http://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/advanced-cars/driving-with-laser-headlights
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http://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/advanced-cars/driving-with-laser-headlights
Posted from WordPress for Android
5 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
SIL STRIKING POINT: Improved solid-state light sources will be key to the future of lighting
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/01/sil-striking-point-improved-solid-state-light-sources-will-be-key-to-the-future-of-lighting.html
Bob Steele: InGaN [indium gallium nitride] diode lasers have been around for a long time, and are widely used in consumer electronics products such as Blu-ray players. Why are they only now being considered for lighting?
SoraaLaser’s Paul RudyPaul Rudy: In recent years, a more advanced type of visible laser diode technology has been developed, largely at UC Santa Barbara, based on a material known as semipolar GaN.
Diode lasers based on this material have a 3-5X higher gain compared to more conventional c-plane InGaN laser diodes. This high gain, along with design freedom such as aluminum-free structures, enables higher power and higher efficiency InGaN lasers. From the applications perspective, high-power blue lasers have seen increasing use in the area of projection displays, which has driven production volumes in the industry, along with advancements in efficiency and cost.
Tomi Engdahl says:
SIL STRIKING POINT: Improved solid-state light sources will be key to the future of lighting
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/01/sil-striking-point-improved-solid-state-light-sources-will-be-key-to-the-future-of-lighting.html
Steele: What kind of performance is achieved with this approach?
Rudy: Wall plug efficiencies of up to 40% have recently been reported, up from 15% in 2005. Optical power outputs of 6W have also been reported. The main thing to realize here is that, unlike InGaN LEDs, these diode lasers do not suffer from “droop” (the roll-off of efficiency at higher drive currents).
Tomi Engdahl says:
SIL STRIKING POINT: Improved solid-state light sources will be key to the future of lighting
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/01/sil-striking-point-improved-solid-state-light-sources-will-be-key-to-the-future-of-lighting.html
Steele: How is a blue-emitting InGaN diode laser used to create white light?
Rudy: Just as in the case with using a blue LED as a pump source for creating white light, a phosphor is required. There are several options for pumping the phosphor, including transmissive (the white light emission is in the same direction as the pump beam) and reflective (the white light emission is at an angle relative to the pump beam). Also remote pumping, in which optical fiber is used to direct the laser light to the phosphor, is possible. This is the approach used by European automobile manufacturers to develop laser-based headlamps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Laser Lighting Trial Starting in China
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332182&
For perhaps the first time in the world, trials taking place in China next month will use lasers for street lighting, an innovation aimed at saving energy and eliminating the cost of expensive cabling infrastructure.
David Ho and the Jinjing Co. have developed the new lighting technology in the city of Fuzhou in China’s southeastern Fujian Province. Trials will start next month in the nearby city of Fuqing.
The technology uses laser beams of blue light to transmit energy across large distances without power lines. The beams strike devices that use quantum-induced materials to transform the laser energy into light for illumination.
While automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW are already using a similar technology for car headlights, the trial in China is aimed at developing applications for street and highway lighting as well as environments not readily accessible to a power grid.
Researchers such as Steven DenBaars at UC Santa Barbara have been looking into the idea for several years. In theory, per square centimeter, a laser diode can produce 2,000 times as much light as an off-the-shelf LED. Lasers for conventional illumination are aimed at a phosphor that transforms blue laser light into more diffuse white light.
“Laser lighting will be a key solution for energy conservation in the future,” says Ho, who received his Ph.D in nuclear science. “This dream will soon become a reality.”
Laboratory tests of the technology in China indicate that it would save as much as two-thirds of the energy used in LED lighting, allowing the use of solar panels to provide power for the system. The use of laser beams to transmit power would also eliminate the need for power lines and the supporting physical infrastructure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Laser Headlights Died In The US
https://hackaday.com/2025/08/18/how-laser-headlights-died-in-the-us/
Automotive headlights started out burning acetylene, before regular electric lightbulbs made them obsolete. In due time, halogen bulbs took over, before the industry began to explore even newer technologies like HID lamps for greater brightness. Laser headlights stood as the next leap forward, promising greater visibility and better light distribution.
Only, the fairytale didn’t last. Just over a decade after laser headlights hit the market, they’re already being abandoned by the manufacturers that brought them to fruition. Laser headlights would end up fighting with one hand behind their back, and ultimately became irrelevant before they ever became the norm.
Laser headlights were first announced by BMW in 2013, with the German company promising the technology would be available on its new halo car, the i8.
The prime selling point of laser headlights was that they could project a very bright, very focused beam a long way down the road. As we’ve explored previously, they achieved this by using blue lasers to illuminate yellow phosphors, creating a vibrant white light that could be bounced off a reflector and directed up to 600 m ahead of the vehicle. They weren’t so useful for low-beams, with that duty usually passed off to LEDs. However, they were perfect to serve as an ultra-efficient long-throw high beam that wouldn’t disrupt other road users, albeit with the aid of steerable headlamp assemblies and camera-based tracking systems.
Laser headlights were more expensive to produce, but were also far more capable than any conventional bulb in terms of throw distance. They were also more compact than just about any other automotive lighting technology, giving automotive designers far more freedom when creating a car’s front end. They were even able to outperform LEDs in the efficiency stakes. And yet, both Audi and BMW would come to abandon the technology.
The culprit? Regulations. In particular, headlight rules enforced in the United States. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard rule 108 deems that headlight intensity must not exceed 150,000 candela, while beam range must not exceed 250 meters. These rules effectively mean that laser headlights can’t outperform older technologies without falling afoul of US regulations. The rules stand in stark contrast to European regulations, which allow headlights to reach up to 430,000 candela. In an echo of the sealed beam era, US regulations were once again stymying European innovation by being firmly stuck in the past.
Of course, US regulations don’t apply everywhere. European automakers could have kept pursuing laser headlight technology, however, other factors have also come into play. LED headlight technology has continued to improve, with newer models improving brightness and light distribution. Adaptive matrix LED headlights also allow sections of the headlight beam to be turned on and off at will to provide the best illumination without dazzling other road users.
To that end, laser headlights are facing decline. While a few models in the Audi and BMW lineups still feature the headlights, both automakers are phasing them out for the future. Speaking on the matter last year, BMW’s large-car product manager, Andreas Suhrer, noted that solely LED-based designs were the future. “At the moment, we still have laser lighting on the G26 and the X7, but we don’t have future plans,” Suhrer stated.