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Headlight(Automobile)

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29.3.

Headlight
29.3.1.

HeadlightReflectors
Theheadlightreflectordirectstherandomlightraysofthelightbulbintoaconcentratedbeamoflight.Itis
consistedofalayerofsilver,chrome,oraluminiumdepositedonasmoothandpolishedbrassorglasssurface.
Theoutersurfaceofthislayersoontranishesinair.Thereforeforaglassreflector,thesurfaceincontactwiththe
glassisusedasthereflectoranditsbackfaceisusuallypaintedwithshellacvarnishorsomethingsimilarfor
protectionofthecoating.

Fig.29.3.Reflectortheory.
Incaseofaconcavemirrorreflector,thecentrepointonthereflectoriscalledthepole,andalinedrawn
perpendiculartothesurfacefromthepoleiscalledtheprincipalaxis(Fig.29.3).Apointontheprincipalaxis,
wheretheradiatinglightproducesareflectedbeamparalleltotheprincipalaxis,isknownasthefocalpoint.
Thedistanceofthefocalpointfromthepoleisknownasthefocallength.

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ParabolicReflector.
Forthelargeandtrulysphericalconcavereflectorsmanyfocalpointsarenecessaryforallthelightraystobe
reflectedintoaparallelbeam.Thereforeforthesereflectorswithonlyonefocalpoint,someofthelightwould
bereflectedasaconvergentbeam(Fig.29.4A).Thischaracteristicmakestheconcavesphericalreflector
unsuitableforheadlights,andinsteadaparabolicreflectorisused.Aparabolicreflector(Fig.29.4B)hasthe
characteristicofreflectingraysparalleltotheprincipalaxiswhenalightbulbisplacedatitsfocalpoint,
irrespectiveofwheretheraysfallonthereflectorandtherebyproducesabrightparallelreflectedbeamof
constantlightintensity.

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Fig.29.4.Reflectors.
A.Sphericalconcavereflector.B.Parabolicreflector.
C.Narrowangledreflector,shortfocaldistance.D.Wideangledreflector,longfocaldistance.

DeeporShallowReflectors.
Aparabolicreflectorreflectsmostofthelightraysfromthelightbulbandonlyasmallamountofdirectrays
dispersesasstraylight(Fig.29.4B).Theintensityofreflectedlightisstrongestnearthebeamaxis(exceptfor
lightcutoffbythebulbitself),anddropstowardstheouteredgeofthebeam.
Theactualamountofreflectedlightontheouterfringeofthebeamdependstosomeextentonthedepthand
sizeofthereflector.Adeepnarrowangledreflectorwithsmallradiusofcurvatureproducesaconcentrated
beamwithlittlestraylight,duetowhichitbecomessuitableasspotlights(Fig.29.4C).Ontheotherhand,a
shallowwideanglereflectorhasmorestraylightandlessconcentratedlight(Fig.29.4D).Theseshallow
reflectors,withhighfilamentwattagetointensitythebeam,areusedforheadlightsandthescatteredlightwith
horizontalspreadforilluminatingthesideoftheroad.

FilamentPositionRelativetotheFocalPoint.

Toachievedesiredbeamdirectionandshapethelocationofthebulbrelativetothereflectorisimportant.InFig.
29.5Athelightfilamentisplacedatthefocalpoint,hencethereflectedbeamisparalleltotheprincipalaxis.If
thefilamentispositionedbetweenthefocalpointandthereflector(Fig.29.5B),thereflectedbeamdiverges
alongtheprincipalaxis.Ontheotherhand,ifthefilamentisplacedinfrontofthefocalpoint(Fig.29.5C),the
reflectedbeamconvergestowardstheprincipalaxis.

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Fig.29.5.Relationshipbetweenbulbpositionandbeamformation.
A.Parallelbeamwhenbulbatfocalpoint.B.Divergentbeamwhenbulbbehindfocalpoint.C.
Convergentbeamwhenbulbinfrontoffocalpoint.

