On the new BMW 7 Series an illuminated lighted striped pattern on the ground makes it easier to enter the vehicle in the dark. Franchiser researchers developed special micro optic lenses for this application to channel light from the vehicle underbody directly onto the ground, illuminating the path to the car.
The micro lens projects light beams from the underbody to the ground in a striped pattern covering around four square meters at the vehicle doors on both sides.
The BMW Welcome Light Carpet is installed on the body sill to the vehicle underbody under the driver’s door. Their micro optics feature micro lenses that aim the light directly at the desired surface.
They use 150 extremely small projectors and can alter the intensity of the light by altering the number of micro-projectors used. For the application in the car they constructed a 10 x 10 mm² micro optic assembly that is fitted with a glass cover.
To protect the sensitive device against stones thrown up while driving, the opening was positioned on the underbody facing away from the direction of travel. Meanwhile, minor smudges of dirt on the glass cover are no problem for the specialized optics because the numerous individual projectors represent a multi-channel lighting design: Dirt may reduce the brightness under certain circumstances, but the light will never be completely blotted out.
