1: What is it used for?
It enhances driving safety during nighttime or low-light conditions. By using a display screen, you can identify pedestrians, obstacles, and other hazards beyond the range of headlights, allowing you to take appropriate actions.
2: Advantages:
It allows you to understand the situation ahead without relying solely on high beams, which may disturb oncoming and preceding vehicles.
When facing oncoming vehicles with bright headlights causing glare, the night vision system assists in providing a clear view of the road ahead.
It performs well in foggy conditions by detecting the surroundings using infrared technology, enabling you to anticipate and avoid potential hazards.
3: Limitations:
The camera lens can get dirty on rainy, snowy, or muddy roads, which can affect the image displayed on the screen.
Currently, this system is only equipped in certain luxury or high-end vehicle models.
Maintenance and cost expenses are relatively high.
4: Misconceptions:
Night vision systems cannot replace headlights or human vision; they are only supplementary devices.
The images displayed on the screen may not be crystal clear, but the system captures the thermal radiation to enhance the contrast between light and dark, making obstacles more visible.
If oncoming vehicles also have an active night vision system, it may affect the imaging on the screen mutually.
5: Did you know?
The night vision system's camera and sensors are typically integrated into the front and windshield of the vehicle, which can be damaged in case of collisions.
6: Technical Overview:
Currently, automotive night vision systems primarily utilize thermal imaging technology, also known as infrared imaging. The principle is that all objects emit heat, and the amount of heat emitted varies based on their temperature. Humans, animals, and moving vehicles emit more heat compared to the surrounding environment. The night vision system collects this information and transforms it into a visible image, presenting objects that would otherwise be difficult to see at night, thereby increasing nighttime driving safety.
7: Technical Principles:
According to the imaging principles, infrared night vision systems are divided into passive infrared night vision systems and active infrared night vision systems.
Passive infrared night vision systems use thermal imaging cameras to receive different infrared radiation (far-infrared) emitted by heat sources such as humans and animals. After amplification and processing, the images are displayed on a monitor. Heat-emitting objects, like pedestrians, are particularly prominent in the image with high contrast. However, detailed road information, such as lane markings and boundaries, cannot be detected as they are "lifeless" cold targets. Additionally, since the car's windshield cannot transmit long-wavelength infrared, the camera needs to be installed outside the vehicle, requiring regular cleaning and being prone to damage in frontal collisions.
Active infrared night vision systems use near-infrared light emitted by an infrared light source to illuminate the targets actively. Infrared CCD or CMOS detectors receive the infrared light reflected by the targets, and the processed signals are output to the display device. The resulting images are clear, natural, and can show detailed road information, including pedestrians, vehicles, lane markings, traffic signals, and scattered objects on the road. These systems can even detect non-heat-emitting objects with clarity.
8: Further Reading:
Development of Night Vision Systems
Automotive night vision systems have a wide range of applications. Initially, they were primarily used for military purposes, such as tanks, armored transport vehicles, and radar vehicles, due to their high cost. However, with technological advancements, the prices have gradually reduced. The automotive night vision system is a typical example of military equipment being transformed into civilian products.
In the 1950s, to enhance tank mobility at night, devices with night vision capabilities were installed in tanks, enabling them to operate freely in the dark..
