Stand Out on the Road: The Eye-Catching DRL Lamp Design of the Hyundai Tucson
For the past year, I've been captivated by the unique design of the DRL lamp on the Hyundai Tucson. During my daily commute, I never fail to notice the unique shape of this lamp from a distance.
When the car is parked, the front DRL lamp becomes one big grille, adding to the car's already sleek appearance. But when the car is in operation mode, the DRL lamp takes on a different look. Due to the area of illumination, the DRL transforms their appearance truly effectively.
I was curious how this design was accomplished, so I researched information about it on the internet. If you're interested, I put together some simple information for you to read.
Let's start from the beginning. First, let's review the progress of the Hyundai Tucson since its initial design (image 1).
The first three generations of the car look average to me and don't stand out. The headlamp, generally speaking, is ordinary and doesn't make the car unique.
The fourth generation of the car features a revised approach, where the HL is split into two assemblies: the upper and lower. This car appears to be a completely new design and is not particularly related to its previous versions. In my opinion, it appears significantly different to me.
The upper DRL lamp, when turned off, creates a "jewel-like shape" that blends seamlessly with the overall grille design. In this instance, Hyundai utilized a technology known as "half-mirror lighting technology," and one can see the example below (image 2).
When the DRL is turned on, it causes the “dark chrome grille” to transform into a distinctive wing shape, which makes the car stand out from other vehicles on the road. Please take a look at the picture that I took recently while driving in my city so you can better understand what I mean (images 3 & 4).
The principle of the “half-mirror lighting technology” you can explain like this (image 5).
The inner part of the PC Lens is covered with a thin layer of nickel-chrome materials surface coating. This layer protects the Outer lens against heat, and the dark chrome color matches the shade of the DRL lamp grille.
Adding a nickel-chrome layer reduces light penetration and reduces efficiency. It was, therefore, necessary to reinforce the brightness of the lights in order to adhere to DRL performance. "Hyundai increased the power and number of LED units in order to increase the brightness so that it exceeded the required level, even after applying the nickel-chrome coating".
More light equals more heat inside the lamps. To prevent damage, Hyundai added Over-Heat Protection (OHP) technology. It is a temperature sensor that detects excessive heat and reduces power to regulate the temperature. This ensures the lamp works well and is durable, without reducing brightness.
The differences between the apprentice with and without the "half-mirror lighting technology" you can check in the attached image below (image 6).
To better understand the design of the DRL lamp, I created the exploded view of the main component to have a better picture of how many parts are in the final assembly. This image provides a deeper look at the lamp's components and how they work together to achieve the design. The simple exploded view of this DRL lamp from my investigation looks like this, image 7.
To sum up, I find the DRL lamp on the Hyundai Tucson to be a truly eye-catching design. Its unique "surface shape" and use of "half-mirror lighting technology" create a stunning visual effect, transforming the car's appearance from a humongous grille when parked to a distinctive wing when in operation mode. For me, this DRL lamp is a standout feature and the most eye-catching on the road today. What about you? Do you agree with my assessment, or is there another DRL lamp that captures your attention while driving around your town? I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter.