Just “LED” is not enough: Performance Figures to rate LED Headlamps

LED is synonymous with flexibility and a variety of styling and technical solutions. After the introduction of the first and second generation of All-LED headlamps, it becomes obvious that their photometric properties cover an unexpectedly wide range, from low halogen level up to real Xenon performance. Assessing modern headlighting systems is an important topic for many groups of various backgrounds. The performance of LED headlamps can only be rudimentarily evaluated using luminous flux and maximum intensity, leading to many “selfmade” criteria in consumer report media. The TC4- 45 assessment method was published in 2011 and for the first time offers an objective rating system which helps to judge road safety and performance. In this paper we test the assessment method with several headlighting systems from Halogen up to LED headlamps with different performance profiles. We show that in addition to Emax and luminous flux, a comprehensive rating method is necessary, and TC4-45 is well suited to rate the performance of headlights.