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Car Headlamps : Halogen, Xenon, LED

Headlamps : Halogen, Xenon, LED

Different Light sources for Headlamps

 

Halogen Headlamps

Valeo provides more than 1000 Halogen Headlamps references for the aftermarket. Automotive Halogen bulbs have long been a popular choice for headlamp light sources. In fact, halogen technology was first developed by Cibié (a Valeo-owned brand) in the 1950s and has continuously improved since then. For example, the development of more complex reflectors (elliptical modules) have allowed for transparent lenses (instead of striped lenses) and new design possibilities.

 

Xenon Headlamps

Valeo launched the first Xenon Headlamps in 1996. Xenon bulbs are part of the High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps that produce light thanks to an electric arc generated between two electrodes.

Xenon headlights offer more than 30% increased visibility compared to halogen headlights at a longer range (110m vs 80m).

Xenon headlamps also provide a light closer to daylight, i.e. a whiter or blueish light for lower power consumption (35W vs 55W for an H1 bulb) which allows a significant drop in CO2 emissions by 1.3g/km.

 

LED Headlamps

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) provide very efficient light with lower power consumption than halogen and xenon bulbs and extended design possibilities thanks to their compact size.

First used in rear lamps for their new design capabilities, LEDs are now used in headlamps, including on high-end car finishes. Besides offering the same optical performance as Xenon headlights, LEDs have a lower power consumption and last for the car’s entire lifetime. Valeo has launched full-LED headlamp applications for many popular models.

Technologies

AFS

In combination with the different light sources, Valeo has developed different technologies to improve driver visibility in response to the Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) regulations set in the early 2000s.

FBL/Cornering/DBL

Fixed Bending Light (FBL) and Cornering systems consist of additional reflecting surfaces or elliptical modules in the headlamps or the fog lamps dedicated to corner visibility. The additional light source switches on when the driver turns the steering wheel or activates the turn indicator. The first FBL headlamp launched by Valeo was an application for the 2003 Porsche Cayenne.

With the Dynamic Bending Light technology, there is no additional light: the elliptical module can rotate 15° outwards and 8° inwards when the driver turns the steering wheel for maximum visibility in corners.

Full AFS: Intelligent Adaptative Lighting Systems

The Xenon or LED module can swivel in every direction and adapt the light beam according to vehicle speed and weather conditions to improve driver comfort and safety.

The standard low beam automatically changes to a “Motorway beam” at around 110 km/h to increase visibility up to 120 metres.

Other full AFS options include the “Adverse weather beam” that concentrates lighting on certain areas of vision to reduce glare due to reflections from wet surfaces or fog.

Lastly, the “Tourism mode” reverses the lighting of right-hand-drive vehicles for driving abroad on the right side of the road, and vice versa.

ADB/Beamatic™

Valeo has developed an Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) system that uses a camera to detect the presence of other vehicles.

The headlamps remain in the main beam position and progressively lower the beam as an oncoming vehicle approaches to avoid glare. The function also considers the rear lamps of vehicles driving in the same lane.

The camera and position captors also detect the road’s gradient and adapt the beam height accordingly. Those functions are grouped together under the name BEAMATIC™.

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Find Valeo’s car fog lights in our catalogue

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