BMW Plans New Night Vision System
http://news.yahoo.com/ (2005-07-29) |
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Anyone who has ever been down a lonely, dark stretch of road knows that a car’s lighting system sometimes does not suffice. Animals, pedestrians and broken-down vehicles can leap into view quickly, especially if a car’s high beams are turned off to accommodate oncoming traffic.
BMW aims to help drivers navigate dark roads with an innovative new feature in the company’s 7 Series sedans. Used in conjunction with a spiffy new high-beam system that is due to be installed in BMWs by the end of 2005, the new Night Vision system will keep drivers zooming along without fretting about what might emerge around the corner.
The Night Vision system uses a thermal camera that can read infrared signatures at great distances. Unlike some short-distance infrared systems currently available in certain cars, the BMW "far infrared" system covers a distance of up to 300 meters, creating an image map of all objects that are out of headlight range. The system’s image settings can be adjusted so drivers can zoom in on specific objects or pan out for wider views.
The camera sits behind the left front bumper with a protective glass covering that is connected to the windshield-washer system so it can be cleaned regularly. And to avoid fogging and bad readings, the glass is heated if the outside temperature drops below 5 degrees Celsius.
"The big advantage of far infrared is that it’s especially good at showing pedestrians, animals and objects that emit heat," said Frank Schloder, BMW spokesperson for Night Vision. "We therefore deliberately reduce the amount of information to what is important," he added. "Unnecessary details will not be shown. Scientific studies show that far infrared technology is the best for detecting persons and objects in the car at night."
BMW developed the technology after looking at recent car accident figures in Germany. The German Federal Office of Statistics found that 50 percent of all fatal traffic accidents happen at night, although only 25 percent of the total mileage covered by motorists is during the night.
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