Surprisingly, friends, that until recently all car headlights were exactly the same in terms of the type of light sources used. Virtually all vehicles used only one light source technology. Due to the fact that the headlights in different cars were the same in their design and type of bulbs used, most of these headlights did not differ in their original design. But now, as we know, everything has changed.

In fact, within a few years, low and high beam technology in cars has made an amazing leap into modernity, all thanks to the innovative developments of car manufacturers. Today, the automotive market has a huge number of different technologies that are used in car headlights. Each technology has its pros and cons. We are sure that in the near future the automaker will continue to surprise us with its fast-paced progressive technologies. We offer our readers detailed overview the most common technology used today in lighting fixtures in all modern vehicles.

At the initial stage of development of the global automotive industry, all automotive companies faced certain difficulties in developing electric lighting in their first cars. Even at a time when the auto production of cars around the world got into the assembly line, the engineers of all auto companies still continued to puzzle over the creation of the ideal dipped and main beam for a car. The main problem faced by the specialists of auto companies was the following, the energy efficiency of the lighting itself. Any source of light needed a certain and sufficient energy. When using conventional incandescent lamps, too much energy was expended to power them, which naturally led to increased fuel consumption.

Surprisingly, it was only at the beginning of the 60s that a single standard for the use of conventional incandescent lamps in car headlights was finally established in the entire automotive industry. Until now, there was nothing like that. It is also striking that, until recently, conventional incandescent lamps were practically used in the automotive industry as a single standard.

It is worth noting here that conventional tungsten incandescent lamps were still used in the automotive industry, despite the appearance in 1959 of tungsten- halogen lamps, which were much more reliable and efficient. But nevertheless, these lamps did not receive mass distribution. Later, in the early 1970s, on some cars, automakers began to install new-generation halogen headlights in the headlights of cars, which, unlike conventional incandescent lamps, already required half the energy and lasted several times longer. But at the same time, these new incandescent lamps were not destined to become the main standard for equipping car headlights, and this lasted until recently.

More recently, halogen lamps, which at their core are that ordinary modified incandescent bulb, have become more common and used in cars. The traditional filament is enclosed in a halogen lamp in a special flask, into which a special gas is pumped under pressure. Under voltage, a special arc (filament) under gas pressure begins to give a very strong glow, which is several times higher than the glow level of a simple ordinary lamp.

Since 1990, all automotive headlights have been practically using different technologies for reflecting light, depending on the type of use of low and high beam bulbs. Also, since 1990, in many cars, automakers began to use glass instead of glass in headlights, ordinary plastic. Polycarbonate material is much stronger and lighter than traditional glass. Including, from the beginning of the 90s, all automakers began to use rescue headlight reflectors, which were developed using complex software calculations (an example in the photo on the left is Ranger). As a rule, conventional incandescent bulbs were used in headlights with reflectors.

But at the same time, automakers began to offer headlights with directional lenses as an alternative (pictured right - Mazda MX-5), in which halogen lamps were installed. Headlight lenses allowed halogen lamps to give a bright directional glow (i.e. a beam of light).

The low cost of halogen lamps and their service life from 500 to 1000 hours allowed halogen lamps to gain a foothold in the automotive industry market and gradually replace traditional incandescent bulbs from this segment. But progress does not stand still. In the car market, things change very quickly. Manufacturers tirelessly continue and continue to develop and master new technologies, all with one goal, to increase the energy efficiency of light sources in vehicles. Naturally, there are also disadvantages of these halogen lamps, for example, this is not an ideal cost-effectiveness of the energy itself. Most of this energy is simply wasted. On average, one halogen lamp consumes 55 watts of energy, most of which turns into just heat, and not the same light.

Discharge lamps (alternatively called Xenon lamps, derived from the name of the inert gas that is pumped into this type of lamp) use a mixture of rare metals and a special gas. Externally, these xenon lamps are similar to halogen ones. But their technology is different. Unlike halogen lamps, in which the glow is given by a special filament surrounded by gas, in gas-discharge lamps the glow itself gives a gas pumped under pressure, which is heated by a special metal plate.

Xenon lamps are two to three times brighter than halogen lamps.

Due to the very bright glow of the gas, these discharge headlights are usually equipped by the manufacturers with a self-aligning lens system and a headlight washer. All this protects drivers of oncoming vehicles from blinding.

With automatic adjustment xenon headlights beams of light are directed downwards.

Despite the very bright glow, a gas discharge lamp consumes much less energy than the same halogen lamp. Typically, such a xenon bulb consumes only 35 watts of energy. The approximate life of this lamp is about 2000 hours.

The only minus of the headlights is the slow heating of the gas in the lamp itself, which, when the headlights are initially turned on, does not allow to give a directional beam of light as brightly as possible. It takes some time for the lamp to fully warm up.

Xenon headlights are easy to distinguish from halogen headlights due to the blue tint around the edges and a very bright beam of white light. Many cars are equipped with xenon lamps only for low beams, while high beams work on halogen lamps. In some makes and models of cars, BI-Xenon headlights are used, in which both the low beam and the main beam are equipped with gas discharge lamps.

Discharge lamps became available in the mid-1990s. But despite their efficiency and reliability, they also did not become the standard light sources that most cars are equipped with today. It's all about their high cost. Therefore, these lamps left room for subsequent opportunities for the birth of other new technologies.

Light emitting diodes (LED) passed long haul its development, from its first appearance on computers to the moment to become key components on cars, televisions and phones.

To understand how deeply LEDs have entered the automotive industry, I would first like to note that on all cars produced in the world, the dashboard is practically illuminated with the help of these LED lamps. (!) Even the buttons in the car interior are also illuminated by LEDs. Along with them, the touchscreen display of the infotainment system is also illuminated by these LED lamps.

