I wondered how the Auris changes its headlamp beams between high and low.
I happened to find a damaged headlight from a 2017 Auris, and took some pictures of the lens/reflector unit from inside it.
The first photo is the high beam position of the shutter (bulb removed), or at least the best you can simulate the solenoid firing when you've got one hand holding a camera.
The second photo shows the shutter itself in the low beam position.
The third photo shows the back of the reflector with an electromagnet/solenoid fitted underneath. This pulls the guillotine shutter when powered. The shutter is lightly held in a low-beam position by the semi-circular spring that eventually passes underneath the solenoid itself and loops back up to the shutter of the other side of the reflector (half of this is not visible in the pic.).
The low beam cut-off can be seen in the profile of the shutter. It is interesting that there are plenty of unpolished surfaces around the shutter that will do little to reflect the light into a useful part of the reflector, where it might do some work. The effect of the lens can be seen in the car when looking at pic 1 and 2 - everything is inverted as you would expect.
This is a Valeo brand headlamp, they all are. Valeo own Cibie, makers of some of the most awesome car lamps in the 70s and 80s. What went wrong?
HTH
