The main structural elements of the headlights are: body; adjustment mechanism; an optical element containing a reflector; diffuser; direct beam screen; single or dual mode light source. One of the important design characteristics of the headlight is its shape - round or rectangular. For almost 40 years, the main shape of the headlight has been round with standardized dimensions of the optical element - Ø 178 mm for a two-headlight system and Ø 146 mm for a four-headlight lighting system.
Rice. 4.5. Round headlight device:
The device of a round headlight is shown in fig. 4.5. It consists of: 1 - optical element; 2- bezel; 3 - adjusting screws; 4 - holder; 5 - frame; 6- Light source; 7 - current-carrying block; 8 - bezel mounting screws. Optical element 1 round headlight is made in the form of a glass diffuser and a metal reflector glued together, in the blind hole of which a light source with one or two (depending on the operating mode) filament bodies is installed. A pressed flange with spring clips is installed on the neck flange, which presses the lamp support flange to the reflector support end.
Light source 6 installed in such a way that the main beam filament body is located at the focus of the reflector, and the dipped beam filament body is defocused forward and upward relative to the focus of the reflector. In modern designs, conventional type E lamps are used, for example, A12-45 + 40 and halogen light sources of type H: H1, H3, H4, H7, H9, H11, H13.
A screen of direct rays from the lamp is riveted to the reflector on the brackets, which makes it possible to somewhat reduce the blinding of drivers of oncoming cars (in low beam) and reduce the brightness of the atmospheric glow with its low transparency. The screen is made of a thin spherical metal strip. The reflector of round headlights has a paraboloid shape with a focal length varying in different designs from 19 to 28.5 mm.
Holder 4 movably installed in the headlight housing and due to the elastic suspension with compression springs and expansion with two screws 3 , has the ability to rotate in two planes - vertical and horizontal, thereby ensuring the adjustment of the light beam relative to the road.
The diffuser of the optical element is a round or rectangular glass, on the inner surface of which there are refractive elements: cylindrical and spherical lenses, prisms and prism lenses. Headlight lenses are usually made of colorless silicate glass. Recently, work has been underway to replace glass with abrasive-resistant plastic, but so far no cheap ways to obtain it have been found.
Frame 5 round headlights is made of metal with a flange for mounting to the car body and has a bracket for installing the rim 2, pressed against the surface of the optical element. In the rear part of the housing there is a hole for installing a commutation wire harness with plug-in current-carrying connectors at both ends, one for connecting to a light source, the other for connecting to the car's network.
Another variation on traditional headlight designs is the rectangular headlight, which became popular in the 1960s. Its characteristic feature is the use of a truncated paraboloid with a large light hole diameter (up to 250 mm), which provides an increase in the working areas in the horizontal direction, which significantly improves the light distribution in the low beam mode. In addition, this form allows to reduce the vertical dimension of the headlight and thereby provides the prerequisites for reducing the coefficient of aerodynamic resistance to air flow, thereby increasing the fuel efficiency of the car.
The disadvantages of rectangular headlights include their worst manufacturability, high cost and the need for more engine compartment for placement.
The principle of operation of the light-optical scheme of these headlights, and, consequently, the requirements for its elements are the same as for the headlights of the Round design, and their design, due to the shape features, has a number of significant differences. Due to the larger horizontal size, the rotation of the optical element of such a headlight when adjusted by 4 ° is accompanied by a large linear movement of the side edges of the diffuser and their protrusion from behind the decorative rim by 15 ... 20 mm. This circumstance forces the diffuser to be fixed fixedly, and the direction of the light beam to be regulated by turning only the reflector inside the headlight housing.
On fig. 4.6 shows a typical design of a rectangular headlight. In case 2, made of plastic, fixed with screws through diffuser rim 1. (In other versions, the diffuser can be glued to the body, pressed with flat springs or clamps.) Reflector 3 mounted inside the housing movably on three supporting ball joints 10.
ball joint 4 is a fixed support. Rotation of the reflector in the horizontal plane is provided by turning the screw 6, moving hinge 7 ; in this case, the reflector rotates around a vertical axis passing through the centers of the hinges 4 And 5 . The extreme positions of the reflector are shown in fig. 4.6 dashed line.
Adjustment of the inclination of the light beam of the phase is carried out by two screws 8 And 9. The initial (installation) adjustment is made with a screw 9, in this case, the reflector rotates around a horizontal axis passing through the centers of the hinges 4 And 7 . Correction of the angle of inclination of the phase light beam (for example, when the vehicle load changes), i.e. changing the position of the beam in the vertical plane, is carried out by a screw 8, from which the drive to the driver's cab can be made.
Based on the one shown in Fig. 4.6 of the design, a block headlight is easily manufactured with the necessary lighting devices built into the body (Fig. 4.7, a) or mounted on the side (Fig. 4.7, b).
Block headlights became widespread in the 1980s due to some reduction in the cost of a set of lighting devices and a more organic aesthetic design of the front of the car.
In the USA, Japan and a number of other countries, optical elements of traditional headlight designs, both round and rectangular, are made in the form of one-piece headlight lamps. The diffuser and reflector of these devices are made of glass, after which the reflector is aluminized, a system of filaments is mounted in it, the reflector is welded to the diffuser, air is pumped out of the resulting flask and the flask is finally brewed.
