Mercedes-Benz says the new E-Class is equipped with a new innovation that means it is the first car in the world where the headlamps continuously adjust to the respective traffic situation.
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The system, it says, was jointly developed by Daimler and Hella engineers and gives the driver the best possible road illumination without dazzling other road users.
The new ‘high-beam assistant’, which is available as an option, uses a camera on the windshield to detect oncoming vehicles or vehicles travelling in front, and controls the headlamps so that the light cone ends before the other vehicles.
The range of the low beam can also be increased from 65 metres to up to 300 metres and, if the road is clear, the system gently switches to high beam. As soon as the camera detects other road users at a distance of up to 800 metres, the range of the headlamps is correspondingly adjusted ‘within milliseconds’. The system is available from a speed of 35mph.
Mercedes says that tests prove enhanced safety from the system. Despite oncoming traffic, groups of pedestrians at the edge of the road were detected at a distance of around 260 metres which is 150 meters earlier than with a conventional low beam.
In addition, the system contributes to taking the strain off the driver as he or she no longer needs to operate the dip beam controls and can concentrate on the task of driving.
“The system is based on the interaction of image-producing sensors, powerful software for image processing and state-of-the-art lighting technology,” says Steffen Pietzonka, head of lighting marketing at Hella.
“In addition to the maximum possible visibility for the driver, the dazzling of other road-users is ruled out as the headlamp cone always ends at their vehicles.”
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