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Published
2025-06-30
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Articles
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Copyright (c) 2025 Orclever Proceedings of Research and Development
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Downlighter Type Automotive Lighting with PWM Based Two Pin LED Driver Design
Barış İspir
Al-Kor Makina
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1710-0675
Barbaros Kurt
Al-Kor Makina
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6579-4175
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56038/oprd.v6i1.642
Keywords: Automotive lighting, LED technology, Downlighter, Energy efficiency, Safety, Commercial vehicles, PWM, 2-wire dimmability, LED driver, Cost optimization
Abstract
In the automotive industry, exterior lighting systems play a critical role in enhancing vehicle safety and improving aesthetic visibility. This study focuses on the advantages offered by powering Downlighter-type LED lighting systems—specifically positioned at the rear of commercial vehicles—using a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) source. In modern vehicle design, exterior lighting systems have become a key component both for safety and aesthetic purposes. Especially for commercial vehicles, providing adequate lighting during loading and unloading operations at the rear door area directly impacts operational safety.
Downlighter-type LED systems, which offer homogeneous light distribution at the rear, enhance environmental visibility and contribute to safety, while also providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The high energy efficiency, long lifespan, and lower power consumption offered by LED technology ensure high performance. Additionally, thanks to their dimmable feature, these systems allow light intensity to be adjusted according to different usage scenarios, resulting in energy savings and offering a flexible lighting solution to the user.
Downlighter-type LED lighting systems present a significant solution in the automotive industry in terms of both safety and cost-effectiveness. In particular, they enhance the safety of night-time operations in commercial vehicles by providing lighting support, while their energy efficiency and adjustable brightness meet the needs of modern automotive designs. This study discusses a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)-based LED driver application designed for use in vehicle exterior lighting systems. The system is specifically developed for Downlighter-type LED lighting solutions located at the rear of commercial vehicles. The design offers advantages not only in terms of precise light intensity control but also in terms of energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Exterior lighting systems in the automotive industry are of great importance for increasing safety and ensuring safer night-time operations. In commercial vehicles where loading and unloading operations are performed at the rear, Downlighter-type LED systems that provide uniform light distribution play a critical role. In this context, there is an increasing need for energy-efficient systems with effective light intensity control. The designed PWM-based LED driver can precisely control LED brightness by adjusting the pulse width. This control technique enables high lighting performance with low energy consumption. With its dimmable feature, the system allows flexible adjustment of light levels based on usage scenarios while also saving energy. Moreover, instead of the conventional 3-pin circuit topology, a 2-pin design was preferred, and the sizes of the input filter capacitors used in the circuit were optimized, resulting in PCB space savings and cost reduction. These improvements provide significant economic benefits in high-volume automotive production. The PWM-controlled LED driver design is a technically and economically suitable solution for Downlighter-type automotive exterior lighting systems. The ability to precisely adjust light intensity, high energy efficiency, and low system cost increase the product’s appeal for both OEMs and end users.
