Want to see who's attending these conferences, co-located in Munich, Germany, August 29 - 31 2023?

This is by far the highest quality delegation of OEM experts from the Lighting, Display and HMI domains that you will have seen at any conference. See for yourself here.

Ahead of the Automotive Intelligent Lighting Technologies and Designs 2023 conference, Automotive IQ spoke with Max Schumacher at Ford Motor Company and Ignacio Cadenas at Volvo Cars to discuss the balance between leveraging technological advancements in lighting, while optimising cost and value. Automotive IQ wanted to hear from representatives from two different OEMs. Both Max and Ignacio gave insightful answers which were their own opinions and not those of their employers.

In this interview with Automotive IQ and Serkan Altintas, Interior Lighting Specialist, EMEA Product Development at Tofaş (working under Stellantis), Serkan discusses various aspects of ambient lighting in vehicles and its role in enhancing both comfort and safety for drivers.

Serkan provides visual examples, diagrams and scenarios to illustrate how ambient lighting can effectively warn and indicate drivers about potential collisions and driver fatigue, as well as detailing the use of flexbands and RGB modules. Serkan also explores the potential future applications of interior projection lighting in personalising the driving experience for occupants. He shares practical solutions for reducing packaging constraints while maintaining high levels of intelligence in interior lighting features. Furthermore, he delves into how companies leverage machine learning to adapt ambient lighting according to the driver’s needs, highlighting the technology’s benefits.

When considering improving vehicle safety, one significant area of focus is reducing the glare that is projected in vehicle lighting. Over the years, a common occurrence for drivers is to experience discomfort from approaching vehicles due to their headlights, and in reverse have an upcoming vehicle flash them in dark conditions to signal that their lights are too bright.

Glare occurs when excessive or poorly directed light from vehicle headlights creates discomfort or reduced visibility for drivers and other road users. It poses significant safety concerns as it can impair the vision of oncoming drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, leading to potential accidents. To mitigate this issue, automakers are striving to design lighting systems that will render this problem a thing of the past and provide lighting with optimal illumination without causing undue glare. 

Automotive IQ interviewed Vlad Baicu, Integration Engineer – Lighting at Bentley Motors to discuss innovations in reducing the glare from vehicle lighting, and the challenges that OEMs are facing in doing so. In this interview Vlad covered the following discussion points:

• The measures to reduce oncoming headlamp glare

• The impact of increased pixels and advanced camera technology on traffic sign recognition and addressing headlamp glare issues

• The influence of LED colour temperature on headlamp glare and effective management techniques

• Challenges in developing a glare-free light beam without compromising visibility range

• Improving headlight dimming to minimise flickering disturbances for road users

• New testing methods to evaluate the impact of oncoming headlamp glare

• Best practices and innovative approaches in the lighting industry for a humancentric approach to reduce glare and improve safety.

What are the key benefits of projection lighting?

Automotive IQ speaks with industry expert, Max Sundermeier, Group Leader - Digital Optical Systems at Leibniz Universität Hannover to understand more on projection lighting from an academic perspective. In the interview, Max shares his expertise on projection lighting, highlighting its potential to create a different shape and presence on the road. He emphasizes how projection lighting can reshape and augment a vehicle's physical appearance by casting illuminating patterns on the road, enhancing visibility and perception, especially in challenging lighting conditions. Max also discusses how projection lighting enables vehicles to project signals and warnings, improving communication with other road users, while simultaneously allowing vehicle manufacturers to strengthen brand identification and offer personalized experiences to customers.

Get your copy of Nadine Nowak's presentation from the Application of Next-Generation Automotive Lighting and Display Technology 2022 conference, held in Munich, Germany in May 2022. 

This presentation showcases the development in exterior vehicle displays and how they can provide messages to pedestrians, as well as other advanced technology used for communication, through the use of imagery and case study mock-ups. 

Download this PDF presentation that accompanied the talk 'Automotive Lighting: Challenges and Opportunities' delivered by Hatice Ozburk, Lighting & Design Specialist at Tofaş in October 2021.

Download a recording of the presentation 'Automotive Lighting: Challenges and Opportunities' delivered by Hatice Ozburk, Lighting & Design Specialist at Tofaş in October 2021.