It’s happened to us all – driving down a dark road at night only to have an oncoming car pass without switching off their eye-gougingly bright high beams.
Volvo’s solution to this ocular-automotive problem is called Active High Beam Control and will debut at the Geneva Motor Show March 5-17. Active High Beam Control is unique in the way it works. Unlike other systems that simply turn the high beams on and off automatically, Volvo’s system blocks light from shining on oncoming vehicles.
It works by using a tiny cylinder with metal pieces of different sizes integrated into the headlights that shade the high beam’s light from hitting cars and motorcycles. Objects are detected by the on-board camera already used by the auto brake systems.
The camera is located next to the rear-view mirror on the front windshield and is accurate enough to frame objects with only a 1.5-degree margin. Essentially, a driver can proceed down a dark road without worrying about switching the high beams off and reducing visibility when an oncoming car approaches.
Active High Beam Control will be offered on the 2014 S60, V60, and XC60.
Check out the video below.
