With the launch of various cars in the market, we generally hear of terms like an all-LED setup, projectors, halogen and many more. Well no they aren't talking of birthday party decoration but it's a buzz around headlight technology.
Here is the list of different types of headlights offered:
Halogens
Xenons
Bi-Xenons
Projector lens
LED
Lasers
Lets start talking of them
Halogens:
The most basic headlamp set up and the oldest in use to date generally seen of budget cars. These bulbs are similar to the electric bulbs found in a household with filament the difference being a regular bulb heats up to emit light but these use halogen gases for improved brightness.
Xenons:
Some frame them as HID (high-intensity discharge) bulbs too. Similar to Halogens where instead of heating a filament the Xenon gases are electrically charged. They have a better throw but the downside is it has some delay and takes time to shine to its maximum potential thus it is coupled with a set of halogen units.
Bi-Xenons:
Haha, so easy it will have two Xenon bulbs right? No? *sad*. A bi-xenon uses just one xenon lamp for the high beam, which is then either moved or shaded each time a low beam is to be provided.
Projector Lens:
Yes yes, it is similar to the movie projector. Projection beam headlights work similarly to halogen headlights but feature a special rear-facing bulb. This bulb illuminates the reflective case of the headlight to cast a brighter, more focused and more uniformly lit spot. A projector lens can be used with any light source: halogen, xenon or an LED lamp.
LED:
Some of the most energy-efficient bulbs available in the market. They’re also some of the most recent to appear, and some of the most attractive. An LED setup discharges light from the movement of electrons, which is a simple and highly efficient system. Unlike the Xenon's LED's light up quickly.
Laser:
These lights stimulate a gas with a laser beam, which then glows extremely bright, emitting a powerful light. The advantage of laser lights is that they are far smaller and can illuminate the road much further ahead. It is the most insanely cool combination of two words we can think to include on an automobile description, laser headlights are a brand new technology on the market.
DRL:
LED lights that always stay lit when a car is on. Basically used for aesthetic purposes but the purpose of daytime running lights is to increase the visibility of your car so that other drivers can see you on the road and is mandated in some countries.
Cornering lamps:
These lights turn on as soon as the steering wheel is turned. So, they provide illumination way before the car does the turn, handy feature as it lights up the area the driver intends to go. The lights also switch off automatically when the car completes the turn and steering returns to the center-head position.
Digital LED:
One can drive with the headlights set to high beams. The headlight is capable of shutting select areas of the light depending on the position of oncoming traffic. This is handy for the drivers in the opposite direction as the high beams don't blind them.
Just like the engines and transmission the technology for headlights too have come a long way and will grow more.