Adaptive Driving Beam –  Automatic Light Control without Glare

Rainer Neumann

Varroc Lighting Systems GmbH, Germany

 Contact: rneuman8@varroclighting.com

Abstract—The development in automotive headlamp technology has lead to driver assistant systems, which offer automatically the optimized light distribution for various kind of traffic and road conditions. Basis for such systems is a camera, also used for lane departure warning, distance control etc., which covers all the necessary information of proceeding and oncoming traffic. The coordinates and speed of these road users determine the type of structure of the light distribution. The target is to achieve a type of high beam without glaring other road users. This is, why the official definition : adaptive driving beam (ADB) is also known as glare free high beam. The paper describes the type of technologies, which are currently used, the light sources and the future direction of adaptive driving beam. Additionally, as ADB was first released in ECE with regulation 123 and regulation 48 in 2012, the future opportunities for adapting these systems also in US will be discussed. This process is currently ongoing and will hopefully be successful soon. The big advantage of ADB is the comfort the driver has once he will turn on the automatic mode of light control. Several investigations have found out, that a driver with ADB is using app. three times as much high beam mode compared to a driver with a manual switch. The seeing distance in average is increased by app. 30m, which is a tremendous amount and gives the chance to detect obstacles much earlier than with conventional systems. And the driver is more relaxed with this comfort, as the beam control avoids any glare of all other road users. The forecast of this technology in the automotive industry  is very promising for all markets and also for smaller vehicles. As for the LED headlamps, where a OPTI-LED headlamp solution is offered, for ADB there will be a OPTI-LED Matrix headlamp available.  

Keywords: LED Headlamps, LED Matrix Beam, Glare Free High Beam