System Strategies and Technology for Improved Safety and Comfort with Adaptive Headlamps 2001-01-0299

The introduction of innovative new technologies is related to aspects of safety and to human factors as comfort level and visual appearance. The intelligent headlamp system that is currently being developed allows the combination of the different aspects of driving comfort and safety.

The top performing headlamp generations of the future will be the successors of the today’s standard low beam. By using the sensor information available in the car, the light distribution will be adapted to different driving situations and generate an optimized light distribution. Relaxed and safe driving is the goal. Investigations concerning adaptive headlamps are presented. Highway, country road, curves and turning situations are examined by investigating detection distances of standard objects and by rating safety and comfort. Photometric measurements rating glare effects during curve road driving for different headlamp control algorithms are carried out. This investigations show that adaptive curve lights can reduce glare by using suitable curve light parameters.

On the basis of all results the improved safety and comfort for nighttime driving by using intelligent adaptive headlamps can be quantified.