Night vision system for car
Auto Terms,  Car device

Night vision system for car

Darkness and inattention are the main enemies of safe road traffic, which often cause accidents. If in the first case the driver and pedestrians need a more responsible attitude to how they behave on the road, then the dark is a natural cause that cannot be eliminated.

No matter how attentive the driver is while driving at night, his eye still has certain limitations, which is why he may not see the obstacle on the road. To make it easier for modern drivers, renowned car manufacturers have developed the nva (night view assist) system, or night vision assistant.

Night vision system for car

Consider what is included in this device, how it works, what types of devices exist, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

What is a night vision system

For many who hear about this system, it is more associated with action films. In such pictures, soldiers of elite units wear special glasses that allow them to see in pitch darkness. It should be noted that this system has only recently been used in cars. Before that, it was really used by military structures.

Night vision system for car

Most luxury cars receive this device as standard. In expensive versions, the active and passive safety system includes other equipment. For example, the car itself can recognize an obstacle and warn about the danger in time or even prevent a collision if the driver does not react in time. This increases the safety of the vehicle.

In short, a night vision device is a device that can recognize a large object (it can be a pedestrian, a pole or an animal). Special sensors display an image of the road on the screen like a conventional camera, only in most models the picture has a black-and-white inversion of colors, and more expensive options show a color image.

What is needed for

The night vision system allows the driver to:

  • In the dark, see an obstacle in advance and avoid an accident;
  • There may be foreign objects on the road that do not reflect the light of cars in the same way as a road sign. Due to the speed of transport, the range of headlights may not be enough for the motorist to react in time. This is especially acute when a person is walking along the side of the road, and another car with a bright light is driving in the opposite lane.
  • Even if the driver drives the car carefully, it is especially difficult at dusk, when daylight has not yet disappeared, but complete darkness has not come either. Under such conditions, the headlight of the vehicle may not emit enough light to allow the driver to control the boundaries of the roadway. The device allows you to more clearly determine where the road ends and the curb begins.

It is no secret to anyone that only some species of animals can see perfectly in the dark. A person does not have such an ability, therefore, objects that poorly reflect headlights are a particular danger to road traffic. The human eye is able to distinguish only large objects, and then only at a short distance.

Night vision system for car

The movement of vehicles aggravates the situation even more - if the driver has time to recognize an obstacle at close range, he will have too little time to avoid a collision. To protect himself from trouble, and the car from being hit, the driver has to either install a brighter light, which will greatly annoy the drivers of oncoming traffic, or go too slowly.

Installing a night vision device will make you feel more confident in such conditions. Depending on the model of the device, the system will either notify the driver about an obstacle that has appeared in the path of the car, or the motorist himself will notice it when looking at the monitor. The distance at which the device recognizes objects allows the driver to go around them or brake in time without sudden maneuvers.

Principle of operation

An important condition for the operation of this security system is the presence of a special camera. It is installed in the front of the vehicle, depending on the specificity of the device. This can be a separate video camera mounted in the radiator grille, in the bumper or near the rear-view mirror.

The infrared sensor reacts to obstacles in a wider range than the human eye. The tracking device transmits the received data to a separate monitor, which can be installed on the console or dashboard of the machine. Some device models create a projection onto the windshield.

Night vision system for car

When installing the camera, you need to ensure that it is clean, because this determines the distance at which objects will be recognized. Most devices are able to detect a parked car with the dimensions turned off (about why the car needs parking lights, it is described here) at a distance of about 300 meters, and a person - about a hundred meters.

Elements of construction

Each manufacturer equips the system that provides night vision of foreign objects with different elements, but the key parts remain identical. The main difference is the quality of the individual parts. The device includes:

  • Infrared sensor. There may be several of these parts, and they are installed in front of the car, more often in the head optics. The devices emit infrared rays over a long distance.
  • Camcorder. This element fixes the road ahead of the car, and also fixes the radiation reflected from the surfaces.
  • A control unit that combines data from sensors and a video camera. The processed information is reproduced for the driver, depending on what the fourth element will be.
  • Reproducing device. It can be a monitor or a color display. In some models, the image is projected onto the windshield for easier road control.
Night vision system for car

 In the daytime, some devices can work like a regular DVR. In the dark, the device processes signals from sensors and displays them as a picture on the screen. With obvious convenience, this development does not negate the driver's attention, therefore, models with a projection on the windshield are less practical, since they distract from tracking the road.

