Mercedes-Benz released their latest Digital Light digital lighting technology in 2018, and Audi also released their digital matrix LED (DML) headlights in 2021, matrix headlights, laser headlights, which can no longer meet the requirements of today's manufacturers for new era lights. With the advent of the era of intelligent driving, in addition to the interaction in the car, the interaction between the vehicle and the exterior will also be undertaken by the lighting system, and the projection headlights evolved by DLP technology are very eye-catching. If in the past years, we really can only look at it, now the times have changed, Gaohe, Zhiji and other new forces in China have come to the fore, while having DLP digital projection headlights, there are also ISC digital interactive headlights, technical parameters have surpassed foreign manufacturers, becoming the forerunner of new things. Today we will study what DLP and ISC are. What exactly does the smart lighting system of the future look like?
01
What is DLP? Isn't it a projector? How did it become a headlight?
In fact, it is not wrong at all, DLP technology is developed from the projector, the technology to replace the traditional LCD of the projector is called DLP, and the DLP digital projection headlights of Mercedes-Benz and Audi are called Digital Light and digital matrix LED (DML) respectively. Hey, so that you can't understand it, with complex and gorgeous but no practical meaning of the word packaging a simple technology, making money is not chilling, and domestic manufacturers such as Zhiji clearly gave the name DLP.
The internal principle of the DLP digital projection headlight is basically the same as the DLP projector, and the principle is simple: the digital micromirror chip DMD is reflected through the lens, and the digitally edited information is projected to the ground in front of the car. Is it not, the headlight projection floor to make a curtain, and the projector structure is the same as a dime.
Vehicle-grade DLP projection headlight technology is mainly mastered by Texas Instruments, as early as 1987 Texas Instruments developed the first DMD digital microscope device, in 1996 DLP projector officially came out. Previously, Texas Instruments used DLP technology in projectors until 2018, when it cooperated with Mercedes-Benz as a semiconductor supplier to develop high-resolution headlamp technology.
So in 2018, Mercedes-Benz released the first projection headlight technology, which was installed on the S-class Maybach, with a resolution of 1 million pixels (720P), and the technical parameters of the current HiPhi X PML programmable smart headlights are relatively close to it. The DLP projection headlights on the new S-class are now in their second generation, and the parameters, especially the resolution, have also been greatly improved.
At present, the resolution of the DLP digital projection headlight released on the Zhiji L7 has reached 2.6 million pixels (close to 2k), and the resolution has remained consistent with the current Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but it is one-third higher in brightness than Mercedes-Benz, and the lighting effect should be better than that of Mercedes-Benz.
The DLP digital projection headlight equipped with the Zhiji L7 has a projection resolution of 2.6 million pixels, an INTEGRATED DMD digital micro-chip and an AI vision chip with 3 TOPS computing power, and 2.6 million micron-level microreflectors that can be independently controlled, which can achieve precise control, and the beam propagation path and brightness range change with the angle of the microconducer.
02
Zhiji L7 DLP digital projection headlight
Zhiji L7 has developed many use scenarios for the first product, and can also update the latest functions in real time through FOTA, DLP projection headlights mainly have two major functions, driving etiquette scenes and driving assistance scenes, in addition to combining ISC headlights and rich personality interaction functions.
Driving etiquette scenes
Pedestrian courtesy mode: After opening the pedestrian courtesy mode, when encountering pedestrians during the driving process, the intelligent car language system can throw two rows of interactive arrows to the ground in front of it through DLP. The ISC at the front of the car will also display dynamic pedestrian signage for friendliness. At the same time, the ISC at the rear of the car will also synchronize the animation of "the little man crossing the road", telling the vehicle behind it that "I am giving way to pedestrians, please wait a little." When pedestrians are passing, the intelligent car language system will cooperate with the perception system of the intelligent driver to monitor the incoming car in real time. If a vehicle is approaching, there will be flashing no-go signs on both sides of the DLP projection on the ground, and isc will appear yellow and flash, in order to warn pedestrians and prevent the occurrence of "ghost probe" accidents. After pedestrians pass, the owner can also "like" the rear car through the ISC intelligent interactive taillights to create an elegant and friendly traffic atmosphere.
Pedestrian courtesy mode will also be combined with intelligent driving to achieve full automatic opening, complete the automatic stop, courtesy and warning functions of the vehicle.
Low-speed driving trajectory mode: The intelligent car language system will also be combined with intelligent driving in the future, equipped with low-speed driving trajectory projection function. When the user summons the vehicle or uses the automatic parking function, the vehicle will automatically drive out at a low speed and project the driving trajectory light effect in front, allowing the user and surrounding pedestrians to know the vehicle's driving path, which is friendlier and safer.
Driving assistance scenarios
Navigation assistance: Combined with navigation information, the intelligent car language system can achieve lane-level navigation guidance. When it is necessary to focus on driving at night, by projecting arrows pointed at the road surface, the user's gaze can easily obtain guidance information without leaving the road surface, reducing the user's driving fatigue and improving the safety of driving through complex intersections at night.
NOA lane change assist: When the vehicle is in a smart driving state and is about to actively change lanes, the intelligent car language system will throw a lane change blanket in advance. It can effectively indicate the vehicle's travel route, so that the user and the vehicle in the next lane have a clearer understanding of the vehicle's next driving direction.
Wide light blanket: Through the vehicle perception system, automatically identify the narrowing of the front lane, DLP can project a light blanket of the same width as the car, helping users to find risks in time and better judge the passability in front.
Pedestrian warning: In the low-light night scene, when the vehicle is quickly driving on the road with mixed people and vehicles or more forks, the infrared camera can automatically identify pedestrians and electric vehicles, and the intelligent car language system will also timely locate the position of pedestrians and electric vehicles through the DLP projection beam, and project pedestrian icons on the ground in front of it to make warning actions and remind users to pay attention.
