Innovative micro-optics technology from HELLA has opened up new design possibilities and functional advantages for rear combination lamps.
Dr. Frank Huber, HELLA managing director and responsible for the lighting division, said: “In addition, above all, a car must have character and emotional appeal.
“Manufacturers are therefore looking for new design options more than ever.”
This is why the lighting and electronics specialist is launching HELLA FlatLight technologies, a new lighting innovation for rear combination lamps that combines functionality and design.
The HELLA FlatLight concept takes styling, function and performance to a new level.
This is made possible by an innovative light guide concept, which is based on micro-optics.
These optical lenses are smaller than a grain of salt.
The optics, which are only a few micrometres in size, allow the diffraction properties of light to be exploited.
“This will fundamentally change light signatures as we have known them,” says Dr. Huber.
Another major advantage of the new concept is that less energy is required compared to other technologies.
Just one watt is required to reproduce all tail light functionalities.
Direction indicator, brake and tail light can be implemented in just one optical element.
Until now, individual chambers were necessary for this.
In addition, multi-colour combinations, such as those required for tail light/direction indicator or daytime running light/direction indicator, are also possible in just a single element.
In addition, the shape of the individual optical elements can be freely designed.
Complex welcome and farewell scenarios can not only be designed via the HELLA software interface, but also implemented directly. In addition, fonts, logos and other graphics can be added.
The structure of the HELLA FlatLight, which is only a few millimetres in thickness, offers greater design freedom.
The implementation with micro-optics (FlatLight µMX) is only one possibility to build the rear combination lamp.
Depending on the customer’s wishes and requirements, other technologies can also be used, such as nanoparticles.
These enable, for example, three-dimensionally curved optical elements that can follow a vehicle contour even better and thus lead, among other things, to a reduction in installation space and weight savings.
In 2001, the company integrated the first LED light guide rods into headlamps and rear combination lamps and has continued to develop the technology.
The first variants of the new lighting innovation have already been released for series production.