BifocalReflector.
Thebifocalreflectorusestworeflectorsectionswithdifferentfocalpoints.Thisprovidestheadvantageofusing
thelightstrikingthelowerreflectorarea.Theparabolicsectionincorporatedinthelowerareareflectslight
downtoimprovetheilluminationofgroundjustinfrontofthevehicle.Thistechnique,however,isnotsuitable
fortwinfilamentbulbsandhenceisonlyusedonvehicleswithfourheadlights.WiththeaidofpowerfulCAD
programs,variablefocusreflectorscanbebuiltwithnonparabolicsectionstoprovideasmoothtransition
betweeneacharea(Fig.29.6).

Fig.29.6.Bifocalreflector.

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Fig.29.7Homifocalreflector.

HomifocalReflector.
Ahomifocalreflectorisdesignedwithanumberofsectionseachhavingacommonfocalpoint.Thistechnique
permitstheuseofashorterfocallengthandhencethelightunithaslessoveralldepth.Theeffectiveluminous
fluxisalsoincreased.Thereforethisissuitableforatwinfilamentbulbtoprovidedipandmainbeam.Themain
reflectorsectiondeliversthenormallongrangelightingandtheauxiliaryreflectorsprovidenearfieldandlateral
lighting(Fig.29.7).
29.3.3.

HeadlightArrangements
Headlightgenerallyusesthedoublefilament(bifocal)prefocustypebulbs.They,however,differtosome
extentindesignasfollows:

OffsetMainandDippedBeams.

Themainbeamanddippeddeambulbfilamentsareoffsetrespectivelybelowandabovethe
focalpoint,duetowhichthetopdippedbeamconvergesinadownwarddirectionandthemainbeamconverges
inanupwarddirection.Toobtaincorrectbeamsettings,thereflectoritselfistiltedthroughasmallamount
downwardssothatmainbeamishorizontaltotheroad.Thisalsoincreasesthedippedbeamdownwardangleso
thattheroadsurfaceisilluminatedalittlewayaheadofthevehicle(Fig.29.8).

OffsetDippedBeam.

Themainfilamentofthistypeofbulb(Fig.29.9)islocatedatthefocalpoint,andthedippedfilamentis
positionedslightlyaboveit.Themainfilamentisfullyfocussed,hencethereflectedlightisparalleltothe
principalaxis,whichgivesalongconcentratedbeam.Thedippedfilament

Fig.29.8.Offsetmainanddippedbeams.

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Fig.29.9.Offsetdippedbeam.

Fig.29.10.Offsetshieldeddippedbeam.
isoutoffocusprovidingsomewhatdistorteddownwardbeamwhich,however,afterpassingthroughthefront
lensformsawidespreadbeamontheroad.

OffsetShieldedDippedBeam.
Thisdoublefilamentbulb(Fig.29.10)ismostpopular.Themainfilamentofthisbulbisplacedatthefocalpoint
ofthereflectorandthedippedfilamentbroughtforwardofthefocalpoint.Ametal
cuporshieldispositionedjustbelowthisdippedfilament.Similartotheothertwotypesofbulb,themain
filamentprovidesareflectedlongconcentratedbeamparalleltotheprincipalaxis.Thedippedfilamentproduces
anoutoffocusconvergingbeam,theupperhalfofwhichpointsinadownwarddirectionbutthelightraysfrom
thelowerhalfispreventfromstrikingthereflectorbytheshield,duetowhichnoneoftheserayscancause
dazzlebybeingreflectedupwards.

SealedbeamBifocalUnit.

