What Does AFS Mean?

As the name suggests, Adaptive Front Lighting System or AFS is an adaptive lighting system in cars that helps the driver have optimum visibility during nighttime without jeopardizing the safety of others on the road. 

Adaptive front lighting systems are also called adaptive headlights or curve-adaptive lights by several brands. Various car manufacturers have their own naming conventions. For example, Porsche calls it the Dynamic Light System, while Genesis calls it the Adaptive Cornering System. Whatever the name, they serve the same purpose. Let’s look at the advantages of AFS, a brief history, and the components that go into every AFS system. 

Advantages Of AFS

The adaptive front lighting system controls the headlight angle sensing the steering wheel angle, road conditions, and vehicle load. It uses an array of LEDs that throw low beam light to keep the lights on the road balanced and not too focused at one point. These are intelligent lights for your car and are extremely useful if you drive at night. It also helps avoid direct glare to the vehicles coming from the opposite direction. The system uses image sensors to detect the proximity of other cars. 

The stepper motors help the light spread out evenly. However, the light distribution depends on several factors, such as the speed of your vehicle, the steering output, the road conditions, the load, and the make of your car. 

A Brief History

The 1948 Tucker is said to be the first car with AFS. However, it never went into mass production as the company failed after making just 51 cars. The vehicle had two fixed lights and one in the center, controlled by the steering angle. Tucker loaded the car with features but it failed commercially. The position of this headlight and its motion earned it the nickname “Cyclops.”

The AFS can work on a system based on the steering wheel angle, or it can work based on sensors that detect and monitor the road ahead. Some manufacturers install systems based on speed sensors and pivot and change the light pattern accordingly. 

The Components Of A Typical AFS System

The AFS system in different cars can vary, but they have a few standard components. These include LED drivers, matrix managers, stepper motors, MCUs, and imaging sensors. These components need to function efficiently and accurately so that AFS can control the light intensity and direction. 

• LED Drivers - We all know that LEDs are more power-efficient, offer better clarity of white light and their rise time is faster than your regular light bulb. These attributes make LEDs a perfect choice for the automotive industry. AFS requires a system that can provide complex light patterns at a faster rate, something LEDs are well-suited for. LEDs run on special circuits called LED drivers. These circuits are responsible for delivering the LEDs with a constant supply of current to maintain the color of the light. However, if the car battery voltage falls below 6V, it might result in a malfunction of the LED driver. Therefore, there is a boost converter connected to the battery, which regulates the power for the buck conductors. These buck conductors power a string of LEDs and each serves a different function and requires a different voltage. 
• LED Matrix Manager - The LEDs in AFS create different light patterns because some lights are bright while some are dim. It happens because pulse-width modulation adjusts the light intensity. We can change the pulse duty cycle of the LED to change the light intensity. The sensors can detect changes that the human eye fails to detect. 
• Stepper Motors - Different sensors, such as the speed of the car, the road conditions, the distance of the oncoming vehicle, and the position of the steering wheel, are constantly fed to the AFS. For efficient system functioning, the AFS needs fast and accurate stepper motors to change the lamp positions automatically. 
• Multipoint Control Unit - The various components such as the LED drivers, the matrix manager, and the stepper motors generate instructions with the help of MCUs or multipoint control units. There are several MCUs that come loaded with safety features and applications in case of lower performance.
• Imaging Sensor - The image sensor converts light or photons into electrical signals making it easy for the AFS to read. It helps the AFS detect the distance and speed of the approaching vehicle. 

Summary

The AFS is a safety feature for driving at night on those rocky roads. However, it is not a substitute for keeping your eyes on the road and being aware. Always make sure to pay attention to the road while driving at night. Drive safe! 

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