The Evolution of Automotive Headlamps

In 1987, Stanley Electric's developed a revolutionary product, the multi-reflector (MR) headlamp, which added light distribution control functions to the reflector, whereas it had originally served only to collect light. This product paved the way for new technology for the control of light distribution to suit the driving conditions.

In 1996, the light source evolved from halogen bulbs to high intensity discharge (HID) lamps, which offered twice the brightness with the same power consumption. This brought night visibility one step closer to daytime visibility.

In 2009, Stanley Electric's became the first manufacturer in the world to mass produce headlamps with LEDs, something we had been developing for many years, as the light source. The power consumed by LEDs was two-thirds that of HIDs, providing even further progress in energy conservation.

2014 saw the development of the Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB), a system that controls the distribution of light to suit the driving environment. This technology eliminated the driver's dilemma between blinding the drivers of oncoming vehicles with headlamps on high beam and failing to notice pedestrians with them on low beam, making a dramatic improvement in night-time visibility.

We are currently considering adopting lasers as the light source for headlamps. Because this would improve distant vision and enable fine control of light distribution, making what is currently invisible visible, we expect it to provide further improvements in safety.

We believe that, as self-driving cars become common and the electrification of automobiles advances, automotive lighting will also undergo further evolution. Stanley will continue with its challenge to eliminate traffic accidents at night.