Another Toyota First!

[akstraw]

Here is an excerpt from one reporter's description of Toyota's new 2009 model, the "Venza".  Thought some old Cadillac buffs might get a chuckle out of this claim:

"Venza will also offer an Automatic High Beam headlight system, another Toyota first. When high beam headlights are in use sensors in the Automatic High Beam system will detect oncoming traffic and automatically switch the headlights to low-beam. When the Automatic High Beam sensors no longer detect oncoming traffic the system will switch the headlights back to high-beam mode."

...from www.toyoland.com

Happy New Year!

Andy
CLC 21467

[Don Boshara #594]

Suddenly it's 1950!

[David #19063]

Suddenly it's 1950!

That was funny!

[Walter Youshock]

Um, quite honestly, I seem to remember that Pierce-Arrow had some sort of auto-dimming setup in  the early '30's or even earlier.

Autronic-Eye was actually developed by RCA-not GM or Delco.  It was licensed to Ford and GM.  It continued on Cadillac through 1987 and Lincoln to the early 1990's.

Chrysler was the first to offer Cruise Control, HIWAY HI-FI, power locks, swivel seats, auto-dim lights and Mirror-Matic dimming rear-view mirrors all in one model year...

Cadillac was first with Memory Seat, Climate Control and Air suspension.

[Ohio57-62Sedan]

would Toyoyo have to pay someone for using this??

Um, quite honestly, I seem to remember that Pierce-Arrow had some sort of auto-dimming setup in  the early '30's or even earlier.

Autronic-Eye was actually developed by RCA-not GM or Delco.  It was licensed to Ford and GM.  It continued on Cadillac through 1987 and Lincoln to the early 1990's.

Chrysler was the first to offer Cruise Control, HIWAY HI-FI, power locks, swivel seats, auto-dim lights and Mirror-Matic dimming rear-view mirrors all in one model year...

Cadillac was first with Memory Seat, Climate Control and Air suspension.

[Walter Youshock]

Doubt it.  With some modifications and the fact that the patents are long expired, they can do whatever they want.  Claiming it as a "FIRST" is just plain stupidity.

Quite honestly, car companies have developed so many inane gadgets over the years that I am surprised that--AND YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, SO CREDIT IT TO ME--that there has never been an automatic sun visor.

They've had automatic braking (Packard), optical headlights (Tucker), seatbelt setups galore, electric defrosting windshields (Ford had it before Cadillac in the '70's) and so much more.  What was the movie that was just out about Ford and timed wipers?

Really, there are few gadgets left to "invent".

[76eldo]

Boss Kett and the Self Starter...

What else trumps that?

What is Toyota calling their new advance?  I always liked Autronic Eye.

Packard was the first with a steering wheel and standardizing the driver's position on the left.  Also Air Conditioning in 1940.  The power seat and windows in my 48 Packard used to amaze people that never dreamed a 1948 car would have all that.

Even the Lexus commercial with the headlights that turn with the front wheels?  Google Pilot Ray lights from the 20's, which were added to a lot of high end cars back then.

Innovative thinking is great, but a company like Toyota should do a little research before they announce an industry "first".

Brian

[Don Boshara #594]

The thing I liked about the Autronic Eye was that it dimmed your headlights while you went hurtling over a cliff blinded by the other guy's lights. And think how nice it is with those damn halogen or xenon lights or whatever they're called.

[J]

  I know nissan is working on new swivel seats

[TJ Hopland]

The thing I liked about the Autronic Eye was that I dimmed your headlights while you went hurtling over  a cliff blinded by the other guy's lights. And think how nice it is with those damn halogen or xenon lights or whatever they're called.

Yep, now if they had a system to dim the other guys then I may buy one.  It really stinks for us car drivers that are lower to the ground.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Yep, now if they had a system to dim the other guys then I may buy one.  It really stinks for us car drivers that are lower to the ground.

I know what you mean.

And, with a flash of the Aircraft Landing Lights in my Caddy, the on-coming vehicles soon dip theirs, but those with lights out of adjustment are a pain, and a menace to society.