Sealedbeamheadlights(Fig.29.11)canheconsideredasafurtheradvancementfromtheseparateprefocussed
lightbulbandreflectorlensassembly.Thisunitincorporatesthereflectorandlenstoformalargeallglass
sealedenvelopefilledwithaninertgastoreplacethe
conventionalglassbulb.Thetwoheatingfilamentsarecorrectlymountedinsideanaluminizedglassreflector
andthesupportingwiresareplacedinthereflectorbyceramicinsulators.
Thesedesignsprovideprecisefilamentfocusaswellaspreventtheentryofdirt,dust,grease,andmoistureso
thattherapiddeteriorationofthereflectingpropertiesofthereflectorisavoided.Becauseoftheverylarge
reflectorarea,filamentmetaltransferduetoevaporationofthetungstendoesnotblackentheglasslens.The
lightintensityinthisunitonlydropsoffbyatthemost3%ofitsoriginalvalueduringitsnormalfouryearlife
period,comparedwitha40%reductionfortheconventionaldoublefilament(bifocal)lightbulb.Tungsten
halogensealedbeamheadlightsare

Fig.29.11.Sealedbeamunit.

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alsoavailable.However,thewholeunithastobereplacedifoneofthefilamentsfails,whichisthemajor
disadvantage.
29.3.3.

HeadlightCoverLens
Theheadlightmustprovideapowerfulfarreachingcentralbeam,aroundwhichthelightisdistributedboth
horizontallyandverticallytoilluminatemaximumpossibleareaoftheroadsurface.Thereflectoralonecannot
meettheserequirements.Thebeamformationscanbesubstantiallyimprovedbypassingthereflectedlightrays
throughatransparentblockoflenses.Thelensesalsoredisributethereflectedlightbeamandstrayraysto
certainextentduetowhichabetteroverallroadilluminationisobtainedWithleastglare.Onecausetheglareis
theshapeandsizeofthebulbfilament,whichcannotbecorrectedbythereflector.Evenifthefilamentis
accuratelyfocussed,sincethereisnoabsolutepointsourceoflight,somereflectedlightraysdeviateandform
bothdivergentandconvergentrayscausingdazzleifnotcontrolled.

BlockprismLens.
Lensesworkontheprincipleofrefraction.Theheadlightfrontcoverglasslensisdividedupintoalargenumber
ofsmallrectangularzones.Eachzoneopticallyrepresentsaconcavefluteoracombinationoffluteandprism
(Fig.29.12).Whentheroughlyparallelbeampassesthroughthesefluttedprimsections,eachindividuallens
elementredirectsthelightraysproducinganoverallimprovedlightprojection.
Thetotallenselementpatternprovidesoptimumroadilluminationforboththemainandthedippedbeam.
Whileoneblockofprismelementsprojecttheraysstraightaheadforthemainbeam,theotherblocksoflens
elementsspreadtheraysouthorizontallyduetodivergingconcavefluteeffect(Fig.29.13A)andalsosharply
bendtheseraysdownwardstoprovidediffusedlightingjustinfrontofthevehiclebytheprismaticlenseffect
(Fig.29.13B).

Fig.29.12.Blockpatternheadlightlens.

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Fig.29.13.Beamcontrol.A.Horizontalbeam.B.Verticalbeam.
29.3.4.

FourHeadlightSystem
Atwoheadlightsystemwithaprefocusdoublefilamentbulbineachreflectorisrelativelyeffectivebutit
compromisesinlightintensitytocertainextentinsatisfyingbothmainanddippedbeamconditions.Thelight
intensityforboththefilamentscanbemaximizedbytheuseoffourheadlights,suchthat,twoheadlightsare
placedadjacenttoeachotheroneachsideofthevehicle.Thetwoinnerheadlightsincorporatesinglefilament
bulbpositionedatthefocalpoint,andtheouterheadlightshaveprefocusdoublefilaments,onebeingonthe
focalpointandtheotherslightlyoffset.
Whenthemainbeamisswitchedon,boththeinnerheadlightsprovidefarsearchingconcentratedbeamand
additionalofffocusbroadbeamsareprovidedbytheouterheadlightoffsetfilaments.Whentheswitchis
changedfrommaintodippedbeam,theabovecombinationisextinguished,buttheouterheadlightfilaments
positionedonthefocalpointprovideaconcentrateddippedbeam.
29.3.5.