All car designers in the world have become very fond of these LEDs, as their small size allows them to be integrated into even the smallest and thinnest elements of the car.

LED lighting sources are a colossal breakthrough in technology that has benefited not only the automotive industry itself, but also many sectors of the economy. The most surprising thing here is something else, namely, that these modern LED lamps have practically already approached the same gas-discharge lamps (xenon) in their brightness. But this is not all the advantages of lamps. These LED lamps reach their maximum brightness many times faster than xenon lamps. For example, ordinary and halogen lamps reach their maximum brightness in about half a second, but the same LED lamps reach the same maximum glow in just a millionth of a second!!!

For example, when using these LEDs in the taillights of a car (when braking), the reaction of drivers who move behind the car has greatly improved, by about 30%.

On top of that, some manufacturers of LED lamps have achieved almost the durability of their lamps, which reaches 15,000 hours of operation today.

If you touch a car incandescent or halogen lamp, you will most likely scream in pain, as these bulbs get very hot. But, if you also touch the LED lamp, then you will have to hold your hand on the lamp for a long time so that it feels warm on itself.

It is most important . They use the energy they consume as efficiently as possible and then convert it into light, but not into heat, like previous lamps. All this became possible due to the fact that these LED lamps simply keep most of their heat inside, and do not splash it onto the surface of the lamp.

From the first moment the appearance of LED lamps and their installation in car headlights, those were initially installed only on luxury and expensive cars, the cost of which started from 200 thousand US dollars. Today, LEDs have already appeared on many economy class cars. The advent of LED technology has practically covered the entire machine-building automotive industry. LED headlights claim to soon become the main source of low beam and high beam standard.

At the end of this year, BMW will present to the public on its new hybrid model i8, new innovative laser headlights. Laser technology will be available in the car as additional option. So very soon they will be able to see a completely different "look" of the new aggressive headlights.

If you think that they will dazzle the met drivers in the same way as xenon ones, if the automatic headlight tilt adjustment is not adjusted and works on the car, then you are completely mistaken friends. Laser headlight technology is completely different.

A laser beam of light is directed through phosphor gas. When passing through a laser beam, this gas gives a brighter glow than gas-discharge lamps, but then this bright light is simply reflected and scattered, thus illuminating the road evenly, it does not dazzle oncoming vehicles at all.

According to the developers, these laser headlights are much more energy efficient, they can illuminate the road at a distance of up to 600 meters in front of the car in front. For example, LED high beam headlights can only illuminate the road at a distance of 300 meters from the vehicle in front.

In conclusion, dear readers, I would like to note that each type of light lamps on cars must be strictly used in a certain type of headlights, since when using lamps in headlights that are not intended for a certain type of light source, the efficiency of the low and high beams decreases, and the headlights can already dazzle drivers of cars encountered.

For example, xenon lamps should only be used in headlights with special lenses, these headlights must be equipped with washer and automatic tilt adjustment.

Halogen lamps should not be used in headlamps with a reflector designed specifically for traditional incandescent lamps. The use of LED lamps in conventional headlights is also not allowed, since the brightness of the road lighting will not meet the safety standard in accordance with GOST. Good luck friends!

Once upon a time, at the dawn of the appearance of cars, simple acetylene lamps were used in the headlights. But, with the progress of technological progress, lighting systems have constantly changed, improved, and by today they have come to use complex xenon or LED road lighting kits. Below we will try to find out what better xenon Or LED bulbs? But in order to understand this, let's first analyze the work of the headlight itself as a light source.

IN given time The simplest car headlights are those that run on halogen bulbs. These lamps are a glass bulb, with two electrodes inside, between which there is a stretched tungsten filament. So, let's look at how they work.

When current is supplied to the light bulb, the thread begins to glow, thus creating light near itself. The flask itself, where the tungsten filament is placed, is made very tight so that the halogen gas pumped into it does not leak into the open space and performs the function of settling tungsten, since tungsten tends to evaporate. That is why #8212 headlights are called halogen, but in fact, this is the most common light bulb, to increase the service life of which, a halogen mixture was added to the flask.

The principle of operation of xenon bulbs is not the same as that of halogen ones. But the structure of the lamp itself is the same, except that there is no tungsten wiring here. Instead, light is created by the formation, between the electrodes, of an electric arc when current is applied to the light bulb. In terms of brightness, halogen lighting is much inferior to xenon. The luminous flux of xenon is twice as high and requires 25,000 V of voltage to achieve this result. To receive such high rate voltage, you must install a special unit.

To avoid possible blinding of drivers of cars that are driving towards you, it is necessary to use headlight correction, which will change their position when the road is uneven. But such correctors are present only on expensive and high-quality xenon headlights from branded manufacturers. Chinese counterparts, for example, do not have them, since the manufacturing process is quite complicated and also very expensive.

A couple of years ago, everyone believed that subsequently gas discharge headlights would be the leader in this market segment, and halogens would fade into the background. However, the invention of LED optics broke all trends and, perhaps, it is LEDs that will become the most common headlight lamps in the future, outstripping both halogen and xenon ones in sales. But this is only possible. Yes, today diodes are similar in power to halogen ones, but they are very expensive and demanding on the lighting system itself, since a strong reflector and cooling must be present.

Today, in order to invent an inexpensive lighting system that is equally well suited to most different cars, scientists are hard at work on the problems of LEDs. For example, the Dutch company Philips has made a lamp that looks exactly like a #8212 halogen lamp, but emits the same light as xenon. Their essence lies in the fact that the flask of the lamp itself is filled with a special xenon gas mixture, which makes it possible to use such lamps for longer and more powerful. But at this time, these are only developments, so you have to choose from existing xenon or LED instances. Next, let's do a little analysis and highlight the strengths and weak sides these lighting systems.

