PLYMOUTH, Mich., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading automotive lighting
supplier Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., is introducing a headlamp prototype that will
use a white light-emitting diode (LED) system for high beam, low beam, vehicle
sidemarkers and daytime running lights (DRLs).
The new LED technology is part of a technical presentation on Automotive
Lighting Technology to be given by Dr. Karsten Eichhorn, Hella Corporate
Research Dept., at 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 12, in Room W2-63 at the SAE World
Congress in Detroit's Cobo Center.
Hella's LED headlamp prototype achieves a level of around 1,000 lumens
luminous flux in the low beam, and matches the light output of a xenon
headlamp. The white-light LEDs offer greater flexibility for front-end
vehicle design. Hella uses both standard LEDs and LED assemblies especially
designed for automotive applications. The system is expected to be in
production by 2008.
"The development of white LEDs in particular is creating application
possibilities that would have been inconceivable only a few years ago," said
Joe Borruso, president and CEO of Hella North America. "Along with its design
advantages, the main reason for the development of this new headlamp
technology is the reduced need for maintenance. The aim is to develop a
headlamp which functions perfectly for the life of the vehicle."
The most striking part of the headlamp is formed by seven hexagonal
plastic lenses arranged in a honeycomb pattern. There is a shovel-shaped
free-form reflector positioned next to these that produces the low beam
together with four segments of the honeycomb. For the high beam, the other
three segments of the honeycomb are also used.
During the day, all seven segments of the honeycomb form the daytime
running light. Six standard LEDs arranged in a row beneath the shovel-shaped
free-form reflector are used for the direction indicator function.
Headlamps with LEDs for main lighting functions meet SAE standards in the
U.S. and will meet ECE regulations in Europe by 2008. Signalling functions in
headlamps (direction indicator, position light and daytime running light)
using LEDs are already approved in both the ECE and SAE regulated regions.
Hella first presented a prototype of the LED system at the 2003
International Auto Show in Frankfurt, and predicts that by 2010 LEDs will be
widely used in low-beam, main beam and fog lamps because of their increased
design flexibility and safety benefits.
Lighting, electronics, complete vehicle modules, air-conditioning systems,
vehicle-wiring systems and signal processing for the automobile industry, as
well as automotive aftermarket components, are the core fields of competency
for automotive supplier Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. Sales for the Hella Group are
approximately $3.9 billion, placing Hella among Germany's top 100 industrial
companies.
With its corporate headquarters in Lippstadt, Germany, the company employs
nearly 24,000 people at 65 manufacturing facilities, production subsidiaries
and joint-venture companies in 18 countries. More than 2,000 engineers and
technicians work in research and development. All of the world's leading
automobile and systems manufacturers are Hella customers as well as the
automotive components aftermarket.
Additional information is available at http://www.hella.com .
SOURCE Hella
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Related links:
http://www.hella.com
CONTACT:
Company Contacts: Dan Saar of Hella North
America, Phone: +1-734-414-0960, E-mail: dan.saar@hna.hella.com ,
Ulrich Koester of Hella KGaA Hueck & Company, Phone:
+49.29.41.38.7566, E-Mail: ulrich.koester@hella.de ; or Media
Contact: Laura Oliveto of AutoCom Associates, Phone:
+1-248-647-8621, E-Mail: loliveto@usautocom.com , or URL:
http://www.usautocom.com
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