Do changes in voltage result in proportional changes throughout headlamp beam patterns?

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of voltage changes on beam patterns of low-beam headlamps. Seven different types of filament lamps were tested. The voltages used were 12.0, 12.8, and 13.5 V. The photometry was performed from 20° left to 20° right, and from 5° down to 5° up, all in steps of 0.5°. The main finding of this study is that for all seven lamps tested, voltage changes between 12.0 V and 13.5 V caused light output to change by the same proportion throughout the beam pattern. Therefore, for filament lamps, it is reasonable to use a single constant for all values in a beam pattern when converting a headlighting specification at one voltage to a specification at a different voltage, at least if the voltages in question are between 12.0 V and 13.5 V. The obtained constants across the seven lamps tested were similar to each other. Furthermore, these constants were in general agreement with the constants derived by using the standard IES formula relating light-output changes to voltage changes.