The main advantages of xenon lamps include:

• strong and bright luminous flux, which provides a wide range of inspection, respectively, and greater safety;
• long service life (2-2.5 thousand hours versus 150-600 hours for halogen lamps);
• only 7% of the energy is converted into heat, which makes it possible to install this electric lamp in different headlights. By comparison, a halogen lamp emits as much as 40% of heat, respectively, it will warm up much more than xenon.

The main disadvantages of xenon lamps are:

• in Russia it is allowed to use only xenon lamps installed during the production of the car, all other fakes installed will lead to fines and failure to pass the technical inspection;
• the need to install additional complex equipment (“ignition unit” and automatic correction of the angle of inclination lighting fixtures);
• fuel consumption increases due to the additional load on the generator;
• high price of xenon lamps;
• if one of the bulbs breaks, you have to change two, as time changes color scheme stream of light. And if you put one new one, then there will be a difference between the light of one and the other headlights.

LED lamps have the following advantages:

• to create a light flux, diodes require only 6 to 8 watts of energy consumption, which is ten times less than a halogen lamp consumes to create the same flux, due to this, fuel savings are approximately 0.3 liters / 100km;
• no need to install any additional devices;
• an LED lamp emits up to 4% less heat than a xenon one, and therefore almost does not heat up;
• very long operating time, which can reach up to 10 thousand hours;
• the luminous flux is the same as that of a xenon lamp;
• production of LED lamps produces them in the most different sizes and models. Therefore, you can put diodes on almost any car.

The disadvantages of LED lamps include:

• to some extent the price, although their cost is higher than halogen lamps, they are still cheaper than real branded xenon;
• the brightness of the illumination is slightly lower than that of xenon.

Very often there are disputes between motorists about which bulbs are better to use in headlights: conventional halogen, xenon or LED? In order to come to the correct balanced decision, in this matter, one should understand the mechanism of the light source devices themselves. In the case of halogen lamps, we note that their operation is based on the supply of current to a pair of electrodes located in a glass bulb. Next, the current enters the tungsten spiral, which is stretched between the electrodes, and it begins to glow, which creates light. At its core, this is the most common incandescent lamp. The difference here is only in one, and this is the pumped halogen gas mixture into a hermetically sealed glass flask. The halogen gas tends to precipitate the evaporated tungsten, which makes the light bulb more durable.

Another type of headlight bulbs for vehicles, xenon (discharge), works on a different principle. In fact, they also look like a glass bulb with two electrodes inside, but the difference is that there is no tungsten or other filament, and the electric arc created between the electrodes (when current is applied) gives the light flux. The xenon lamp shines very brightly and resembles electric welding. A gas discharge lamp has a luminous flux of 3200 lm, while conventional halogen lamps have only 1500 lm.

But if halogen lamps were predicted to be suppressed on the market by xenon, then in the future gas discharge lamps themselves may be replaced by more advanced and advertised LEDs. But this is all in the future, since now LEDs are very expensive and demanding. The cost of a pair of such headlights is about 2500 euro, and this, let's say, is not so cheap. A modern LED lamp requires a very large reflector, for the application of which it is necessary to increase the headlight itself to a large size. Also, the need for constant cooling leads to the fact that in the near future in the field of car headlights a massive transition to LEDs is not expected.

So, will everyone drive xenon type lighting? No, of course not. Today, the problems of LEDs are seriously studied by scientists all over the world, so the creation of a powerful and cheap diode light source that can be used in headlights for cars is a matter of time. Yes, and halogen lamps will also be used. Already today, the Dutch company Philips (which has long been known to the whole world) produces very interesting, in essence, lamps that have a light power that is not much inferior to xenon. The essence of the operation of such a lamp is that the usual halogen lamp is filled not with halogen, but with a gas mixture based on xenon. So it turns out the power of light is twice as much, and the service life is also doubled than that of conventional lamps. These bulbs can be purchased at any automotive store.

Philips is also working hard to improve xenon lamps. As mentioned above, the production of light in such bulbs is provided by an electric arc created between two electrodes. But to get an arc, you need a special xenon block, with which you can create a powerful voltage pulse (25000 V) of alternating current. Chinese xenons, which drivers like to put on the headlights of their car, do not have a corrector. And it is necessary in order not to blind drivers who are driving towards.

When the car moves over bumps, the corrector, in turn, automatically changes the position of the headlights. So, before all these components for a xenon lamp required a lot of space, and Philips specialists managed to reduce their size to such that the assembled xenon kit fits in the palm of your hand.

So, we can safely say that in the near future in the segment of car headlights, both halogen and xenon, as well as LED light sources will be used. On cheap cars it is simply unprofitable to install expensive types of lighting, so halogen lamps will be used here. Due to the fact that xenon components are expensive and complex in their design, HID lamps can be used for premium luxury cars. Well, for cars of the most expensive and fashionable segment, LED lamps will be installed. At this hour, LEDs are still used for auxiliary purposes (stop signal, turn signal, daytime running lights).

In order to be able to summarize later, the following should be mentioned. All Chinese xenons are, no less, a fake or a hack (as you prefer). Simply, in order to produce gas-discharge lamps, it is necessary to establish a very complex and expensive process, and it is impossible to do this under conditions that are not appropriate for this. Here is the production at a very primitive level. For some reason, there is a very strong belief that the Chinese simply do not know such concepts as an automatic corrector, which must be present on xenon car lighting systems, focal length or color temperature. Because of what, the use of Chinese xenons is very dangerous, because they constantly blind drivers of oncoming cars, which often leads to accidents on the roads and deaths.

