Hyundai Mobis Smart Headlamps: A Game-changer in Night-time Accident Prevention
Written by Sanjay Kumar
Hyundai Mobis
Automaker corporation
- Parent organization: Hyundai Motor Group
- Subsidiaries: Mobis Parts Australia, Mobis Alabama LLC, MORE
- CEO: Sung Hwan Cho (Dec 2020–)
- Headquarters: South Korea
- Number of employees: 7,612 (March 31, 2014)
- Founded: 1977
Hyundai Mobis introduces an innovative headlamp technology named ‘HD Lighting,’ which presents a futuristic solution aimed at minimizing nighttime road accidents.
HD Lighting System is a technology that visualises road signs in text or shapes and projects on the road surface. For instance, it can display symbols indicating road construction ahead to assist drivers, while also projecting crosswalk signs using lamp lights to enhance pedestrian safety during road crossings.
Hyundai emphasizes that this groundbreaking advancement caters not only to drivers but also encompasses communication features designed to benefit pedestrians.
The HD Lighting System utilizes micro LEDs as light sources, along with a digital micromirror device (DMD) composed of tiny mirrors that function collectively as a reflector.
The system combines input from the front sensor (camera) and GPS navigation, integrating the data to provide drivers with necessary information. The HD Lighting System incorporates approximately 25,000 micro LEDs, each with a width of 0.04 mm. This high LED density, 250 times greater than that of LEDs found in current mass-produced LED headlamps (which typically have 80-120 LEDs), enables the lamp to exert precise control over light, making it more responsive.
The DMD serves as an ultra-precise controller, utilizing microscopic mirrors to reflect light. By employing 1.3 million digital mirrors, the system can project desired shapes and symbols on the surface of the road by reflecting light emitted from the densely-packed LEDs. Individual control of the LEDs enables the projection of clear and accurate information regardless of the prevailing road conditions.
Real-time data from the camera sensor and GPS navigation are reflected by the lighting system. For instance, when a vehicle approaches a construction zone, the HD Lighting System displays an “Under Construction” symbol that is 1.5 meters in size, appearing 15 meters ahead of the driver. Additionally, the system can provide information about the speed limit, aiding drivers in recognizing speed bumps and identifying highway entry and exit points while focusing on the road ahead.
The HD Lighting System is also designed to actively prevent pedestrian accidents. Through the camera sensor, it can identify pedestrians while driving through remote alleys and project a virtual crosswalk on the road surface when the car comes to a stop. This feature, referred to as “communication lighting,” enables not only communication with pedestrians through emergency lights or a horn but also through the headlamps themselves.
