Siemens VDO Automotive claims that its innovative high-pressure washer system allows original equipment manufacturers to use Xenon and high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting and meet European headlight safety requirements.
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“Due to the type of plastic used in Xenon and HID lenses, traditional wipers can scratch and score the headlight,” said Siemens VDO automotive business development manager Andreas Reger. “Our system employs a high-pressure spray solution that blasts road grime away allowing vehicle manufacturers to meet European lighting safety requirements.”
European law requires vehicles with Xenon or HID lights to have headlight washing systems capable of cleaning off dirt that can diffract light and blind oncoming traffic.
The Siemens system uses the industry’s first telescoping nozzle to employ an electronic actuator to retract and fit flush with the bumper surface. A pump driven by a DC motor delivers large quantities of washer fluid at high pressure to the headlight nozzles. The fluid strikes the headlight lens evenly due to the vertical movement of the telescoping nozzle, cleaning with a single 0.7 to 1.5 second burst.
In conjunction with the vertical movement, patented fluidic chips mounted on top of the telescopic nozzles produce a meandering fluid jet pattern enabling the high-pressure spray to clean almost the entire surface of the headlight lens. The fluidic chips can be adapted to suit any headlight model and make.
Compared to conventional halogen units, HID lights have a styling advantage, offer twice the illumination, are more cost effective to replace, allow for finer tuning of the beam pattern and require less operating power. Washer systems such as this allow vehicle makers to use HID lighting systems on models sold in Europe.
The use of HID lighting on European vehicle applications is projected to grow to approximately 65% over the next two years, which is likely to translate to increased adoption by the North American market, where it only accounts for 6% of the headlight market.
The Siemens washer systems are available on several European passenger vehicles including the new Volkswagen Phaeton.