The ever-increasing shortage of fuel predetermined a steady trend towards a decrease in the coefficient of aerodynamic resistance to air flow when the car was moving, the implementation of which required the provision of a narrow profile of the front of the car, and, consequently, a sharp limitation of the headlight height to 60 ... 90 mm instead of 120 ... 150 mm . These requirements practically exclude the possibility of using traditional light-optical schemes in headlight designs, since in this case a significant increase in the depth of the reflector is required to maintain the required luminous flux, which causes technological difficulties. In addition, traditional light-optical schemes, in which the function of redistributing the light flux is performed by a diffuser with deep prisms, does not allow it to be tilted in the vertical plane at angles greater than 25°. It was these circumstances that led to the development of fundamentally new solutions.
Lucac (Great Britain) proposed a headlamp design in which the reflector is made in the form of a combination of several (two or three) truncated paraboloid elements with different focal lengths of 20 and 40 mm at combined positions of their foci. This principle of combining multifocal reflectors is called homofocal. The use of this principle makes it possible to select and arrange a reflector from separate sectors of multifocal reflectors in such a way as to ensure the formation of a given light distribution of the near and far beam modes practically due to the reflector.
The implementation of this light-optical scheme made it possible to design a headlight that fully meets the modern requirements of automakers in terms of aerodynamics. On fig. 4.8 shows the profile of a car with such headlights.
The practical implementation of the homofocal design required a revision of the manufacturing technology, since a complex reflector profile with high accuracy can only be obtained from easily molded materials, i.e. plastics that also have high heat resistance, which ensures the operation of headlamps with halogen lamps. The cost of materials is still very high, and the technological process of their molding is quite laborious, which is a deterrent to the widespread use of this type of structure.
The ellipsoidal headlights proposed by Hella represent another direction in the development of the design. Their characteristic feature is a more complete use of the luminous flux of the lamp in the dipped beam, i.e., a relatively high efficiency. The design of such a headlight (Fig. 4.9) contains an ellipsoid reflector 2, in one of the focuses of which the light source is installed 1. The entire luminous flux reflected by such a reflector is concentrated in its second focus, where it is partially shielded in the low beam mode, which makes it possible to create a clear cut-off line. Then the used beam is corrected using a fairly simple lens 3. To achieve the required values of lighting characteristics, the reflector is equipped with elements of paraboloid surfaces conjugated with the ellipsoid and refractive concentric prismatic elements.
The main disadvantages of light-optical schemes of this type include technological difficulties, high cost, as well as their limited use only in a four-headlight lighting system.
Naturally, these areas do not exhaust the ways of improvement: light-optical schemes of optical elements and lighting systems in general. The system of polarized light continues to be improved, and the use of fiber optics in lighting systems is being sought.
Hello dear readers! Today we will focus on the external lighting devices of the car, as well as the controls with which we can control the lighting and light signaling of the vehicle. This topic will be of interest to those who are just starting their acquaintance with cars. The format of today's review will be simple, the first shot is controlled from the inside, the second is the result from the outside of the car. And of course, let's not forget to dwell on the relevant paragraphs of the Rules of the Road that are relevant to our topic.
Now in order. Let's start with lighting devices responsible for lighting and designating the dimensions of the vehicle ( on the example of the Hyundai Elantra car).
In the picture, the light and turn signal stalk ( located on the left side of the steering column), with the help of which the main control of the external lighting of the car takes place.
On other car models, different lighting control modes may be used, as well as symbols, but in general there are few differences. If you figure out how the controls work on one car, then on the other, there will be no difficulties to cope with the management. For example, in the picture of the steering column light switch of a Hyundai Solaris car, we see that there are few external differences, if only the “off” position is indicated on one as OFF, on another ABOUT (like on a light switch in a room or a surge protector).
Another example of a light and turn signal switch for a Volkswagen Polo. Here we see that the inclusion of side lights and dipped beam has been moved from the steering column switch to a separate light switch on the instrument panel. Control of switching from near to far ( and back) light, as well as the inclusion of direction indicators, is carried out by a steering column switch.
Back to our car Hyundai Elantra), at this switch position, in the first photo, in the position OFF, all external lights are off ( in the pictures below).
The first position of the light switch to which it can be switched is the inclusion of side lights ( in the picture below, switching on is carried out using the outer part of the switch, marked with a red arrow).
It should be noted here that when the parking lights are turned on, a light indicator is displayed on the instrument panel of many cars ( control lamp), usually green. Below in the picture, an example of a Hyundai Solaris instrument panel, with a control paw for turning on the parking lights ( marked with an arrow), some vehicles may have a buzzer ( buzzer). The main purpose of the parking light or horn is to help the driver remember to turn off the exterior lights before getting out of the car. On the car we are considering, this control lamp is absent, since when the ignition switch is turned off and the driver's door is opened, the external lights turn off automatically.
19.3. When stopping and parking at night on unlit sections of roads, as well as in conditions of insufficient visibility, the side lights must be switched on on the vehicle. In conditions of insufficient visibility, in addition to the side lights, dipped beam headlights, fog lights and rear fog lights can be turned on.
As follows from the Rules, side lights are used to indicate the car while stopped ( parking) on unlit sections of the road and in conditions of insufficient visibility.
