Hector,in your last editorial, you have touched an important topic that is of great interest to me and before starting my holiday I would like to offer some comments that you may like to include in one of your next editions of DVN.
We have previously reported that GTB launched a Taskforce in August 2003 to develop a Headlamp Performance evaluation method, initially in response to an initiative from EuroNCAP. I had the privilege of leading this activity that was converted into a CIE Technical Committee TC4-45 with the result that two CIE publications have just been released. These can be ordered from CIE using the following links:
– CIE Draft Standard DS 021.2/E:2010 :
http://www.cie.co.at/index.php?i_ca_id=774
– CIE 188:2010 Technical Report :
http://cms.cie.co.at/Publications/index.php?i_ca_id=764
I also led the SAE Pedestrian Visibility taskforce that produced the SAE Information Report that can be obtained at http://standards.sae.org/j2829_200902
In June 2009, on behalf of GTB, CIE and SAE, I presented a summary of this work to WP29 at its 148th session and emphasised the need to use the conclusions and the assessment methodology as a basis for a continuation to develop an industry –wide performance ranking system. A free copy of this presentation is available from the UNECE website http://www.unece.org/trans/doc/2009/wp29/WP29-148-28e.pdf
In view of the rapid advances in automotive lighting technologies including the introduction of adaptive systems, and the new initiatives from EuroNCAP it is now time for the Joint GTB / CIE group of lighting experts to start to work on the next phase which will mean the extension of the performance assessment methodology to adaptive systems and the development of a ranking system that could be used by industry to meet the new approach of EuroNCAP.