Lang-Mekra to Debut Automatic Dimming SPD Truck Mirrors
13 November 2000
Lang-Mekra to Debut Automatic Dimming SPD Truck Mirrors At the 2000 SAE International Truck & Bus Meeting & Exposition
RIDGEWAY, S.C. & WOODBURY, N.Y.--Nov. 13, 2000--World's largest manufacturer of commercial vehicle mirror systems
will feature fast-responding SPD light controlling technology
developed by Research Frontiers to control glare, reduce driver
fatigue, increase comfort, and promote motor vehicle safety
Lang-Mekra North America, LLC and Research Frontiers Incorporated are pleased to announce that Lang-Mekra will be presenting new technology for glare reduction in commercial vehicles at the Society of Automotive Engineers International Truck and Bus Meeting and Exposition. Lang-Mekra's SPD mirror, which automatically and instantly adjusts to changing driving conditions to control glare, will make its worldwide public debut at the upcoming SAE show in Portland, Oregon, from December 4-6, 2000. Research Frontiers is the developer and licensor of suspended particle device (SPD) light-control technology. Mekra, the world's largest producer of commercial vehicle mirror systems, is a licensee of Research Frontiers for SPD automatic glare control truck mirrors.
Keith Spittler, Sales Manager for Lang-Mekra, noted; "At the SAE Show, we will be demonstrating to the truck industry several solutions to reduce glare. The new technologies being showcased, including fast responding SPD mirrors which can control glare automatically, are part of Lang-Mekra's continuing efforts to provide our customers with the most innovative solutions to promote driver safety and comfort."
John Tobias, Director of Automotive Marketing for Research Frontiers, noted: "Until now, large trucks have had no effective solution to the safety and comfort problems caused by glare from approaching headlights or the sun. Alternative light-control technologies, such as electrochromic technology which is currently used in smaller-sized mirror systems for cars, SUVs and light trucks, have been unable to offer the speed of response necessary to effectively and quickly reduce glare. As the surface area of a mirror increases, the response time for electrochromic technology becomes even slower. SPD mirrors can respond instantly, regardless of size. This makes SPD technology very well suited for use in large area applications such as truck mirrors and sunvisors, sunroofs, and windows."
This year's SAE International Truck and Bus Meeting and Exposition (www.sae.org) promises to be the largest exposition of its kind ever, with over 110 exhibits featuring new technology, products and services for the truck and bus industry. In addition, there will be technical sessions and an in-depth forum by industry experts on truck safety. Studies have shown that self-dimming rear-view mirrors can not only improve driving comfort and reduce driver fatigue, but can also improve safety by reducing the reaction time to driving hazards. Reported studies have shown that 60% of rear-end, intersection and head-on collisions could be avoided if drivers had an additional one-half second of reaction time. Reduced glare may also improve a driver's ability to judge the distance of other vehicles, which makes passing and turning safer. A good mirror is particularly important since heavy trucks usually do not have interior rear-view mirrors like passenger cars, so truck drivers must rely heavily on their side mirrors and reportedly look at them every 7-10 seconds while moving. Also, commercial truck drivers, especially drivers of Class 7 and Class 8 trucks, do much of their driving at night when headlight glare is a particular problem.
The market for self-dimmable rear-view mirrors has reportedly grown at a 35% annual rate since 1992. At present, electrochromic self-dimming mirrors are utilized in many automotive models and account for about 6 million of the estimated annual worldwide production of 150 million rear-view mirrors for new cars and trucks. Currently, less than 5% of all vehicles worldwide have automatic dimming interior mirrors, but industry participants estimate that eventually one half of the 50 million light vehicles produced every year will contain an automatically dimming mirror.