Note:For parking lights, low power lamps are used (often, 5 watts for the front, 21 watts for the rear).
In the picture below, on the left is a low and high beam lamp (power 60/55 watts), in the center is a front position light bulb (5 watts), on the right is a rear position light lamp (21 watts).
Even with an external comparison, it can be seen that the main light lamp is more powerful, therefore, if you leave the car in the parking lot with the dipped beam on and turn off the engine, then the battery charge will not be enough for a long time. The low power of the lamps used for side lights allows, while the car is parked, to stop the engine for a sufficient time without worrying ( everything has its own stock and this must be taken into account) strongly for the discharge of the battery (battery), provided that all nodes are in good condition.
In the pictures, included front ( white color) and rear ( Red) parking lights of the car. As you can see, in daylight, the brightness of the lamps is not very high, but in the dark, a car with side lights on is clearly distinguishable at a fairly large distance from it.
Front marker lights.
Rear marker lights.
19.4. Fog lights can be used:
in conditions of insufficient visibility with low or high beam headlights;
at night on unlit sections of roads together with dipped or main beam headlights;
instead of dipped headlights in accordance with clause 19.5 of the Rules.
It follows from the Rules of the Road that fog lamps can be used not only in conditions of insufficient visibility ( fog, rain, snowfall), but also in conjunction with dipped or main beam headlights, as well as during daylight hours, instead of dipped headlights.
The fog lights on the vehicle in question are switched on by the steering column switch ( on other vehicles, the operation of the fog lights, if equipped, may differ), using the "ring" ( marked with a red arrow), shown in the position ON. When the fog lamps are turned on, an indicator light is displayed on the instrument panel ( marked with an arrow in the picture.) Here it should be noted that turning on the fog lights will work only if the main switch is in the side lights or low beam position.
In the images, the fog lights are on during the day and at night. In the picture taken at night, it can be seen that the light spot from the fog lights is located directly in front of the car and at a low level from the road, unlike the dipped headlights ( distant) lights that produce a sufficiently high beam of light. Thanks to this formation of a light spot for fog lamps, the visibility of the road in rain, fog and snow conditions is better, in contrast to the beam of light of the main headlights, which is refracted in humid air ( reflecting off the water drops), creates a dense light curtain, which worsens the view of the road.
Front fog lights during the day.
Fog lights at night.
The next position of the light switch ( in the picture below), this is the inclusion of the low beam headlights. With the intensity and density of traffic that is present on our roads, the dipped headlights are the main source of light, both in the dark and in the light. While not all vehicles are still equipped with DRL ( Daytime Running Lights), which are used instead of low beam during daylight hours. Dipped beam should be used at night on illuminated sections of the road, when passing oncoming traffic and in other cases in accordance with the Rules of the Road.
19.1. At night and in conditions of insufficient visibility, regardless of road lighting, as well as in tunnels, a moving vehicle must turn on the following lighting devices:
on all motor vehicles - high-beam or dipped-beam headlights, on bicycles - headlights or lanterns, on horse-drawn carts - lanterns ( if available);
on trailers and towed motor vehicles - clearance lights.
19.5. During daylight hours, all moving vehicles must turn on dipped beam headlights or daytime running lights to identify them.
In the images below, the low beam is on in the car. In the picture taken at night, you can see that the luminous flux spreads further, unlike fog lights, but at the same time not so far as to dazzle oncoming drivers.
IMPORTANT! To adjust the headlights, you must be treated very responsibly! From the correct setting of the headlights, safety on the road depends!
Low beam headlights during daylight hours.
Low beam headlights at night.
The last lighting mode is high beam. High beam control is also carried out using the steering column switch. Only in this case, to turn on the high beam, move the switch lever away from you ( in the picture below, marked with red arrows). To attract the attention of other road users, you can use the periodic inclusion of high beam headlights, for this, the headlight switch lever is repeatedly pressed towards you and released. To warn the driver that the high beam is on, a blue indicator light is displayed on the instrument panel ( in the picture below, marked with a red arrow).
19.2. High beam must be switched to low beam:
in settlements, if the road is lit;
at an oncoming pass at a distance of at least 150 m from the vehicle, as well as at a greater distance, if the driver of the oncoming vehicle by periodically switching the headlights shows the need for this;
in any other cases, to exclude the possibility of blinding drivers of both oncoming and passing vehicles.
When blinded, the driver must turn on the alarm and, without changing lanes, slow down and stop.
In the images, the car has high beams on. In a photo taken at night, you can see that the light spot extends far ahead, thanks to which the visibility of the road is much better than with low beam headlights and allows you to detect danger to traffic earlier. Unfortunately, as noted above due to high traffic), today the main beam is rarely used.
High beam during daylight hours.
High beam at night.
We examined the main lighting control modes using the headlight stalk switch. It remains to consider one more function that we use when driving a car and which is controlled using the steering column switch, this is turning on and off the turn signal lights.
8.1. Before starting to move, changing lanes, turning (turning) and stopping, the driver is obliged to give signals with light indicators for the direction of the corresponding direction, and if they are absent or faulty, by hand. When performing a maneuver, there should not be a danger to traffic, as well as obstacles to other road users.
