Two in One
MultiLEDs for the taillights of the new Volkswagen Golf Plus
A special feature of the taillights of the new Volkswagen Golf Plus is the use of LEDs which produce both red and amber light. This is accomplished with special MultiLEDs from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, which contain individually controllable red and yellow chips. In comparison, conventional MultiLEDs each contain individual chips for red, green and blue light. This particular solution arose to meet the special requirements of the Golf Plus, allowing the functional surfaces of the taillight to be created with brilliant clear glass lenses so that colored intermediate layers are no longer required. When powered off, this permits a direct look through the module at the underlying technology.
Light experts at OSRAM, Hella and Volkswagen have worked in close cooperation to create a technical highlight. The taillights of the new Golf Plus are constructed in two parts. When powered off, the tail, brake and signal lights all appear as a transparent circle against a red background. When the driver operates the brake and turn signals, 36 LEDs are active on each side.
For the taillights, all 72 LEDs light up in red. When the driver applies the brakes, 16 Power TOPLED®s within the inner circle of each taillight emit light with a higher intensity. Together with the third brake light, a distinct optical signal is produced. When the driver operates the turn signal, the 20 MultiLEDs in the outer light ring are activated, producing the yellow light described above. This also functions when the taillights are activated. Here one can see the purpose of the two color LEDs - when signaling, the yellow light outshines the red taillight.
The use of LEDs in brake lights also offers security related advantages: the response time is much faster than that of conventional incandescent lamps. This permits following traffic to be warned more quickly. The LED lifetime is also very important. With a lifetime of up to 100,000 hours depending on LED color, this amounts to more than 11 years of continual use.
More information at:
Hella
Product information at:
Power TOPLED
MultiLED
