks to the use of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) in vehicles, it will not last very long before a whole treasure trove of exciting new ideas will be unleashed on the world of lighting design. Global lighting major Hella is now significantly extending the use of such lights with its integration of bent OLED modules in a prototype for combination rear lamps. A total of 28 of these differently shaped OLED modules is thus able to produce three-dimensional, illuminated structures, stated a press release from Hella.

This design sample has come into being as a result of collaboration with BMW and LG Chem.

Organic, light emitting diodes are made up of ultra-thin, organic, semi-conductor layers, which emit a diffuse, homogeneous and glare-free light. In contrast to usual LEDs, which emit light with a spot-like effect, the OLEDs generate light over a complete area and consequently open up a huge variety of new possibilities when it comes to lighting in and around a vehicle.

The bent shape of the organic LEDs is brought about by the use of a flexible OLED substrate which, unlike the rigid glass substrates used up until now, enables virtually three-dimensional shapes to be fashioned with bend radii of just a few millimeters. Hella is in the process of developing technologies, which allow a rigid, bent OLED module to be created out of a flexible, organic, light emitting diode. Which means that the potential of this new innovative light source can continue to be explored and optimally exploited.