The light sources for the car are essential system, allowing to increase the level of vehicle safety and controllability of the machine in conditions of limited visibility.
Naturally, automakers are trying to constantly improve their lighting technologies: initially conventional ones were used, then LED sources and LEDs began to be used, now it has come to laser headlights for cars.
The principle of operation and the device of laser headlights
Some people, looking science fiction films and having heard the first news about the appearance of laser headlights for a car, they sounded the alarm - this light source, they say, will not only blind oncoming motorists, but also negatively affect the retina of the human eye, destroying it.
In fact, the developers of this technology solved this problem a long time ago, thanks to a special approach to the design of their systems and the principle of their operation:
- Lasers are used only for warming up special element- phosphorus.
- Phosphorus, when heated, turns into the strongest light source, which focuses on the road and allows it to be effectively illuminated.
In addition, the developers have implemented the following principles in their laser fog lights:
- Automatic shutdown of the equipment, in the event of a vehicle getting into a traffic accident, in which the headlights may be damaged.
- The presence of special sensors that read information about all oncoming objects and changes in the configuration of the road. After that computer system the vehicle can make independent decisions to reduce the intensity of the emitted light beam.
Technology Benefits
It is clear that such light sources automatically raise the initial cost of the vehicle on which they will be operated. Therefore, motorists have a completely logical question - what kind of advantages will this technology provide? There are several of them:
- Pure lighting - the source gives absolutely white light, which does not distort objects and their outlines at all.
- Laser headlights are able to illuminate the road at a distance of up to 600 meters.
The last factor is very significant, as it allows you to move at night outside the city limits for quite high speeds while at the same time providing yourself and the car with an acceptable level of safety.
History of appearance and development
First official information about this technology appeared in 2011. It is not at all surprising that two eminent German companies, BMW and AUDI, became the pioneers in this direction of development of automotive lighting systems.
The first were representatives of BMW, who in 2011 presented to the world public a conceptual vehicle called i8, which received a similar technology in high-quality equipment. Exactly three years later, the German sports car entered the stage series production and today is available to people, of course, for a fairly high amount of money from ten million rubles and more.
Audi introduced its version a few months later, in the same 2011 year. But, unlike competitors, it was immediately production model R18 E-tron Quattro. At the same time, the automaker presented its next concept (Sport Quattro Laserlight) with a similar lighting system.
That is, on this moment time, people who dream of having their own vehicle equipped with laser light sources can only choose from a limited number of car brands, produced by two German companies - all other automakers have not yet announced the development of similar technologies.
Compared to headlights with other light sources (incandescent, gas discharge, classic LEDs), lasers have whole line benefits. Laser radiation has a high spatial coherence, i.e., the radiation can be directed in the form of a narrow beam.
However, laser headlights are not actually white light lasers, but fluorescent sources illuminated by powerful blue or ultraviolet semiconductor lasers.
In fact, there are lasers white color based on supercontinuum generation effect, but their use in headlights stock car impossible due to the very high price (over $10,000 apiece).
The use of laser phosphor illumination made it possible to create very bright and compact headlights with a narrow beam.
Laser headlights are the most compact of all existing ones. The light emitting surface area of emitting phosphor is one hundred times smaller than that of a conventional LED. Therefore, with the same light output, a laser headlight needs a reflector with a diameter of 30 mm, for xenon - 70 mm, and for a halogen lamp - 120 mm. Thanks to this, laser headlights can be made much smaller without losing the effectiveness of illuminating the road. In the case of the BMW i8, the height of the reflector has been reduced from 9 centimeters to less than 3 centimeters. Although the designers do not plan to reduce it yet, as the new features will allow more convenient positioning of the headlights, modeling best design car.
The laser head light will work in tandem with a "digital assistant" that prevents dazzling drivers of oncoming and passing cars. Laser-based optics provide a more precise shape of the light beam, which makes front light safer and more comfortable for motorists moving in the opposite direction.
In the housing of each headlight there are three sources of laser radiation with a power of about 1 W each. The beams are directed by means of a system of mirrors to an element of fluorescent material. When the latter absorbs energy, a white glow is released, from which a light beam is formed.
LED pointer
Laser technology in automotive lighting pushed the Bavarians to create another interesting technology, called Dynamic Light Spot - dynamic spot lighting. New system capable of detecting a pedestrian or other obstacle on the road and directing an amplified beam of light at him. So the driver receives information about the potential danger. Moreover, such a hint pops up before the object appears in the beams of the dipped headlights. Consequently, the driver gets a head start of a few seconds or tens of meters, which is often not enough to slow down or go around a person. The Dynamic Light Spot system can keep multiple objects in view. As soon as a person or an animal gets into the lens of an infrared camera, a beam of light immediately points to it.
Laser headlights are high-tech light optics that are on the wish list of all advanced motorists. Everyone knows that these devices protect drivers from accidents and are quite convenient in foggy times, but they also have some drawbacks. More on this below.
