LED Technology
drivers and system-level control consumes significant resources, leading many OEMs and suppliers to rely on external specialists. While they can better support advanced functions, external specialists can lengthen design cycles, limit flexibility, and increase costs. Expanding vehicle portfolios add further complexity, and each new model or variant introduces unique lighting configurations, multiplying software interactions. Dynamic lighting functions, such as animated signals or interior features responding to driver preference, must operate seamlessly while meeting safety, diagnostics, redundancy, and regulatory standards. At the same time, manufacturers need headroom for software- defined vehicle features.
Beyond programming the required software functionality, it is also necessary to ensure uniformity across the LEDs. Modern vehicles contain hundreds or thousands of LEDs sourced from multiple suppliers, each with unique optical and electrical traits. These must be calibrated and harmonized through control software to ensure consistent colour, brightness, and timing. Mastering software complexity is essential to unlock LEDs’ full potential, enabling richer functionality, enhancing safety, and ensuring consistent deployment across vehicle lineups.
Eliminating the software bottleneck
Despite the growing software demands for automotive LED applications, Melexis has responded by introducing the first code-free automotive LED drivers, thereby simplifying operations, expediting market entry, and lessening the dependence on experts in embedded software. By removing the need for programmers to write or debug complex code, engineers can focus on designing lighting systems that are both innovative and reliable.
agile development practices in automotive electronics.
By adopting code-free workflows, engineers can deploy sophisticated lighting schemes efficiently while maintaining regulatory compliance and reducing integration risks. The shift from coding to system configuration reduces dependency on specialized software teams, making cross-disciplinary collaboration more straightforward. Teams can focus on system-level optimization, such as thermal management, power efficiency, and signal timing, rather than low-level programming.
Melexis’ approach combines pre- configured functions with an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), eliminating the need for custom code. Engineers can select functionality, define lighting sequences, and calibrate output entirely through the GUI. This manufacturer- agnostic configuration allows mixing LEDs from different suppliers using only calibration data, shortening design cycles and standardizing modules across multiple vehicle variants. It also enables rapid iteration: engineers can adjust sequences, fine-tune brightness, or test new animations without touching firmware, supporting
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Melexis LIN drivers: simplifying ambient and RGB lighting The MLX80124 is a robust, cost-effective, code-free driver for standard ambient lighting or simple RGB modules. Combining temperature-compensated colour mixing with a GUI-configurable interface, it removes the need for embedded code while ensuring consistent output under varying environmental conditions.
Its LIN network integration ensures compatibility with existing vehicle communication architectures. Compared with traditional flash-configured devices, the MLX80124 allows engineers to implement and
calibrate lighting modules for multiple vehicle variants more quickly, reducing development complexity, testing time, and time-to- market. This also simplifies quality control, as sequences and calibration parameters are easily replicated across multiple vehicles or production lines.
MeLiBu 2.0: delivering next- generation dynamic lighting Designed for more sophisticated deployments, Melexis’ MeLiBu 2.0 delivers high-speed communication for dynamic RGB lighting applications that exceed the limits of traditional CAN and LIN networks. It supports high-dynamic exterior features such as sequential turn signals, adaptive rear lamps, and brake lights, as well as complex interior modules including tunable RGB ambient systems and dual-channel reading lamps. The solution allows designers to implement animated sequences that respond to driver behaviour, environmental conditions, or vehicle mode changes, and MeLiBu 2.0 supports over 3,500 RGB LEDs (10,500 individual LEDs). Communication speeds of
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up to 4 Mbit/s enable advanced animations without increasing design complexity or hardware costs.
This capability is especially valuable in modern vehicle architectures, where a single module must integrate seamlessly with multiple subsystems, including safety, infotainment, and driver-assistance electronics. The MLX80142, the first LED driver compatible with MeLiBu 2.0, supports two RGB LEDs (six channels) and accommodates both single-layer PCBs and PCB-less over-molding assemblies such as IMSE. Drivers are connected in series, maintaining full functionality even if a single unit fails, which reduces system risk and simplifies repairs.
All MLX80142 and MeLiBu 2.0 functions are configurable through the GUI, requiring no coding, allowing engineers to rapidly define sequences, calibrate outputs, and prototype dynamic lighting effects. This approach accelerates integration, reduces testing cycles, and ensures consistent results across multiple vehicle variants. Teams can also document and replicate configurations efficiently, supporting standardization across production lines and facilitating future updates or enhancements without extensive software revisions.
Conclusion: shaping the future of automotive lighting
As lighting becomes central to automotive design, code-free drivers streamline LED deployment, allowing engineers to focus on creative system design and overall vehicle experience. Removing the programming bottleneck reduces the risk of software- related errors and ensures consistent lighting behaviour across all vehicle variants. With all parameters accessible via a GUI with validated application functions, Melexis aims to give engineers confidence in both performance and compliance. Hardware features, such as the MLX80124’s internal bus and ASIL B SEooC compliance, further mitigate risk, ensuring reliable deployment in safety- critical applications.
By combining application expertise, robust hardware design, and code-free workflows, Melexis enables automotive engineers to deliver advanced lighting efficiently, safely, and confidently. Engineers can now experiment with innovative sequences, integrate new features, and maintain compliance without added development overhead, ultimately accelerating time- to-market and raising the standard for automotive lighting design.
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https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/automotive-interior-ambient-lighting-market Components in Electronics February 2026 33
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