Types of car night vision systems

The developers of car night vision systems have created two types of devices:

  1. Devices with an active mode of operation. Such devices are equipped with sensors that detect infrared radiation, as well as emitters built into the headlights. An infrared lamp shines into the distance, rays are reflected from the surface of objects, and a camera with sensors captures them and transmits them to the control unit. From there the picture goes to the monitor. The principle of operation is similar to that of the human eye, only in the infrared range. The peculiarity of such devices is that a clear picture with a high resolution is displayed on the screen. True, the sensing distance of such modifications is about 250 meters.
  2. The passive analogue is triggered at a longer distance (up to 300m) due to the fact that the sensors in it work on the principle of a thermal imager. The device detects heat radiation from objects, processes it and displays it on the device screen as an image in black and white inversion.
Night vision system for car

There is no need to use devices that catch rays from objects located more than 300 meters. The reason is that on the monitor, such objects will be displayed simply as small dots. There is no information content from such accuracy, therefore, the maximum efficiency of the device manifests itself precisely at this distance.

Night vision systems developed by large corporations

By creating an innovative security system, car manufacturers are trying to develop unique devices that have advantages over counterparts from other companies. Although night vision goggles for cars work in the same way, some models have their own differences.

For example, let's compare the characteristics of the modification from three world-famous manufacturers.

Night View Assist Plus from Mercedes-Benz

One of the unique developments was presented by a German concern, which rolls off the assembly line of premium cars equipped with driver assistants, including NVA. To make the device different from its counterparts, the word plus has been added to its name. The plus is that in addition to foreign objects on the road, the camera is also able to distinguish between holes.

Night vision system for car

The device works according to the following principle:

  1. Infrared sensors pick up reflected rays from any surface, including uneven roads, and transmit information to the control unit.
  2. At the same time, the video camera captures the area in front of the car. This element contains light-catching diodes that react to sunlight. All this information is also fed to the ECU of the device.
  3. Electronics integrates all data, and also analyzes what part of the day the data is processed.
  4. The console screen displays all the information the driver needs.

The peculiarity of the development from Mercedes is that the electronics take some independent actions. For example, if a car moves at a speed of more than 45 kilometers / hour, and a pedestrian appears on the road (the distance from him to the car does not exceed 80 meters), the car independently makes several light signals, turning on / off the high beam. True, this option will not work if there is an oncoming traffic flow on the road.

Dynamic Light Spot from BMW

Its one German development, which is controlled in an intelligent mode. The device has become safer for pedestrians. The peculiarity of the device is that in addition to infrared sensors, it is equipped with a heart rate sensor. In other words, electronics are able to recognize the beating of the heart of a living creature located no further than 100 meters from the car.

The rest of the device has similar sensors, camera and screen. The system is also equipped with additional LEDs that warn pedestrians that the car is approaching (the headlights blink several times, but if there is no oncoming car).

Night vision system for car

Another uniqueness of the fixture is that the LED lens can rotate 180 degrees. Thanks to this, NVA is able to recognize even those who are approaching the roadway and warn them in advance of the danger.

Night Vision from Audi

In 2010, a tool from Audi was added to the arsenal of cutting-edge Night Vision developments. The device is equipped with a thermal imager. The camera was installed in one of the rings of the emblem (by the way, why the logo is represented by four rings is described in history of the car brand Audi).

Night vision system for car

For convenience in perception, live objects on the road are highlighted with a yellowish tint on the screen. The development was supplemented by tracking the trajectory of a pedestrian. The control unit calculates in which direction the car is moving, and in which - the pedestrian. Based on this data, the electronics determines the possible collision scenario. If the likelihood of crossing the trajectories is high, then the driver will hear an audio alert, and the person (or animal) on the display will be red.

We are testing a domestic device

In addition to standard devices, any motorist who is ready to fork out about $ 250-500 has equipment available that can be installed on any car. Previously, this option was only available to owners of luxury cars. Consider the domestic device "Owl", which works in night mode no worse than expensive models from leading companies.

The kit includes:

  • Two headlights with infrared emitters. The first scatters the rays near the front of the car at a distance of about 80 m. The second directs the beam into the distance at a distance of about 250 m. They can be installed in the fog light compartments or attached separately to the bumper.
  • A high-resolution video camera whose lens also picks up reflected infrared rays.
  • Monitor. Instead of the standard one, you can use almost any screen compatible with video surveillance systems, which is used in cars. The main condition is that the display must be equipped with an analog video input.
  • Infrared filter. It looks like a small screen for a camera lens. Its purpose is to filter out interference that light waves create.
  • Control unit that processes the received signals.
Night vision system for car

If we compare the efficiency of the device and the light from the headlights, then the device is really capable of making it easier for the driver to recognize distant objects in the dark. Test for recognizing two objects, provided that the optics are working in low beam mode, and the assistants are on a dirt road:

