Automotive lighting and human vision

Burkhard Wördenweber, Jörg Wallaschek, Peter Boyce, Donald D. Hoffman3540366962, 9783540366966

Visual perception is the most important of the human senses. Lack of visual perception is one of the main causes of accidents. The safety of vehicle traffic depends on how well automotive lighting supports the visual perception of the driver. This book explains the fundamentals of visual perception, like e.g. physiology of eye and brain, as well as those of automotive lighting technology, like e.g. design of headlamps and signal lights. It is an interdiciplinary approach to a fastly evolving field of science and technology, answering questions like “How does information enter our brain when driving a car?” and “What are the benefits and dangers of LED signal lighting?”

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Table of contents :
Contents……Page 6
1. Introduction……Page 14
2.1 Visual construction……Page 20
2.1.1 Constructing shape and depth……Page 21
2.1.2 Constructing shading and colour……Page 27
2.1.3 Constructing objects and their parts……Page 34
2.1.5 General principles……Page 40
2.2.1 Signal detection theory……Page 44
2.2.2 Vision as bayesian inference……Page 52
2.2.3 Vision, evolution, and user interface……Page 54
2.3.1 The physiology of vision……Page 59
2.3.2 Continuous adjustments of the visual system……Page 71
2.3.3 Visual capabilities……Page 83
2.3.4 Conclusions……Page 104
3. Automotive Lighting – State of the Art……Page 105
3.1 Headlamps……Page 106
3.1.1 Installation and function……Page 107
3.1.2 Optical concepts……Page 110
3.1.3 Design aspects of headlamps……Page 126
3.1.4 Quality in development and production……Page 131
3.1.5 Day and night appearance……Page 152
3.1.6 Advanced front lighting……Page 156
3.1.7 Night vision systems……Page 163
3.2 Rear and signal lights……Page 169
3.2.1 Installation and functions……Page 170
3.2.2 Design concepts……Page 172
3.2.3 Optical concepts……Page 173
3.2.4 Styling freedom……Page 181
3.2.5 Adaptive signal lights……Page 194
3.3.1 Installation and function……Page 195
3.3.2 Filling space with light and colour……Page 206
3.3.3 Special light sources……Page 207
3.3.4 Control systems……Page 209
3.4.1 Man made light sources……Page 211
3.4.2 Electronics for lighting……Page 225
3.4.3 Materials for lighting……Page 231
3.5 Updating standards……Page 255
4.1.1 Mesopic vision – The problem……Page 272
4.1.2 Performance in mesopic vision……Page 274
4.1.3 Implications for practice……Page 279
4.1.4 Mesopic vision – Conclusion……Page 281
4.2.1 The forms of glare……Page 282
4.2.2 The quantification of glare……Page 286
4.2.3 Performance in the presence of glare……Page 289
4.2.4 Recovery from glare……Page 299
4.2.5 Behaviour in glare……Page 301
4.2.6 Glare in practice……Page 303
4.2.7 Xenon and halogen headlights……Page 304
4.2.8 Conclusion……Page 307
5.1.1 Limitations of passive lighting systems……Page 310
5.1.3 Solving conflicts with active systems……Page 314
5.1.4 The promises of active lighting systems……Page 315
5.2.1 Systems, energy, mass and information flows……Page 316
5.2.2 System structure of classical headlamp systems……Page 318
5.2.3 Mechatronic systems……Page 321
5.2.4 Basic system structures for automotive lighting……Page 322
5.3.1 Switching the lights on and off automatically……Page 330
5.3.2 Headlamp levelling……Page 331
5.3.3 Dynamic bending……Page 336
5.3.4 Interior light control……Page 341
5.4 Active lighting……Page 347
5.4.1 Sensors and sensor systems for active lighting……Page 348
5.4.2 Actuators for active lighting……Page 354
5.4.3 Functional structures and functions of active lighting systems……Page 363
5.4.4 Active signal lights……Page 378
5.5 Adding additional channels of perception……Page 386
5.6 Active lighting or additional displays? – The principle of immediacy……Page 392
5.7 Lighting future……Page 393
5.7.1 Rating of lighting systems……Page 394
5.7.2 Recommendations……Page 397
B……Page 401
D……Page 403
E……Page 404
G……Page 405
H……Page 406
I……Page 407
K……Page 408
L……Page 409
M……Page 410
P……Page 411
S……Page 412
V……Page 414
Z……Page 415