DoublereflectorHeadlamp
Thislightsourceishighlyefficient,whichcombinestwobulbsandtworeflectorsinoneheadlampunit.This
provides,withprecision,theopticalrequirementsformainanddipbeamsandalsosatisfiestheregulations
regardingbulbreplacementanddazzle.
SEVMarshalhasproducedanAmplifluxrangeoflamps,whichdeliversovertwicetheoutputoftheaverage
conventionalheadlamp.Theselamps(Fig.29.14)usecircularorrectangularleadcrystalglasslensandreflector,
whicharebondedtogetherforexcellentweatherprotectionandconstantperformanceoveralongperiodoftime.
Asmallinsetreflectorandbulb,whichprovidesthemainbeamisplacedinfrontofthemainreflector.Theback
ofthemainbeamreflectorisusedtoscreenthelowerhalfofthedipbeamreflector.Thisproducesasharp
horizontalcutofftotheasymmetricaldippedbeampatternandavoidsdazzle.

Fig.29.14.Doublereflectorheadlamp.
29.3.6.
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HeadlampAimingandaLevellingSystem
Since1990someformofheadlightlevellerhasbeenmandatoryinsomecountrieslikeGermany.Theleveller
systemworksontheprinciplethatthepositionofthelightschangesdependingontheloadinthevehicle.Figure
29.15illustratesasimplemanualaimingdevice.Anautomaticsystemcanalsobeoperatedthroughsensors
positionedonavehiclessuspension.Thisallowsautomaticcompensationforprevailingloaddistributiononthe
vehicle.Figure29.16showsthelayoutofthissystem.Theactuators,whichactuallymovethelightscanvary
fromhydraulicdevicestosteppermotors.
TheprincipleofheadlightaimingispresentedinFig.29.17.Adjustmentismadebymovingtwoscrewsfittedon
theheadlights,sothatoneallowsthelighttomoveupanddown,andtheotherallowssidetosidemovement.
Manytypesofbeamsettingequipmentareinusebutmost

Fig.29.15.Simplemanualhadlightaimingdevice.

Fig.29.16.Automaticheadlightadjustment.

Fig.29.17.Principleofheadlightaiming.

Fig.29.18.Principleofbeamsettingequipment.
ofthemworkonthesameprincipleasshowninFig.29.18.Alsotheprocedureisthesameforusinganaiming
board,howeveritismoreconvenientandaccurate,duetoeasierworkingandaslessroomisrequired.
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Figure29.19showsonetypeofopticalbeamsetter,whichcheckshorizontalandverticalaimandalsoenables
thelampstobesetaccurately.Adjustersarefittedtoeachlamptochangethesetting.Atfirstthealigneris
levelledandpositionedparallelwiththefrontofthecar.Thelampsareswitchedonandthelightraysfromthe
lamppassthroughacondenserlensandarereflectedbyamirrorontoasmallscreen.Mostlampsaresettodip
beamwhenaligningthelamps.
Theprocedureforsettingtheheadlightsofacarusinganaimingboardisasthefollows.(i)Parkthecaronlevel
groundsquareontoaverticalaimingboardatadistanceof10
mifpossible.Preferablythecarshouldbeunladenexceptforthedriver.(ii)Markouttheaimingboardas
showninFig.29.20.(Hi)Bouncethesuspensiontoensurethatitislevel.
(iv)Withthelightssetondipbeam,adjustthecutofflinetothehorizontalmark,whichis10mmbelowthe
heightoftheheadlightcentre,forevery1mthecarisawayfromtheboard.Thebreakoffpointshouldbe
adjustedtothecentrelineofeachlightinturn.

Fig.29.19.Opticalbeamsetter.

Fig.29.20.Headlightaimingboard.

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