What it does
The Liquid Crystal Beam is a headlight designed for nighttime and remote driving, reducing glare for oncoming drivers. Using liquid crystals to selectively transmit light, this headlight effectively illuminates the road while minimizing glare.
Your inspiration
"Be careful when driving at night." "That car is driving with high beams on so inconsiderately." Many drivers have experienced being momentarily blinded by the high beams of oncoming vehicles. This intense light causes temporary blindness and severe glare, making it difficult to accurately assess the road, which can lead to dangerous situations. However, driving with only low beams on dark roads does not provide sufficient visibility, potentially leading to accidents. Based on these experiences, we conceptualized an efficient vehicle headlight that ensures adequate visibility without affecting oncoming drivers.
How it works
Current car headlights use high and low beams. Low beams are dim, while high beams improve visibility but cause glare for oncoming drivers. To address this, we developed the Liquid Crystal Beam, which reduces glare without sacrificing brightness. The Liquid Crystal Beam maintains high beam brightness while selectively blocking light that reaches oncoming drivers using liquid crystal technology. This headlight relies on two main principles: the 'electro-optic effect of liquid crystals' and the 'principle of reflection.' First, the 'electro-optic effect of liquid crystals' involves attaching liquid crystals in front of the existing headlights to control light transmission selectively. Second, the principle of reflection determines how to reflect light from the headlights to effectively illuminate the road while reducing glare. This process involves calculating direct illuminance and luminance and comparing various angles.
Design process
The development of the Liquid Crystal Beam progressed through four key stages: conceptualization, modification of existing headlights, liquid crystal design, and integration with headlights. Initially, we focused on controlling direct light direction using liquid crystal screens, aiming to optimize light angles through luminance and illuminance calculations and simulations. The core goal of the Liquid Crystal Beam is efficient road illumination while minimizing glare for oncoming drivers. Initially, we addressed headlight shortcomings and supplemented them with liquid crystals. Early models detected oncoming light to adjust liquid crystal transmission and angles, but real-time adaptation posed challenges. We transitioned to a fixed angle approach with liquid crystals, blocking angles causing maximum discomfort for oncoming drivers using an on/off system. This shift simplified operations and reduced power requirements. Although fixed angles and the on/off mechanism showed improvement, ongoing research focuses on real-time detection and adaptation for an optimized Liquid Crystal Beam.
How it is different
Most vehicles use Automatic High Beam (AHB) to manage glare by switching between high and low beams based on oncoming vehicles or traffic ahead. However, AHB has drawbacks. The Liquid Crystal Beam offers distinct advantages: Firstly, it prioritizes oncoming drivers' comfort by minimizing light reflection and scattering, reducing glare significantly compared to traditional headlights and AHB. Secondly, the Liquid Crystal Beam switches instantly without sensors, responding faster and more effectively to prevent glare by adjusting liquid crystals with voltage. Lastly, as a revolutionary third headlight type, the Liquid Crystal Beam comprehensively tackles glare reduction and enhances visibility beyond the limitations of AHB's toggling between high and low beams. Installing the Liquid Crystal Beam in vehicles resolves glare issues, ensuring clearer visibility and thereby enhancing road safety effectively.
Future plans
Moving forward, ensuring effective illumination beyond the immediate area in front of the vehicle is crucial for recognizing traffic signs and blind spots alongside the Liquid Crystal Beam. Calculating and adjusting light angles and intensity are key. Adapting this technology to diverse headlight designs across different car models and manufacturers requires establishing verification standards and specific implementation methods. Future developments aim to dynamically adjust light angles based on driving conditions, requiring ongoing research in both headlight and liquid crystal technologies.
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