Visteon are the recipient of a 2008 Automotive News PACE award for innovative light pipe technology introduced on the 2008 Cadillac CTS.
The light pipe innovation is part of both the highly stylized head lamp and tail lamp units on the CTS, and consist of single high-power LED emitters that have a tubular appearance. This unique light glows vertically along the edges of the CTS tail and head lights – clearly distinguishing the vehicle’s edges, thereby allowing drivers adjacent to the vehicle to more easily recognize its edges.
Light is emitted from the LED at the bottom of the pipe and is distributed over its length to produce a uniform intensity throughout the light pipe. This is done with a configuration of the optical surfaces tailored specifically for the shape of the lamp and the light pipe itself. The light source at the bottom is not detectable so the pipe looks like one glowing vertical tube.
Thick moulded optics, embodied in the light pipes, as well as the “Ice Cube” lenses used for the daytime running light and front turn signal, give the lamp a deep, rich appearance in the unlit state.
This is the first application of a single-LED light pipe for these front and rear functions. The new CTS also sports one of the industry’s first applications of LED-powered reversing light.