The paper focuses on integration of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) into car harnesses. It describes integration techniques for conventional harnesses and for flexible printed circuits, and discusses the necessary components and possible applications. Discussing illumination components requires a fundamental distinction between the light source and the light outlet. Both components have a direct influence on the lighting result and have to be carefully balanced. Of particular interest are LEDs which have increased luminous output and improved radiation characteristic. The small housing of LEDs, their low heat generation and low power consumption, temperature and vibration resistance, long life time (10.000 up to 50.000 hours), weight savings, reduction in costs and assembly efforts are additional advantages of this technology. Because of their long life time, service and maintenance expenses can be drastically reduced. Today, all colors required by car producers are available. Using LEDs as a light source for illumination offers the harness producer the possibility to integrate these components into conventional (hard) wiring and also onto flexible printed circuits (FPC). In a conventional harness, the LED and the resistor are mounted into a plastic housing which is a combination holder and strain relief. The resistor is used for the regulation of the luminous intensity of each component, as it is application specific. Integration replaces electrical interfaces (connectors, etc.) with optical connection between light source and outlet. FPC wiring ist interesting when space savings are required. Because wiring material is temperature and moisture resistant, FPC is usable in doors, roofs and cockpit areas. LEDs and resistors are mounted to flexible foil by laser welding.
Wiring integrated illumination
Beleuchtung mit integrierter Verdrahtung
2001
6 Seiten, 5 Bilder
Conference paper
English
Wiring Integrated Illumination
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2001
|SAE Technical Papers | 1991
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