Automobile Automotive applications for electricity Benz 奔驰HONDA 本田AUDI 奥迪兰博基尼The endAutomotive Lighting The worlds first practical automobile was invented by Karl Benz in 1885. With a top speed of less than 10 miles per hour, only one major obstacle stood in its way darkness. The “Benz Patent Motorwagen,” for all of its technological achievements, didnt have headlights. Automotive lighting refers to the illumination systems of the automobile. From headlights to taillights, blinkers to side markers, dashboards to vanity lights, modern automotive lighting has come a long way from Karl Benzs solutionthe gas lantern.Lets look at the different types of bulbs that can currently be found in automobiles: Incandescent Halogen (Halogen). A halogen lamp also uses a (tungsten) metal filament, but it is encased inside a much smaller quartz bulb (the heated filament is so close to the walls of the bulb, that a bulb made of glass would melt). The gas inside the bulb is halogen, a gas that actually helps extend the life of the filament and bulb through a recycling process that allows the bulb to last much longer than the tungsten counterpart. Since halogen bulbs burn hotter, they emit more light. Their visible light is also much whiter, allowing drivers to see further down the road. Under normal use, halogen bulbs will last approximately 60,000 miles of driving. High-Intensity Discharge (HID). The bluish tint you see on some vehicle headlights is created by a light technology that uses no filament. High-Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs, also commonly referred to as xenon headlights, create light by applying electricity to high-pressure gasxenon in this case. The gas is heated white hot, giving off visible light that appears nearly bluish-white in color. The color of the light is much closer to the color of sunlight, making it comfortable for the driver. The HID bulb uses less electricity, and lasts much longer than the other types of filament bulbs. HID bulb life is approximately 200,000 miles. What bulbs will I find in my vehicle What bulbs will? In 1898, the first electric headlights appeared as an option on some vehicles, but their application was hardly widespread. Cadillac introduced the first electrical lighting and ignitionsystemequipped with shock-resistant incandescent headlightbulbs in 1912. Shortly thereafter, nearly all vehicles were exclusivelyusing incandescent bulbs, in headlights, interior lightsand fordashboard illumination. Replacing bulbs wascommonplace, as they burned out frequently. Todays headlights are typically halogen bulbs, with standard or focused lenses, placed behind plastic covers (for aerodynamics and bulb protection). Upscale vehicles are often equipped with HID headlights with an auto-leveling feature to ensure that the light is directed properly for different vehicle-load conditions. Adaptive headlights, which were recently introduced, turn with the vehicle to aid illumination while cornering. Daytime running lights keep the headlights illuminated during the day for increased vehicle visibility in traffic. The future of automotive lighting Though HID technology seems optimal for headlight use, it is the light-emitting diode, or LED, that will be commonplace on nearly all automobiles in the future. Their low cost, small size and extreme reliability will allow them to become the “light of choice” for exterior and interior automotive lighting. As LED technology is still relatively new, advancements will soon increase light output by nearly 30 timesenough to even make LED headlights feasible. Like the gas lantern hung on the first automobile, it is just a matter of time before the traditional filament-based bulb burns out completely. backRain-Sensing Wipers Windshield wipers, which have been standard equipment on most vehicles since 1916, were developed to improvevisibility during inclement weather. For nearly 100 years, drivers operated the wipers with manual controls mounted on the dashboard. Today, technology has made possible motorized windshield wipers that automatically recognize a developing visibility problem and clear the glass before the driver can react to the problem.The term “rain-sensing wipers” is commonly used for a system designed to clear the windshield of rain, snow, and debris without driver intervention. The system is programmed to automatically activate and alter the speed and rate of the wiper blades to keep outward visibility unobstructed at all times. A rain-sensing wiper system does not clean the windshield any better than a manual system; it simply monitors outward visibility and automatically activates the wipers.How do they work?The technology behind rain-sensing wipers is not complicated. A small area of the front windshield glass is monitored by an optical sensor. The sensor is designed to project harmless infrared light at the windshield at an angle and then read the amount of light that is refl