Of course, halogen car lamps the most familiar and common in everyday life. This is the same incandescent lamp, inside which there is a tungsten filament, and the lamp itself is filled with a certain gas mixture based on halogens. Halogen lamps get very hot and are afraid of various bumps (shakes) on the roads, which, in turn, can lead to a breakdown of the light source due to a break in the tungsten filament.

IN bad weather, despite being protected by double glass, dirt dries very quickly to halogen lamps, which reduces the illumination of the path.

Also, halogen lamps have a low brightness (1500 lm) and, in comparison with xenon, six to seven times shorter service life, which becomes only 400 hours versus 3000 hours.

Xenon, on the other hand, can provide problems only if a low-quality (collective farm, left-handed), non-branded product is installed, since then it will not be possible to adjust the flow of light, and this can lead to emergencies on the roads.

The letter of the law, in fact, does not prohibit the use of gas discharge lamps, since there is no separation of lighting automotive appliances for halogen or xenon. In order to understand what is possible and what is not, you need to be well versed in the marking of lighting devices.

All headlights are divided into three types. Each type is assigned its own marking. Headlights that are marked with the type DR, DC, DCR are xenon lamps, which, according to the rules technical regulation(the part about transport security), at correct installation, can be used without violating the Law Russian Federation.

If xenon is not completed necessary equipment then the driver will be punished. During the technical inspection, in case of violation, lighting fixtures are taken away, and in addition, deprivation of a driver's license may threaten (six months or a year).

By law, it is also possible to supply optics that are not provided for by the “native” bundle. You just need to install a headlight washer, and there should also be an automatic correction of the angle of inclination. All changes that are independently made to the vehicle lighting system using xenon bulbs must be coordinated with the relevant authorities. Reverse replacement of xenon lamps with halogen lamps is permissible with a complete replacement of the headlights.

Now halogen headlights for xenon are becoming very popular, since installing a high-quality (proprietary) xenon lamp is a complicated and expensive procedure. Such lamps have a temperature emission spectrum, like xenon, which makes it possible to obtain white saturated lighting.

There are also lamps for cars under xenon, which save yellow glow, such as halogen. Of course, real xenon is brighter than such headlights, but for halogen bulbs they are a very good alternative.

So many motorists, now, are asking the question of which is better xenon or LED lamps? Technological progress has not passed by and lighting systems for cars. All more companies Automotive manufacturers are looking to transition from outdated halogen lamp technology to completely new vehicle lighting systems. The use of xenon is no longer uncommon and it is almost impossible to surprise with the presence of such headlights.

What can not be said about LED lamps, which have recently gained great popularity. Everyone wants to implement LED backlight or completely make the main lighting of the car LED. So, where to stop, which is better xenon or LED lamps? Here the comparison is inappropriate, since the technologies are completely different and in the so-called battle different systems lighting for cars will win those for which the future, and this is definitely LEDs.

Xenon

The advantages of xenon lamps include:

1. High road safety and wide visibility. Thanks to the bright and powerful luminous flux, the road can be seen much better than when illuminated by halogen headlights.
2. Lamps of this kind almost do not heat up. In halogen, 40% of the energy is converted into heat, which is quite a lot compared to xenon, in which only 7%.
3. The service life is much longer than that of conventional halogens (2000-2500 hours versus 150-600 hours). The absence of a tungsten filament makes such a lamp invulnerable to various kinds of shocks and shocks, which in halogen lamps could lead to a break in this thread.

Cons, xenon lamps have much more than pluses, they include such as:

1. Equipment complexity. To install a xenon lamp, you also need to install additional sophisticated equipment, because automotive system does not withstand the loads that a xenon lamp requires. This is 20,000 V voltage to ignite the lamp and 70-80 V to support combustion, which is why expensive ignition units must be installed.
2. Not all xenon lamps are legal. The law of the Russian Federation states that only those lamps that were installed at the factory during the production of the car can be used. Diverse Chinese counterparts are prohibited and punishable by a fine or deprivation of rights, with confiscation of the equipment itself.
3. Increase in fuel consumption. Despite the fact that the xenon unit provides the lighting system with electricity, the generator still has a large load, of course - and the engine, which leads to an extra 0.3 liters per 100 km.
4. Expensive equipment. Xenon lamps and their components, to put it mildly, are a little expensive. For branded xenons, prices are "cosmic", and Chinese ones can cost up to 10000 rubles plus you have to pay for installation. And if one of the bulbs is burned out, you will have to change two, because over time, xenon lamps burn out and change color, so if you change one, they will shine differently.
5. The lamps are very powerful, so you need to think carefully about the tilt of the headlights. To avoid an accident, do not lift them very much up. It is logical that car manufacturers that use xenon in their lighting systems are required to have headlights with tilt correction.

Next, let's talk about LED lamps, which are the future of automotive lighting systems. It is believed that LED lamps in the near future will push halogen and gas-discharge lamps into the background, and they themselves will take their rightful place at the top.