  • Distance 50m. In the headlights, the driver notices only silhouettes, but during slow movement they can be avoided. The device screen clearly shows that there are two people on the road.
  • Distance 100m. The silhouettes have become almost invisible. If the car is moving quickly (about 60 km / h), then the driver has little time to react to slow down or prepare for a detour. The picture on the screen does not change. The only thing is that the figures have become a little smaller.
  • Distance 150m. The assistants are not visible at all - you need to turn on the high beam. On the monitor of the device, the picture is still clear: the quality of the road surface is visible, and the silhouettes have become smaller, but they are clearly visible against the displayed background.
  • The maximum distance is 200m. Even the high beam headlights do not help to notice foreign objects on the road. The infrared camera still recognized two separate objects. The only thing is that their size has decreased.

As you can see, even a budget device can make things easier for the driver, especially if his car has standard bulbs. If you replace them with a brighter analogue, for example, a halogen one, this can annoy other participants in oncoming traffic. Since the human eye cannot recognize infrared rays, powerful emitters can be used in a night vision device. They will not distract the drivers of oncoming cars, but the objects will be distinguishable by a video camera.

How to install car night vision?

Many night vision modules resemble a dash cam. Regardless of the model, they should consist of three key elements: a screen, a block and a camera (it can work on the principle of a thermal imager or with infrared emitters). Sometimes all of these elements are enclosed in one housing, making installation easier.

The system is installed according to the following scheme. The installation of the camcorder depends on the type of device. Some can be installed outside the machine. In this case, it is important to keep the lens clean. Other modifications are designed for mounting in the area of ​​the rear-view mirror or on a dashboard.

Night vision system for car

The power source is mainly a car battery, but there are also options with an individual battery. Communication with the monitor and the control module can be carried out using a wired or wireless connection. The optimal installation location for the external camera should be chosen from the following calculation: the height of the lens from the ground is 65 cm, the minimum position from the main or fog lamp is 48 centimeters. The lens should be located in the center of the grille.

If the device uses not an IR camera, but a thermal imaging camera, then it should be placed as far as possible from the engine. This will prevent the appliance from heating up, which may adversely affect its performance. As for the wireless modification, you should try to shorten the length of the power cable as much as possible so that it does not create additional interference.

Night vision system for car

The module, working wirelessly, can be fixed in any part of the car interior. The main condition is that the driver should not be distracted from driving in order to observe the situation on the road on the screen. It is most convenient to place the monitor right in front of the driver's eyes. Thanks to this, it will be enough for him to simply focus either on the windshield or on the display.

Advantages and disadvantages

There is one important rule regarding driver assistance systems: no modern assistant replaces the need for self-control over a vehicle. Even the most advanced instrument model has its limitations.

It is practical to use NVA systems for the following reasons:

  • The picture on the screen of the device makes it easier for the driver to navigate within the boundaries of the road surface, especially at dusk, when the headlights are not yet so effective in coping with the task;
  • The display has optimal dimensions, thanks to which the driver does not need to look closely at what the device is showing and is not distracted from the road;
  • Even if a motorist, for natural reasons, will not notice a pedestrian or an animal that has run out onto the road, the device will help prevent a collision by giving a clearer picture than the motorist himself sees;
  • Thanks to the reliability of the device, the driver looks into the road with less effort and his eyes do not get so tired.
Night vision system for car

Nevertheless, even the most advanced system has significant disadvantages:

  • Most models recognize stationary objects or those that move in the direction of traffic. As for animals crossing the road, many devices do not warn the driver about the danger in time. For example, the camera can recognize an obstacle at the edge of the road. Based on this, the driver will make a maneuver to bypass the animal, which moves in the direction of the maneuver. Because of this, the camera transmits the picture with a delay, the driver can hit the object. Such situations are minimized in more expensive models capable of recognizing the speed of movement of objects and faster transferring the image to the display.
  • When it is raining or there is heavy fog outside, the device does not work, as the moisture drops reflect the rays, distorting their trajectory.
  • Even if the monitor is located in the driver's field of vision, he will need to simultaneously monitor the road and the picture on the screen. This complicates the task, which in some cases distracts from driving.

So, a night vision device can make the driver's work easier, but still it is worth remembering that this is just an electronic assistant, which may have malfunctions. Only the driver can prevent unforeseen situations, so he still needs to be extremely careful while the car is moving.

Here is a short video on how such a system works in real conditions:

Night vision device in the car! Lanmodo Vast1080P

Questions and answers:

How does a night vision device see? A beam of light (invisible to the human eye) is reflected from the object and enters the lens. The lens focuses it on an image converter, it is amplified and displayed on the screen.

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