Hyundai Mobis has developed a new futuristic headlight technology called "HD Lighting" that can help reduce traffic accidents at night by displaying driving information on the road surface in real time, including traffic signs that otherwise mode may not be visible. Hyundai says the new technology not only has communication features for drivers, but also for pedestrians.
The HD lighting system can visualize road signs in the form of text or figures and display them on the road surface. For example, the headlamp can show that there are road construction ahead using symbols relevant to drivers. You can also project a crosswalk signal on the road surface with headlights to help pedestrians cross the road safely.
The system consists of micro LEDs that are light sources and a Digital Micro Mirror Device (DMD), a collection of small mirrors that together act as a reflector. Information obtained from the front sensor (camera) and GPS can also be combined to provide the driver with the necessary information. The high-resolution lighting system contains approximately 25,000 tiny 0.04mm-wide LEDs, which is 250 times the number of LEDs installed in LED headlights (80-120 LEDs) currently in mass production. This allows the lamp to control the light more sensitively since it has a much larger number of LEDs.
DMD is a superfine modulator that reflects light using microscopic mirrors. Light from high-intensity LEDs is reflected by 1.3 million digital mirrors to project desired shapes and symbols onto the road surface. The LED lights can be individually controlled to display clear and accurate information about the road, regardless of road conditions.
The lighting system reflects the data fed by the camera sensor and GPS in real time. For example, when a vehicle approaches a construction area, the high-resolution lighting system displays a large 1.5 meter "under construction" symbol 15 meters in front of the driver, and can also inform the driver of the limit of speed. Hyundai says this will help the driver easily recognize when the car is approaching a pothole and where the highway entrances and exits are while looking ahead.
The high-resolution lighting system is also claimed to proactively prevent pedestrian accidents. The camera sensor recognizes a pedestrian while driving through a remote alley and displays a virtual lane on the road when the car comes to a stop. The technology is called "communication lighting," which not only communicates with pedestrians with emergency lights or a horn, but also with headlamps.
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