With precision becoming the number one factor in the headlamp lighting industry for improved driving without blinding oncoming traffic, a technological breakthrough in automotive lighting has been created by modern LED technology. This innovative development known as bendable headlights got its name due to its unique bendable light source structure.
While some of the latest luxury car brands such as Porsche, BMW, and Audi have already been fitted with “around-the-corner-car advance headlight lighting system” to achieve better “round the corner illumination,” before its invention, mechanical assemblies were expected to switch sections of the headlight or the entire headlight. However, thanks to advancements in technology, such complicated mechanical assemblies are no longer used.
Thanks to LED technology, Advanced Forward Lighting Systems (AFS) can now be applied even more easily and made compatible with any car headlight housing. On curved roads or when approaching a sharp bend or corner, a bent headlight increases the visual range of the driver – allowing him to see an oncoming vehicle, blind spot, or obstacle on time. Also, while driving at night, the path of the road and obstacles can be seen sooner and even more clearly.
How Does the Bending Headlight Work?
When cornering at low speeds, bendable headlights are designed to illuminate the direction of travel to help improve nighttime driving. More like a projector headlight, the bendable headlight system operates by using inputs from the steering angle sensor and vehicle speed information from the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) control module, which is operated by the Body Control Module/GateWay Module (BCM/GWM).
The bendable headlight assembly incorporates the bending lamp. Due to the projectile nature of the lens, lights are distributed from the vehicle at a 45-degree angle to the vehicle’s axis while the LED bulb in the headlamp housing helps to power the bending lamp. The bending lamp is then powered by a CAN bus signal from the steering angle sensor, which in turn is received by the BCM/GWM.
The bending car headlight’s LED is enabled when the BCM/GWM detects this signal and the vehicle speed. Unlike self-dimming headlights, the BCM/GWM switches on the bending lamp LED when the lamp’s activity parameters are met. The BCM/GWM fades when the lamp is turned off by decreasing the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) voltage linearly over a 1-second duration. At any given time, the bending lamps can only be turned on for a maximum of 3 minutes.
Types of Bendable Headlight
- Dynamic bend lighting
- Static bend lighting or cornering lights combined with dynamic bend lighting
What is the Difference Between the Types of Bendable Headlight?
- Dynamic bend lighting
The dynamic bend lighting is accomplished by swiveling the low beam according to the radius of the curve being negotiated. The projection headlamp is mounted in a rotating frame around its vertical axis. The swivel angle of +/– 15 degrees is intended for curve radii of up to 200 meters. If the area illuminated by the low beam is normally about 30 m when approaching a curve with a radius of 190m, the new headlamp technology extends this by another 25m.
Since the light distribution correlates to the steering angle, the driver can identify the curve’s direction early and change his driving style accordingly when driving into it. Active bend lighting operates with both low and high beam functions and adapts to the speed of the vehicle in real-time. At high vehicle speeds, the headlamps follow the steering wheel movement in seconds; but, at lower vehicle speeds, the swiveling system operates more slowly to disperse the light as the driver requires.
- Static bend lighting or cornering lights combined with dynamic bend lighting
It’s a good idea to replace the dynamic bend lighting with additional static bend lighting or cornering light for larger (like on highways) or smaller curve radii (like on back roads). When the driver switches on the direction indicator to make a turn or drives around narrow curves, this is turned on automatically in addition to the low beam and is based on vehicle speed. A control unit tests the parameters rpm, steering angle, and indicator signal to accomplish this. To improve the comfort of this lighting feature, the light system is dimmed up and down gradually according to time-related parameters rather than turned on and off abruptly.
Symptoms of a faulty bend lighting
- In the case of dynamic bend lighting, curves are no longer illuminated
- When cornering, the static bend lighting is not illuminated
- The dashboard’s indicator light turns on
Troubleshooting faulty bendable headlight lighting systems
- The feature of the dynamic bend lighting can be tested by slowing down and turning the steering wheel slightly.
- Switching on the direction indicator and driving in alternating circles (at no more than 40 km/h) can be used to test the role of the static bend lighting.
- A diagnostics tester may also be used to diagnose the device in certain cars, such as the Opel Vectra C.
Can bendable car headlights be restored when oxidized?
Yes, it can, and here is why. Almost every car produced today features a plastic headlight cover. While these covers are cost-effective and more durable they tend to be affected along the way by sunlight, adverse weather conditions, environmental pollution, and more. These factors cause the lens of the car headlight to become oxidized thereby reducing the amount of light that passes through from the bendable headlight lens onto the road. To get rid of oxidation faster automotive products like car headlight restoration kits were produced to ensure that car headlights remain shiny for a better nighttime driving experience.
