COMPUTER SIMULATION EVALUATION OF VISIBILITY DISTANCES PROVIDED BY THREE HEADLAMP SYSTEMS

A COMPUTER SIMULATION EVALUATION OF THE VISIBILITY DISTANCES PROVIDED BY THREE HEADLIGHTING SYSTEMS IS DESCRIBED. TWO OF THE HEADLIGHTING SYSTEMS CONSISTED OF LOW, MID AND HIGH BEAMS, AND THE OTHER OF LOW AND HIGH BEAMS. A CURRENTLY USED LOW AND HIGH BEAM (TYPE 6014) SYSTEM WAS ALSO EVALUATED, FOR COMPARISON WITH THE EXPERIMENTAL BEAMS. VISIBILITY DISTANCES WERE DERVIED, BEFORE AND AFTER MEETING AN OPPOSING VEHICLE WITH THE SAME HEADLIGHTS ON A STRAIGHT ROAD FOR TARGETS AT THE RIGHT SIDE AND CENTER OF THE LANE. LOW AND MID BEAMS PRODUCED GREATER VISIBILITY DISTANCES TO THE RIGHT TARGET THAN IN THE CENTER OF THE LANE, WHEREAS HIGH BEAMS WERE MOSTLY UNAFFECTED BY TARGET LOCATION. OVERALL, MID BEAMS PRODUCED ABOUT 10 PERCENT GREATER VISIBILITY DISTANCES THAN THE LOW BEAMS. THE TYPE 6014 LOW BEAM PRODUCED EQUAL OR GREATER VISIBILITY THAN THE EXPERIMENTAL LOW BEAMS, WHILE ITS HIGH BEAM WAS INTERMEDIATE IN EFFECTIVENCES COMPARED TO THE OTHER SYSTEMS. /AUTHOR/