A revolutionary introduction to automotive lighting

The current trend in car manufacturing is: in addition to design, emphasis on safety and comfort. Making bigger and faster cars doesn't make much sense, and making it safer and more comfortable is the most important thing. In the past, we have seen the introduction of anti-skid brake systems and airbags – initially limited to the more expensive types that are now available in all cars. But this progress has not occurred on the car headlight system. Since the invention of halogen lamps more than 30 years ago, automotive headlamps have been viewed as products that are unrelated to road safety and driver comfort. But we all know that many accidents occur under bad visual conditions such as bad weather and darkness. We all know that the road conditions are becoming more and more complex and require the driver to have more concentrated attention. We also know that the average age of drivers is rising, while older people need six times more brightness than young people while driving.
Lighting and safety

Better lighting plays an important role in improving these conditions. So we will look forward to it for so long. Of course, the current generation of light sources has been improved and has higher luminous efficiency, but the real breakthrough comes from different mechanisms: gas discharge sources. The halogen lamp emits light through the burning filament. The gas discharge lamp emits light by an arc generated between the two poles. It is therefore brighter and has a higher life. Gas discharge lamps require more than just the problem of being placed in another bulb. It requires a trigger to generate a 25Kv startup voltage, and a ballast to control the entire system.

Gas discharge itself is not new. Philips has produced such light sources for different applications for more than 70 years. However, the requirements for the light source used in automobiles are quite demanding, and breakthroughs must be made in gas discharge technology to create miniature compact discharge tubes controlled by precision electronic devices.

The result is surprising; the use of high-tech electronics to produce instantaneous full-light source, higher light output, reduced power consumption and three times higher brightness with reflectors with better light control. The benefits for the driver are also surprising: a wider field of view and a better light intensity distribution on the road. The life expectancy of a car eliminates the possibility of replacing the light source. The light color is close to daylight. All of this has a significant improvement in both safety improvements and comfortable driving. In addition, car manufacturers have also benefited from smaller headlamps, lower temperatures that allow the use of plastics, and reduced energy consumption.

Xenon lamp: revolution in car lighting

Current and future market trends are placing higher demands on lighting equipment. This also happens on headlights and other lighting equipment. The trend for headlamps is to be safer on the basis of better visual effects and economical costs, and have a longer life and aerodynamic shape design. The market needs economical, long-life, high-efficiency and anti-vibration products. As a supplier of guaranteed lighting systems, Philips has improved gas discharge sources and electronic control devices, and now offers a revolutionary solution for automotive lighting: xenon lamps.

XENON is a lighting system that includes three matching components. A miniature gas discharge lamp acts as a light source, an electronic device controls the start and ignition points, and a finely matched front lighting fixture ensures optimum illumination. The quality of the lighting is doubled, while the energy consumption of half of the halogen lamps is used. 5 times its longevity, the emitted light color similar to daylight and to allow a highly compact design of the front-illuminated lamps, Last but not least, it can be started directly after extinguished instantaneously.