Automotive lighting is aglow in innovations — and related installation challenges — that go well beyond basic bulb replacement as illumination components work in tandem with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and other sophisticated technologies.
“The lighting system, due to its connection to ADAS, now has additional functions,” says Valeo marketing executive Robson Costa. “They have acquired new subsystems like motion actuators, sensors and radars, so naturally they are more complex but at the same time have less issues like sealing, temperature, volume and weight. They are more complex to produce but with more added value in their function.”
Lighting offerings from manufacturers such as Osram Sylvania are engineered to meet the technological demands of autonomous driving capabilities that can include Lane Keeping Assistance, Lance Centering, Traffic Sign Recognition and Intelligent High-Beam Control. Photo from Osram.
“They’re complicated in how they have to work and how they have to be installed and adjusted. It can be a lot trickier to change the lighting system without causing errors, problems and failures,” according to consultant Daniel J. Stern, proprietor of Daniel Stern Lighting.
“More and more LEDs are in more and more car lights, and simple on/off or bright/dim operation is giving way to ‘smart’ multifunctional modes,” he points out. “Even the many vehicles that still use light bulbs no longer have simple circuits; everything is controlled by the vehicle's computers.”
The global automotive lighting market is annually growing at 7.22 percent, and is expected to reach $29.5 billion by 2021, according to analyst Laura Wood, senior manager at the Dublin-based Research and Markets consultancy.
Increased new-vehicle output, technological advancements and more stringent governmental regulatory requirements are among the drivers of the category’s growth, she says. Front-lighting generates the most in total sales, but side-lighting ranks as the segment’s fastest-growing specialized application point. Higher levels of interior lighting options are another source of increased spending.
Light Emitting Diodes are the most popular form of lamp installations. “LED lights are energy efficient, lightweight and occupy less space than conventional lighting systems,” says Wood. “Given the advantages of LED, they are being increasingly adopted in vehicles across the globe.”
With do-it-yourself bulb replacement becoming more of a chore, enlightened repairers who inform their customers that they perform this service are seeing unticks in do-it-for-me sales.
“More space for people and cargo in recent vehicles means less space for car parts,” Stern observes. “Many vehicles have very difficult light bulb access requiring extensive vehicle disassembly. So there are opportunities there, but there's also a much bigger opportunity in that it's really hard to get a good headlamp aim job.”
Glare emitted by improperly aimed headlights is among the public’s top drawbacks relating to nighttime driving conditions, says Dr. John Bullough, senior research scientist at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Transportation Lighting Alliance (TLA) and Lighting Research Center (LRC) in Troy, N.Y.
Headlight color, intensity, height, aim and the age of the lamp unit were cited as key nighttime driving negatives in an LRC survey conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The main areas of concern regarding visibility under inclement weather conditions were an assortment of performance issues associated with daytime running lights, HID (high-intensity discharge) headlamps, low-beam headlamps and dirt buildup.
The “bluish” color of HIDs was cited as a particular annoyance. “Despite the public’s complaints, there is no evidence that the color of the headlamps reduces visibility any more than, for example, yellow-hued filament-based lamps. The bluer color does produce more discomfort, however, for the same intensity toward oncoming drivers’ eyes,” Bullough reports.
“Concerns from the public about headlamp height may have some credence,” he elaborates. “The height difference between trucks/sport utility vehicles and traditional sedans causes intense light to shine directly into the shorter vehicle’s rearview and side mirrors, creating glary conditions.”
Costa at Valeo points to the company’s MatrixBeam as a “digital solution” to glare that functions “by turning off very precise segments of the beam directed toward oncoming vehicles, which allows drivers to constantly keep their high-beams on without glaring other motorists. By evaluating the road scene ahead using cameras and image processing, the Valeo Matrix Beam headlight automatically adapts the light distribution away from preceding or oncoming traffic.”
Taking aim at aim
Faulty aiming is an aberration that can be readily remedied by most repairers. “In Europe most shops have a headlamp aiming machine, but here many shops still don't have – or don't use – them,” says Stern, who additionally serves as chief editor of Driving Vision News along with his manufacturer and governmental consulting capabilities.
“Lamp aim is the No. 1 thing determining how effective and safe the lights are. It’s all over the news as new tests are published showing most vehicles have misaimed lamps -- too high and/or too low for safety -- but even many dealerships just pretend to aim lamps by shining them on a marked wall, if at all,” he asserts. “A real headlamp aiming machine is the kind that looks like a TV camera on wheels. There are many on the market, letting installers aim headlamps, fog lamps, and driving lamps accurately, fast and easily.”
Business owners need to be aware that vehicle lighting is subject to a range of federal safety regulations. “The same law bars selling noncompliant parts that don't meet the standards,” says Stern.
“They allow a large range of almost every aspect of vehicle lighting design, construction, and performance, but there are detailed, complicated and stringent requirements -- stricter than most state codes -- that have to be met by every exterior lamp and light source on every vehicle,” he says.
“The cops probably won't swoop in and shut down a shop for installing illegal lights, but let someone get in a serious crash that ‘non-spec’ lights might have caused, and the seller and installer can face ruinous legal and liability costs,” says Stern. “Not terribly likely to happen, but if it does…”
A uniform platform
“In terms of trends, there continues to be much discussion surrounding Adaptive Drive Beam (ADB) headlights. We are still waiting for NHTSA approval to include them on vehicles in the U.S.,” says Sarah Carlson, senior communications manager at Osram Sylvania, noting that ADB is popular in Europe and Japan.
