Bend lighting can now be used on public roads

Lippstadt, February 26 -- - On the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate starting in March - Last necessary ECE-Ruling change published 31st January 2003

The new T-model E-Class Mercedes-Benz is optionally available with active bend lighting. The swivelling bi-xenon system has been jointly developed by Hella lighting specialists and Mercedes engineers. The last change to Mounting Rule R48 necessary for approval was published on 31st January 2003. This means that new vehicles with dynamic bend lighting can now be used on the road. The necessary changes to ECE-Regulations R98 (for xenon light) and R112 (for halogen light) were introduced on 10th December 2002.

This innovative active bend lighting significantly improves active road safety, with the bi-xenon headlamps following the car driver's steering movements and swivelling to the side as soon as he steers into a bend. This means that the range of the dipped beam light in bends can be increased by up to 90 percent: where the area usually illuminated when driving into a bend with a diameter of 190 metres is around 30 metres, the new headlamp technology extends this by a further 25 metres. Since the beam pattern corresponds to the respective steering angle, the driver can recognise the course of the bend early and adapt his driving style accordingly.

Active bend lighting works both in the dipped beam and main beam functions and is continually adapted to the respective driving speed. While at high speed the headlamps follow the steering angle in seconds, the swivelling mechanism works correspondingly slower at lower speed, distributing the light where the driver needs it.

A micro-computer integrated into the electronic data network of the T-model and which is continually fed with up-to-date information about the steering angle and speed sensors controls the active bend lighting. For this purpose, the two bi-xenon modules are both fitted with an additional separate electronic unit and an electric motor, which are responsible for the horizontal swivelling movements.

The basis for the active bend lighting is the most powerful driving light currently available in bi-xenon technology from Hella, optionally available in the new T-model E-Class (fitted as standard in the Avantgarde model). The xenon light is projected precisely and glare-free onto the road with the aid of an aspherical glass lens 70 millimetres in diameter. A movable shutter is responsible for the appropriate beam pattern: when raised it produces the cut-off prescribed for dipped beam light, when lowered it makes room for the driving light. Thanks to this extremely precise projection technology, road illumination is very wide and bright. The unusually wide, intensive driving light ensures more safety on free stretches of road and the light colour remains the same when changing from dipped beam to main beam light. The complete bi-xenon system also includes a dynamic headlamp levelling system, which compensates changes in load as well as acceleration and braking processes in milliseconds, as well as a lens cleaning system.

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