Lighting specialist Osram has unveiled a new headlight innovation in the shape of SMARTRIX modules which feature silicone lenses that enable vehicle lighting systems to be extremely small and compact. 

Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO Specialty Lighting at Osram says Matrix light not only contributes to greater road safety but also gives headlight designers greater freedom thanks to its smaller dimensions. To meet the demands of the automotive industry for more and more compact smart headlights, Osram has taken this technology an important stage further with the development of innovative SMARTRIX, an amalgam of “smart” and “matrix”. “By using new materials for the lens systems the company has been able to make the SMARTRIX modules even smaller and more durable, so that vehicle manufacturers have even more freedom in designing their headlights.

Matrix headlights offer improved visibility at night and in poor weather conditions. The smart distribution of light ensures that the road is illuminated with a high level of precision and maximum light output without dazzling oncoming drivers. The LEDs can be controlled individually, “pixel by pixel”, so specific areas of the road can be illuminated or masked out as required. 

The standard plastic lenses which have been used in the past few years for matrix systems could no longer meet the requirement to be placed closer and closer to the light source. Osram therefore looked for a new material for the lenses and developed the SMARTRIX modules which are equipped with lenses made of silicone as this material emerged as the best alternative to plastic, with longer life and high resistance to heat and radiation. These lenses can also be attached directly to the LEDs, making the product much smaller overall.

First-generation SMARTRIX modules from Osram will appear on the roads in the autumn of 2017. Meanwhile Osram is already working on the next generation which will offer multi-line matrix functionality in one module, and the chance to make headlights even more compact.