Mercedes Benz and Hella have developed a new Intelligent Light System with five different functions to suit several motoring conditions. The system is débuted on the new E-Class.
Mercedes Benz and Hella have developed a new Intelligent Light System with five different functions to suit several motoring conditions. The system is débuted on the new E-Class.
German lighting specialists Hella have developed adaptive headlamps for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class that adjusts to different driving and weather conditions “within fractions of a second”.
Based on Hella’s VarioX module, the Intelligent Light System uses a projector-type system replacing the standard bulb shield with a free-form drum. Different light settings are determined by a small electric motor that rotates the corresponding contours to change the light function.
The Intelligent Light System used in the E-Class also uses existing bi-xenon headlight technology and includes five different lighting functions – country, highway, fog, active bend lighting and cornering.
The new country light illuminates the edge of the road brighter and over a greater range. The driver’s visual range is extended by roughly ten metres.
In motorway mode, the light switches on automatically at speeds greater than 88 km/h. The light produced stretches up to 120 m ahead of the car, about 50 m more than before.
With the fog setting engaged, orientation in fog is improved with the light sweeping lower than before, while also reducing light reflection by the fog.
A further development of the active bend light introduced in the E-Class in 2002 is the cornering light, which increases safety and visibility on corners and through bends.