The Automotive World 2025 expo was held at Tokyo Big Sight from 22nd to 24th January. The 1,800 companies on site exhibited their innovations in technologies such as sustainable mobility, car electronics, SDV, MaaS, autonomous driving, connected cars, and EV technology. 85,825 visitors saw the show. Here are some companies who introduced new products and interesting technologies related to lighting:
Ruhlamat: Thawing with lens-embedded wires
As a longtime specialist in the field of specialized machine construction, Ruhlamat offer individually tailored as well as standardized machine solutions. They can provide lenses in which heating wires are precisely embedded. Shown here is a lamp lens and MB logo with millimetre-wave radar behind the logo front plate. The Toyota Century also uses this technology. Sankei Giken can do it in Japan.
Duckil: Next-generation interior lamps
Duckil Industry are a Korean global mobility electronics module and components company. Their product ranges from plastic injection mouldings to control parts such as switches and switch parts, and fuse and relay boxes. Also cable ties and connectors for wire harnesses. They’ve developed next-generation interior mood lamp modules such as ISELED and RGB LED lights, flexible ambient lamps for seats, celestial lighting, and one they call the Advanced Development Ambient lamp. They have a Fusion Lighting Integrated Module, too, which is ambient light for the entire vehicle by using ISELED controlled through ILAS communication.
Sumitomo Chemical: No-Coating-Needed Lens
Sumitomo Chemical’s Sumipex MH 022 is a PMMA headlamp lens which needs no hardcoat. Their acrylic resin is highly transparent and scratch-resistant, and the lack of a coating means it can readily be reconditioned.
Solar Optics: Optical Fibre Side Lighting (OSL)
Korea’s Solar Optics have developed high-brightness side light emission, which was impossible with conventional optical fibres. It is possible to emit light with less power consumption than LED. The light emitting part does not generate heat, has a long life, is highly safe, and can be bent into any shape, making it suitable for complex designs. Light is guided along microscopic grooves in the cladding layer to produce clear light. The optical fibre cladding layer is processed with ultra-precision to form light-emitting areas on the sides as well. OSL’s fibre optic technology provides soft, uniform light by precisely controlling light dispersion, reflection, and distortion.
Murata: Gyro Accelerometer MEMS for Headlamp Levelling
Murata’s SCH1633 combined gyro and accelerometer is a MEMS sensor which directly measures the car angle, constantly updating the light position to keep the lamps properly aimed no matter what’s going on with the road and car.
Nippon Seiki’s Laser Projector
Nipon Seiki have developed a laser projector whose close-distance and oblique projection allows unprecedented high mountability. Its new ultra-short focal length optical system can project images offset in both the X and Y axes. This allows the projector to be placed on pillars or other areas in the vehicle interior to avoid the passengers, and on door mirrors or other areas outside the vehicle to project images in the correct position.
Keeper’s Intelligent ISELED Light
Taiwan’s Keeper have developed road projection technology with 25,600 individual controllable light pixels. (40μm pixel pitch). Keepertech developed ISELED welcome and Ambient lights. They showed PWM intelligent LED lighting solution for automotive application. There are several class-4 electronic circuits designed for headlamps.
Oshino: Unique Light Guide, Lens, LED unit
Oshino Lamps showed their new developments, including:
- Window switch lens: lighting in seven locations with a single light source, with their unique lens design.
- Pinhole light: The irradiation opening is only 2mm in diameter, so it has a seamless appearance that makes it difficult to see where the lamp is. The small single lens allows spatial illumination in sunvisors, headrests, roofs, and more.
- Long-length interior light guide: one-piece injection moulding, microprism processing, 35μm min, single LED light source. Good for instrument panels and roofs.
- Flowing dynamic illumination: 5 LEDs serve a 600-mm light with their unique lens.
- Back lens light guide for surface illumination: optical design and prism control make for very even brightness. Microprism processing on curved light guide plate (22μm): fewer LEDs, all on one side. About 200 cd/m2, 560-mm length. Maximum processing size is 80 × 8 cm.
- Seatbelt buckle illumination makes it easy to buckle in, even in the dark.