As follows from the Rules, the driver, before starting to move, rebuilding, turning ( reversal) and stop is obliged to give signals with light direction indicators. To include the corresponding ( right or left) direction indicators, it is necessary to move the stalk up or down ( in the picture, indicated by red arrows). When the direction indicators are turned on, the indicator light ( marked with an arrow in the picture.). Here it is easy to remember where the hand goes when turning the steering wheel, we include the corresponding direction indicators there.
In the image below, the left turn signals are on on the car. Lantern color ( lamps) yellow or orange direction indicators in front and behind the vehicle ( on cars imported from the USA, for example, turn signals are often red).
To consolidate the material read, you can watch a video that discusses the modes of operation of the steering column light switch and direction indicators.
Let's move on to the rest of the lighting devices and the light signaling of the car. Every modern car has a button to turn on the alarm ( in the picture below).
7.1. The alarm must be turned on:
in case of a traffic accident;
when forced to stop in places where stopping is prohibited;
when the driver is blinded by headlights;
when towing ( on a towed motor vehicle);
when boarding children in a vehicle that has identification marks "Transportation of children" ( hereinafter, identification marks are indicated in accordance with the Basic Provisions), and disembarking from it.
The driver must turn on the alarm in other cases to warn road users of the danger that the vehicle may create.
The Rules of the Road spell out in which cases it is necessary to use an emergency signal.
When the hazard warning button is turned on, all turn signal lights on the vehicle turn on at the same time ( round).
We examined the front fog lights above, now let's focus on the rear fog lights.
19.7. The rear fog lamps can only be used in low visibility conditions. Do not connect rear fog lights to brake lights.
The rules of the road strictly prescribe the procedure for the use of rear fog lights. In our case, the lights are turned on using the button on the instrument panel ( may differ on other vehicles.), which is located in the center of the picture and, when turned on, is highlighted in yellow ( lamp on indicator, very often displayed on the instrument panel).
Let's look at the picture below, only side lights are on on the left ( Red), on the right there are also fog lights. As you can see, even in daylight, there is a difference in the brightness of the fog lights compared to the side lights.
The following images are taken at night and here it becomes clear why the Rules allow the use of rear fog lamps only in conditions of insufficient visibility.
"Insufficient Visibility"- the visibility of the road is less than 300 m in conditions of fog, rain, snowfall and the like, as well as at dusk.
In the picture on the left, only the parking lights are turned on, their brightness is sufficient to determine the dimensions of the car. On the right in the picture, fog lights are additionally turned on, their brightness under normal weather conditions is much higher and acting as external stimuli ( this is true) can cause blinding of drivers behind you and cause an accident.
It remains for us to consider a little, these are the taillights ( white color), which are activated when reverse gear is selected and warn other drivers and pedestrians that the vehicle is in reverse.
And lastly, stoplights ( in the picture below, indicated by arrows). Brake signals ( their brightness is higher than that of parking lights and is easily recognized by drivers) light up when you press the brake pedal, warning other drivers of our intention to slow down or stop. On most vehicles, to improve safety, a third additional brake light is used ( on the vehicle in question behind the rear window).
In the following images, for comparison, cars with brake lights on (in the picture on the left) and off ( picture on the right).
At the end of our review, do not forget that:
2.3. The driver of the vehicle must:
2.3.1. Before leaving, check and ensure the correct technical condition of the vehicle on the way in accordance with the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles to operation and the duties of officials to ensure road safety ( hereinafter - Fundamentals).
It is forbidden to move if there is a malfunction of the service brake system, steering, hitch ( as part of a road train), non-burning ( absent) headlights and tail lights at night or in conditions of poor visibility, inactive windshield wipers on the driver's side during rain or snowfall.
Good luck to everyone!
The portal site followed how the design of car headlights changed, and found out what lighting technology will be on mass cars in the near future.
Today it's hard to believe, but on the first cars there were no devices that are now officially called "lighting devices" at all! Riding "self-running carriages" in the days of Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz was a very risky activity during daylight hours. And few thought about driving at night.
Photo: oldmotor.com; Media.daimler.com
However, with the beginning of the era of mass distribution of cars, it was simply necessary to solve the problem of lighting the road directly in front of a moving car! ..
"Kerosinks"
The first car headlights were simply kerosene lamps. Their main advantages at that time were a simple, as true, design, as well as the possibility of maximum unification with lamps that are massively common in everyday life.
On this, however, all the advantages of "kerosene stoves" for the motorist ended, since such headlights coped disgustingly with their main task. They did not so much illuminate the path in front of the car as they indicated its presence on the road. Oil lamps were also used on cars of those years, and in terms of efficiency they corresponded to "kerosene stoves". A replacement for them was developed very quickly.
From locomotive to car
In 1896, just 10 years after Karl Benz received a patent for his first car, aircraft designer Louis Blériot proposed using acetylene headlights on cars. Searchlights of a similar design were actively used at that time on ... steam locomotives!
Photo: Tomislav Medak/Wikipedia.org
Such headlights illuminated the road already quite tolerably, but their active use was accompanied by “dancing with a tambourine” for the driver. To turn on the head light, it was necessary to open the acetylene supply valve, then open the glass caps of the headlights themselves and, finally, light the burner with a match. At the same time, acetylene was produced on the go: in a separate tank, divided into two compartments, into which calcium carbide and water had to be poured before the trip.
