This study was designed to provide a preliminary evaluation of the possible effects of haze in plastic lenses of headlamps on the performance of low-beam headlamps. The approach was to simulate the effects of haze by applying Gaussian (normal) spread functions to each point of a beam pattern. The simulation used actual photometry from a U.S. headlamp. The measure of interest was the percentage change, at each point in the beam pattern, of the luminous intensity with haze compared to the luminous intensity without haze. Seven levels of haze were simulated: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, and 30 percent. The main conclusion of this study is that haze of considerably less than 30 percent has the potential to be a major factor in the performance of headlamps with plastic lenses. Further research is needed to clarify the haze effects of actual headlamps. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting