Infrared night vision systems
When driving at night or in bad weather conditions, the driver experiences heavy stress to control situation on the road. Intensive lighting of road surface and shoulders with headlights might resolve the problem, but such light would dazzle drivers moving towards you and would cause emergency. As a solution, developers have offered two conceptual night vision systems:
- Active, where source of bright infrared light, namely, infrared lamps – have been installed into the car, and light thereof will remain invisible for other traffic participants (Mercedes-Benz, Toyota),
- Passive, where sensors, operating by the same principle as thermal imaging camera, take hold of heat from live objects (BMW, Audi, General Motors, Honda).
When both systems are used, cameras, which receive the signal, have been installed into the car, transmitting the processed image to the display located in car salon.
Infrared night vision systems have been extra equipment, which has been installed along with lower beams and upper beams, and supplement option thereof.
Intensity of lighting of objects with infrared lamp may be compared to intensity of upper beams, The system also allows identifying inanimate objects in the dark, and displays borders of the road, which is important, when the driver becomes dazzled by headlights of the vehicle moving towards him, because the image of objects has been displayed on the screen located below wind-screen.
Image by Flir® Systems.
