New technologies transform display Dashboard instruments give information about the vehicle's speed and engine conditions. Injection molded, plastic light pipes are critical for display lighting in cars. Rather than a series of tiny light sources for various displays, light pipes allow a single light source to efficiently illuminate a much larger area. John Van Derlofske, Head of Transportation for the Lighting Research Center, points out the advantages of light pipes in an article that appeared in the magazine Laser Focus World. New design modeling software makes it easier to design light pipes, and the plastic molding makes them inexpensive and easy to produce.
New designs allow for better light distribution because they can reflect light more uniformly.
Light pipes distribute light from a single diode to instrument graphics using internal reflection of light. Van Derlofske, who came to the LRC after a career with an automaker, is working on project to determine standards for interior lighting. However, we still lack some of the standards to design to for human factors concerns. Eventually, all interior automotive lighting is going to LEDs. The cost for white and blue LEDs, however, is still somewhat prohibitive, he noted.