Bruce.

[Ted in Olympia WA]

The thing I liked about the Autronic Eye was that I dimmed your headlights while you went hurtling over  a cliff blinded by the other guy's lights. And think how nice it is with those damn halogen or xenon lights or whatever they're called.

My wife has a 350Z and I'm surprised that the headlights are not illegal.  They are so bright that it makes it look like daytime when you drive, I would hate to come against it, even on low beam.

I only seen one Cadillac auto-dim work 100% but it was sure nice.

TED

[Glen]

I have the Guide-Matic on my 68 ELDO, the problem I have with it is it dims for reflective signs and the reflective lane markers.  It never goes to bright unless I go on a back road with no signs or lane markers.  I wonder how Toyota will handle that problem. 

On another note I was told the inventor of the Polaroid lens (as used in sunglasses) intended it to be used on car windshields and headlights.  The lens on the headlights would polarize the light to a 45 degree angle.  The windshield would be polarized to the same angle, but when you met another car coming the other way the polarization of your windshield would block most of the light from the other cars headlights. 

[Walter Youshock]

Isn't that the same basic technology of the auto-dim mirrors?

Chrysler's Mirror-Matic used a motor run by a photocell in the mirror.  It flipped the mirror back and forth.

As for AutronicEye and Guidematic, the only Cadillac I had trouble with was my '77.  The rest worked pretty well, but the AutronicEye on my '57 is spot on perfect!  Only real drawback is that you can't really turn it off since it's wired into the foot switch.

I remember my aunt and uncle had a '76 Town Car.  Road signs and full moons were the worst.  It never worked on that car.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The trouble with any Automatic Headlight Dipping system is going to be the distance taken before the headlights actually dip so as not to blind the oncoming driver, or the driver in front of you that is travelling in the same direction.

What happens when you are driving along and the lights on your car are up high, and the car approaching has poor lights?   Personaly, I always dip my lights as soon as I observe the oncoming vehicle, even though it might be a mile or more away.

Nothing worse than a vehicle with its'headlights on full beam coming up behind you, and having to reach for the antiglare mirror to lessen the illumination from the rear.

You can adjust the interior mirros easily, but not the external mirrors.

Bruce.

[Eric S. Maypother #15104]

As for AutronicEye and Guidematic, the only Cadillac I had trouble with was my '77. 

I had the auto dimming on my 1972 Cadillac sedan deville, it worked perfect 99 percent of the time, just if I was at a flashing light my high beams would go on n off, maybe on a reflector sign here and their, then on my 1977 Fleetwood Brougham it worked right maybe 50 percent of the time, it didn't dim soon enough, it would go on n off from the car in front of me as they would get a few more feet closer or farther from me, so much so people would be pulling over and let me pass, it didn't seem to matter where I set the sensitivity, I just stopped using it after a while.

[Payton]

Someone said the cadillac had the auto dimming into the 90's  well my 2008 sts has auto dimming and so does my 59.. actually the 59 works better.....

[Philippe M. Ruel]

"Venza will also offer an Automatic High Beam headlight system, another Toyota first".

Reading it as "another first in a Toyota car" makes it sound different.

May it be a mistranslation from Japanese ?

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Reading it as "another first in a Toyota car" makes it sound different.       

Maybe they are meaning that Toyota itself never used the invention before?

And, it would be true if Toyota hadn't had it before.

Bruce.

[Otto Skorzeny]

Here's another one of those ideas that will probably make someone rich. Why don't modern cars have a "creep" mode?

This would be for use in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic during rush hour. The car could be placed in creep mode by the driver and then automatically move forward, speed up, slow down, or stop as necessary without the driver doing anything.

The car would then negotiate the rush hour traffic while the driver reads the paper - which he's already doing now anyway! It would put an end to the annoying minor rear-enders and save fuel as well.

The basic components already exist - front impact sensors, speed sensors, cruise control, etc. All of these could be integrated into a single system with a single switch on the dash.

Maybe I should patent this idea?..hmmm?