Next week at the DVN workshop in Shanghai, Takashi Sato from Stanley’s R&D centre will present an innovative concept used in the 2014 Acura. The headlamp’s novel optics combines reflection, refraction, and total internal reflection in mono-lens units with an extreme low thickness and high optical efficiency. “Direct projection” means the optical system uses no reflector—only lenses and light sources.
The headlamp is about 50% thinner than conventionally-designed lamps, which eases car body design constraints while saving power and mass. Honda call it the “Jewel Eye™” headlamp.
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The new headlamps use LPI-patented RXI TM optics. This optics provides superior efficiency and beam control in a very compact package. The headlamps, with their exquisite “solid dielectric” free-form optics are at the opposite to traditional reflector-based headlamps. In each headlamp there are five dual- stacked optical components, each aimed in a different direction, thereby creating 10 beams coming from each side of the car (20 beams for the car). This creates a more intense and wider beam than a traditional HID headlamp while achieving a higher efficiency than the older technology. The light from the LED travels in a folded path through each optic, thereby reducing the depth of the system.
