New signal light technologies (article)

Cadchris

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When doing some research on incandescent signal light design/functionality, (can't find what I'm looking for) I came across this fascinating article that might be of interest here on the forum. However, it is from 2016 with many newer articles restricted.

You'll need to click the PDF icon to see the pictures in the link below.

I don't know how or if it can be downloaded to this thread:
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/aot-2015-0061/html

I know there's a few Auto Industry Lighting Design Journal's that are sometimes referred to from time-to-time here on the forum that are more up to date and probably accessible, but I can't remember the name's of these journals. It would great to list them so they "laypeople" can read.

Anyone?????

This just further reinforces , why LED bulb retrofits don't work (in almost all cases) as the LED housing designs are so complex and different.
 
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Alaric Darconville

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There's also Driving Vision News and there is a lot of research from UMTRI (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute).

Reproducing the articles in this thread may run afoul of copyright law. Interested persons can visit the link and determine what they want to read.
 
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Cadchris

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Yes....thanks Alaric.....that's the publication.
Too bad we couldn't STICKY all the good lighting articles for education purposes with an index all in one thread, but that would take a lot of time.

Was this article above worth the read or are there better articles in the "Driving Vision News" on newer signal light R&D?

Still, it makes me so envious the new-car guys get to have all the fun, while "We" get to follow in envy, to watch the show.

Sort of reminds me of the George Carlin joke on those who have "Bumper Stickers" giving the other driver reading material while he follows, but in this sense, at least we all get to enjoy the light-show in front of us! All these new funky signal lights are certainly so distracting......that I sometimes forget to STOP! LoL. And from this forum, I have great appreciation to all you lighting engineers.

Glad to know you and Virgil are still around "Shedding Light" during these "Dark Times" or maybe the new Dark Ages.......and I also hope Daniel Stern is o.k. too. All 3 of you to be considered a type of: "Essential "Volunteer" Workers"!

We all need to take extra care so we can at least keep changing out our bulbs!

Moderator Edit
Removed reference to the pandemic that could easily sidetrack the thread


Alaric D
 
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-Virgil-

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Still, it makes me so envious the new-car guys get to have all the fun, while "We" get to follow in envy, to watch the show.

Don't be so quick to wallow in envy. Just because a lamp's design is new and different, doesn't mean it's necessarily better. There are many new vehicles with less effective, less durable, more expensive signal lights than older vehicles. This is what happens when the stylist/engineer/beancounter balance tips too far in favor of the stylists.
 
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Cadchris

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I found this link a while ago on the Marnelli site that describes the complexity of new car tail-light LED optics.
Mind blowing for the "Lighting-Layman".

Place your mouse over each type of LED technology to view a corresponding type of LED housing tail-light designs.
Pretty interesting........ I guess that's the reason why LED retrofits don't work most of the time........

https://www.al.world/technology/rearlighting/
 

Alaric Darconville

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Place your mouse over each type of LED technology to view a corresponding type of LED housing tail-light designs.
Pretty interesting........ I guess that's the reason why LED retrofits don't work most of the time........
What they are showing are various lamp designs that are designed from the ground up for LED, and the various designs used. None of these are built around the bulb-shaped LED drop-ins, rather they are built around LED modules, or the modules and the lamp are co-developed for a complete lamp assembly that is not designed to have the LEDs replaced.

LED retrofits/drop-ins don't work most of the time because signal lamps that are designed from the ground up for a specific incandescent light source work well with that specific light source, and the LED "drop-ins" do not effectively emulate the emission pattern of a halogen bulb, and also introduce shadowing and reflections not generated by the original light source.
 
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Cadchris

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Thanks Alaric; You summed it up quite well. Found another great article/interview of Daniel Stern who also puts his spin on the new car tail-lights as Virgil also stated the same above that sometimes the lights of yester-year were better. Not sure if this Part-1 has ever been posted yet or not to the forum. A fascinating story about Daniel Stern and how he got his start into lighting at a very young age:
https://drivingintherealworld.com/part-1-lighting-the-way-with-guest-daniel-stern/
 
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