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Matrix LED legal in Canada

13K views 43 replies 20 participants last post by  SlapShot  
#1 · (Edited)
I was listening to some radio show today-don't even know what radio station, my car is dead again and I was in a loaner - but they mentioned that, as of 3/21/18, matrix lights are legal in Canada.

Hurray for our northern neighbors. Perhaps now you can get those sweet lights. Let's hope things change quickly in the USA as well. It would be about time. I just found some article discussing how this "innovative technology" is not available in the USA and how that will hopefully change soon. The article was dated Feb 2013...

Once we add matrix lights, laminated windows, a gas heater, a sub-woofer, and active grill shutters, we can have an almost-as-good-as-European XC90 on this continent!!!!
 
#2 ·
Yes, new legislation was introduced today. One that will address the issue of one of my biggest pet peeves: people not turning on their full headlights at night. I believe manufacturers won't be able to light up the dashboard at night if the head/tail lights aren't on.
 
#5 ·
#7 ·
Sucks [emoji853]

I know in the new X5 it was just a software update... [emoji848]
I was hoping that too.

The active high beam lights in Volvo XC90 actually indicate that on the headlamps
I'll try to get a pic and post it. I honestly wish it's just a software. I'm expecting the headlamps cost to change is going to be very expensive.

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#19 · (Edited)
Do all of the LEDs light up on the US/Canadian spec headlights when the high beams are on? That should be an good indicator since it individually turns off the LED lights to create the active high beam. Well apparently not jut that, per the post below. Wonder if there's anyway to tell if there are shutters in them.

Supposedly the next generation of Volvo active high beams that were introduced in Geneva are meant to be left on all of the time, when you turn on the headlights, it handles everything for you.
 
#26 ·
I was very dissatisfied to discover that my new MY19 XC90 built in December 2018, still only has the automatic high beams and not the adaptive matrix-style high beams (selective LED controls to shade other cars from getting blinded). I guess NHTSA in the USA still doesn't allow this Technology? I read articles from 2013 about that restriction in the USA, and was hoping it would have been legalized 5 years later... sadly not... :(

- Live like there's no tomorrow!
 
#20 ·
I have the Adaptive headlamps and as well as selective illumination of the LEDs, there are electro-mechanical shutters which move horizontally. The operation of these shutters is very obvious as the car creates a perfect U-shaped beam pattern smoothly swivelling left/right as you follow a car on a road with curves. I doubt if these shutters are fitted on cars where they cannot be utilised as they're obviously more complex. Vertical movement of the whole assembly is much less obvious except when it goes through self-test at switch on.

Incidentally, even on cars like mine with Adaptive lamps, it still says 'Active High Beam' on the headlamp assembly as in the pictures above.
 
#24 · (Edited)
The operation of these shutters is very obvious as the car creates a perfect U-shaped beam pattern smoothly swivelling left/right as you follow a car on a road with curves.
You are right, didn't think about pattern. The case is different for mazda -
or
for MB, where the shade is created by turning off selectively leds for horizontal beam range.
So to summarize:
- headlights look the same, the question if shutters are included or just disabled
- retrofitting will require unofficial programming and void the warranty likely

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#22 ·
I'm looking through the UK owners manual to see how they're labelling things, it starts on page 154 of the 2018 manual from what I can tell. They call it an Active Main Beam (High Beam) but note it has adaptive functionality which is where it just uses a dipped beam for the oncoming vehicle but still uses the main beam on either side of it. That's what we don't get in the US.

Active main beam
Active main beam is a function which uses a camera sensor at the top edge of the windscreen to detect the headlamp beams from oncoming traffic or the rear lights of vehicles in
front, and then switches from main beam to dipped beam. Active main beam is activated with the rotating ring on the stalk switch in position. The function can also take streetlights into account. Main beam is reactivated when the camera sensor no longer sees any oncoming vehicles or vehicles ahead. The function can start while driving in the dark when the car's speed is approx. 20 km/h (approx. 12 mph) or higher. If active main beam is deactivated while main beam is on, the lighting is immediately reset to dipped beam.

When active main beam is activated, the symbol illuminates with a white glow in the driver display. When main beam is activated, the symbol shines blue. This also applies for LED headlamps if the main beam is partially dimmed, i.e. if the light beam shines with slightly more than dipped beam.

Car with halogen headlamps
The lighting returns to main beam about a second after the camera sensor no longer detects the headlamp beams from oncoming traffic or therear lights from vehicles in front.

Car with LED headlamps*

If the active main beam has the on/off functionality then the lighting returns to main beam about a second after the camera sensor no longer detects the headlamp beams from oncoming traffic or the rear lights from vehicles in front. If the active main beam has adaptive functionality then, unlike what happens during conventional dimming, the light beam continues to illuminate with main beam on both sides of oncoming traffic or vehicles ahead - only the part of the light beam that points directly to the vehicle is dimmed.

The lighting returns to full main beam about a second after the camera sensor no longer detects the headlamp beams from oncoming traffic or the rear lights from vehicles in front.

Adaptive functionality: Dipped beam directly towards oncoming vehicle, but continued main beam on both sides of the vehicle. The lighting returns to full main beam about a second after the camera sensor no longer detects the headlamp beams from oncoming traffic or the rear lights from vehicles in front.
There's also the Active Bending Lights which is only for the dipped/low beam.

Active bending lights*
Active bending lights are designed to provide maximum illumination in bends and junctions.
Cars with LED headlamps* can have active bending lights, depending on the car's equipment level.
Headlamp pattern with function deactivated (left) and activated (right) respectively.
Active bending lights follow steering wheel movements to provide maximum illumination in bends and junctions and can thereby provide the driver with improved visibility.
The function is activated automatically when the car is started. In the event of a fault in the function, the symbol illuminates in the driver display at the same time as the driver display shows an explanatory text. The function is only active in weak daylight or darkness and only when the car is moving and dipped beam is switched on.
 
#28 ·
One potential snag is the fact that NHTSA’s proposal to allow these Adaptive “Matrix” lights is a bit rediculous according to a major lobbying group. The group, MEMA, is attempting to get the US Government to accept the current iteration (already in use in Europe) without having to be altered in any way for the US market. That would prevent months, if not years of additional delays! Let’s hope MEMA is successful!


- Live like there’s no tomorrow!
 
#29 ·
One potential snag is the fact that NHTSA's proposal to allow these Adaptive "Matrix" lights is a bit rediculous according to a major lobbying group. The group, MEMA, is attempting to get the US Government to accept the current iteration (already in use in Europe) without having to be altered in any way for the US market. That would prevent months, if not years of additional delays! Let's hope MEMA is successful!

- Live like there's no tomorrow!
I came to know it's a few modules to add and probably a software update/ enabling.
Good news is anyone can added it.
Bad news is software requirement if any are to be explored.
 
#34 ·
Here is a link to the webpage and status. It is a regulatory matter - not congressional one.

Maybe a call in the new year would generate an updated status.


All the best from Minnesota USA,
A fine MY16 XC90 T8
 
#35 ·
If that petition had been filed by Ford, it would have gone through immediately. A request by Toyota has no chance. But hey, we complain about China playing unfair games with market access...
Ok, sorry. I guess I shouldn't go there ;-)

But it truly is astonishing - we are now fully a decade behind the rest of the world, in North America...
 
#36 ·
Since many of you have mentioned that the Matrix/adaptive high beam is legal now in North America (Canada and US), has anyone getting the adaptive high beam feature on their vehicles yet? I have been reading Volvo XC90's manuals from Volvo's Canadian website and European (UK) website. It seems like they haven't activate the adaptive high beam on Volvo's cars that were are sold in Canada. Any update who has successfully activated the adaptive high beam yet? Do did you activated that? Thanks!
 
#43 ·
It’s just a software
Had this confirmed
But you have to have active bending lights option

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Unless something changed in 2023 and I am not aware of it, no, it is not just software. I have a 2016 D5 in Italy and I have owned two XC90 T8s - a 2017 and a 2022 - in the USA. As someone else posted above, the US cars have just empty housing. The hardware is not there.
 
#40 · (Edited)
I think we can easily put this topic to sleep if someone from Europe or other markets take a close up photo of their headlights on s90/V90 with Active Shadow Technology shining some light into the 3 holes where the "matrix led" should be.
Here is photo of the USA specs MY2020 V90 active bending/ auto high beams lamps clearly showing no led's present. All I see is black plastic covering the holes making this upgrade rather impossible. Since North American market has AST /Matrix restrictions active still in the USA saving Volvo $200-400(just guessing here on numbers) on extra module per corner I would be surprised if they didn't jump on it and have the French factory make the cheaper headlights specific to that market. But I have been wrong before and always hoped one day I'll have them working on my car.

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