Automotive Lighting

Ensure the highest levels of performance, accuracy and quality for interior and exterior automotive lighting.

Ensure the highest performance, accuracy and quality for both R&D as well as production by using Imaging Colorimeters and Photometers from WP. Additionally, take fast, accurate measurements with our easy-to-use, customizable, intuitive Photometrica Image Analysis Software and specialized software packages, meeting certification and testing requirements in minutes.

Automotive manufacturers today are able to take advantage of many modern lighting trends aimed at inspiring and satisfying consumers while improving comfort and safety. Lighting systems used in vehicles create an atmosphere, add style, hint at a quality, and even evoke a feeling. But regardless of whether the interior or exterior lighting is based on LEDs, traditional bulb lights, or more advanced electronics, optimizing the light source for consistency and performance is of critical importance to not only manufacturers and drivers, but also other motorists and pedestrians. Failure to provide accurate results can lead to failing standards tests, loss of contracts, and unfavorable customer experiences.

Interior Lighting

Center Stack and Instrument Cluster Displays

Electronic displays for navigation, instrumentation and entertainment systems are commonplace in modern vehicles. They have evolved from small screens with a couple of dials, to complex instruments providing interactive content such as temperature controls, and speedometers or other gauges with automated back lighting to highlight corporate branding and other decorative features. Regardless of the time of day, customers have high expectations of a comfortable viewing experience, as well as touch displays to match state of the art smart phones and tablets.

Uncontrolled light intensity and brightness can become a driver distraction, consume additional power, and reduce clarity. To ensure expectations are met manufacturers are raising performance metrics. Imaging Photometers and imaging colorimeters together with Photometrica Image Analysis software from WP provide fast, accurate measurements. Specialized software packages include the Display Testing Package and the Uniformity Spots Package.

Head-up Displays (HUDs)

Head-up displays (HUDs) are see-through virtual displays that appear in the windscreen of a vehicle directly in the driver’s line of sight. When luminance and symbology are optimized for varying conditions, HUDs provide drivers with vital data that is easy to see and consume, replacing analogue drive systems that were unreliable and required a lot of power.

WP’s imaging colorimeters with electronic lens control and Photometrica® software including the Display Test and Head Up Display (HUD) packages provide HUD manufacturers with:

Fast, accurate measurements at any working distance
Consistent luminance with high-resolution symbology, tested under variable light conditions
Ability to measure HUD specific tests required by SAE J1757-2
Flexibility to work with legacy cathode ray tube (CRT) systems as well as new advanced digital display solutions

Instrument Graphics

Uniquely identify, analyze and summarize each glyph (character or symbol) in the Area of Interest (AOI) table. Apply pass / fail criteria such as color region and luminance limits or other uniformity metrics, and evaluate glyphs individually and as part of a local group. Specialized software package includes the Graphics Testing Package.

Headlamps and Signaling Lights

Headlamp and signaling lighting intensities are regulated by the FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards), the CMVSS (Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards), and other international standards. In order for R&D and Production to quickly and concisely meet these standards, imaging photometers and imaging colorimeters can be used to measure lamp intensity beam patterns, uniformity and other lighting characteristics. The Beam Pattern Package provides a production-ready solution that includes:

Menu-driven setup and measurement
FMVSS, ECE or custom arrays of test points
Pass/fail analysis
Export to IES or CSV file formats
Evaluation of beam pattern gradients
Evaluation of roadway illumination distribution
Display and export Bitmaps, isoplots, and cross-sections
Supports a wide range of measurement geometries

Additionally, the specialized Uniformity Spots Package can also help meet certification and testing requirements, quickly and easily.

Styling Lines

Luminous strips of lighting can provide ambiance, illumination and brand distinction. They can affect how we think and feel about an automobile, providing a positive, stylish, aesthetic impact on drivers and potential customers. As a result, conveniently assessing the uniformity and strength of these curved or straight lighting elements is a must. WP’s imaging colorimeters or imaging photometers combined with the Styling Line Testing Package will help ease automotive manufacturer testing efforts while benefiting from smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more reliable lighting solutions.

Automotive manufacturers today are able to take advantage of many modern lighting trends aimed at inspiring and satisfying consumers, while improving comfort and safety. Lighting systems used in vehicles create an atmosphere, add style, hint at a quality, and even evoke a feeling. But regardless of whether the interior or exterior lighting is based on LEDs, traditional bulb lights, or more advanced electronics, optimizing the light source for consistency and performance is of critical importance to not only manufacturers and drivers, but also other motorists and pedestrians. Failure to provide accurate results can lead to failing standards tests, loss of contracts, and unfavorable customer experiences.

Contact Us