LEDs

The advantages of LED lamps are as follows:

1. The biggest advantage of LEDs is their energy efficiency.
2. Easy to install. The absence of additional components when compared with xenon. Just unscrew the old one and put in the new one.
3. Small fuel economy. The lower the load on the generator from the lighting system, the less the engine is loaded, and this makes it possible to save on fuel.
4. Very little heat generated, which keeps the lamp cool. Energy consumption for heat is even less than in xenon lamps by 3-4%. Can be used not only in the main lighting, but also in the fog lights.
5. Light flow. The first generation of LED xenon lamps, of course, could not replace the brightness, but instead of halogens it could be put. But the second is already a different level of brightness of light, which is approaching xenon. On the road, at times, you won’t be able to distinguish which headlight is on, because the glow is equally blue-white.
6. Operating time LED headlights very large and reaches up to 10,000 hours.
7. Legal use. The laws of the Russian Federation do not prohibit the use of LED lamps, since the light flux is no different from halogen lamps. It's just that in LEDs it is possible to make the color of the light bulb glow whatever you want, which is also possible in halogen lighting systems.
8. Shapes and sizes. At the present time, LED lamps are available in a variety of sizes and shapes, which makes it possible to install them on a variety of car headlights.

The disadvantages include:

1. Price. LED bulbs are more expensive than halogen bulbs. But when compared with gas-discharge, the price is lower. In the end, when you weigh the pros and cons, buying LEDs will be profitable.
2. Brightness. If you look, then yes, LEDs are inferior to gas-discharge lamps in terms of the brightness of the light flux. But it is worth noting that they are already pressing back closely. And on the road, you don’t necessarily need a very bright light. You can get by with the glow of the power that LED lamps give out.

Today we considered the question of what is better xenon or LED lamps. As for me, it is better, of course, LEDs. Recently I bought myself this type of lighting. I'm going to put test lamps on the foglights of my car one of these days. Firstly, these lamps are legal, unlike Chinese xenon, and I don’t want myself to have any extra problems. Secondly, in the end result they will come out cheaper. Thirdly, they have a very long service life, and the brightness of the light flux is not much lower than the glow of xenon lamps.

Also, based on the foregoing, we can conclude that if you do not know which type of lighting to prefer from these two, do not hesitate to choose LED lamps.

A car is not only a comfortable way of transportation, but also a subject of increased danger. In order not to get into an unpleasant situation at night, often you just need to solve the problem with the lighting fixtures of the car. Recently, an increasing number of motorists are beginning to give preference to the so-called xenon lamps. However, halogen headlights are also widely used. Let's try to figure out which is better - halogen or xenon.

What to install on a car: xenon or halogen.

Halogen lamps

Halogen lighting for cars are widely used. They are installed in the headlights of most brands and have a lot of varieties. Standard options have the structure of a flask, which is filled with a special gas. Inside the flask are two spirals. This design is almost impossible to improve, although some manufacturers change the composition of the gas or use different coatings. Such lamps have different shades of glow, from warm yellowish to cold blue. The shade is selected taking into account the operating conditions. A warm glow is better for use in all weather conditions, but cooler shades, as it makes the eyes less tired of it. The power of such lighting devices usually reaches 130 watts. The advantages of halogen headlights include:

• a fairly low price (they can cost from 300 rubles to 2000), in addition, if one of the bulbs fails, only it will need to be replaced;
• ease of installation and replacement;
• high light output.

But such lamps have a number of certain disadvantages:

• not very long service life - about 400 hours;
• dependence on vibrations: the filament and the tungsten coil can be destroyed by shaking;
• lower brightness compared to xenon headlights;
• during operation, the glass of the headlight becomes very hot, and therefore dust and dirt seem to stick to it, as a result of which the degree of illumination of the road is greatly reduced.

Xenon lamps contain xenon gas inside. It is not an incandescent filament that glows in them, but the so-called electric arc that occurs between two electrodes. These electrodes are ignited from a special module that converts 12 DC volts to 25 kilovolts. After the lamp ignites, the electronics will have to provide a reduction to 85 volts. At first, xenon lamps were used only in the low beam, but over time they went through a number of improvements, and today the 5th generation xenon lamps differ significantly from their predecessors. Modern xenon lamps also differ in color. Manufacturers offer lamps in three main color temperatures - White-Milk, White and Blue Crystal. Color is directly dependent on temperature. The lower the temperature, the closer to yellow light the light will be and the stronger the brightness will be.

The main advantages of such lamps include:

• efficiency in the consumption of electricity, and hence fuel;
• very bright illumination of the roadway, which makes the ride ;
• when using a warm spectrum, visibility is significantly increased at night and during rain, improved light reflection from markings and road signs;
• the illumination range is much higher than that of conventional halogen headlights;
• greater coverage of the curb due to an increase in the light beam;
• improvement appearance car, many choose just this type of headlights;
• reduction in energy consumption by about 40%;
• headlight glasses practically do not heat up, which reduces the adhesion of dirt;
• the duration of the work of such headlights is very high.

Xenon lamps have a number of disadvantages:

1. The rather high cost of xenon lamps. In addition to lamps, it is necessary to install a whole ignition unit system.
2. At incorrect installation and adjusting the xenon headlights dazzle oncoming vehicles, which, in turn, can lead to an emergency.
3. In very bright light, the driver's eyes do not adapt well to unlit sections of the road.
4. If one lamp fails, both will need to be replaced, as there may be a difference in light in paired headlights.
5. The difficulty in installing such lighting.

What is better to choose

So, we figured out how xenon differs from halogen, and what to choose will depend on the wishes and capabilities of car owners. They will need to compare and calculate the benefits of using certain headlights. Here are some comparison points:

1. Halogen xenon headlights.
2. Xenon headlights shine better and provide best review pavement at night and in bad weather.
3. Halogen lamps are much easier to replace, but xenon lamps will need to be changed only by specialists. Poor quality and improperly installed xenon headlights can blind oncoming drivers.
4. The service life of xenon headlights is much longer - they work up to 3000 hours, and halogen ones are only 400.
5. Xenon headlights have a very striking appearance, although modern halogen headlights can also have a bright white tint.

