Intelligent light systems Automotive Lighting

was presented for exceptional performance in the area of innovation. Some 450 guests from the supply industry attended the sixth presentation event at the Mercedes-Benz Centre in Stuttgart on February 27th 2014.

Working closely with its direct suppliers, Daimler employs its unique supplier cooperation model, the ‘Daimler Supplier Network’. This is based on the core principles of performance and partnership. Daimler measures performance in terms of quality, cost, delivery reliability and innovative strength. In his opening speech, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz cars, stressed the importance of the Daimler Supplier Awards. “We celebrate a winning team – the world’s best supplier network and we thank our suppliers for their loyalty and dedication”

Among this year’s winners of the 2013 Daimler Supplier Awards were Isringhausen Gmbh & Co. KG, in the area of truck seats and international expansion activities, LTH Castings, honoured as ‘Best new supplier’ for its powertrain aluminium castings, and Durr AG, for its outstanding achievements in plant engineering and machine construction. The special award for innovation went to Continental AG for its innovative touchpad for the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class models. Prof. Dr Thomas Weber commented on this award: “The touchpad of the new C-Class is as easy to operate as a smartphone. It also allows hand-written commands to be entered in many languages and provides clear, tactile feedback - a milestone towards truly intuitive use!”

A full list of winners can be found on the Daimler AG’s website: www.daimler.com

Shooting stars

Taking centre stage at the New York International Auto Show this year was the latest threepointed-star dream car: the new MercedesBenz S63 AMG Coupe. This luxurious sports car combines supreme power and performance with ground-breaking efficiency. AMG remains in the fast lane throughout the world in the performance car class and has exceeded last year’s sales by more than 50 per cent.

Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH said, “The new S63 AMG Coupe is another exciting AMG dream car in the luxury segment. Now the S-Class Coupe also comes with the option of performance-orientated AMG 4Matic all-wheel drive, as we rigorously pursue our all-wheel-drive initiative. Mercedes-AMG is putting the pedal to the floor again in 2014”

The new V-Class from Mercedes-Benz is also causing a stir in the growing MPV market. As the youngest and largest member of the passenger car family from Stuttgart, it sets new benchmarks in its segment with its design and host of innovations. The new V-Class combines room for up to eight peo-

ple with exceptional functionality, comfort, efficiency and safety profiles. Zetsche added, “Functionality is a must for an MPV. Comfort and style are the icing on the cake. The new V-Class combines both in a way that no other vehicle in this segment can offer”

Daimler Trucks plant celebrates its 50th anniversary

Daimler’s state-of-the-art truck manufacturing plant in Tramagal, Portugal, celebrated 50 years of truck production this year. The company was originally founded as a joint venture between the family-owned Portuguese firm: Duarte Ferreira and the former French truck manufacturer Berliet. After Mitsubishi Fuso became the owners in 1980 and it subsequently became Mitsubishi Motors Portugal, it finally became part of Daimler AG in 2004. Today the Tramagal facility is incorporated into Daimler Truck’s global production network to enable the plant to meet the international quality standards for the Fuso Canter truck and to exploit the advantages of collaboration.

Daimler AG’s Tramagal plant is located 150 km northeast of Lisbon and covers over 39,000 square metres. At this modern facility more than 300 employees manufacture Fuso Canter trucks for around thirty European countries. Sales of Fuso trucks in Europe last year rose to over 4,500 units.

In order to prepare the plant for the future, Daimler Trucks has invested more than €27 million in its modernisation and production operations as well as in the further development of its best-selling Fuso Canter truck. Over €5.5 million of the funds allocated to the plant will be spent on the development of the new battery-electric Fuso Canter E-Cell. The Portuguese government is also supporting the development with an investment of three million euros. n

INTELLIGENT LIGHT SYSTEMS

For about 25 years car manufacturers have offered, in addition to robust Halogen bulb based headlamps, alternative lighting options equipped with High Intensity Discharge lamps (HID) – called ‘Xenon’ light. For more than 10 years, electronically controlled Adaptive Frontlighting Systems (AFS) from Automotive Lighting with dynamic beam pattern variation have been improving driving safety during the night by enhancing visibility under different and difficult driving conditions. Nowadays, the new ILS-Systems are fully equipped with LED light sources.

“Since 2008, when Automotive Lighting started the production of the first all-LED headlamp for the Audi R8, the potential of semiconductor based light sources which offer vast terrain of styling opportunities with scalable performance and adaptable functionalities combining safety benefits with styling opportunities has grown,” said Johannes Geywitz-Senn, head of Marketing at Automotive Lighting, a division of Magneti Marelli Group.

Enhanced signal and adaptive main functions have been developed and offered with the aim of increasing driving safety during day and night. Adaptive lighting functions are adjusting the low beam pattern of headlamps according to the specific driving conditions.

Customised solutions for intelligent lighting systems

Automotive Lighting keeps developing lighting systems with typical brand signatures in close cooperation with carmakers all over the world. The carmakers offer a broad program of alternative solutions according to the needs of their customers. AFS-headlamps enhance driving safety and comfort, and provide an enormous added value. “For that reason they have become the standard in the flagship vehicles of Europe’s best carmakers and the option for nearly all car segments,” comments Ilona Rutkiewicz, responsible for Marketing Communication at Automotive Lighting. A few years ago, Volkswagen was the first carmaker that offered camera-controlled ‘Glarefree High Beam’ (GHB) as enhanced safety related technology has set a new standard within vehicle lighting technology. The UN/ECE-regulation R-123 permits lighting systems which encompasses various functions including: static bend light or cornering function, dynamic curve light, motor way light and glarefree high beam. (Pic.2) Using continuously improved elements of modular concepts, the set makers customise the desired lighting solution for each carmaker. Automotive Lighting incorporates innovative technologies in different scenarios which are in line with the particular DNA of carmakers’ vehicle programs.

How it works

All adaptive lighting functions are activated when the automatic mode is selected by the driver. The high class adaptive lighting systems use vertical and horizontal beam control. The function to which the most attention is paid is camera supported glarefree high beam. The camera located behind the windscreen monitors the traffic. Once oncoming traffic is detected, the camera sends the signals of their positions via CAN-Bus to the electronic control unit of the headlamp. Depending on the concept philosophy of the lighting system, the light distribution is controlled either electro-mechanically or electronically. During the electro-mechanical control, the integrated stepper motors are used to swivel or level the modules and to