By Daniel Stern, DVN General Editor
From designers and engineers to researchers and regulators, it seems every sector of our community is abuzz about matrix-beam headlamps. They’re regarded as the cutting-edge technique for realising an adaptive driving (or glare-free high) beam, which in turn is considered a technological holy grail to resolve the longstanding conflict between seeing and glare with headlamps at night.
Now from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Intel Research, both of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. comes an idea for a headlamp system that could leapfrog matrix beams as we know them today. Their recently published a paper entitled “Programmable Automotive Headlights” describes a system of much finer resolution, much faster response, much lower latency, and much more versatile functionality than even today’s high-end matrix beam systems and raster-scanning spinning-mirror concepts. The researchers say their system not only can produce an excellent nonglare high beam, but can also improve drivers’ seeing in snowstorms, provide a dynamic waypath by lighting a driver’s lane more brightly than adjacent lanes, provide high-contrast lighting of lane markings and sidewalks, and provide advance warning of obstacles. The system, which is a big advance over previously-reported concepts from the Carnegie Mellon team (1 and 2) includes an image sensor, processing unit, spatial light modulator, and beam sensor.