Investigation of Horizontal Light Function Positions on the Distance Estimation by Test Persons to Ensure Road Safety

When designing new vehicles, the legal requirements of the countries in which the vehicles are homologated must be observed and implemented. The manufacturers try to consider the legal framework of the UN-ECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe), CCC (China Compulsory Certification) and FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) 108 in the same vehicle to keep the variance low. For the appearance of the vehicle, the position of the light modules in the front of the vehicle is important. In addition to the surface requirements of lighting functions, the positions of the low beam (LB), high beam (HB) and the position of daytime running lights (DRL) are also regulated. When it comes to these mounting positions, the legislation between the US and the EU differs quite significantly. The UN-ECE legal framework does not describe the distance between the left and right Adaptive Front Lighting System with a certain value, but only requires the distance to the outer edge of the vehicle to be less than 400 mm. The FMVSS 108 on the other hand stipulates, that the distance should be "as far apart as practicable". The underlying reason for that is, that the distance and width from oncoming traffic could be misjudged if the low beam is placed too far inboard of the vehicle instead of to the outer edges. For this reason, with the support of a test person study, this paper examines different horizontal mounting positions of low beam in combination with several light setup positions, to investigate the impact of the headlight position on the distance assessment. The results can be used to design future cars in such a way that innovative design can be implemented while ensuring road safety.