Subscribe to our mailing list and be among the first to read Mister Muffler preventative maintenance tips!
Mister Muffler preventative maintenance tips The Science of Light
To drive your car safely, you have to be able to see well. Studies indicate that more than 90% of the information we need when driving comes from our eyes. This percentage drops considerably under poor weather conditions or when lighting is insufficient.
In an attempt to correct this, manufacturers have come up with several new and very effective types of headlights. Using xenon, these are not only stronger but produce lighting similar to daylight, even under the worst conditions.
To further improve visibility, European manufacturers BMW and Audi have reintroduced adaptive headlights, which follow the movement of the driver's eyes in a curve. Different from conventional headlights, this system lights the curve into which the car is turning, instead of only lighting the area immediately in front of the car. It also makes it possible to see obstacles from twice as far before even going into the curve. Their only real drawback, in fact, is their price - estimated at $2,000. It may be a while, therefore, before these headlights show up as standard equipment on all cars.
Another possibility for seeing better at night is the Night Vision system, which uses infrared light. Found on cars like the Cadillac, their high cost and relatively new technology currently puts them out of reach of most car owners.
Another major find: VarioX, a bi-xenon (and therefore stronger) lamp. Developed by engineers, this lamp features variable intensity and angle. The traditional bi-xenon system is built around a very strong lamp that splits the light coming from a single lens. A diaphragm slipped in front of the bulb blocks the light in different ways, allowing you to move from high to low beam in a fraction of a second.
In the VarioX, the diaphragm is replaced by a drum whose different profiles allow the light to be used in various ways. It can give you low beams that light a shorter distance, high beams that are stronger and narrower, as well as a variety of other choices, lighting the sides at different angles. This system will also allow you to light one side of the car differently from the other. You could, for example, have the high beam on one side and the low beam on the other.
Intelligent lighting
Working from this principle of adaptability, manufacturers are attempting to create intelligent lighting. This involves the use of different sensors on each corner of the car. Based on standard settings, the onboard computer could then calculate the lighting required.
An intelligent system could make the adjustments needed to provide optimal lighting.
By calculating the steering angle, braking and other data, the car would automatically trigger the lateral lighting mode when going into a turn. An intelligent system could even "forecast" turns in advance and make the adjustments needed to provide optimal lighting.
Other sensors, which already exist, could also help improve lighting. Rain, temperature and humidity sensors used in combination, would turn the lights on at the right time even when darkness results from bad weather. During thunderstorms or snowstorms, for example, the headlights would be at the proper intensity to ensure that the driver has good visibility and can be seen by others from a distance.
Finally, using a laser radar, it would be possible to detect the car in front of you. Obviously, as you approach, the lights would automatically reduce their intensity. If your vehicle detects another car in front of you, the radar would determine the distance separating you from the other vehicle and its precise position, adjusting the lighting accordingly. One of the lights, turned a little to the left, could give you a long distance high beam while the second headlight, the one on the right, could be more diffuse, so as not to blind the other driver.
Science fiction? Not at all. This is simply a summary of work currently being carried out by car manufacturers. There's even talk of introducing the first intelligent lighting systems as early as 2005.
