Visteon's LED Front Lighting is industry's first road-worthy,
available application of technology
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Visteon Corporation
(NYSE: VC) is lighting the way for the Cadillac STS SAE 100 Technology
Integration Vehicle with the industry's first road-worthy application of LED
(light emitting diode) Front Lighting. GM's Technology Integration Vehicle
was unveiled at the SAE World Congress, taking place at Detroit's Cobo Center
from April 11-14, 2005.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001201/DEF008LOGO )
Visteon's LED Front Lighting provides unique styling opportunities for
automakers, while delivering a durable light with extended life, reduced power
consumption and reduced space requirements. Visteon already produces LED rear
signal lights and is the industry's first Tier I automotive supplier to
announce the development of a "road-worthy beam pattern" application of LED
front lighting.
"Visteon is pleased to work with General Motors in demonstrating this
breakthrough application of LED technology as a front-end lighting source,"
said Todd Sheppelman, Visteon's vice president and general manager of the
General Motors customer business group. "We've focused our lighting and
electronics engineering resources to bring our customers a technology that is
functional and offers styling flexibility to help them differentiate their
vehicles."
LED technology has been available to vehicle designers for rear signal
light applications for nearly a decade. Moving them to the front of the
vehicle is a greater engineering challenge because of the many light sources
that must be arranged and focused to provide necessary nighttime and
inclement-weather visibility. Visteon's expertise in lighting, electronics
and underhood thermal management resulted in a new approach to this challenge.
This new approach includes unique optics and a new method of light source
placement to direct the white light into a beam pattern that meets federal
requirements for automotive front lighting. In addition, LEDs need to be
thermally managed for heat dissipation to withstand engine-compartment
temperatures. LEDs also require precise electronic current control over their
operating range. Visteon's ability to focus its range of automotive
engineering expertise addressed these challenges and, based on automotive
production schedules, is capable of bringing this scaleable-light-output,
production-ready technology to the automotive market in a matter of months.
An LED is a compact, solid-state semiconductor device that converts
electrical energy into light. The LED elements are associated with
specialized optics to create a beam pattern for high beam, low beam, daytime
running lamps, or fog lamps that meet federal requirements. While LED front
lighting can be customized to complement traditional Halogen or HID/Xenon
lighting, Visteon's LED Front Lighting demonstration lamps are comprised
entirely of LED technology. LED-based headlamps offer several advantages to
revolutionize automotive lighting. These advantages include flexibility in
design, improved packaging, reduced power consumption and long life. LED
front lights are up to 55-percent thinner than their non-LED counterparts,
thus opening up space in the engine compartment or in the grille to add
styling options.
Since LED lights don't use a single light source but rather several
sources combined to achieve the required beam pattern, designers have the
opportunity to arrange light sources and provide a unique differentiating
appearance. This includes the possibility of placing LEDs to create different
daytime and nighttime "faces" for a vehicle.
Visteon Corporation is a leading full-service supplier that delivers
consumer-driven technology solutions to automotive manufacturers worldwide and
through multiple channels within the global automotive aftermarket. Visteon
has about 70,000 employees and a global delivery system of more than 200
technical, manufacturing, sales and service facilities located in 25
countries.
SOURCE Visteon Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.visteon.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001201/DEF008LOGO
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Robin Pannecouk, +1-734-710-5575,
rpanneco@visteon.com , or Jim Fisher, +1-734-710-5557,
jfishe89@visteon.com , both of Visteon Corporation
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