Front car distance reminder: When the vehicle is driving at high speed, such as too close to the car in front of the car, once the time exceeds 3-5 seconds, the intelligent car language system will project a radar pattern to the road in front, warmly reminding users to pay attention to maintaining the distance. According to the driving habits of different drivers, there will be two levels of sensitivity selection; secondly, the distance judgment can change with the speed of the car, which not only ensures safety, but also does not frequently disturb the user.
03
What is ISC? Can you raise an electronic dog in the headlights? Can the taillights type?
The technology of ISC digital interactive headlights is not as mysterious as DLP projection headlights, and we have not seen the street full of marquee advertising light signs? Clear-eyed people know at a glance that it is a digital programmable screen technology, using LED or OLED as a light source, and independent chips and software are controlled.
However, we have to admit that the creativity of our Chinese nation is still very rich, in fact, we have seen such a design on some of the previous new energy products, simple and rude to put the advertising light sign on the car, the price editing module in the car machine, and then the price speech recognition, you can already shout to others through the front and back screens!
Vehicle-grade products are not outdoor light plates, nor LED marquee lights, durability, adapt to the shape of the body, rich content display, complex control units, which need to be polished by the car standard level to really apply to the car.
Zhiji L7 is equipped with TI Texas Instruments automotive grade 48-channel LED driver TLC6C5748-Q1, through highly integrated independent LED pixel control, due to the use of LED direct drive scheme, reduces the power consumption level of ISC modules, and also helps to extend battery life.
5000 independent LEDs in the whole vehicle: 255 levels of brightness can be adjusted independently, two-color control, presenting a rich sense of dynamic lighting effects; 30000nits ultra-high brightness: to achieve all-weather, multi-scene image display, even during the day, still clearly visible.
04
Zhiji L7 intelligent car language system
ISC intelligent interactive headlights are not independent of the existence, and DLP projection headlights together to form a complete set of intelligent car language system, many DLP functions when the ISC will also have the corresponding animation display, in addition to the official to give a variety of functional combinations, the future through the community self-created or official updates, can get FOTA. The intelligent car language system has a separate Linux architecture operating system, as well as a separate TI system-level chip, which is actually a chip of the entire central control system of many models, and Zhiji only uses it as DLP and ISC
Light welcome: When the perceived user is approaching, the intelligent car language system will open the DLP+ISC projection/display welcome animation in advance, giving a unique sense of ceremony to the trip.
Warm-hearted pet welcome: The intelligent car language system has launched a pet welcome mode. Users can get "healing energy" from the animation of kittens and puppies before getting on the bus, and start a new journey in a better mood.
Battery display: When the user walks to the vehicle, the car language system will display the current power of the vehicle on the ISC, so that the user has a number. When the vehicle is charging, the intelligent car language system will indicate that the vehicle is in a charging state on the ISC light group, and display the power state with an intuitive image, which is convenient for the user to understand the charging process outside the car.
Artistic Textured Skin: The intelligent car language system combines the beauty of art and technology to bring 3 artistic textured skins: craftsman, shadow and mirror. Users can choose freely, texture design is very artistic, such as system skin or theme design, the future will be increased through the official or community.
Hand-drawn lighting game: The intelligent car language system can project the user's real-time drawn image in front of the vehicle, bringing users an unprecedented scene-based "painting" experience.
Personalized light show: Users can import video materials into the intelligent car language system and project them at high resolution, coupled with the customization of sound effects and ISC, users can create exclusive scene-based light shows and feel the personalized lighting experience brought by the unique sense of ceremony.
05
The track bet of the future smart headlights has begun!
After years of technological progress, the headlights have developed from simple lighting uses, to improving lighting effects, to intelligently controlling lighting, to more and more refined control. The arms race of manufacturers is becoming more and more fierce, preparing for the era of digital intelligence, mining consumer demand, increasing the interactive function of vehicles through programmable digital headlights, improving the humanized atmosphere, and making cars begin to become digital products.
The evolution of smart headlights is very rapid, in addition to the Texas Instruments-led DLP and ISC we just mentioned, there are many traditional headlight suppliers, HeLa's matrix type, LCD type, OSRAM's μAFS type, Koito's Blade scan type, Bosch's MEMS type, and many manufacturers have OLED type. On the supplier side, we see that Zhiji and Gaohe are standing behind Huayu Vision, and the closer cooperation between SAIC and Huahe Vision has allowed Zhiji to get technical support that is significantly better than Gaohe.
The future of car headlights, has been unable to meet the simple lighting, active safety functions and richer lighting scenes by the current matrix LED headlights can be satisfied, but today's intelligent cars have been excavated out of the interactive needs, the new and more complex headlights shoulder the more complex and clearer interaction functions inside and outside the car, the back lane of courtesy, to the pedestrians to give way information, for the rear car to show the front of the occluded situation, remind other lanes of their own driving route changes and so on from the basic to complex information, It can also display guidance information such as navigation instead of the HUD and AR HUD in the car.
From the actual use of the scene, the amount of information that the headlights can carry and display has been greatly improved, and more information has brought endless possibilities, but also put forward higher requirements for the formulation of regulations, if someone has taillights on the screen swear words, what to do? Don't be surprised, there are such problems in the current Products of Gaohe.
At the same time, how to establish industry norms, service life, durability standards, maintenance costs, collision safety, etc. all need to be standardized, in addition to suppliers and manufacturers of product control, and the audit of the software side, but also need to rapidly promote and establish government policies and norms, can not fully hope for consumer autonomy or user community self-fermentation.