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First compact car
with bendy lights |
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May 2004 |
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| Dynamic bend lighting units for the new Opel
Astra have been developed by leading auto supplier Hella. The model is the
first vehicle in the compact segment that can be equipped with AFL technology
(Adaptive Forward Lighting). This innovative development for increased safety and driving comfort is now available to a much wider circle of car drivers. Hella has also produced bend lighting systems for nine other models from different vehicle manufacturers. The technology behind the dynamic bend lighting is a bi-xenon module that swivels in the range of plus/minus 15 degrees depending on the radius of the bend being negotiated. The area illuminated by low beam light in front of a vehicle driving into a bend is almost doubled thanks to the new headlamp technology. Drivers can therefore recognise the course of the bend at an early stage and adapt their driving style accordingly. Active bend lighting works with both low and high beam functions and reacts according to the vehicle’s speed. At low speeds the headlamps follow the steering angle in fractions of a second. The swivelling mechanism works correspondingly slower at higher speeds in order to distribute the light as the driver requires it. Dynamic headlamp levelling ensures that the headlamps remain at the prescribed height both during changes in load and during acceleration and braking procedures, thus preventing glare onto oncoming traffic. Combination rear lamps For the first time anywhere in the world, the lighting specialists are using a lens that is opaque from the outside, a so-called translucent lens, for the direction indicator and backup light functions. This lens made of the plastic material PMMA contains extremely small globular polymer particles which divert the light radiated from the bulb instead of absorbing it. This allows 80 per cent of the light to be used instead of 70 per cent (as is the case with conventionally coloured lenses). This leads to clear benefits for the driver: due to the strong light scatter, the side area behind the vehicle is also well illuminated, making it easier to recognise obstacles when reversing and parking in the dark. Further products supplied by Hella for the new Opel Astra are the interior lights, the center high mounted stop lamp, the electronic pedal sensor, the headlamp levelling control units and the central control units. Awards for bend lighting Hella has also developed bend lighting systems for Audi A6 and A8, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and SLK, BMW 5 Series and X5, Opel Signum, Vectra and Astra. As with xenon light, this makes the company the market leader in this sector, and it has already received three international awards for its innovative bend lighting. The most recent of these is the "AutoMoto Leader 2003" awarded in January 2004 for technical innovation by the readers of the leading Polish specialist automotive journal AutoMoto. In October 2003 Hella had already been awarded the "Trophy of Excellence" for technological innovation, by the automotive market research company GIPA in Italy. In April 2003 the Spanish Engineering Association STA presented Hella with an innovation prize at the Motorshow in Barcelona for the dynamic bend lighting system. |
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