For many years, car light lenses have carried markings to indicate the device’s functions, mounting position, technical category, and regulatory approvals. In the past, any given device carried only one set of markings.
However, regulatory harmonisation and advances in auto lighting technology have meant individual devices can simultaneously meet multiple regulations. And window-clear headlamp lenses are now commonly used in front of numerous different optics: halogen, Xenon, left-traffic, right-traffic, US, Europe, Japan. Thus, devices must now carry multiple sets of markings.
At the Society of Automotive Engineers Lighting Committee meetings this past week in Ottawa, Canada, the subject of device markings spurred a great deal of discussion. Valeo described a recent headlamp lens marking that required fully 277 characters, less intelligible (and to fewer people) than ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
There was also discussion of conflicts between function code markings of the American SAE and those of the international ECE, which present a barrier to harmonisation of marking requirements.
The issue was referred for ongoing discussion with the hope of finding ways of reducing the marking conflicts and streamlining the marking requirements in both the SAE and ECE systems.
However, regulatory harmonisation and advances in auto lighting technology have meant individual devices can simultaneously meet multiple regulations. And window-clear headlamp lenses are now commonly used in front of numerous different optics: halogen, Xenon, left-traffic, right-traffic, US, Europe, Japan. Thus, devices must now carry multiple sets of markings.
At the Society of Automotive Engineers Lighting Committee meetings this past week in Ottawa, Canada, the subject of device markings spurred a great deal of discussion. Valeo described a recent headlamp lens marking that required fully 277 characters, less intelligible (and to fewer people) than ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
There was also discussion of conflicts between function code markings of the American SAE and those of the international ECE, which present a barrier to harmonisation of marking requirements.
The issue was referred for ongoing discussion with the hope of finding ways of reducing the marking conflicts and streamlining the marking requirements in both the SAE and ECE systems.