CARS LIGHT UP ON A SINGLE BULB

This short article describes a new design for vehicle lighting, which supplies all the light required for headlamps, indicators, interior lights and so on from one single bulb. Called the "light engine", the heart of the system is a single star shaped gas discharge lamp, which is mounted beneath the centre of the car body. Light is transmitted from this via optical fibres to the different parts of the car as required. The car will no longer illuminate the road ahead by focusing the light from the headlamps into a beam. Instead, the car's light engine will illuminate a strip of plastic lens running across the front of the car, lighting the entire swathe of highway evenly. This lighting strip will only be 2.5 cm tall, and will mould into the contours of the car's body to reduce air resistance to a minimum. The developers of the light engine, General Electric of the United States, claim that the gas discharge lamps are more durable than filament lamps, and that they will last about 10 years.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/02624079
• Corporate Authors:

  IPC Magazines Limited

  Holborn Group, King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street
  London SE1 9LS,   England 
• Authors:
  • -
• Publication Date: 1990-4-28

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 42
• Serial:
  • NEW SCIENTIST
  • Volume: 126
  • Issue Number: 1714
  • Publisher: REED BUSINESS INFORMATION LTD
  • ISSN: 0262-4079

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brake lamps; Design; Fibers; Headlamps; Optics; Side lighting
• ITRD Terms: 1351: Brake light; 9011: Design (overall design); 4557: Fibre; 1342: Headlamp; 6764: Optics; 1331: Side light
• Subject Areas: Design;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00606361
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 31 1991 12:00AM