Design and manufacturing of a setup for the testing and evaluation of a motor vehicle’s front fog lamps in an environment recreating fog effects

Abstract

The main aim of the project was the design and manufacturing of a laboratory setup capable of testing and evaluating a vehicle’s front fog lamps per rigorous engineering standards. Furthermore, the need was to design benchmark experiments to be used while evaluating fog lamps. One of the main requirements was to have a laboratory setup free from the interference of external light. For this purpose, a frame made of steel pipes was constructed, and covered with water-proof nylon (a parachute fabric). This setup provided us a testing rig free from external light interference and environmental factors. Within this setup, two different types of experiments were conducted. The first one was related to the beam patterns of sample lights, and the analysis of how a certain beam pattern relates to the performance of the luminaire in real-life settings. The second experiment was related to the recreation of the effects of fog using a net constructed of jute ropes. This net served as an attenuating medium through which some of the light passed, and some of it was reflected. The data obtained by this experiment was compared with previous tests conducted by our partner team in real fog conditions on the M-1 in Kala Shah Kaku, Pakistan. Finally, conclusions were drawn about the performance of different sample lights, and recommendations were made to further develop and broaden the scope of the endeavor.