Stepper Motor Control

Communication with the headlamp leveling system and the various level sensors is carried out via the
vehicles data network system. The LIN bus is a practical choice for headlamp control while the CAN bus
collects and distributes sensor data.

Inside each headlamp there are two stepper motors one to control adjustment in the horizontal plane
and one to control the vertical. A headlamp controller polls suspension sensor data, yaw rate, steering-
angle data, and vehicle speed to determine the headlamp adjustment angles necessary to compensate
for vehicle movement.

Based on the sensor data, the headlamp controller develops the appropriate beam angles and sends high-
level adjustment commands to the headlamp for final control. A pair of stepper motor ASSPs then convert
high-level adjustment commands from the headlamp control into the motor positioning signals necessary
to level or steer the headlamp beam.

Stepper motors are ideal for headlamp adjustment applications because the motors are low cost, rugged,
provide a high torque for a given size, and require no feedback signals for proper positioning.

The motors are typically built with no magnetic material in the stator and no mechanical or electrical
contact with the rotor is needed. Therefore, stepper motors can be built inexpensively and avoid the
electrical arcing and mechanical degradation that occur with brush-type motors. Steppers are multi-phase
motors, so two (or more) motor coils must be electrically driven to create motion. Since signals must be
sent to each coil in the proper sequence, the rotors position is always known within the mechanical and
electrical tolerances of the system.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications comprises a wireless network where automobiles send

messages to each other with information about what theyre doing. This data would include speed,
location, direction of travel, braking, and loss of stability. Vehicle-to-Vehicle technology uses dedicated
short-range communications (DSRC), a standard set forth by bodies like FCC and ISO.

Sometimes its described as being a WiFi network because one of the possible frequencies is 5.9GHz,
which is used by WiFi, but its more accurate to say WiFi-like. The range is up to 300 meters or 1000 feet
or about 10 seconds at highway speeds (not 3 seconds as some reports say).

V2V would be a mesh network, meaning every node (car, smart traffic signal, etc.) could send, capture
and retransmit signals. Five to 10 hops on the network would gather traffic conditions a mile ahead. Thats
enough time for even the most distracted driver to take his foot off the gas.