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BMW's Laser Headlights

wot.motortrend.com

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Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#21

Post by MBCook »

brokentone wrote: post #18

Bear with me here-- I understand lasers to be highly specific wavelength diode light that is bounced around in a combination of prisms and mirrors to create highly concentrated, highly directional light. In this case, it's then diffused again through a yellow phosphorus lens. I'm not doubting the numbers in efficiency gain, but I'm having a hard time figuring them out. Seems that there can only be loss from convertin…

Well, let's assume these lasers are 10x as efficient as LEDs used in headlights. Even if you lost 70% of the light in the process of exciting phosphorus, you'd still have a net gain.

My question would be: are modern headlights really that much of a drain?

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#22

Post by ID_HOME »

brokentone wrote: post #18

Bear with me here-- I understand lasers to be highly specific wavelength diode light that is bounced around in a combination of prisms and mirrors to create highly concentrated, highly directional light. In this case, it's then diffused again through a yellow phosphorus lens. I'm not doubting the numbers in efficiency gain, but I'm having a hard time figuring them out. Seems that there can only be loss from convertin…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemiluminescence

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#23

Post by krondor »

leephillips wrote: post #16
christoph wrote: post #2

It might just be me, mainly because I drive an "old" car that doesn't dim/adjust my rear view mirror based on others drivers lights, but I find the uber brightness of other drivers lights to be a real pain these days. Often on the motorway I struggle to see ANYTHING as i'm being constantly blinded by other drivers high power lights behind me and when oncoming. I get its meant to be a safety feature, but for a lot of…

When I feel that the oncoming vehicle's lights are too bright, they get my high beams, which stay on them, despite their frantic high beam flashing. If more people did this, perhaps these people would switch back to their OEM lights. EDIT: Not talking about the lights described in the article, but people who replace their cars' original lights with brighter ones.

These lights FTA are OEM, though a lot of tuner cars and lifted trucks aren't I suppose.

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#24

Post by lovemenot »

to3m wrote: post #14
thaumasiotes wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mention this, but a smart self-dimming rear view mirror can't help at all against the incredible brightness of oncoming headlights. I have been literally blinded while going over CA highway 17 at night (don't let the "highway" designation fool you; it's a twisty mountain road abutted by cliffs), an obvious safety issue. I don't understand why it's legal to have headlights so bright. Manufacturers say having headl…

The drive for ever-brighter lights also ignores the safety of the road users without lights, who become increasingly harder to spot. An example of road users without lights: people. I know it's unfashionable to give a shit about people when you're driving a car, particularly people on foot, who if they were at all important enough to care about would surely be driving a car, but - well, what can I say? Bleeding heart…

You appear not to have read the part about BMW's new pedestrian spotlight feature. Which may raise another issue about deer (or people) freezing in the spotlights.

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#25

Post by bradleyland »

lutorm wrote: post #8
christoph wrote: post #2

It might just be me, mainly because I drive an "old" car that doesn't dim/adjust my rear view mirror based on others drivers lights, but I find the uber brightness of other drivers lights to be a real pain these days. Often on the motorway I struggle to see ANYTHING as i'm being constantly blinded by other drivers high power lights behind me and when oncoming. I get its meant to be a safety feature, but for a lot of…

The problem is not the brightness, IMHO. The real problem is that, at least in the US, no one seems to care about keeping their headlights aimed properly, which in combination with the abundance of trucks with headlights mounted higher than a normal driver's head, leads to insane glare. As much as mandatory vehicle inspections are annoying, this would be my one reason to support them. (Not that it seems to matter, he…

I'm not sure about other countries, but all vehicles sold with HID (the bright blue headlights that many people find annoying) headlights in the US must come with an auto-leveling system. I'm almost 100% certain that the standards are the same or higher in Europe.

