MUNICH – (dpa) – High energy Xenon headlamps are a common sight on European roads but the next lighting revolution is only just around the corner.
Ten years after the introduction of high-intensity xenon lamps, which use an arc of light instead of a conventional filament, researchers are waiting in the wings with new innovations. These could enable car headlamps to shine around bends and even transmit important light signals to motorists travelling behind.At German carmaker BMW in Munich developers recently presented three new ideas that could find their way into production cars in the next few years.The first uses pixels or bundles of tiny light points like those on a computer screen. According to spokesman Thomas Steffes, these can be arranged to enable extremely accurate light distribution.Such headlamps can be programmed not to dazzle oncoming drivers, avoiding the need for a motorist to switch back and forth between full and dipped headlights. That enables the driver to concentrate on the road better. Steffes says the pixel beam also picks out road markings more clearly.BMW says the ability to programme light sources could also revolutionize navigation. Instead of pictograms on in-car navigation monitors or verbal instructions, a computer could generate signs which would be beamed onto the road ahead, showing a motorist whether to turn or drive straight ahead. Such a system would be less distracting than those currently in use, says the company.The technology is being lined up for the next generation of the company’s top range 7-series limousine due to be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt car show in September.Over at Audi, spokesman Udo Ruegheimer said the high-tech lamps should soon be available for the company’s products too. Mercedes is also a member of a inter-company working group of car light systems and a solution from the Stuttgart-based maker is sure to be in the pipeline.Two or three years down the road, manufacturers expect to bring out the next innovation, namely headlights that shine around corners. The idea is not entirely new. French maker Citroen once connected the reflectors to the car’s steering using a primitive mechanical linkage but in future the task would be carried out by an onboard computer.The Mercedes Maybach design study shown three years ago showed such a system and experts in Stuttgart and Munich are beavering away at “Adaptive Light Control” as it is known. It adjusts the beam reach and angle using data from the navigation system and satellite positioning equipment.Mercedes says the system would enable a wider beam angle in urban areas, allowing better illumination of the curb. When the car joins a motorway or fast road, the beam would become more compact and adjust to the vehicle’s speed. Similarly, it would light up the entry and exit from a curve more clearly than conventional headlights.The Maybach design study uses several lamps, each of which illuminates a part of the driver’s field of vision. Depending on the car’s speed and steering wheel position sensors switch on the lamps which offer the best range of light for the situation. BMW’s systems uses a battery of rotational xenon lamps.The light developers have some innovations in store for the rear of the car as well. Rear light clusters divided into segments will be able to show the car behind just how hard the driver ahead is braking.If he or she just touches the brake pedal, only a small rectangle of pale red light illuminates so that the motorist behind does not overreact. Emergency braking is displayed using maximum red light strength to warn of impending danger.Rear lights like these could reduce the number of simple, low speed accidents which often occur at traffic lights or intersections. Already dubbed “Brake Force Display”, the system is poised for series production and will probably soon find its way into Audi, Mercedes and BMW models.The biggest hurdle to such innovations is not so much the technology but the red tape involved, said Audi spokesman Ruegheimer. New designs not only have to be invented, they also need European type standards approval and that can take a long time to obtain. <
