Osram's new LED headlamp prototypes give cars "bright" eyes

At the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting (ISAL), held in Darmstadt, Germany from September 26 to 28, 2011, Osram Opto Semiconductors will showcase two new LED headlamp prototypes: the OSLON Black Flat and the OSRAM OSTAR Headlamp Pro. Both prototypes employ entirely new chip and packaging technologies, and both are equipped with ceramic converters. At the same time, they offer many advantages, including high light output even at high currents, a uniform light pattern, thermal stability, and an excellent contrast ratio.

　　As the "eyes" of a car, headlamps require highly flexible light sources. These sources must not only be reliable and deliver the appropriate amount of light under all visibility and driving conditions, but must also perform various functions and respond to constantly changing environmental conditions, including the high temperatures generated by the headlamp itself. To meet these requirements, Osram has developed two entirely new LED prototypes: the OSLON Black Flat and the OSRAM OSTAR Headlamp Pro.

　　The OSLON Black Flat (left) and the OSRAM OSTAR Headlamp Pro (right) combine entirely new technology with entirely new functionality, fully meeting every requirement of headlamp systems.

　　OSLON Black Flat is the latest addition to the OSLON Black series, equipped with a ceramic converter and a QFN (Quad Flat No Leads) package. The typical thermal resistance of this product is 5 K/W, 20% lower than other members of the Black series. Since the thermal expansion coefficient of the specially-made material matches that of the metal core board, the black package signifies high stability. This brand-new LED does not require a lens, so the light it emits can be injected very close to the light guide plate, etc. In addition, its pads are identical to those used throughout the entire product series, so even with a roughly the same PCB design, the light output can be greatly increased. This new product has a pull power of 2.3 W, an operating current of 700 mA, and can achieve a typical luminous flux of 190 lm.

　　OSRAM OSTAR Headlamp Pro meets numerous requirements in terms of output and adaptability to environmental conditions, providing a more uniform light pattern, better thermal stability and higher brightness compared to its previous version. This 20 x 20 mm high-flux LED is available in multiple versions with 2 to 5 chips.

　　With the brand-new OSTAR solution, headlamp manufacturers can expect significant cost reductions—less investment for higher output. By equipping chips that can be controlled individually or in series, the AFS (Adaptive Frontlighting System) function can be realized, thereby introducing configurations that allow matrix chip solutions. The typical luminous flux of a single chip is approximately 250 lm (operating current 1 A), from which it can be correspondingly derived that the 5-chip version has a luminous flux of approximately 1250 lm; the thermal resistance of the 5-chip version is 2.1 K, which is also 0.5 K lower than that of the previous model.

　　Peter Knittl, Automotive LED Director at the German headquarters of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, is confident about this: "These two prototypes combine brand-new technology and brand-new functions in a single unit, fully meeting all the requirements of headlamp systems, and are therefore highly attractive to all vehicle models, easy to promote and use." All prototypes are based on UX:3 chip technology, achieving high light output at high currents. The ceramic converters they are equipped with are responsible for ensuring the uniformity of the light pattern. With the help of advanced packaging technology, the chips are directly packaged inside the reflector, allowing clear bright/dark boundaries to be generated in the light pattern, thereby achieving very good contrast ratios. All these features fully prove that these two LEDs are ideal light sources for high-efficiency headlamps. First samples of both prototypes are now available, with plans to launch them on the market in the third quarter of 2012.