Lighting allows people to empathise with their cars

Automotive design has changed and evolved over time, with many suppliers creating unique and recognisable looks for cars based on the needs of vehicle manufacturers, and the distinctive look of body lighting has become one of the most important forms of presentation.

Body lighting started out as headlights and taillights, and has since evolved to include welcome lights, LED daytime running lights, interior ambient lighting, and more. Lighting technology is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. That is to say, the lighting system is no longer just for illumination, it has become an essential element in the brand identity of the car.

Marelli demonstrated new automotive lighting achievements at this year's Auto Shanghai, such as the second-generation high-resolution projection system Micro-LED advanced digital lighting technology, intelligent light-emitting front-end lighting module, full-colour ground projection technology, Ultra-Thin (ultra-narrow) combination headlight technology, SmartCorner lighting and sensor system integration technology, etc. By means of these latest technologies, the Through these latest technologies, the functional boundaries of headlamps are extended to become smarter, more interactive, more personalised, as well as safer.

Lightspeak is about to become a new way of communication, enabling the expression of emotions such as pleasure, anger, surprise, etc. through technologies such as projection or interactive lights. "Marelli's lamp products can realise 360° omni-directional lighting for emotional expression, making lamps a communication vehicle between car and car, car and people."

Continental displayed an intelligent glare-free HD light projection system based on Micro LED technology at the auto show, which not only improves driving safety and user experience, but also opens up a new era of headlight projection. The Micro LED technology it uses can encapsulate 25,600 individual LEDs or pixels in each light source.

This technology can combine the input information from other vehicle system sensors, such as ADAS, and make full use of the ultra-high light conversion efficiency of Micro LEDs, as well as hundreds of times more pixels than the existing traditional matrix headlamps, which can realise a number of intelligent functions: for example, assisting with far and near lights, and realising high-precision Intelligent No-Glare (ADB) functions; moreover, the system also supports a high-definition projection function, which projects a series of safety warning messages on the road, such as zebra crossings, speed limit signs and warning signs. Zebra crossing, speed limit signs, warning signs and a series of safety warning information, increasing the interaction between the vehicle and the driver and pedestrians outside the vehicle. At the same time, by precisely controlling each pixel at a single point, it avoids the waste of energy consumption caused by ineffective lighting of vehicle lights, as well as the interference with other road participants.

Ismail Dagli, Global Executive President of Continental's Intelligent Mobility Business Group, said Continental's HD near-field projection technology not only balances safety and comfort, but also costs significantly less, enabling more OEMs to afford the technology. "Higher-end headlights, because to be HD, the price of HD light modules and controllers used is very high, we can replicate the successful experience on LEDs in this area, based on the latest uLED technology, to create an intelligent non-glare HD lighting and projection system, which will greatly reduce the cost, and not only can luxury cars be equipped with it, but also can be used in every car. "