Synopsys ‘LucidDrive’ offers design and analysis tools for automotive lighting
The US-headquartered Synopsys, the embedded solution provider, advances the virtual simulation of adaptive headlights with its new version of ‘LucidDrive’ software. The software helps analyse the headlight’s performance during dynamic driving conditions. The company provides various solutions and the key to its success lies in the 5-pronged advantages: Speed and accuracy, safety, cost effectiveness, better product and easy design.
“We give complete development chain of software solutions. We have systems in place which have all the features to evaluate automotive lighting. We have specialised tools for head lamps, signal lamps among others which respond very fast on the changing traffic conditions. Our response time is 10 times faster. The product endorses safety as all the sequential steps are taken care with various iterations for the end-product to meet the standards. Our solution is also cost effective discounting multiple prototype models. The product will be oneup in the market if right mix of simulation techniques are carried out and our digital tool box does that taking on new tasks fervently. Precision is the utmost part in the automotive lighting and we have specailsed tools for engineers to optimise the design without compromising the vital needs,” Andreas Bielawny, Manager CAE, Optical Solutions Group, Synopsys Inc., told Auto Components India. The company provides software solutions for tier-1 and tier- 2 suppliers with its optical programmes. It has a small optical division which takes care of all these needs. The software provider predominantly works in ‘build to print’ style but the company has the capability to suggest the design inputs on request.
The ‘LucidDrive’ software is a night driving simulation software which gives emphasis on light distribution in the dynamic environment. It gives virtual simulation of headlight road performance in dynamic traffic scenarios. It includes multiple vehicles in night-driving scenarios, each programmed with different characteristics and velocities to enhance realism. It has intelligent driver model based on which the high accuracy calculations of traffic flows and patterns are
calculated. The user defined parameters like vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration and braking capabilities are taken care with this model. Automatic lane changing maneuvers are expedited. Customised vehicle behaviours can also be scripted with the support of this software. The company has a library of road scenes and the simulations are taken care of with the help of this.
LucidDrive products provide a complete set of design and analysis tools for automotive lighting. With dedicated algorithms optimized for automotive applications, the software facilitates the design of automotive forward, rear and signal lighting, and reflectors and lenses. In addition, the LucidDrive tool provides night-driving simulations that generate realistic lighting scenes in real time, which allow designers to quickly and accurately evaluate beam patterns of vehicle headlamps prior to expensive fabrication and testing.
By simulating changing driving conditions and individual vehicle behaviours, the traffic situation feature in the simulation tool can effectively analyse Adaptive Frontlighting System (AFS) headlights, which must adapt the light distribution, detect and illuminate obstacles and automatically mask out the high beam to prevent glare for oncoming vehicles.
“Virtual night-driving simulations are gaining importance for new headlight types such as AFS, where it is critical to validate beam patterns that must respond to changing driving conditions and driver behavior,” George Bayz, Vice President and General Manager of Synopsys’ Optical Solutions Group, said. The LucidDrive Traffic Simulation feature demonstrates how technical advances in nightdriving simulations can help designers assess and improve AFS capabilities.
AFS carries with it a lot of important aspects. The way it is designed has reduced a lot of complexities which was spotted in the traditional lamps. Even in the complicated electronic systems with multiple LEDs, AFS has the capability to dim the LED on encountering dazzling, satisfying the complicated and sophisticated precision requirement. It is connected with Matlab and Simulink through which the customers can change the settings for multiple inputs. These technologies will soon reach the Indian market also. Given India is cost sensitive, the simulation provider stated, cost optimisation in the production chain should be taken forward. To highlight, the light manufacturers like Varroc are coming up with low cost LEDs driving in cost optimisation in their production chain.
“The software provided by us works for all light sources. Depending on the quality of the model and the information we have, precise prediction can be witnessed. Indian market has emerged as one of the fastest developing markets. Not only the premium segment beholds the LED, even the small segment has started experiencing the LED-moves. It is definitely not a surprise if the domestic market will be LED-driven in 5-6 years. The market reckons the same and all the manufacturers are market-ready and poised. Our Unique Value Proposition is that we provide customers with a software with bespoke features where a little bit of programming could help them arrive at their specifics without letting out their trade secrets,” Bielawny said.
In india, Synopsys has R&D centres in Noida, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. It does engineering and designing works here but there is no optical division in India. “We are the market leaders now and need to sustain this position. All the upcoming technologies in the automotive lighting can never huddle the optical divison as this forms the base and we are the forerunners. We guarantee that our software will give all the necessary results in one mock-up which was once taking a week or more. We try to emphasise this strength and continue to be the leader,” he said.