Osram unveiled a new hybrid LED-OLED car rearlamp prototype device. Osram suggests using the OLED for the turn indicator and the rear light itself, while the LEDs are used for the stoplight, reverse light and also in the turn indicator alongside the OLEDs.

As you can see in the photo above, the device includes the four basic rear light functions: stoplight (LED and LED light guide, top left), reverse light (LED, top right), turn indicator (OLED and LED light guide, bottom left) and rear light (OLED only, bottom right).

OSRAM is one of the leaders in OLED lighting (apparently focused on the automotive market), and currently the produce all their OLEDs using an evaporation process. But according to a new job post, the company is starting to research wet-deposition of OLED materials.

OSRAM is looking for a PhD candidate that will work on a pre-development project involving wet-deposition of OLED materials. The challenge is to find the right process and material and process for each layer in the OLED lighting device. OSRAM specifically mentions screen printing, intaglio printing, flexograph and inkjet printing.

OSRAM announced a new OLED lamp for car interiors - the OLED Reading Light. This is a single OLED lighting panel placed in a high-quality matt aluminum housing that provides a very warm (3300 kelvin) and uniform light. This is an after-market product, with a clip at the back of the panel enables it to be attached to the sun visor. It can be charged via a USB cable.

OSRAM says that OLED lighting is ideal for applications in which the eyes have to focus on one point for a long time thanks to its homogeneous light that does not dazzle or cast shadows. Unfortunately OSRAM did not reveal the OLED panels' spec, but they do provide a 5-year guarantee so it means that the lifetime and stability is probably quite good.

Merck announced that the PrintOLED project successfully concluded. During the project, the partners investigate several technologies (such as gravure, inkjet printing, slot-die coating and others) and were able to demonstrated OLEDs with homogeneously coated active areas of 10 cm² and 27 cm² by classic gravure printing and slot die coating (at least two of the layers were processed from solution).

Merck says that printing two organic layers one on top of the other was a major challenge. The partners achieved significant improvements with specific material sequences. They say that they managed to print with speeds of up to 3 m/s semiconducting OLED layers with a homogeneity meeting the quality standards of industrial-scale OLED production. The knowledge was also applied to OPV and sDSC solar cells.

OSRAM already stated in the past that OLED is the next technological development for car lighting, and the company sees OLEDs adopted in series production of new vehicles by 2016. At the L+B exhibition, Osram unveiled a new OLED Module for the automotive market, and the company's OLED chief said that demand for organic solutions from the automotive sector will drive down prices and increase product innovation.

The company are also showing their new panels at the event. Those panels offer 65 lm/W, 15,000 hours lifetime and output about 600 lux. To showcase those new panels, the company unveiled a new pendant luminaire designed by Werner Aisslinger. The luminaire uses 16 OLED panels.

The OLED Association reports that OSRAM developed a new 70 lm/W OLED lighting panel that feature 3,000 cd/m² luminance. This panel will be released in 2014.

According to the report, Osram wants to reach 110 lm/W by 2016 and 125 lm/W by 2018. At that point (in 2018) OLEDs will be competitive with LEDs.

Update: these front-lights are most likely LEDs and not OLEDs...

Ford unveiled a new concept car, the S-MAX passenger-van at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The headlights are made from OLED lighting panels:

I'm not sure who makes these OLEDs, but I guess it's either Osram or Philips. From what I can see in those photos, it looks somewhat similar to the 3D OLEDs Philips developed with Merck and Audi a few months ago. Osram is also actively looking at the automobile market for its OLED lighting panels and promised us some new prototypes during the exhibition (they also promised commercial availability by 2016).

A couple of months ago, OSRAM posted an interesting article saying that OLED is the next technological development for car lighting. Today the company announced that it will unveil its OLED for automobiles product roadmap during the Frankfurt International Motor Show (September 12). The company says they achieved "road suitability" for their OLEDs and they will start offering initial special equipment based on OLEDs next year. They see OLEDs used in "series production of new vehicles" in 2016 at the latest.

Last year Osram were able to increase the temperature stability of their OLEDs. Now their panels are stable at 85 degrees Celsius for several hundred hours. Now the company says that the remaining obstacles regarding serial production are small. The company expects OLEDs to be used in rear light fixtures. Transparent OLEDs will offer new design possibilities.

OSRAM posted an interesting article which basically states that the next technological development for car lighting is OLEDs. As LEDs are already a standard in car lighting, the company is now developing OLEDs, whose major advantage (according to Osram) is that they provide "completely new options for the design of light and luminaires". The cars of the future, according to Osram will have both LED and OLED lighting sources.

Last year Osram presented OLEDs that were able to resist the high temperatures (at least 85 degree Celsius) required by the automobile industry. Back in 2012 those OLEDs resisted such high temperatures for several hundred hours, but the development continues and today the panel's high temperature resistance has been improved to several thousand hours. Now the company is tackling future use in commercial cars. This is great news but of course this will take time - "the automotive sector plans and develops its future models with very long lead times".

In October 2009 the Zumtobel group and the Fraunhofer Institute established a new OLED lighting company called LEDON OLED lighting to develop and manufacture OLED lighting modules. Today Zumtobel announced it is acquiring its partner shares in the company and renaming it Tridonic Dresden.

Tridonic LUREON REP module

LEDON's products were already marketed under the Tridonic brand (which is Zumbotel group's lighting components business). Managing directors Jörg Amelung and Patrik Danz will continue to head the company which currently employs 11 people.