Acetylene lamps, by the way, are still used today. For example, at lighthouses located in remote areas - if it is impossible or unprofitable for them to conduct a separate power line or install an autonomous generator.
Plus electrification of all cars
Well-known to us, electric headlights have been widely used on cars since the early 20s of the 20th century. However, they began to be used on luxury models even earlier: from the mid-10s. almost immediately after the invention. The Cadillac Model 30 and the legendary Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost were among the first to receive electric headlights as standard.
In fact, the first such headlights were electric spotlights, and, of course, they coped with their main task with a bang. However, another problem arose: drivers driving at night on a collision course mercilessly blinded each other. So the first headlight correctors appeared, and of different types: lever, cable, hydraulic. Some manufacturers put a rheostat lever on the front panel, with which the driver could adjust the brightness of the lamps.
How far has progress been...
At first glance, modern car headlights are far away from the searchlights of the early 20s. This is partly true, but ... As they say in Odessa, you will laugh: in general, the design scheme of the headlights remains the same today! To this day, they consist of a body, a reflector, a diffuser and a lamp - a light source.
Progress, however, does not stand still, and within the framework of this simple concept, the design of a car headlight was regularly supplemented with important elements that made it more functional, durable, convenient and safe to use.
So, in 1919, Bosch introduced a lamp with two filaments. Together with the diffuser invented by that time, this was an important step towards solving the problem that designers had been struggling with for all previous decades: how to effectively illuminate the road and at the same time not blind oncoming people?
In the mid-50s, the French company Cibie proposed a revolutionary solution for those times, which is still used today. The idea was to create an asymmetrical beam of light so that the headlights on the driver's side shine closer than those on the passenger side. Since 1957, this light distribution has been included in all European technical regulations for mass-produced vehicles.
In 1962, Hella introduced the first automotive halogen lamp. The bulb of such a lamp is filled with halides - gaseous compounds of iodine or bromine, which prevent the active evaporation of tungsten from the filament. As a result, the light output of the “halogen lamp” has grown one and a half times compared to the lamps of previous generations, the resource has doubled at once, the heat transfer has decreased, and the lamp itself has become much more compact! Halogen lamps are still the "gold standard" in automotive lighting.
Around the same time, cars with rectangular headlights began to be produced. Then, with the introduction of computer simulation technologies, designers were able to create combined reflectors of complex shape: with division into segments, each of which focuses the light beam in a different way.
In 1993, Opel first used a plastic polycarbonate diffuser on a mass-produced car (Omega model). This improved the light transmission of the headlight and drastically reduced its total weight: by almost a kilogram.
In the late 90s - early 2000s, the so-called cornering headlights began to be widely used, the light beam in which was directed to the right / left following the corresponding turn of the steering wheel. The first experiments in this direction began almost immediately after the invention of electric headlights. However, they soon fell almost under a legal ban: the technologies of that time did not allow changing the direction of the light flux as quickly as was necessary while the car was moving.
Citroen was one of the first to bring the idea to mind with the technical support of the already mentioned Cibie company. The first swivel high beam headlights appeared in 1968 on the legendary DS model.
By the way, today the function of illuminating the trajectory of movement in a turn is by no means always implemented by a rotating spotlight. On inexpensive cars, this task is assigned to additional side lights or "foglights".
However, even the most "advanced" version of the turning light - combined, in which side lamps are turned on at low speeds, and rotating spotlights - at high speeds, has ceased to be the lot of luxury models. Such headlights are also available on golf-class cars. Although this option is by no means cheap ...
At present, we are seeing, in fact, the decline of the "career" of the incandescent lamp as the main source of light in car headlights. Gas-discharge lamps are called upon to put a spectacular point in it. Better known to the general public as xenon.
Even in the simplest version of using xenon - as a filler for an incandescent bulb - the lighting efficiency increases significantly, and the luminous flux approaches the spectrum of solar radiation.
The maximum efficiency of traditional headlights can be achieved when using xenon discharge lamps, in which it is not the tungsten filament that glows, but the gas itself when high voltage is applied. "Xenon" consumes much less energy, shines twice as brightly as conventional "halogens", and at the same time lasts much longer due to the fundamental absence of a fragile thread.
"Lampless" future
But, no matter how effective xenon lamps are, the future, according to experts, belongs to LED-based headlights. Philips engineers, for example, say that in the near future such headlights will replace not only xenon, but also halogen lamps.
LEDs consume less energy than traditional lamps, and last almost an order of magnitude longer. But the main thing is that the device of LED headlights is simpler than xenon ones, and besides, they have practically no inertia characteristic of “xenon” when turned on.
The first mass-produced cars with LED optics were, as usual, luxury models. In 1992, the BMW 3-Series Cabrio received a central LED brake light, in the early 2000s, LED daytime running lights appeared on the Audi A8 W12. And on the 2008 Lexus LS 600h, the headlights became the first in the world to be fully LED.
Well, today such head lighting systems are no longer exotic. Fully LED headlights (though so far only as an option) received, for example, the new generation Seat Leon.
It seems that quite a bit of time will pass - and such headlights will be as familiar on mass cars as today's "halogens" ...
Another "standard of the future", which cannot be ignored: the concepts of German manufacturers - Audi and BMW - already use laser headlights.