Halogen headlights are automotive optics in which lamps filled with a special gas mixture are used to form the light flux. Most often, the bulb bulb is filled with a buffer inert gas with vapors of one of the halogens chlorine, bromine, fluorine or iodine. To create a glow, an incandescent filament is placed inside the glass bulb, which ensures the temperature of the spiral within 3000 K.

Benefits of gas-filled lenses

• light output efficiency 15-22 lm/W;
• service life 2000-4000 hours;
• high light intensity;
• smaller dimensions compared to conventional lamps of the same power;
• uniform illumination provides higher reliability of recognition of the surrounding space;
• resistance to voltage surges.

Today, most car models are equipped with optics based on halogen lamps and parabolic reflectors. The special glass used to make the bulb bulb ensures long term service and high luminous flux.

The first gas-filled lamps were produced with a single filament. They were used in headlights or additional light. In 1970, Philips introduced a light bulb with two filaments for low and high beams. If early models halogen headlights distributed light with special diffusers, then modern devices are equipped with lenses or reflectors, however, like everything that today you can choose and buy inexpensively.

They provide minimal blinding to drivers with a sufficiently large lighting distance. The dipped beam of modern halogen headlights is asymmetrical, which creates good conditions to illuminate the right (left) side of the road and part of the roadside.

Types of halogen lamps

Gas-filled light bulbs are divided into several types:

Standard Halogen bulbs are usually installed in the headlights at the factory. The power of devices for high beam is 60 watts, and for low beam - 55 watts.

Halogen bulbs with enhanced luminous flux differ from standard devices by higher brightness within 30%. A brighter glow is created by overheating the spiral. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in the resource, so such light bulbs burn out much more often than conventional lamps.

All-weather halogen bulbs Designed for use in inclement weather. The glow of the all-weather headlights is distinguished by a yellow tint, which ensures good illumination in fog and slush.

Halogen lamps increased power characterized by a longer and thicker helix. They consume more energy and heat up more. The installation of such bulbs in standard optics is not recommended due to the fact that the headlights can be deformed at high temperatures. The wiring may also burn out. Due to the distinctive geometrical parameters of the spiral, headlight adjustment with high-power halogen bulbs has its own characteristics. Therefore, it is better to entrust this event to specialists.

• Pseudo-xenon halogen bulbs create a brighter bluish glow compared to standard lamps due to the coating of the bulb with special bluish dyes. The power consumption of such devices is higher. In good dry weather, the efficiency of such lamps is quite good. However, during bad weather, the illumination is significantly reduced. Also, if moisture gets in, the lamp may burst due to high heat. The installation of pseudo-xenon lamps significantly knocks down the luminous flux, therefore correct adjustment headlights is almost impossible.

Installation of halogen lenses

In cases where standard head optics do not provide high-quality road illumination, it is recommended to install additional halogen light sources. To do this, you will need headlights, a block and fuses, wires, a power button, a power relay, heat shrink tubing, electrical tape, clamp pads, as well as a set of screwdrivers and keys.

First you need to decide on the choice of additional headlights. The best option may be standard devices for which there are mounts in the bumper of your model. If this is not provided by the manufacturer, you can buy any halogen headlights, if you have the appropriate certificates. It is better to buy optics complete with wiring and fuses. For standard low beam lamps, a power of 55 W is enough for 10 A fuses and 25-30 A relays.

Remember, the best way is to connect halogen headlights through the low beam relay contact or to the ignition switch. In this case, when the ignition is turned off additional headlights will turn off automatically.

Thus, it is possible to avoid discharging the battery, if for some reason - or for some reason, you suddenly forgot to turn off the headlights forcibly. It is imperative to connect additional headlights through a relay with fuses.

All work on installing additional optics should be done by first disconnecting one of the battery terminals. All wires and connectors must be carefully insulated, and the relays and contact buttons must be placed in heat shrink tubes.

Installation of halogen headlights is carried out at regular points on the bumper, if any. If such places are not provided, then the optics should be mounted in accordance with the requirements of the Technical Regulations. After installing the headlights, we mount the wiring. One of the headlight wires must be connected to ground in any convenient location, screwed to the body. The other two wires are placed in a corrugated plastic tube and attached to the car's standard wiring with plastic clamps. Then the wires are brought into the cabin. Try to arrange the wiring in the area where the relay and fuse box are located.

Wiring diagram for halogen headlights

After the wiring is completed, halogen headlights are connected. In the fuse box, as a rule, there should be free places for relays and fuses. If there are no free slots, then the relay with fuses should be mounted in a separate block, which should then be fixed close to the fuse box.

The wiring diagram for halogen headlights is as follows. The wires are connected through separate fuses to the relay (connector No. 86). Output #85 is connected to the battery positive. This can be done in three different ways:

• ignition lock contact;
• hotel wire from the battery;
• low beam relay output No. 85.

Relay output No. 87 is connected to ground in any convenient place.

After that, we mount the power button. If your car has special places for buttons, then we remove one of the plugs and install the key. For convenient connection of wires, you must first remove the decorative overlay of the dashboard.

Typically, standard power buttons are equipped with indicator lights. In this case, the indication connection leads are connected in parallel with the wiring of other keys. Similarly, we connect the positive contact in parallel. The second control wire of the button is connected to the output of the headlight relay No. 30.

We check the correct connection of additional headlights.

If, when the ignition is turned on and the button for turning on the halogen headlights is pressed, a click is heard (the relay is turned on) and additional optics are lit, you can proceed to complete the installation work.

Halogen, xenon or LED lights, ?

What we consider now as ordinary things were once considered the cutting edge of technological thought. There were times when adding a simple bolt or changing the shape of a certain component led to significant innovations that, years later, provided the basis for more advanced designs. Let's compare which is more efficient halogen, xenon or LED headlights?

