VW’s 2007 Research Roadmap - Adaptive anti-glare system
Every car driver knows this situation: The sun is so low in the sky that in spite of the lowered sun visor there is severe glare, and forward visibility is impaired. And this can have dangerous consequences. So the goal here was to improve the functionality of the conventional sun visor. Target: Optimize the sun visor with minimal reduction of the visual field. In response to this problem, Corporate Research has reinvented the “sun visor”. The system, an adaptive anti-glare system, makes use of electronics. The conventional sun visor no longer exists in this case. Rather, the windows themselves become the anti-glare element.
The system is visionary: Based on data from a sun status sensor and the eye position of the driver, the point of light entry on the windshield is calculated. Precisely in this area the glass is darkened. In curves, the darkened “spot” travels along the windshield and covers the sun from the viewing angle of the driver. In an advanced development of this “switchable transparency”, the system might conceivably be used on all window glass. Then glare for the occupants could also be effectively minimized, e.g. glare from the lights of oncoming vehicles or light reflections on wet asphalt.
In the final analysis, automation of glare protection enhances comfort and safety. Another aspect is its optimization of installation space, since even low-profile vehicles like the Roadster would get an optimal anti-glare system that fulfills all legal requirements. This opens up entirely new opportunities for interior designers too.