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Laser light optics device
A relatively new device that appeared in 2014, but has already won the persistent and ardent love of drivers - laser anti-fog headlight. They are installed depending on the head optics or marker lights.
You can often find them behind the car, and the choice of installation is extensive:
- under the bumper of the car;
- behind the car directly under the spoiler;
- under or on the bottom of the car.
Laser lights are good because they are visible to cars driving behind in any weather. It is worth stopping and the devices leave a bright red stripe that breaks through the mist and is perfectly visible through the rain, thereby telling the drivers of cars driving behind that they should also slow down and keep their distance.
The device is small enough, and therefore almost invisible, to worry about how harmoniously the device will look on the car.
Principle of operation
This device is based on The main task of such a headlight is that precipitation does not fall on it, because the optics are in an uncomfortable position - below the fog line.
The principle of operation of laser headlights is exactly the same: they can be said to take into account the location of frost. The light lies directly on the road with a red stripe, signaling for other drivers. Despite the fact that LEDs act as light, thanks to which the laser works, headlights are not a source of illumination, but an element of energy supply.
No matter what the headlight is, inside it the atoms of the active substance consume a certain amount of energy, converting it into photons. For example, an incandescent lamp device has a tungsten filament that emits light when heated. This principle has been modified and transformed. Laser flashlights can provide a power that is several times higher than the power of the basic ones. xenon lamps(the author of the video is Techno Drive).
Advantages and disadvantages of using
The benefits are obvious:
- Compared with a conventional device, the cost of electricity will be the same, but the brightness of the laser lamp will be much higher.
- The prototype laser lights for the BMW model produce 1.7-1.8 more light intensity, given that the power is 50% lower than conventional devices.
- This optic is created using high technology, and therefore its "visibility" is not only clearer, but also further, compared to xenon headlights.
- As part of the optics are microcontrollers that limit the direction of the light beam. This mechanism protects other drivers from interference.
Despite the fact that there are a lot of pluses, there are also minuses, as in any technical equipment. The obvious downside is the price. To afford such optics you need to make good money. In addition, not every car really needs such "bells and whistles". Another disadvantage is that it is almost impossible to make such a device with your own hands.
Manufacturers
These devices are produced directly by car manufacturers. As mentioned above, for example, BMW company and Audi. For the time being, the installation is an operational solution, since it is rarely present in mass models of machines. Developers of LED technology, including Philips, also act as a manufacturer.
How to make your own laser headlights?
A little higher it was said that it is almost impossible to make such high-quality optics, but hope dies last. As a device, you can use the partial introduction of diodes into automotive optics. This will give some result.
Some car enthusiasts put forward their own techniques, where they use a diode from a DVD-RW player drive as a device. In this case, the device is installed in the niche of the fog or brake light. After the design is welded, due to which the beam is adjusted thanks to a stencil cut out of cardboard. Before starting this painstaking work, it is necessary to determine the characteristics of the lamps.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that although it is currently problematic to purchase them, and it is difficult to make laser headlights with your own hands, you should not neglect the last point. Refining the headlights will also reduce the risk of driving at night and foggy.
A laser headlight for a car is a great solution. Despite the fact that not all drivers are aware of such an innovation and may be surprised. In any case, this will save the car from a collision.
Be sure to remember that the angle of the cylinder must be carefully adjusted. Otherwise, when hitting a hill, the light bar will hit exactly on windshield behind a moving car.
I waited for darkness, drove the Audi R8 LMX supercar onto German suburban roads away from Ingolstadt, let everyone pass, turned on the far one - and ... where is the promised laser light? It works only after 60 km / h, and the illuminated area is almost doubled - up to six hundred meters! Only shines at the same time ... not quite a laser.
There were oil car headlights, then acetylene, then with incandescent lamps, then gas discharge and LED. And now with lasers! They appeared almost simultaneously on the BMW i8 and on the Audi R8 LMX. Letters LMX - in honor of Le Mans. After all, this year the victorious Audi cars were for the first time equipped with “laser” head optics, and now its serial version is being put on the road R8 in the “Le Mans” version.
Only 99 of these coupes will go on sale, which differ from serial version V10 plus (AR No. 19, 2013) with a boosted engine (570 hp instead of 550 hp), carbon fiber body parts (spoilers, rear wing, mirror housings, etc.), sporty attributes in the cabin and special blue coloring . IN Germany Audi The R8 LMX sells for 210,000 euros - 35,000 more than the original V10 plus version. And about half of this surcharge is just for the "laser" light!
Audi R8 LMX headlight beam comparison
Why in quotes?
What is a laser? In short, this is a quantum generator that produces radiation in the optical range with monochromaticity and coherence unattainable for other light sources.
Monochromaticity, that is, the constancy of the color of the beam, is a consequence of a fixed wavelength. That is, the laser beam can be either red, or blue, or ... But not white at all, since the white light that is needed to illuminate the road is achromatic. White light does not have its own wavelength, and is obtained by mixing at least three monochromatic radiations (for example, red, green and blue - as in TV kinescopes).
