3. INTRODUCTION
Before going into the night vision systems it isnecessary to
understand something about light and the electromagnetic
spectrum. Humans are visible only to the rays falling under the
visible region of electromagnetic spectrum and are invisible to both
the infra-red as well as the ultra violet region of the electromagnetic
spectrum.
4. WHAT IS NIGHT VISION SYSTEM IN
AUTOMOTIVES
It is a system to increase a vehicle driver's visibility in
darkness or poor weatherbeyond the reach of the vehicle
headlights
In this system Light waves [infrared (IR)] are emittedby
source ; a special cameras collect small amountsreflected
lightand amplify it to generatedisplay on cluster.
5. How isit associatedin cars
1 Night vision control unit
2 controller display
3 controller
4 Instrument Cluster
5 Button in light switch centre
6 Night vision camera
6. TYPES OF NIGHT VISION
SYSTEM
1. Active systems
2. Passive systems
7. Active systems
Active systems use an infrared light source built into the car to
illuminatethe road aheadwithlightthatis invisible tohumans.
There are two kinds of active systems: gated and non-gated. The
gated system uses a pulsed light source and a synchronized camera
that enable long ranges (250m) and quite higher performance in
rainandsnow
8. HOW DOES ITWORKS
Near-infraredband ofwavelengthwithin750nm.
NVD's relyonambientlight,oftenfromthe moon andstars.
Theintensifiertubesuse the photoelectric effect.
Asa photon collideswitha detector plate,that ejects several
Electrons that are then amplifiedintoa cascade ofelectronsthat light
upa phosphor screen.
9. Mercedes-Benz uses an active system or near-IRsystem that illuminates
the night with projected infrared light, much like optics found in military-
issue night-vision goggles
Mercedes system uses NIR technology and produces an even, clear
picture in the dark. This system is similar to night-vision goggles soldiers
use. The NIR system in the Mercedes illuminates everything as if it were
in the high beams of the vehicle. By utilizing a series of projection bulbs
and cameras, the Mercedes' activenight-vision system picks up the
faintest traces of light and transforms it into a clearpicture. The
advantage is that the Mercedes system can seewarmer living things just
as clear as it can spot colder, dead animals or non-living objects.
10. The drawback to the Mercedes system is its range: The system has a maximum
effective range of less than 600 feet (183 meters). Another drawback is the
Mercedes' NIR system doesn't handle fog well, while the BMW's FIR system can
see through the dense conditions. But unlike the BMW's system, the Mercedes
monitor is located behind the steering wheel, directly in the driver's line of sight to
the road, and the image quality is alsocrisper on the NIR system.
11. Unlike night-vision optics used for military applications, BMW's system registers images
based on body heat and produces images that resemble a photo negative.
While that works well for deciphering between animals and people, it doesn't do much
for revealing a dead animal in the middle of the road or perhaps a large rock or a fallen
tree.
BMW's infrared system uses sensors on the front of the car that pick up heat from objects
and processes the thermal signature to display images on a quarter video graphics array
(QVGA) display (320x240-pixel resolution) mounted on the dash in the center of the
vehicle's console
12. Passive systems do not use an infrared light source, instead they
capture thermal radiationalreadyemitted by the objects, using a
thermo-graphiccamera
1. Environmentahead of vehicle
2. Optical element
3. Thermal imagingsensor
4. BMW nightvisioncontrol unit
5. Central informationdisplay
Passive systems
13. The BMW's system picks upthe heat of the animalor pedestrian
and displaysit as abright image.The warmer the target, the
brighter the imagedisplays. Ithas a rangeof around980 feet (299
meters) and can paninthe direction the vehicle is heading.The FIR
night vision system illuminates what'sdirectly infront of the
vehicle reasonably well,but doesn't offer the clarity foundin the
Mercedes system.
14. Switch button.
Both systems can be turned on or off by the driver with controls found
near the high-beam lever and neither system is affected by oncoming
bright lights. Both are easy on the eyes too, so sensitivity to light should
not be a problem for most drivers. Researchers from the two companies
are also in the process of perfecting warning indicators on the night-
vision systems. The challenge is to be able to decipher what's a hazard
and what's merely a heat signature. The goal is for the systems to be able
to set off an alarm when a pedestrian or animal is close enough to the
road to be hazardous.
15. Mercedes-BenzNight ViewAssist Plus
Mercedes-Benz is debuting animal detection as part of the Night View
Assist PLUS system offered on its 2014 S-Class sedan uses infrared
sensors and cameras to detect pedestrians and animals up to 700 feet
away, then displays the image on the instrument panel in front of the
driver
BMW’sConnected Drive night vision
BMW’s Connected Drive night vision option has been availableon the 7-
Series since 2005, and willexpand to include animaldetection in its
2014-model-year 5-, 6-, and 7-Series sedans and coupes. The option,
which uses a camerain the front grille to detect pedestrians from 10 to
100 yards awayand alerts the driver with a sound and warning on the
control display.
16. Advantages
1. Improvedvisionconditionsof duskand darkness.
2. Nodazzling by headlightsof the oncoming vehicles.
3. Highlightingof illuminated,heat-emittingobjectsaspedestrian, cyclists,animals
etc helpssafedriving.
4. Betteroverviewof thedrivingsituations.
5. The zoom functionsof the object in thefar distanceat high speeds.
6. Illuminationof thebends/curves(pivotingof imagedetails)
7. Smallcompact size
8. Easyand comprehensiveinstallation
9. Low maintenance
17. Limitations
It is difficult to distinguish between objects in the foreground and the
background of the image the entire image is continuously changing and
because pedestrians vary in scale based on their distance to the viewer.
The probability of true warnings (i.e.when the driver is about to hit the
pedestrian) is low, as it often is in reality, then the odds of the true alarm,
can be quite low even for very sensitive warning systems withvery high
hit rates andlow false alarm rates
18. Conclusions:
Theinnovation and implementationofnightvision systemhas a
greatimpacton automotivesessionsuch as savingmanylives
fromdeathreducing accidentsatnight.
