Fascination Technology. High-Tech in the BMW 7series.
Complete lighting equipment and more from Hella.

Bi-Xenon for the new BMW 7-series

Complete lighting equipment from Hella

74 LEDs in the combination rear lamp

light guide technology on the interior

intelligent current management
 

Lippstadt/Germany, September 2001. Bi-Xenon headlamps as well as LED and light guide technology are state-of-the-art components of the exterior and interior lighting of the new BMW 7-series which Hella has developed in close cooperation with BMW specialists. In addition there are the electronic components such as the power module for energy management and the VNT actuator in the turbocharger of the V8-turbodiesel engine which has to work under extreme conditions (high temperatures and extreme vibrations).

The headlamp system:

The 7-series is presenting a new face within the BMW model series: for the first time the indicator light (with double-chamber reflector and two bulbs, in white or yellow) has been positioned above the striking twin headlamps. These are available in two versions: one version with a Bi-Xenon projection module (dipped beam and main beam lamp are produced using only one Xenon bulb per headlamp) and additional halogen main beam (for flashing headlamps). This is the most powerful high-tech headlamp available at the moment using the brand-new Mark 4 Xenon control unit and will make up the lion’s share of the standard series equipment. There is also a halogen version available, with H7 dipped beam and main beam light. Light guide rings surround the round twin eyes, as was the case with the 5-series, and take over the functions of position or parking light.

The combination rear lamps:

Absolutely unique is the combination rear lamp system developed by Hella using 74 (or 80 for the US version) visible light emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources, something which has never been achieved in this form in the world before.
Flasher lamp (bulb) and a combined tail/brake light with 25 LEDs on each side form the two outside lamp units. Facetted reflectors and the visible LEDs take over the task of light distribution together. The tail light (with 12 LEDs per side) is continued in the narrow red light strip on the boot lid. The rear fog lamp (with halogen bulb) is also integrated in this. The intelligent control electronics of the rear-end lighting make it possible to make the brake light into the tail light if necessary, or even - by changing the software accordingly - to produce a multi-section brake force display which indicates the brake force applied. At the moment this is allowed in the USA but not in Europe. A further component of the signal lamp unit is a clear-glass combination of reversing and numberplate lamps and an integrated soft-touch boot opener.

Neon Rearlights in the 7series

 For the first time Hella is using a newly developed macro reflex reflector in the combination rear lamp, which no longer works on the usual principle of total reflection: the light comes in through the pattern-free lens, meets the high-sheen vapour-plated macro reflex reflector and is outputted parallel to the incoming light beam after three-fold reflection. This makes it possible to give combination rear lamps with transparent covering lenses a completely homogenous, brilliant appearance.

 

Interior lighting:

The concept of ambient interior lighting in the new 7-series BMW is unique: Eight ambient light apertures and four business reading lamps offer optimum comfort and safety for the driver and passengers, the value of the luxury interior is particularly emphasised. In order to improve the spatial perception of the interior in the dark through indirect lighting, Hella is using four CELIS light guides with LED light sources (positioned in the doors). Gentle incident light makes door trims with arm rests, handles and switches visible as 3-dimensional objects.
There is a further light guide integrated into each of the outer door handles which illuminates the entry area as well as the door handle and cavity as soon as the central locking system has been activated. The CELIS light sources are in the door trim.

The second generation of high-performance reading lamps is going into series production, and for the first time these lamps are using facetted free-form reflectors each consisting of 256 computer-generated individual segments. A certain part of the area to be illuminated is allocated to each segment. The result: despite the extremely small light aperture of only 18 millimetres in diameter the useful luminous flux has been able to be increased considerably and provides passengers in both the front and the back with a high-performance ”business light” for comfortable newspaper reading or laptop work. Additional LEDs in the reading lamp units radiate orange-red incident light which discreetly underlines the interior contours and makes orientation in the dark easier.
 

Intelligent current management:

The high-performance ”power module” for energy management in the new 7-series BMW is a joint development by BMW and Hella, with Hella producing and supplying the control unit as a series product. This black box, around 8 x 20 centimetres in size, contains extremely complex hard- and software which is responsible for supplying the on-board current intelligently to some 70 different control units with comfort and safety functions.
One central function of the control unit is current management for optimising the energy resources and improving the battery charge. Sensors record the consumer and charge current, the battery voltage and other parameters of the on-board mains. This information is used to determine the current operating condition of the vehicle battery and the complete on-board mains. Critical situations, such as imminent discharging of the battery or constant excess current are recognised early and prevented by corresponding adaptation of the charge balance and temporary strategic switching off of electrical consumers. If the vehicle is not moved for longer periods, a battery switch provides additional safety. This switch can be activated manually to protect the battery from discharging if the vehicle is left standing for several weeks (at the airport, for example).

Source:

Hella KG Heuck & Co.
D-59552 Lippstadt
Internet: www.hella.com
More Infos: info@hella.de.
Report: November 2001