The four main points of the DVN workshop in China were:
- 32 lectures including 9 lectures from OEMs
- 2 keynotes made from Xuejun Qiu, CEO of HASCO Vision, on his Outlook on digital lighting and by Geoff Draper, former GTB President, now DVN Senior advisor, on how Breaking Barriers to innovation
- 18 exhibition booths packed with innovations
- 260 attendees, only people living in China
What we retain:
Safety
Lighting is still in the lead with new functions like road projections and illuminated grilleboards. Several lectures emphasized the lack of distraction to other traffic participants.
New emotional Functions and Elements are approaching, e. g. Micro Optics;
Sign Road projection can also be compatible with HUD when correctly positioned.
Lighting signature
Evolution of signature lighting to include the likes of front grilles and grilleboards, illuminated logos, and new kinds of signal illumination. Full-width light bars are increasingly prevelent, with and smart front panels for brand identification and light-based communications not far behind. “Lighting is the new intelligent chrome”.
Taillights will have more pixels and present more interactivity.
ADB and symbol projection
DLP and HD modules will coexist in the near term for projected symbols, but eventually HD modules with 10-50 kilo pixels will prevail unless the cost of a DLP module can be reduced.
Software
Lighting software is a hot area for OTA, V2X, and other new communication strategies. Users will be able to have experience of light functions and play with them. New roles of lighting will go much further than safety with amusement or even video projection.
The future will be clearly bringing more and more programmable, dynamic, and interactive systems. Car lights will still be highly valued on every car.
Regulations
Harmonization is very important, and strong efforts must be made to converge as much as possible at least between UNECE and China. There is great difficulty making headlamps that not only meet the U.S. regulatory requirements, but also get good scores on non-regulatory headlamp tests like those done by IIHS. This challenge for a harmonized regulation is reinforced by the development of several new regulations to support the new functions and advancing in different directions.
Interior lighting
Interior lighting is increasingly a pillar of interaction between the vehicle and the driver, an integral part of the vehicle’s safety system. And, last, but not least, UV light can protect the occupants, thanks to air and surface sanitization. Interior Lighting is typically described now as the “New Chrome”. That’s true, and we all understand that, with today’s technology, it is much more than a decoration element of the interior, it doesn’t only beautify surface materials, it is a real chain link of the HMI, of the safety concept, and now even the health and wellbeing solution.
Rear lights
The desired trend is toward increasingly homogeneous; complexly shaped, and polyvalent lighting surfaces. OLEDs or equivalent technology using micro-optics bring new levels of resolution, versatility, and homogeneity.
An important impact on perception is the possibility to have a 3D perception going beyond the traditional 2D perception.
Simulation
Complex simulation and verification are needed at every stage of lamp design. Simulation suppliers are now offering effective new tools to support the development of the new lighting functions
Communication
Display technology with V2X communication is gaining traction, while high-resolution display technologies are allowing new signal lamp designs using MiniLEDs.
LED technology
Great improvement on LED technology, in the module and in the chips while laser technology is also improving.
Tier 2 devices
Performant types of automatic leveling are replacing the traditional MEMS sensors.
New specific grades of polycarbonates with improved thermal conduction will replace aluminum.