Toyota Pushing NHTSA To Allow Active High Beams
05-14-13, 05:52 AM
#1
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Toyota Pushing NHTSA To Allow Active High Beams
Along with attempts by Audi in the past, the Japanese automaker wants rule changes in order to sell shaded highbeam.
In Europe and Japan, trick high beams are becoming the new feature to have on cars, with some 16,600 of Toyota’s advanced lighting units sold to customers. However, in the United States and Canada, automakers are not able to market these technical marvels to customers due to their legality, or lack thereof.
Toyota wants to change this and has asked NHTSA to review their rules surrounding high beam lights in vehicles, reports Automotive News.
The shaded high beams allow drivers to use the increased illumination more consistently. When a camera detects the presence of an oncoming automobile, a shade within the headlight housing becomes active and blocks direct light to the opposing vehicle. This allows the drivers of both cars to see much better at night.
For its part, NHTSA has said they are open to changing the rules which currently state cars to have high beams and low beams, with no settings in between.
Currently, in Canada, there are vehicles that dim high beams automatically when detecting an oncoming vehicle. But, no solutions currently on the road are as advanced as Toyota’s developed technology for other locales.
In Europe and Japan, trick high beams are becoming the new feature to have on cars, with some 16,600 of Toyota’s advanced lighting units sold to customers. However, in the United States and Canada, automakers are not able to market these technical marvels to customers due to their legality, or lack thereof.
Toyota wants to change this and has asked NHTSA to review their rules surrounding high beam lights in vehicles, reports Automotive News.
The shaded high beams allow drivers to use the increased illumination more consistently. When a camera detects the presence of an oncoming automobile, a shade within the headlight housing becomes active and blocks direct light to the opposing vehicle. This allows the drivers of both cars to see much better at night.
For its part, NHTSA has said they are open to changing the rules which currently state cars to have high beams and low beams, with no settings in between.
Currently, in Canada, there are vehicles that dim high beams automatically when detecting an oncoming vehicle. But, no solutions currently on the road are as advanced as Toyota’s developed technology for other locales.
05-14-13, 10:43 PM
#5
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If we can just get the powers that be to agree thst much like the war on drugs & the laws enacted therein, NHTSA & their laws are now an impediment to progress and causing the US to fall behind in yet another area. Fortunately it seems that they seem to be open to revisiting some aspects...if only they would appoint a commission to review everything.
05-15-13, 05:58 AM
#7
difference is that Lexus LS since 2012 has a system that blocks high beams only partially... like upcoming S class. So it blocks only part of the light where it detects upcoming traffic, rest of the beam is still high beam.
Kind of cool that Lexus has had this already.
Its not on-off automatically, like other cars (for instance Auris/Corolla/Rav4 have this in Europe now).
Kind of cool that Lexus has had this already.
Its not on-off automatically, like other cars (for instance Auris/Corolla/Rav4 have this in Europe now).
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05-15-13, 05:59 AM
#8
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Automatic high beams are also available on the Toyota Venza but the headlamp technology now available in Europe and being pushed by Toyota and Audi in the USA is different.
Cars with automatic high beams have a camera in front of the interior rear view mirror that can detect if another car or a person is in front of the car and TURN OFF the high beams. The new active systems do not turn off the high beams but "dip" part of the headlight that would otherwise shine into the oncoming car or person. This is done in Toyota's technology by lowering a mask to block the upper portion of the beam. In Audi's technology, I believe that they turn off individual lamps in their multi-lamp headlights.
The American NHTSA currently allows for high beam on or off, with nothing in between. The new active technologies would leave the "high beams" on but block out only those portions of the beam that would cause trouble. If you look at the diagram in the article, it seems possible that the new active technology would dip the high beam immediately in front of the car but leave the high beam shining off to the sides. That would be great to detect and not blind oncoming traffic yet still see far ahead on the shoulder of the road -- great on dark country roads.
Cars with automatic high beams have a camera in front of the interior rear view mirror that can detect if another car or a person is in front of the car and TURN OFF the high beams. The new active systems do not turn off the high beams but "dip" part of the headlight that would otherwise shine into the oncoming car or person. This is done in Toyota's technology by lowering a mask to block the upper portion of the beam. In Audi's technology, I believe that they turn off individual lamps in their multi-lamp headlights.
The American NHTSA currently allows for high beam on or off, with nothing in between. The new active technologies would leave the "high beams" on but block out only those portions of the beam that would cause trouble. If you look at the diagram in the article, it seems possible that the new active technology would dip the high beam immediately in front of the car but leave the high beam shining off to the sides. That would be great to detect and not blind oncoming traffic yet still see far ahead on the shoulder of the road -- great on dark country roads.
05-15-13, 06:22 AM
#10
well obviously thats thought of as well, i would assume that at that point, complete high beam is blocked...
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