Although all Automotive industry uses them, but few people know the actual history of their development from the simple acetylene lamps in 1880 to the very complex LED designs of today. In addition, researchers are constantly working on the whole concept of "headlights", trying to find innovations that can make their products better than competitors. An example would be Laser headlights, but before we look at them, we must look at the more common and affordable solutions that preceded their development.

We won't go into history, but instead we'll try to focus on the four main types of Headlights to date. Thus, we will try to consider the main advantages and disadvantages of each of them, although many people believe that everything new is always better than the old. Some of you may agree with our opinion, others may not, but in any case, each of the four types of lamps has its pros and cons. Let's take a closer look at each of 4 headlight types.

Halogen headlights

Halogen headlights are currently the most popular in the automotive world, for several main reasons.

They are easy to manufacture and cost effective. Most halogen bulbs have a lifespan of about 1000 hours per normal conditions, while replacement costs are generally very low (less than $30 for a good kit). However, halogen lamps are gradually fading into the background and more and more car companies around the world are coming to this. What is the reason? Halogen is not exactly synonymous with efficiency, and in order to better understand, we will try to understand the details.

First of all, the shell of the lamp is made of glass that can withstand very high temperatures, and there is also a gas, usually a combination of argon and nitrogen, along with a tungsten filament. In order to create light, the tungsten filament receives electricity from battery car and heats it up to about 2500 degrees, thus, the process of glow (glow) begins.

When a halogen lamp comes to the end of its life, it is usually because the tungsten in the filament evaporates, gets on the glass, causing the filament to become brittle and eventually break, rendering the lamp unusable.

But this is not the only problem. most big problem is that, while glowing, the lamp creates a large amount of heat, which requires unproductive energy costs.

Another one serious problem with halogen lamps, this is a response to various substances. For example, when replacing a faulty lamp, you need to be careful not to touch the bulb of a new lamp with your hands, but use special gloves! Otherwise, after touching the lamp with bare hands, you may partially damage the quartz grease on the bulb and its heating will not be uniform, which will shorten the life of the lamp. If you have touched the lamp, try using a clean cloth and an alcohol-based product to wipe it.

However, halogen lamps have a number of advantages that are very important to many car manufacturers:

- create a decent level of lighting for a small price;

- are available in a wide range of models and sizes, which allows them to be used in a large number of car models;

- have brightness control, thereby allowing automakers to complete different versions, depending on body type, dimensions and equipment.

The main advantages and disadvantages of halogen headlights:

ADVANTAGES :

- easy to replace;

— simple design;

— big choice shapes and sizes;

- cost-effective.

FLAWS :

- energy-intensive;

- Care must be taken when handling.

XenonHID lights

Xenon headlamps, officially known as High Intensity Discharge Headlights (HID), are generally the more efficient solution, mainly due to color temperature.

and the amount of light they generate. The first xenon lamps appeared on the BMW 7 Series in 1991 and over time have become number one for several car companies that previously avoided the use of these types of lamps and offered it only as an option, but now use them as standard equipment.

The principle of operation of a xenon HID headlight is similar to that of a neon tube. A gas is pumped into a sealed tube, at each end there is an electrode through which a current passes through the entire tube. Xenon HID lamps use clear quartz glass, tungsten electrodes and gas mixtures that are stimulated by high voltage electric current passing between two electrodes.

Despite the similarity in name, xenon HID lamps actually use a halogen-metal mixture ignited by xenon only during start-up. Therefore, one of the main problems with HID lamps is the amount of time it takes for the gas inside to reach operating temperature and provide bright light.

The flashing process of a xenon HID lamp occurs in three stages: the first is the time of the ignition phase, when a high voltage pulse produces a spark that ionizes the xenon gas and creates a current tunnel between the electrodes, the temperature in the bulb rises quickly and the metal salts evaporate, which reduces the resistance between the two electrodes ; Ultimately, the ignition unit switches to continuous operation of supplying the lamp enough energy so that the electric arc does not flicker.

What are the Pros? First of all, xenon lamps are much more efficient when it comes to the amount of light produced compared to halogen lamps. Of course, this can be a big disadvantage for oncoming cars, especially if the lighting angle is not set correctly (it does not have a corrector or it is installed in a handicraft way on a car that was not previously adapted for xenon installation). Such cases are very common in the CIS countries, where every student who owns an old "grandfather's" penny tries to put xenon on it, although it is not structurally designed for this due to its age.

According to official statistics, the performance of a xenon lamp is 3000lm (lumens) and 90mcd/m2, while a halogen lamp generates only 1400lm (lumens) and 30mcd/m2.

Of course, xenon lamps have gradually become available in different sizes and formats, making them suitable for a wide range of vehicle makes and models.

Another big plus is that xenon lamps have quite long term service life exceeding the life of halogen lamps: life is about 2000 hours under normal conditions.

Efficiency can be another benefit, opting for xenon HID lamps over halogen. They use more energy at start to provide powerful ignition and bring the lamp up to operating temperature, but once it is reached, they consume less energy than standard halogen lamps. This means that the load on the generator will be less and less torque is required to provide sufficient power. Fuel consumption is also slightly reduced, but you can hardly see it clearly, but the very understanding of this is already pleasant.

Are there any negative points? Well obviously xenon bulbs will cost more than halogen bulbs (including maintenance) and are more complex in design as they require a device called an "igniter" which is essentially a capacitor that creates and regulates what is needed. high voltage for work .