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#26

Post by retrogradeorbit »

lovemenot wrote: post #24
to3m wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The drive for ever-brighter lights also ignores the safety of the road users without lights, who become increasingly harder to spot. An example of road users without lights: people. I know it's unfashionable to give a shit about people when you're driving a car, particularly people on foot, who if they were at all important enough to care about would surely be driving a car, but - well, what can I say? Bleeding heart…

You appear not to have read the part about BMW's new pedestrian spotlight feature. Which may raise another issue about deer (or people) freezing in the spotlights.

It's not the obscuration of pedestrians from the driver with the bright lights, it's the obscuration of the pedestrian from the other driver being blinded by the super bright headlights. In the brightness the pupil closes and the driver looses any night vision. If you were approaching this situation from the other direction it could be extremely difficult to see the reverse-spot lighted pedestrians.

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#27

Post by thaumasiotes »

bradleyland wrote: post #25
lutorm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is not the brightness, IMHO. The real problem is that, at least in the US, no one seems to care about keeping their headlights aimed properly, which in combination with the abundance of trucks with headlights mounted higher than a normal driver's head, leads to insane glare. As much as mandatory vehicle inspections are annoying, this would be my one reason to support them. (Not that it seems to matter, he…

I'm not sure about other countries, but all vehicles sold with HID (the bright blue headlights that many people find annoying) headlights in the US must come with an auto-leveling system. I'm almost 100% certain that the standards are the same or higher in Europe.

The fact that (as you point out) those bright blue headlights are especially offensive to many people would suggest that the auto-leveling system is not doing its job.

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#28

Post by pmiller2 »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #27
bradleyland wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure about other countries, but all vehicles sold with HID (the bright blue headlights that many people find annoying) headlights in the US must come with an auto-leveling system. I'm almost 100% certain that the standards are the same or higher in Europe.

The fact that (as you point out) those bright blue headlights are especially offensive to many people would suggest that the auto-leveling system is not doing its job.

I find the blue headlights annoying because they're blue, not because they're bright.

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#29

Post by cenhyperion »

leephillips wrote: post #16
christoph wrote: post #2

It might just be me, mainly because I drive an "old" car that doesn't dim/adjust my rear view mirror based on others drivers lights, but I find the uber brightness of other drivers lights to be a real pain these days. Often on the motorway I struggle to see ANYTHING as i'm being constantly blinded by other drivers high power lights behind me and when oncoming. I get its meant to be a safety feature, but for a lot of…

When I feel that the oncoming vehicle's lights are too bright, they get my high beams, which stay on them, despite their frantic high beam flashing. If more people did this, perhaps these people would switch back to their OEM lights. EDIT: Not talking about the lights described in the article, but people who replace their cars' original lights with brighter ones.

> When I feel that the oncoming vehicle's lights are too bright, they get my high beams, which stay on them, despite their frantic high beam flashing. If more people did this, perhaps these people would switch back to their OEM lights.

Sounds like you're really endangering other people's lives in response to an annoyance.

Re: BMW's Laser Headlights

#30

Post by pasbesoin »

christoph wrote: post #2

It might just be me, mainly because I drive an "old" car that doesn't dim/adjust my rear view mirror based on others drivers lights, but I find the uber brightness of other drivers lights to be a real pain these days. Often on the motorway I struggle to see ANYTHING as i'm being constantly blinded by other drivers high power lights behind me and when oncoming. I get its meant to be a safety feature, but for a lot of…

My latest complaint is LED brake lights. Many models seem to be making them very bright -- to the point where they blind me when I am behind such a car. At stops, I sometimes find I have to look away from the car in front of me and the road, both due to discomfort and to having my night vision -- despite their being largely "red" -- destroyed.

I thought there were regulations for such things -- for headlights, as well -- but either they are too lax or no one is enforcing them.

Also, it seems typical of today's trends. Brighten up e.g. one's headlights for one's own convenience, even if and as to an excess that inconveniences everyone else or even puts them at risk.

P.S. Also, many "modern" headlights have a very small and bright core source of light, as opposed to the larger reflector of "older" designs that does not create such an intense, localized spot.

And the "blue-er" light -- harder on one's night vision.

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