New guided headlight technology from Opel

Opel may be on a winner with new technology that directs headlight beams along the driver's line of sight.

The system has been under development for some time, but the company has enjoyed a significant breakthrough with the realisation the system can make do with a single webcam to monitor the driver's eyes – rather than multiple cameras requiring more time and processing speed.

"We've been pursuing this concept of controlling the direction and intensity of light based on where the driver is looking for around two years. The more we understand the benefits of this technology, the more intensively we push ahead with our joint project," says Ingolf Schneider, Director of Lighting Technology at Opel, referring to the company's partnership in the project with the Technical University of Darmstadt.

Initially very slow to respond, the system was improved through readjusting the camera's operating parameters and tweaking the software algorithm. Subsequently too, the system acquired peripheral infra-red sensors and central photo diodes to scan the driver's eyes more than 50 times per second in low-light conditions.

Inputs from the webcam and controlling software are translated into commands for the actuators that turn the headlight projectors in horizontal and/or vertical directions. A problem encountered early on, developing this system, was the tendency of human sight to dart around a lot. Opel's fix came in the form of a 'delay algorithm', which slowed the movement of the lights so that they didn't track erratically left and right, up and down.

The system only directs high-beam light in different directions; low beam always shines forward so that there's always some light shining in the vehicle's direction of travel. According to Opel, the system works equally well with drivers of different height.

Eye-tracking technology may remain a concept for future production cars – although not too far in the future, it seems – but Opel is already building affordable cars embracing advanced lighting systems to improve safety. The company's AFL+ bi-xenon system is available in most models and the company's LED matrix lighting system – basically the same principle as Audi's similarly named system – is due to enter production within 18 months.

And with Holden committed to populating its future product range extensively with Opel products, we can expect to see this technology in the local market also.