And if Audi, according to executive director Rupert Stadler, is going to equip serial models with laser optics, but does not name any specific dates, then BMW already offers laser headlights as an option for the i8 sports hybrid, the serial production of which is scheduled for 2014.
In January of this year, at the CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, during the demonstration of the Audi Sport quattro concept car equipped with innovative headlights, the manufacturer spoke about the distinctive features of laser diodes from traditional ones, mentioning the lighting range - a fantastic 500 meters!
Cost-effectiveness, compactness and powerful light intensity are the unconditional trump cards of laser optics. Naturally, no one will shine a laser into the eyes of the oncoming traffic, especially since there is already a solution on how to make the operation of such elements safe ... Let's meet the future!
There are plenty of misconceptions when it comes to headlights. Considering that headlights are one of the most important features of cars, many people think that there is no misinformation about the headlights. After all, it seemed that the car front optics had a simple and understandable design. However, in the automotive industry, there are many types of headlight designs that cause confusion. In this article, I want to clear up all the misconceptions and explain the design of various headlights at the present time.
And so I divided the article into three parts:
- Housing and design of the headlights
- Lamps
- Other relevant information / Miscellaneous
SECTION 1: Body and construction of headlights
The headlight housing is that part of the optics, inside which the lighting lamp is installed. As you know, there are many different lighting lamps in the modern car market, ranging from conventional halogen to laser technology. The design of the headlight housing also depends on which lighting lamp is in the front optics.
Reflector
Headlights with reflectors installed in the front optics housing are by far the most common in the automotive industry. Although at the moment there is a tendency to replace headlights with reflectors with lensed optics. I'm not going to bore you with the science of how a car headlight works. In short, inside the headlight next to the reflector, as a rule, a lighting lamp is installed. The light that the headlight emits is reflected from the chrome paint that is applied to the reflector. As a result, the light of the lamp, reflected from the chrome surface, goes out onto the road.
As a rule, a halogen car lamp also has a small area of chrome or a protective coating made of another material (usually located on the front end of the lamp) that prevents direct rays of light from entering the eyes of oncoming drivers. As a result, the lamp does not emit light directly onto the road, but hits the reflector, which, scattering the rays of light, sends them onto the road.
Recently it seemed that this type of lamp would soon disappear from the automotive industry. Especially after they showed up. But in the end, today, halogen bulbs for cars are still the most common in the automotive world.
Lens
Headlights with lenses inside are currently gradually taking away the popularity of optics with reflectors. Recall that for the first time lined headlights appeared on expensive luxury cars. But then, as the cost of technology became cheaper, front lensed optics began to appear on ordinary, inexpensive vehicles.
What is a linzovannaya front optics? As a rule, this type of headlights uses lenses instead of reflectors (a special optical bulb that does not reflect the emitted light from the lamps onto the road, but, in fact, transmits lighting onto the road with the help of a projection).
At the moment, there are a huge number of different types of lenses and designs of linted headlights.
But the meaning of the work of lensed optics is the same. What is a headlight lens and how does it work?
The fact is that tinted headlights form a beam of light to illuminate the road in a completely different way, unlike optics with reflectors.
For example, there is also a chrome-plated reflector inside the lens that reflects the light from the lamp. But unlike a conventional reflector, the structure of a lensed reflector is designed in such a way as not to direct the light onto the road, but to collect it in a special place inside the headlight - on a special metal plate. This plate, in fact, collects the light into a single beam and redirects it to the lens, which in turn projects a directed beam of light onto the road.
Typically, a lensed headlamp provides excellent light output with a sharp cut line and focused light.
SECTION 2: Lamps
As we have said, the most important thing in any headlight is the light source. The most common light sources in car headlights are halogen incandescent bulbs.
In some cases, you will have to purchase new optics. But since LEDs have a very long service life, even today the use of LED road lighting is economically justified.
Lasers (future)
At the moment, a number of automotive companies have already begun to introduce a new generation of optics on some expensive models, which is equipped with innovative lasers as light sources.
True, so far laser optics in the automotive industry is still a rarity due to the high cost of manufacturing such optics.
So how does laser optics work? In fact, LED headlights are also used in laser headlights, which, under the influence of a laser, produce a more uniform and brighter glow. So, the luminous flux of conventional LEDs is 100 lumens, while, as in laser optics, LEDs give out 170 lumens.
The main advantage of laser headlights is their power consumption. So compared to LED automotive optics, laser headlights with LEDs consume half the energy.
Another advantage of laser headlights is the size of the diodes used. For example, a laser LED that is one hundred times smaller than a conventional LED produces the same level of light. As a result, this allows car manufacturers to reduce the size of headlights without compromising the quality of road lighting.
Unfortunately, laser light sources in the automotive industry are very, very expensive these days. So in the near future laser optics will not be widely used. But in the future, most likely, laser headlights will gradually replace all traditional sources of car lighting.
SECTION 3: Other important information / Miscellaneous
Now that we've covered all the different types of front light technology, it's time to talk about some of the issues that arise. So for example, let's find out if xenon lamps can be used in halogen headlights and vice versa?
As a rule, to use xenon lamps, the front optics must be equipped with a lens that projects light onto the road. Also, xenon optics is required, as a rule, it is equipped with a headlight corrector.
