Nichia Corporation recently announced that it will showcase its portfolio of pixelated light source (PLS) adaptive high beam (ADB) solutions at the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting (ISAL) in Darmstadt, Germany, from September 22 to 24, and will launch two new products, μPLS Mini and DominoPLS.
Image source: Nichia Chemical
The μPLS Mini (Micro PLS Mini) is built on the μPLS technology platform, combining Nichia's proprietary 3000+ pixel Micro LED array with Infineon's LITIX driver ASIC. Compared to low- and mid-pixel ADB solutions, the μPLS Mini not only supports independent dimming per pixel but also offers higher brightness and symbol projection capabilities, and incorporates more electronic interfaces, simplifying integration with existing electronic architectures. Therefore, the μPLS Mini can more cost-effectively popularize digital ADB technology to a wider automotive market.
It is worth noting that Nichia Chemical's first Micro LED automotive light, MicroPLS, has been applied to models such as the Porsche Cayenne. MicroPLS was launched in 2023 and has more than 16,000 independently controllable pixels.
In addition, Nichia Chemical introduced DominoPLS, a simplified modular automotive lighting platform designed for small cars upgrading from halogen or traditional LED systems. By combining a large-size chip with onboard phosphors, DominoPLS can minimize light loss and achieve leading efficiency.
Its "domino-style" plug-in LEDs not only support advanced dynamic beam control and reduced optical stack height, but also allow designers to achieve ADB upgrades without redesigning the lamp body. Its brick-like structure design is also suitable for creating slim, customizable headlight shapes, and can even be directly embedded into the bumper.
Nichia Chemicals stated that with the launch of DominoPLS and MicroPLS Mini, the company provides OEMs with a proven path to select the appropriate ADB headlights based on performance and budget requirements.
It's worth noting that an increasing number of high-end automotive models are adopting Micro LED headlight technology to achieve higher brightness, lower energy consumption, and personalized lighting applications and designs. Besides the Porsche Cayenne mentioned above, the NIO ET9, Volkswagen's top-of-the-line Touareg, and the Tiguan L Pro all utilize Micro LED headlight technology.
The recently released Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV also utilizes Micro LED technology, achieving approximately 40% larger high-resolution lighting area, about 50% lower energy consumption, and over 25% weight reduction. (Compiled)
