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Bulb Usage Analysis of LED-Type Automotive Lighting
Technical Paper
2003-01-0892
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
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English
Abstract
The technology of exterior automotive lighting is undergoing the first major change in a half-century. Manufacturers of road vehicles, including motorcycles, are increasingly using Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps in the place of incandescent light bulbs in exterior lighting applications, including brake lamps, turn signals and parking lamps.
Analysis of incandescent bulb filaments has been well documented (References 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7), and is a well-accepted practice in accident analysis. But little appears to be known about how, or even if, LED lamps respond to the forces of acceleration or direct-impact events to provide a “record” of the state of the lamp at the moment of an accident event. This project examined the responses of lighted and unlighted LEDs to both acceleration and direct impact events for indications of their state of operation when damaged.
The structures of LED bulbs were examined before they were subjected to controlled acceleration and impact events, and those baseline features were compared to the bulbs following testing. LED lamp arrays were tested in the powered (On) and non-powered (Off) states, in order to look for features analogous to the hot-shock and cold-shock characteristics seen in incandescent lamps. Powered and non-powered incandescent lamps were tested alongside the LEDs, to provide a known basis for comparison.
Accelerations from 230 to 700g caused typical hot-shock damage to the filaments of incandescent bulbs, but produced no readily observable changes in the test LEDs. Direct impact damage did cause some LED bulbs to malfunction, but even then, no clear-cut features were found to indicate whether the LED had been on or off when damaged.
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Citation
Steiner, J., Clark, N., and Thom, D., "Bulb Usage Analysis of LED-Type Automotive Lighting," SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-0892, 2003, https://doi.org/10.4271/2003-01-0892.Also In
Accident Reconstruction from the SAE 2003 World Congress on CD-ROM
Number: SP-1773CD; Published: 2003-03-03
Number: SP-1773CD; Published: 2003-03-03
SAE 2003 Transactions Journal of Passenger Cars - Mechanical Systems
Number: V112-6; Published: 2004-09-15
Number: V112-6; Published: 2004-09-15
References
- Johnson, Lindsay “Dutch” Croteau, Jeffrey Golliher, Joseph “Accelerations and Shock Load Characteristics of Tail Lamps From Full-Scale Automotive Rear Impact Collisions” SAE; Paper No. 2002-01-0548 2002
- Baker, J. Stannard Aycock, T. Lindquist, T. “Lamp Examination for On or Off in Traffic Accidents” Topic 823 of the Traffic Accident Investigations Manual Traffic Institute, Northwestern University 1985
- Keskin, A. Taner Reed, Walter S. Friedrich, Richard L. Brake Light Filament Deformation Analysis for Vehicular Collisions” SAE Paper No. 880233 1988
- Kawakami, Akira Sekimori, Hidenobu Shinohara, Akira “Accident Information for Traffic Accident Reconstruction - The Role of the Automobile Lamp Filament” SAE Paper No. 930661 1993
- Dydo, J.R. Bixel, R.A. Wiechel, J.F. Stansifer, R.L. Guenther, D.A. “Response of Brake Light Filaments to Impact” SAE Paper No. 880234 1988
- Fries, T.R. Lapp, R.O. “Accident Reconstruction - Response of Halogen Light Filaments during Vehicle Collisions” SAE Paper No. 890856 1989
- Severy, D.M. “Headlight-Taillight Analysis from Collision Research” SAE Paper No. 660786 1966
- SAE Recommended Practice J211 “Instrumentation for Impact Tests” Oct. 1988
- Bierman, A. “LED's: From Indicators to Illuminators?” Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lighting Research Center
- “The History of LED Technology”