Recently, traffic accidents during nighttime driving have increased. Fatal accidents while cornering are a particularly serious problem. The possibility was considered that the causes of such accidents might be either a driver's mistake during a steering maneuver due to low visibility or an unsuitable watch point due to the angle of conventional fixed lighting distribution. In an attempt to solve these problems, the "Active Head Light (AHL)" system was researched and developed. It is capable of improving visibility on curves and guiding the driver's eyes to a suitable point. In this system, the beam or lighting distribution is properly controlled before the vehicle enters the curve by using road shape information from the car navigation system. It is confirmed that when using AHL, visibility on curves during nighttime driving can be maintained at about the same level as that during daytime driving and that the driver's mental stress during nighttime driving is decreased. It is also confirmed that the glare level of this system for oncoming vehicles is equal to that of conventional headlights. It is concluded that this system will help the driver to maintain proper driving maneuvers during nighttime driving like that of daytime driving. (A)
Abstract