Different lighting technologies can be fitted individually or together to form comprehensive adaptive lighting systems.
Automatic headlight leveling systems ensure that the headlights are always correctly aligned regardless of the load the vehicle is carrying. When a vehicle is loaded, the suspension settles causing the angle of the headlights to the road to change. This can cause glare into oncoming traffic. Auto leveling headlights use a sensor to monitor the angle of the vehicle to the road. This information is then used to automatically adjust the headlights. They adjust up or down so the headlights always stay correctly adjusted. In this system, the load sensors provide information to a control module that operates servomotors fitted to the headlights causing the headlights to tilt up and down.
Some types of headlights can improve forward lighting while cornering. This type of headlight swivels through the horizontal plane so that the headlight turns into the corner as the driver turns the steering wheel. This provides better illumination of the road and verge as the vehicle turns through the corner. In this system sensors from the steering wheel provide information to a control module that operates servo motors fitted to the headlights, causing them to swivel.
Headlight systems have traditionally used reflector type lighting systems. In a reflector headlight, the light from the bulb is reflected forward by a specially shaped reflector. An alternative is a projection type headlight system. This type of headlight often has a smaller front lens, however it produces a high intensity forward beam. It uses a lens system to project the light forward rather than the traditional reflector system.
