Gentex Announces New Intelligent High-Beam Headlamp Control Technology

    ZEELAND, Mich., March 5 Gentex Corporation ,
the world's leading developer and supplier of automatic-dimming rearview
mirrors and commercial fire protection products, today announced a
revolutionary new technology, called SmartBeam(TM), that maximizes a driver's
forward vision by significantly improving utilization of the vehicle's high-
beam headlamps during nighttime driving.

    Lincoln Mercury is already developing plans to adopt the technology and
launch SmartBeam on Lincoln vehicles beginning in the 2004 model year.

    SmartBeam is at the forefront of a trend toward the use of miniature
cameras to control vehicle functions and improve driving safety.  SmartBeam is
one of several potential Gentex automotive applications using Photobit
Corporation's semiconductor "camera-on-a-chip" image-sensing technology.  The
invention's background is being presented this morning in a technical paper at
9:30 a.m. EST at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) show at Cobo Hall
in Detroit, Michigan.

    This new headlamp-dimming technology utilizes a fully custom, forward-
facing CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensor that
acquires images of the region ahead of the vehicle.  The system then processes
the images, and if no other traffic is present, it automatically activates
your high beams.  When the system detects other vehicles' headlamps and/or
taillamps, it automatically returns your headlamps to their normal, low-beam
state.  In short, drivers will no longer have to manually switch between high
or low beams, as Gentex's SmartBeam system will automatically modulate between
the two settings based on the presence or absence of other vehicles in the
sensor's pathway.

    "This is a major breakthrough in nighttime driving safety because it
maximizes the use of the vehicle's high beams," said Gentex Executive Vice
President Kenneth La Grand.  "It is important, however, to note that SmartBeam
is a very complex technology requiring integration with the vehicle's
electrical system.  As such, it requires further development and significant
collaboration between Gentex and its customers."

    Ford Motor Company, through the Lincoln brand, is the first automaker to
begin work with Gentex on SmartBeam technology.  "Lincoln is about effortless,
rewarding motoring -- and technologies like SmartBeam complement our brand
because they make driving safer and more enjoyable," said Al Kammerer,
director of product development for Lincoln Mercury.

    La Grand believes that SmartBeam will help resolve an age-old safety
problem -- the ineffective use of high beams.  Many drivers are hesitant to
use their high beams out of fear that they will forget to dim them and
potentially annoy or temporarily "blind" another driver.  SmartBeam prevents
this problem and ensures the optimal use of a vehicle's high beams.  The
system maximizes forward vision by turning on the vehicle's high beams when no
other vehicle traffic present, and reverting back to low-beam intensity when
detecting either the headlamps of oncoming traffic or the tail lamps of
preceding vehicles.

    To make the transition from low to high beams and back again less
distracting and more aesthetically pleasing, Gentex has engineered SmartBeam
to slowly fade the high beams on and off.  However, if traffic were to
suddenly appear, such as when cresting a hill or rounding a corner, the system
can immediately turn off the high beams, in most cases reacting faster than
the driver could.

    For years, the automotive industry has sought a solution to the dilemma
between maximizing forward vision and reducing oncoming glare to make
nighttime driving safer.  La Grand said that until now, achieving greater
forward visibility by utilizing the brighter advanced technology headlamp
systems available in today's market has been limited by the driver's ability
to accurately switch the manual system.  Previous "automatic" systems abruptly
changed from high to low beams and did not work well due to nuisance switching
from non-vehicle light sources.  They also were unable to effectively see
preceding vehicle taillamps, and could not distinguish many types of light
sources within an adequate time period.  He believes that the new Gentex
system is a significant improvement over others previously offered and has
performed very well in demonstration tests.

    Several recent advancements in headlamp technology have focused on making
low-beam headlamps brighter.  However, because low beams point downward and
illuminate the road in front of the vehicle, they're not as effective as high-
beam headlamps at illuminating obstacles hundreds of feet in advance of the
vehicle.  High-beam headlamps point outward, not downward, and substantially
improve the driver's ability to detect hazards at a greater distance.

    A U.S. Department of Transportation study found that, on average, drivers
use their high beams less than 25 percent of the time during which conditions
justified their use.  SmartBeam could help alleviate those problems for
drivers and could potentially reduce the number of nighttime motor vehicle-
pedestrian and motor vehicle-animal accidents by substantially increasing the
use of high-beam headlamps.

    La Grand continued, "In addition, as many people know, driving at night is
significantly more dangerous than driving during the day.  Pedestrians and
cyclists on the roads at night are at especially high risk due to the limited
visibility of motorists.  In fact, a recent University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) study found that pedestrians are
about four to six times more vulnerable at night than during the day.  Low
visibility is an even greater factor in nighttime pedestrian deaths than
alcohol consumption."

    Gentex has worked for several years on the development of this technology
using a custom, active-pixel, CMOS sensor developed by Photobit Corporation.
This sensor is unique in that it has the extreme, high sensitivity necessary
for adequate detection of distant tail lamps at a potential cost that could
allow the feature to achieve substantial market penetration.  Gentex has been
granted four United States patents to date on this invention, and there are a
number of patents pending in the U.S. and around the world.

    Gentex and Photobit have been collaborating on automotive applications for
advanced sensors and camera-on-a-chip products for several years.  Gentex made
an initial equity investment in Photobit in 1997, and currently owns
approximately 10 percent of the company.