Let's not forget xenon bulbs need to be on for a few seconds to reach full brightness. Some vehicles use xenon HID bulbs for low beams and standard halogen bulbs for high beams. For more expensive models apply, the same xenon HID lamps work in both directions, both near and far (many mistakenly call this Bi-xenon), although dual mode operation is provided by a mechanical shutter inside the reflector that changes the direction of the beam.

Some xenon headlights can be harmful to our health as some models may contain toxic substances such as metallic mercury. Some countries have introduced special regulations that prohibit the use of such substances, but of course this will only increase production and repair costs.

Ultimately, the amount of glare emanating from xenon headlights can be very annoying to other drivers on the road, especially to oncoming traffic, thus increasing the number of accidents and deaths caused not only by speed but also by headlight glare.

The main advantages and disadvantages of xenon HID headlights:

ADVANTAGES :

— long service life, in comparison with halogen lamps;

- more efficient than halogen, due to more economical energy consumption and more Sveta;

- improved visibility for the driver.

FLAWS :

- too much glare for the oncoming stream;

- a more complex system than halogen lamps;

- there is a possibility of using harmful materials;

- It takes a few seconds to reach full brightness.

LED

The automotive industry has been developing for a long time. Along with this, the headlights have reached another level, and now automakers have carefully analyzed the impact of halogen and xenon headlights on their models and turned to a third option: .

At least on paper, LEDs seem to be the solution to mass-produce cars, but there is

several setbacks that could change the world outlook for this type of technology.

The principle of operation of an LED is rather difficult to explain, but in short, they are based on negative electrons moving against positive "holes" through the entire semiconductor. When a free electron falls into a hole that is at a lower energy level, it loses its energy, which is released as a photon (tiny particles) in a process called electroluminescence.

Multiply this process thousands of times per second, and you get a continuous bright light emitted from a width of 2 mm - a light emitting diode (LED).

Most important aspect, when it comes to LED LED headlights, is what they need very much low power performance compared to classic halogen lamps. LEDs are widely used in hybrid cars, For example Toyota Prius, where electricity plays a key role - not necessarily for headlights. The first production samples of LED headlights were applied on the model 2004 year Audi R8.

Generally speaking, LEDs sit between Halogen and HID Xenon in terms of their luminescence, but they provide more focused beams.

In addition, due to their small size, LEDs are easy to manufacture and install, and manufacturers can give them any shape and design that will perfectly match their models without disturbing the visual concept of the model, as was previously the case with halogen and xenon, where it was necessary to use reflectors.

⌕ Volkswagen LED daytime running lights

⌕ Full LED headlights

There are a number of points that need to be clarified. For example, while LEDs do not emit heat when turned on, as halogen headlights did, for example, they create a certain amount of heat at the bottom of the emitter (chip) as electricity passes through it, creating a potential risk to nearby blocks and cables. This is why LED headlights need to be cooled by heatsinks or fans to keep them from melting.

Do not also forget that these cooling systems are in engine compartment, not the best place for a temperature controlled system. For this reason, LED headlights are more difficult to design and install in a vehicle than HID xenon headlights.

Why do LED daytime running lights or LED taillights do without heatsinks and fans?

Because these devices do not have a direct function to illuminate the space in the dark. Therefore, they do not have to be as powerful as headlights, which means that the current used is not large enough to generate much heat.

How LED headlights shine compared to halogen

How LED headlights shine in comparison with xenon

The main advantages and disadvantages of LED headlights:

ADVANTAGES :

- small size, wide versatility in application to various shapes and designs;

- very low energy consumption;

- brighter, halogen headlights and warmer light than xenon HID lamps;

FLAWS :

— high costs for production;

— heat, arising around neighboring nodes;

- more complex in design, given the high operating temperature and the need for insulation from moisture.

LASER LIGHTS

BMW and Audi say laser headlight technology promises to be 1,000 times better than LED headlights in a more compact size. You probably know that lasers are very dangerous when misuse, and they only illuminate an area the size of a 10 ruble coin. So how can laser headlights be a good idea for automotive applications?

Same as xenon new technology uses lasers for only part of the process of creating light. In fact, you will not have a set of powerful lasers with lenses that burn everything in their path when you turn on the high beam.

According to BMW, their system uses three blue lasers located at the back of the headlamp housing to fire a beam at a multitude of tiny mirrors that focus their energy into a tiny lens containing yellow phosphorus gas.

This substance creates a very bright white light on contact with the laser beams, which is then reflected towards the front of the headlight. So basically, you are looking at the light produced by the phosphor and not by the laser itself, which makes the system quite expensive to use.

What happens if the lamps are damaged or the focus is lost? BMW says the headlights will just turn off automatically.

The light produced by this technology is 1000 times brighter than conventional LEDs, even when used at 2/3 (or half to half) power. And thanks to phosphorus, the color temperature of light (5500 - 6000 K) is quite close to the generally accepted 6500 K.

Many times more powerful than LED headlights, laser headlights can illuminate twice as far and are compact and flexible enough to install.

The downside is that BMW has stated that their technology will only work for high beams and, as you might think, the price will be high as well.

For example, high-tech laser headlights with 6 lasers each will cost around $10,000 (€7,800). The price includes the installation of auto brightness control, which will not blind the oncoming driver at a distance of 600 m.

laser Audi technology works in a very similar way, using 4 lasers per headlight.

The main advantages and disadvantages of laser headlights:

ADVANTAGES :

- very energy efficient;

- small dimensions;

- 1000 times brighter than LED headlights.

FLAWS :

- very high production and installation costs.

- currently they cannot be used for both low and high beams, requiring a combined with LED or HID xenon system for effective work;

- They still need to be cooled as they generate much more heat than LED headlights.

We hope our article will be useful for you.

Sincerely, your guide and shopping assistant in China tao-buy.com.ua