And coherence is the synchronism of wave oscillations at different points in space and in different time. Think of laser pointers that run on conventional batteries. The power of such a laser is no more than 5 milliwatts, but the beam hits a couple of kilometers, while only a small illuminated spot is visible on the “aiming” surface.
But for car headlights on the contrary, you need a diffused light source to illuminate a large area in front of the car!
At the same time, even cheap laser pointers are dangerous for the eyes: a beam concentrated at one point permanently damages retinal cells. And with the increase in power, leather and even inorganic materials also fall into the “risk group”.
So how do engineers German company Has Osram, which has developed new headlights for both Audi and BMW, been able to adapt the laser to illuminate the road?
Indirectly. There are lasers in the headlights of the Audi R8 LMX, but their beams do not go beyond the housings!
See the "laser" light section? And she is! The barrel of the laser-phosphor "gun" (shown by the arrow) is only 2 cm in diameter and is covered with miniature blinds that open on command electronic block when turned on
Firstly, the head optics here are primarily LED: semiconductor light sources are responsible for both low beam and high beam. But in addition, each headlight has four miniature laser diodes with a power of 1.6 W each (in BMW headlights i8 there are three such diodes - and this is the only one fundamental difference from Audi). Lasers generate thin, hair-sized beams of blue color(wavelength - 450 Nm). With the help of lenses, these rays are collected into one and ... fall on the phosphor - a yellow phosphorus plate with an area of \u200b\u200bonly 0.5x0.5 mm. This is the true source of light! Absorbing the energy of laser radiation, it emits a beam of practically white light (color temperature - 5500 K), which falls on the road through a system of reflectors.
A multi-stage security system that cuts off power at the slightest damage or “suspicion” of an emergency situation protects from the exit of “clean” laser beams to the outside. Blinds in the headlights are also part of this system.
That is, the laser here is only a source of energy, and it is more correct to call such headlights laser-phosphor. And if you consider that the "laser" section automatically connects to the LED only after 60 km / h, then ... Shame on you, Osram? But who cares about technical correctness these days? You will not call these headlights "LED-laser-phosphor". Long and obscure. And you say "laser" - and the wow effect is guaranteed!
And which technology is better?
Today - matrix, - without a shadow of a doubt, Stefan Berlitz, Audi's chief specialist for headlights, answers.
Herr Berlitz refers to Audi's LED optics Matrix LED, which is installed, for example, on the Audi A8 (AR No. 21, 2013): 25 powerful computer-controlled LEDs automatically adjust the shape of the light beam, avoiding dazzling oncoming drivers. Laser-phosphor optics cannot do this. But it hits 500-600 meters! And the standard LED headlights of the Audi R8 have a declared range of only about 300 m.
But LED matrix headlights on updated Mercedes CLS (AR No. 15-16, 2014) “according to the passport” shine at 485 m, only slightly inferior to Audi laser headlights.
Both we and our colleagues from Mercedes have already learned how to make good LED headlights, explains Stefan Berlitz. - And the "laser" light can only boast of long-range and miniature size. But we just started working on it, it will be more interesting!
No doubt. After all, xenon headlights at first they were extremely expensive, and now they are yesterday. And the future is either LED or phosphor. And definitely bright.
Recently, Audi introduced a new version R8 supercar. She received the designation LMX. The novelty was equipped with headlights, the design of which contains laser LEDs. According to brand representatives, the LMX coupe can be considered the first in the world serial car equipped laser optics"from the factory".
The BMW i8 hybrid supercar, the prototype of which was introduced back in 2011, should also be released soon. This car will also get laser headlights, but only as an option. The question is, is it dangerous? new technology for the eyes, and whether it is advisable to apply it in practice. We will try to answer such questions further.
Design
Each Audi headlight The LMX contains an array of four LEDs. The laser beam coming from each LED hits the phosphor, which emits visible light with a temperature of 5500 K. The luminous flux emitted by the phosphor is more like light halogen lamps, and has nothing to do with laser radiation. This means that innovative optics does not pose any danger to the human eye, despite the fact that the main source of energy in it is a laser.
The question is why all these complexities are needed, such as lasers, a phosphorescent screen, and so on. In fact, the range of illumination obtained using laser modules is twice that of LED or xenon. Which is a good argument for the application of the technology in question specifically in automotive optics. Of course, the long-range laser light cannot be used when the low beam mode is used. This can be considered another guarantee that the new technology is harmless.
Only in supercars
It is unlikely that the technology discussed here in reality will be widespread. laser lights in Audi car LMXs are activated at speeds of 60 km/h, but the supercar has a system that detects oncoming cars and turns off the laser module if necessary. Surely such a cybernetic system is expensive, and without the availability similar systems use laser optics will be illegal.
