CES 2015| BMW Lit Up The Show With Intelligent LaserLight 2.0 & OLED Technology

on January 8, 2015 at 10:33 am

“We at BMW do not build cars as consumer objects that just drive from A to B. We build mobile works of art” — BMW Spokesmen

At the CES 2015, BMW proved that it’s the world leader in laser light technology. Following previous generations of headlights as Angle Light and Corona Light, the German Automaker introduced an M4 concept that boasted the latest LaserLight Technology — LaserLight 2.0 — which is claimed to be smarter than LaserLight 1.0 that has been equipped on BMW i8 cars.

It’s a great lighting technology that comes on a great concept. The BMW M4 Concept Iconic Lights model, with exterior paintwork in Cool White metallic, features a new interpretation of the typical BMW twin round headlights. Inside the laser headlights, the coherent monochromatic blue laser light is converted into harmless white light. A special optical system directs the rays from the high-performance diodes onto a phosphor plate inside the light, which converts the beam into a very bright white light similar to natural daylight and is pleasant to the eye. Despite consuming 30 percent less energy, the parallel light beam is ten times more intense than that produced by halogen, xenon or LED light sources

At up to 600 metres (1,970 feet), the range of BMW LaserLight 2.0 is more than twice than that of conventional headlights, offering a more sharply sculpted design. The camera-based BMW Selective Beam system, which is controlled by dynamic actuators, prevents oncoming or preceding vehicles being dazzled and allows the laser high beam to be left on at all times.

BMW’s engineers had been working hard to improve new intelligent lighting functions by integrating it with assistance systems and vehicle sensors. Integration with the navigation system allows the proactive Adaptive Headlight control system to illuminate corners even before the steering wheel is turned. A new dimension is also added to the Night Vision system’s Dynamic Light Spot function of LaserLight 2.0, which will help to detect from a distance of up to 100 metres (328 feet) by infrared camera and spotlighted by the laser-based Dynamic Light Spot, a long range than that of any other system. Moreover, if the car detects reduced clear road width ahead, the laser headlights can be used to provide ‘narrow clearance’ lighting. A laser projection function indicates the exact width of the vehicle in relation to the road to allow safe passage through the narrow space.

Along with the LaserLight 2.0 Technology, BMW also presented the new OLED Technology, which was displayed on the back of the M4 concept. It is used in the tail lights and rear direction indicators. By activating the OLED segments individually, it’s possible to create different rear lighting effects in different driving modes. Whereas normally the L-shape is wide and uniformly illuminated, in Sport mode a different-shaped light pattern can be used by activating only some of the OLED segments. The rear light then appears as a narrow, focused and sharply defined ‘strip’ of the light. Also, thanks to the flexibility of OLED Technology, the designers are now able to create new, more three-dimensional yet sharply defined appearances.

“Lighting is an important design aspect in modern vehicles in both safety and signature,” said a BMW’s engineer. BMW confirmed a production model featuring OLED technology in the near future.