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The automotive lighting industry has undergone major changes over the past 25 years. The sealed beam lamp, the industry standard for half a century has been replaced by a number of new aerodynamic headlamps. Over this same time period signal lighting has undergone dramatic changes; from a standard hand signaling for brake and turn, to complex multi-cavity systems for running, turn, and stop lighting. In the interior of the vehicle similar changes have also occurred which have dramatically improved driver visibility of the instrument cluster. In all three application areas major changes are continuing to occur particularly in the light source and optics of the illumination system. This paper discusses some of these changes and compares the various light sources and optical systems used to illuminate the space around the automobile and the communication between vehicles.

The various present headlamp systems including the newer ellipsoidal form are described and analyzed. Advantages of a headlamp system with a small vertical dimension, especially with regard to reducing high speed aerodynamic drag, are discussed. A system utilizing sealed beam headlamps of nominal 2″H×3″W is presented together with optical analysis, operating characteristics, and test results. Technical considerations are developed to demonstrate that disability glare of these smaller headlamps is similar to that for the larger conventional headlamps.