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      01-02-2012, 09:05 AM   #6
sfax
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahoa View Post
Any idea what it means? Doesn't matter to me, but I'm stumped.
Yep, I was too but found something on Google from a BMW magazine. This assumes Variable Light Encoding is the same as Variable Light Distribution and suggests it's nothing more than a combination of auto headlights and high beam assist

Quote:
In time, BMW was able to offer other variable light distribution
systems. In the U.S., all BMWs now come standard with a convenient
driving light system: Automatic headlight control. When activated, the
headlights automatically adapt to changing light conditions without the
driver having to lift a finger. The on-board electronics use two sensors
in the windshield to check light levels and switch on the low-beam
headlights automatically when required – for example, when entering
a tunnel, or at dusk. Of course, drivers can also decide for themselves
what combination of systems is best. Sensor, light, and camera
functions
can be configured as desired, or switched off completely.
Now, when a BMW vehicle is equipped with Xenon Adaptive
Headlights,
Cornering Lights, Automatic headlight control, and Highbeam
Assistant, all the driver needs to do is turn on the high beams
and flick the headlight switch to “A” (for Automatic), and variable light
distribution takes care of pretty much everything else. While Xenon
Adaptive Headlights and Cornering
Lights cut in through corners, this
comprehensive system optimizes
visibility on all types of roads and in
all light levels. It automatically turns low beams on as needed, in tunnels
or in heavy rain, and can then switch to high beams and back as
the light decreases and increases. Innovative control technology automatically
increases visibility by extending the beam of light as required,
according to ambient
light and driving conditions. While the broader
spread of low-beam headlights makes it easier to detect objects on
the sides of the road, high beams improve the headlights’ range and
provide more intensive illumination at the side of the road up ahead.
In the years to come, even more functions will be added. On the
drawing board are high beams that “think with you.” They do not simply
switch themselves off when an oncoming vehicle is approaching;
they adjust their angle so that other drivers aren’t blinded, while still
ensuring that the road is well lit. Also currently under development is
an adaptive beam-adjustment system. Over crests in the road, this
technology automatically pivots the headlight angle down, so the beam
of light is always directed on the road ahead.
Far off on the horizon, meanwhile, is the real star of the technology
show: the linking of headlights with BMW Night Vision. Live objects
detected far away in the dark by the system’s infrared camera will also
be illuminated by a spotlight. Combined with seeing the shapes of
animals or pedestrians on the monitor, this will even more effectively
allow the driver to identify and avoid potentially dangerous situations.
Figuratively and literally, there is certainly no shortage of shining
lights in this area of development.
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192837
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