Do (and how do) auto dipping headlights work?
Discussion
I noticed Mercedes are fitting auto dipping headlights to some of their top end cars. And no doubt, just as Ford Fiesta Titaniums now have rain sensing wipers etc, this will filter down through the ranges and manufacturers.
But how do they work? If you're doing 60mph in a Merc on full beam on an A road and a car on dipped beam comes round a corner the other way in the distance, by the time your Merc has "seen" the oncoming car, you've blinded the bejesus out of them surely!?
I can't see how a self dipping system can self dip without seeing the oncoming headlights.
So how do they work, and more importantly (given everyone will have them in a few years), do they actually work?
But how do they work? If you're doing 60mph in a Merc on full beam on an A road and a car on dipped beam comes round a corner the other way in the distance, by the time your Merc has "seen" the oncoming car, you've blinded the bejesus out of them surely!?
I can't see how a self dipping system can self dip without seeing the oncoming headlights.
So how do they work, and more importantly (given everyone will have them in a few years), do they actually work?
its even more sopphisticated than simply high beam on or high beam off according to the blurb here
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Sep08/25_001417_Merce...
'The brand new Mercedes technology is based on a camera positioned on the inside of the front windscreen, which monitors the traffic situation in front of the car. Thanks to an intelligent image processing algorithm, the camera can recognise other vehicles and determine their distance. The range of the bi-xenon headlamps can then be varied and continuously adapted to the distance of the car ahead or to oncoming vehicles. The system has lightning quick reaction times, transmitting new data to the headlamps every 40 milliseconds.'
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Sep08/25_001417_Merce...
'The brand new Mercedes technology is based on a camera positioned on the inside of the front windscreen, which monitors the traffic situation in front of the car. Thanks to an intelligent image processing algorithm, the camera can recognise other vehicles and determine their distance. The range of the bi-xenon headlamps can then be varied and continuously adapted to the distance of the car ahead or to oncoming vehicles. The system has lightning quick reaction times, transmitting new data to the headlamps every 40 milliseconds.'
chris_w said:
My Dad drove a friends Insignia with this feature last week. Said it worked very well, even recognising when you're following another car so as not to blind them in their rear view mirror.
Sorry, posted the above before I saw your post. That's interesting that they work that well (and re-assuring).If the concept works, it would be far quicker to react than a human so I think that is the least of the potential problems.
I really dislike this trend towards relying on technology for things that are not a problem for the driver. For one thing, it's yet another disconnect between the driver and the tonne and a half of steel they're controlling, but also driving is such an dynamic process that most of this stuff just doesn't deal with it properly.
I really dislike this trend towards relying on technology for things that are not a problem for the driver. For one thing, it's yet another disconnect between the driver and the tonne and a half of steel they're controlling, but also driving is such an dynamic process that most of this stuff just doesn't deal with it properly.
Normally I'd agree with you, I hate all this "lane departure warning" type crap that litters cars these days, if people need a warning to tell them they've strayed out of lane than it's a bad job!
However I think auto dipping (if it works, as it seems to judging by the above) is like rain sensing wipers. They're just so convenient in the way that you don't have to constantly be fiddling with the intermittent delay or switching them on and off. Put it this way, you're no safer in the dry because you're not fiddling with the wipers so why should you be safer in the rain not fiddling with the wipers?
Auto dipping lights is like that, if it removes a layer of having to fiddle about then good stuff, and a long way removed from not having to concentrate items like auto braking and lane departure/guidance which just gives people an excuse to pay less attention as they think the car will alert them/deal with the situation for them.
However I think auto dipping (if it works, as it seems to judging by the above) is like rain sensing wipers. They're just so convenient in the way that you don't have to constantly be fiddling with the intermittent delay or switching them on and off. Put it this way, you're no safer in the dry because you're not fiddling with the wipers so why should you be safer in the rain not fiddling with the wipers?
Auto dipping lights is like that, if it removes a layer of having to fiddle about then good stuff, and a long way removed from not having to concentrate items like auto braking and lane departure/guidance which just gives people an excuse to pay less attention as they think the car will alert them/deal with the situation for them.
I was a passenger in an Audi A6 with this the other week. It was very impressive indeed. Self-dipped for oncoming cars quickly enough to avoid blinding them, and dipped for the tail lights of cars we followed too.
It's not as quick to dip as a driver with good anticipation who's seen the spread of light from an approaching car, but it's quick enough that you'd never get flashed by an oncoming car.
It's not as quick to dip as a driver with good anticipation who's seen the spread of light from an approaching car, but it's quick enough that you'd never get flashed by an oncoming car.
AcidReflux said:
It's not as quick to dip as a driver with good anticipation who's seen the spread of light from an approaching car, but it's quick enough that you'd never get flashed by an oncoming car.
Indeed, you or I would see the lights of an oncoming car before it rounded the corner. I think it would be a hard task to make a system that could do that reliably without false positives/negatives.(My new car has rain sensing wipers, and they are great.)
Ari said:
Normally I'd agree with you, I hate all this "lane departure warning" type crap that litters cars these days, if people need a warning to tell them they've strayed out of lane than it's a bad job!
However I think auto dipping (if it works, as it seems to judging by the above) is like rain sensing wipers. They're just so convenient in the way that you don't have to constantly be fiddling with the intermittent delay or switching them on and off. Put it this way, you're no safer in the dry because you're not fiddling with the wipers so why should you be safer in the rain not fiddling with the wipers?
Auto dipping lights is like that, if it removes a layer of having to fiddle about then good stuff, and a long way removed from not having to concentrate items like auto braking and lane departure/guidance which just gives people an excuse to pay less attention as they think the car will alert them/deal with the situation for them.
Dont compare a system found on french hatch back with something from luxury car . Auto lights and wipers were a dream on my lexus , on the passat they are just annoying However I think auto dipping (if it works, as it seems to judging by the above) is like rain sensing wipers. They're just so convenient in the way that you don't have to constantly be fiddling with the intermittent delay or switching them on and off. Put it this way, you're no safer in the dry because you're not fiddling with the wipers so why should you be safer in the rain not fiddling with the wipers?
Auto dipping lights is like that, if it removes a layer of having to fiddle about then good stuff, and a long way removed from not having to concentrate items like auto braking and lane departure/guidance which just gives people an excuse to pay less attention as they think the car will alert them/deal with the situation for them.
Merc E500 Coupe has them and they work amazingly well. Set the arm to high beam and drive as normal. They only activate when the light level requires them so street lights stop them working. Once the road goes dark then you see the shield rise and the beam extends and widens.
If the system detects a car approaching then they dip the shield and it cuts down the beam.
Really simple and effective. However, it is a system I could easily manage without. It's a nice to have but that's it.
Auto wipers that work well are a great boon as I hate squeaky wipers on a dryish screen. I find that mine work really well and wipe as required.
If the system detects a car approaching then they dip the shield and it cuts down the beam.
Really simple and effective. However, it is a system I could easily manage without. It's a nice to have but that's it.
Auto wipers that work well are a great boon as I hate squeaky wipers on a dryish screen. I find that mine work really well and wipe as required.
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