“Another hot product for us is a standardized LED light source for signal and fog applications,” she says, referring to the Osram XLS (eXchangable LED lightSource).
The unit is described as “a uniform platform offering four different light sources that can cover all important signal and fog applications in vehicles including brake, tail, backup, turn indicators, daytime running lights and fog lighting.”
The XLS module “is a standardized light source, which means it is replaceable and exchangeable. Additionally, because the module is standardized, it can reduce design/development time, risk, complexity and cost.”
Carlson contends that “the XLS gives vehicle and automotive lighting designers and manufacturers enormous flexibility because it requires no tooling and is fully validated. Over the past few years, numerous customized LED lighting solutions have created a complex supply chain and past-model service. To solve this issue, Osram developed the XLS product family, which includes the LY5 and LW5 in yellow and white, L1 in white and LR5 in red. XLS is the cost-effective LED solution. Osram’s XLS can be seen today in use on several vehicles."
Integrated sensors
Engineered as part of a car’s interior functions, Osram’s LEDs and IREDs (infrared LEDs) — accompanied by technology from Joyson Safety Systems — are embedded in the Cadillac CT6’s steering wheel to create a deluxe falling-asleep-at-the-wheel-avoidance apparatus called Super Cruise.
The components combine to track the driver’s head-position and gaze-direction to determine if he or she is fully awake with eyes firmly fixed on the highway ahead. “If the driver looks away from the road for too long, the Super Cruise system will send a series of alerts for the driver to resume supervision of the road,” explains Kirk Morris, Joyson’s chief strategy officer. If the person at the wheel is extra tired or distracted a “controlled stop” procedure is automatically activated.
“We are convinced this Driver Monitoring System will play an important role in reducing distracted driving and enhancing road traffic safety,” Morris says.
Named as an Innovation Awards Honoree in the Vehicle Intelligence & Self-Driving Technology category at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Magneti Marelli’s Smart Corner integrates a camera, radar, LiDAR and other sensors into a vehicle’s headlamps and taillights.
The system provides a 360-degree view around the vehicle with redundancy. “Because the sensors are integrated into existing headlamps and tail lamps, an automaker benefits from a fully calibrated, plug-and-play solution, resulting in a simplified manufacturing process that’s lower cost and lighter-weight than alternatives,” says CEO Ermanno Ferrari.
It minimizes requirements for separate packaging, wire routing, connectors and vehicle exterior projections, “saving OEMs money and weight,” he emphasizes. “The possibilities with Smart Corner are very intriguing, as it promotes the development and seamless integration of additional autonomous functionality while improving communication and increasing safety.”
A changing on-board experience
In June, Germany’s Hella announced the formation of a Light Design unit that combines the company’s lighting and electronics divisions to develop a flexible, modular product system. “All components, from headlight modules to electric control units and sensors, can be assembled according to the modular principle,” says spokesman Dr. Markus Richter.
“When purchasing a modular product, customers will have access to the software tools ALiSiA (Advanced Lighting Simulation Architecture) and GAIN (Graphical Animation Interpreter), depending on the application,” he notes.
ALiSiA enables them to test the dynamic behavior of new front light functions on a computer and make individual adjustments. “The software allows the direct influence of individual components on the overall light output to be felt and properly experienced – even before the complete system is implemented in the vehicle. Products from other manufacturers can be easily integrated via change packages,” says Richter.
“GAIN makes it possible for automobile manufacturers to easily design the light animation themselves -- starting with functions such as the wiping turn indicator, through individual choreographies for headlamps, lighting for radiator grills, rear combination lamps and interior lighting, right up to animations for autonomous driving functions,” he adds. “The animations designed in this way can be transferred to the embedded product just by pushing a button. This saves both time and costs in development.”
An enhanced Hella Academy curriculum now offers more than a dozen training courses on vehicle systems such as lighting, electronics, thermal management, air conditioning and brakes.
Another innovation is a partnership formed between Hella and Faurecia to develop advanced vehicle interior lighting technologies. “Automobile megatrends such as connectivity, individualization and autonomous driving will change the on-board experience,” says John Kuijpers, Hella’s head of interior lighting.
“Trends such as autonomous driving and individualization will completely redefine vehicle interiors,” according to Hella CEO Dr. Rolf Breidenbach. “We are therefore already working intensively on concepts for vehicle interior lighting that enable a variety of new functionalities and can be adapted to the different needs of passengers and driving situations. The collaboration with Faurecia will provide us with additional opportunities to drive the development of innovative interior lighting solutions in a comprehensive manner.”
Leveraging the sales network
General Electric’s previous Budapest-based lighting unit has been bought by former GE executive Joerg Bauer, who is re-branding the firm as Tungsram, the operation’s original name when it was founded in 1896.
“As a true Hungarian-headquartered multinational company, we are leveraging our sales network in 100 markets, and we have the opportunity to become a global player in lighting and beyond,” says Bauer, reporting a promising reception for the new entity at AAPEX.
“We had a lot of meetings with customers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico -- even from Honduras,” Bauer recounts. “They were really great meetings; they liked our story and would like to work with us. It is the true American spirit that they give a chance to the new kid on the block, even if we are the old new kid on the block with our 122 years of history.”