Mostly these days, automatic headlight leveling is used, which changes the angle of the lens in order to protect oncoming drivers from the bright daylight of xenon headlights. The angle changes depending on the number of passengers inside. Including all xenon headlights, they must be equipped with an optics washer, since the xenon light source is not effective with dirty headlights.
With regards to halogen lamps, unlike xenon lamps, they can be installed in lensed optics. But what about LEDs? Since LED lamps, as a rule, have a directional light source, it is not safe to install them in a headlight with conventional reflectors, since in this case the efficiency of illuminating the road will be low. Therefore, most automakers equip LED optics with lenses that project the light from the LEDs onto the road. More on this below:
Is it possible to install xenon lamps in conventional headlights with reflectors?
In principle, it is possible, but nothing good will come of it. Firstly, according to Russian legislation, the use of xenon lamps in headlights with reflectors is strictly prohibited, since this creates a danger for oncoming drivers on the road who can be blinded by the bright light source of xenon lamps scattered by headlight reflectors.
As a result, by installing xenon lamps in headlights with reflectors, you will get only an external beautiful glow. But the illumination of the road will be much worse than with halogen lamps, since xenon light sources require lensed optics. In addition, the xenon lamps installed in the reflector are disgustingly illuminating the road in rainy weather.
In particular, we want to note that xenon lamps will burn out the chrome coating of your reflectors in a short time. As a result, even if you later install halogen lamps again, your headlights will no longer shine as efficiently as before.
What is the responsibility for installing xenon lamps in headlights with reflectors?
As we have already said, the installation of xenon light sources in car headlights equipped with reflectors for halogen lamps is prohibited.
So, in accordance with Part 3 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, driving a vehicle on the front of which there are light devices with red lights or red retroreflective devices, as well as lighting devices, the color of the lights and the mode of operation of which do not comply with the requirements of the Basic Provisions for the Admission of Vehicles for Operation and obligations of officials to ensure road safety entails the deprivation of a driver's license for a period of 6 months to 1 year with confiscation of xenon equipment and lamps.
That is, in other words, if you illegally install xenon lamps in your car in headlights that are not designed for this type of light source, then you will not be fined, but immediately deprived of a driver's license, and after the expiration of the deprivation period, you will have to retake the theoretical exam.
Is it possible to install LED lamps in a xenon headlight lens?
Theoretically possible. But you will have to buy and install either the Chinese version, which is unlikely to please you with the quality of road lighting and durability, or you have to disassemble the headlight and install another block lens. In the latter version, the lighting quality will indeed be better and possibly even more efficient than xenon light sources. But then again, if you buy high-quality LED lamps and a block lens for them, which costs a lot of money.
With regards to legislation, at the moment there is no direct ban on the use of LED dipped and high beam lamps in conventional headlights. Also, there are no unified standards and GOSTs yet that would prescribe the rules for the installation and use of LED sources of low and far lighting on vehicles.
At the moment, rules and standards are only being developed. So in the near future, most likely, everything will happen just like xenon lamps. Remember what happened on Russian roads 10 years ago, when every second car was equipped with non-factory xenon. Today is the same picture.
Every day there are more and more cars on the road with non-factory LED dipped and high beam lamps, when, like most owners of cars equipped with headlights with conventional reflectors, they no longer use xenon light sources for fear of losing their rights (although many have already realized that “collective farm” xenon really reduces safety on the road).
So using LED lamps in reflectors or lenses for xenon is just as dangerous as "collective farm" xenon, since the LED lamp will not effectively illuminate the road in a reflector or lens designed for a xenon lamp.
Remember that LEDs also need a special spotlight (a block lens with special equipment that collects light from an LED lamp into a beam and directs it into a glass lens).
What is Bi-Xenon?
The term Bi-Xenon means that the vehicle is equipped with a single xenon bulb that does the job of both the low beam and the high beam. The same cars that are not equipped with Bi-Xenon headlights are usually equipped with either halogen lamps or combined light sources (low beam: xenon lamps, high beam: conventional halogen incandescent lamp).
Two types of Bi-xenon headlights are common in the automotive industry.
The first type uses a special shutter in the lens, located outside the bulb of the xenon lamp. As a result, when the high beam is turned on, the shutter directs the light source into the reflector, which then sends light into the lens in the high beam glow spectrum.
In the second type of Bi-xenon headlights, a special Bi-xenon lamp is used, which, for example, when the high beam is turned on, independently shifts the bulb of the lamp glow relative to the reflector built into the lens. As a result, light is projected onto the road in the near-light spectrum.
Which headlights are better: Halogen, Xenon or LED?
There is a lot of controversy about this at the moment. As they say, how many people, so many opinions. However, today it is already known for sure that halogen lamps do not stand up to any competition compared to xenon and LED artificial light sources.
Headlights not working? Need to change car headlight bulbs? Let's figure it out.
First, let's look at what kind of light bulbs are in the headlights.
First of all, car lamps can be divided into 2 main types:
headlight lamps- installed in the headlights of the car.
Additional light lamps- these include side lights, parking and interior lamps, brake lights.
Each type of lamp has its own designations and connection standards (for example, H1, H3, H4 - designations for lamps containing halogen gases).
