The last ten years have brought numerous innovations in light sources and optical technique. AFS…LEDs…Lasers, and more. But really, the crown jewel innovation in automotive lighting is ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam, also called Glare-Free High Beam). It reached the road in production on the VW Touareg and Phaeton in 2010, and after a few more years LED matrix ADB systems came along, such as those on the 2014 Audi A8 and other models. While the systems all do the same thing in theory—give equipped the driver nearly full high-beam seeing and exposing other drivers only to low-beam glare—the state of the art is advancing rapidly and the methods of achieving the goal are proliferating.
This 60 pages report on ADB and matrix beam explains ADB technology, its benefits and challenges, the science and research on its efficacy, the four technical solutions, in production, development and research phase, with respective SWOT appraisals, and annotated assessment of the ADB driving experience.
Example systems described and assessed in the report include that of the Audi A8, A7 and TT and Mercedes CLS, all launched recently. Worldwide setmakers’ production or readiness status is elucidated with regard to ADB/Matrix, and there are interviews with R&D Directors from a variety of involved companies.
There’s a state-of-the-regulations section covering ECE and US, and interviews with three automakers’ lighting directors: Wolfgang Huhn from Audi, Uwe Kostanzer from Daimler-Benz, and Gunnar Koether from Volkswagen who give their vision on ADB.
It’s a timely, informative, engaging report of value especially for those in our lighting community who aren’t involved on a day-to-day basis with the rapid development of this “holy grail” technology that stands to resolve the longstanding conflict between seeing and glare in traffic at night.