Valeo has won the R&D award for its PictureBeam Monolithic technology, the first high-definition LED smart lighting solution. The award is among the 2019 Innovation Awards for Franco-Chinese Teams, given at a ceremony held at MEDEF’s headquarters in Paris on December 16,

This innovative technology will be available on the market from 2022 and will significantly improve road safety at night.

Organized by the France China Committee and backed by the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in France, the Innovation Awards for Franco-Chinese Teams aim to recognize and reward the innovative excellence of joint projects developed by French and Chinese bicultural teams, whether in companies, universities or laboratories. The jury is chaired by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Capable of projecting around 4,000 pixels onto the road from a single lighting module, PictureBeam Monolithic produces a very wide beam of light, for an optimal field of vision, and offers the best anti-glare function available to date.

According to Valeo, this new technology also improves the driver’s night-time visibility of pedestrians, cyclists and obstacles on the road. If the vehicle’s cameras detect a pedestrian, for example, the lighting system automatically shines more light on the surrounding area, enhancing visibility without blinding the pedestrian.

PictureBeam Monolithic also offers driving assistance functions, thanks to its ability to create road markings. The headlamps can be used, for example, to trace the various bends in the road, improving both safety and driving comfort.

In 2018, Valeo’s Research and Development expenditure amounted to 2,073 million euros (Rs 16,403 crore), or almost 13% of the Group’s original equipment sales. Valeo has 59 R&D centers worldwide and some 20,000 R&D engineers among its 113,000 or so employees. Innovation is without a doubt the driving force behind the Group’s growth, with innovative products (those that didn’t exist three years ago) representing 53% of total order intake in 2018.

In 2018, for the third year running, Valeo took first place in France’s 2018 INPI industrial property institute rankings, with 1,355 patents published during the year, versus 1,110 in 2017, consolidating its position as the most innovative company in France. For the third year running, Valeo was also named the top French patent filer with the European Patent Office (EPO),with 784 patents published in 2018 (18th worldwide).