Audi and partners advancing intelligent laser adaptive headlights; Matrix Laser technology
28 April 2015
Audi and its partners Bosch, Osram and the Lichttechnischen Institut (LTI; “Lighting Technology Institute”) of the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) are working on the project “intelligent laser light for compact and high-resolution adaptive headlights” (iLaS), sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research. The Matrix Laser technology and its high resolution will make roadway illumination even more flexible and highly versatile, in all situations.
Matrix Laser technology is based on the LaserSpot for high‑beam lamps, which Audi first introduced to production in the Audi R8 LMX. The new technology operates with a rapidly moving micro-mirror, which redirects the laser beam.
At low vehicle speeds, the light is distributed to a larger projection area, and the road is illuminated with a very wide range. At high speeds, the aperture angle is smaller, and the intensity and range of the light are increased significantly. This is especially advantageous in highway driving.
In addition, the light can be distributed precisely. This means that the brightness of different lighting zones can be varied by controlling the illumination dwell times in the specific zones.
Also new is intelligent and fast activation and deactivation of the laser diodes in relation to the mirror position. This makes the broadening or narrowing of the luminous beam dynamic and highly variable.
As with today’s Matrix LED headlights from Audi, the road is always brightly lit without causing glare to other participants in traffic. The difference is that Matrix Laser technology offers even finer dynamic resolution and therefore a higher degree of utilization, which leads to greater safety in road traffic.
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