Secondly, according to their purpose, the front lamps are divided:
high/low beam bulbs- the main lighting of the road surface in front of the car. They are components of the block headlights, switched if necessary, to illuminate the distant / nearest sections of the road.
fog lamps- installed in the head optics. The light from the headlights, as it were, spreads along the road, not illuminating the fog in height. Used in severe weather conditions (fog, rain, snowfall). They not only help the driver to better navigate the road in bad weather, but also increase the visibility of the vehicle itself for other road users.
Third, division by design:
Automotive incandescent lamps- the oldest type of lamps. You could say it's outdated.
Halogen (halogen) lamps- represent an incandescent lamp, in the flask of which there is a buffer gas (halogen vapors - bromine or iodine). Differ in big service life. The most common type of lamp used in car headlights. Constantly refined to obtain greater light intensity and increase the radius of illumination in front of the car.
xenon lamps- consist of a flask with gas (xenon) and electrodes. They glow thanks to an electric arc that occurs as a result of applying voltage. The light emitted by a xenon lamp is white, close in spectrum to daylight, and bright (the intensity is 3 times higher than that of halogen lamps). Bright, energy efficient, and long lasting lamps. Comfortable for the driver's eyes, but may be excessively bright for other road users.
LEDs- consist of numerous light emitting diodes (LED). The emitted light is close to daylight. They consume less electricity than halogen ones and have a very long service life. Work without wear for a long time of use. Thanks to their small size, they offer a wide range of design possibilities. However, in winter, the luminous flux of LED lamps is significantly reduced.
What you need to know about headlight bulbs before replacing
1. The basic rule to remember if you are planning to replace headlight bulbs is that headlight bulbs need to be changed in pairs.
There are good reasons for this:
- Light bulbs were installed together at the same time, which means that once one burns out, the death of the other is not far off.
- If you decide to leave the second and replace only one in order to save money, then you will break the picture of light distribution, because. a new lamp will always shine brighter than the one that has already worked a lot.
2. When going to the store for new headlight bulbs, take the old ones with you. So it will be easier for you to choose similar ones and eliminate the risk of buying inappropriate ones. However, do not forget to study the labels on the packages.
3. Continuing the topic about packaging: check if it has a compliance mark. This is a prerequisite if the product is of high quality (and this is exactly what is needed). If you saw the inscription Offroad use only (“Use only outside public roads”) or Not for use in Europe (“Do not use in Europe”), then we skip such lamps - they are prohibited for use in Russia.
4. The inscriptions +50% Light or Beam Performance +60% on the package promise you that some points in front of the car will be illuminated better than conventional lamps. However, remember that additional effects reduce the life of the bulbs, which means they can be replaced more quickly.
5. White and yellow lamps and inscriptions like 2600 K. Here, the standard for comparison is the daytime color temperature, which is in the range of 4000-6500 K.
The value on the package is close to it - the light emitted by the lamp is similar to daylight. It is comfortable and familiar, creates less strain on the eyes, objects are clearer in it. However, in rainy weather or in fog, visibility drops sharply, because. white light reflects off water droplets.
The value on the package is below 3000 K - in front of you are yellow glow lamps. They are effective in bad weather, although they are not so comfortable in good weather conditions. In this regard, they are installed in the fog lights, and not the head ones.
If the lamp bulb is colored, most likely this is a purely aesthetic decision - the light will be white. In some cases, the bulbs are dyed blue to increase the color temperature.
6. Is there no indication of the lamp life in the headlights? The standard lifetime at a voltage of 13.2 V is:
- for halogen lamps - 600 hours,
- for gas-discharge (xenon) lamps - about 3000 hours,
- for light-emitting diodes (LED) - 10,000 hours,
- for organic light emitting diodes (OLED) - 30,000 h.
Excessive voltage reduces the life of the light bulb (for example, a 5% increase in voltage leads to a decrease in lamp life by 40%). However, the light output will be stronger. At low voltage, the situation is reversed.
7. The original lamp was 60/55 W, but only a more powerful 100/90 W is available. Is it worth buying it, and does it give more light? No, more doesn't mean better. If you do not want the experiment to end in fire due to the excess load on the wiring.
8. Are a gas discharge (xenon) lamp and a halogen lamp in headlights marked intense white xenon effect equivalent? Both emit pure white light, but they are still different - discharge bulbs shine better.
Replacing headlight bulbs
If your headlights do not turn on, you usually do not need to completely remove or replace the headlights to restore their functionality. The process of replacing the lamp in the headlight and the sequence of steps may differ depending on the model of the car, but it is often enough to unscrew a few mounting bolts and a little time. For example, headlight bulbs are replaced as follows: the bolts are unscrewed, the headlight is removed (you can remove it without pulling out the connector) or pull the headlight without completely removing the entire unit in order to reach the light bulb, carefully unscrew or press the special plug to separate the lamp, install a new light element.
The main difficulty in the process of replacing a lamp in a headlight is the design of the car, which does not allow easy access to the mounts and the bulb itself. Sometimes it is necessary to remove other parts of the car in order to make a replacement. Also, some parts are too tight, so not everyone will cope with this task (mostly for girls) or there is a risk of damaging the parts with excessive force (especially if this effort is not needed there). In this regard, sometimes it is easier to contact a car service than to spend time trying to figure out the nuances of the process, besides, the service is inexpensive, and it will take a little time for professionals.
Read how to tint headlights.