Car night vision system - what it is and how it works

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

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

Let's 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 feature films of the action genre. In such paintings, soldiers of elite units wear special glasses that allow them to see in pitch darkness. It is worth noting that this system has only recently been used in cars. Before that, it was actually used by military structures.

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 vehicle safety.

In short, a night device is a device that is capable of recognizing 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 regular camera, only in most models the image has a black-and-white inversion of colors, and more expensive options show a color image.

Third generation

In the ground vehicle segment, Raytheon and DRS Technologies have been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to design and develop the third-generation B-Kit airborne forward-looking infrared system, which will increase the detection and recognition range of ground forces from tactical platforms in extreme environmental conditions.

The contract, announced in April, will upgrade approximately 17,000 second-generation FLIR sensors in service with the Navy and Marine Corps, as well as international customers taking advantage of the Foreign Military Sales program.

According to the US Department of Defense, the updated solution will provide dismounted soldiers and soldiers in vehicles with systems with four types of field of view, dual-band infrared imaging and optimized stabilization for mobile operations.

The modernization will help U.S. and allied militaries maintain a critical “superiority” over near-peers in the future operating space, said Duane Gooden, director of ground combat systems at Raytheon.

“With decades of experience delivering high-performance night vision systems to the U.S. Army, our team is uniquely equipped to help maintain our Army's combat superiority. Third-generation FLIR dramatically increases the range of ground vehicle sensors in all conditions, allowing our military to detect and stop the enemy.”

What is it for?

The night vision system allows the driver to:

In the dark, see the 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 traffic, the range of headlights may not be enough for the driver 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 direction.
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 yet set in. Under such conditions, the vehicle's headlight may not produce enough light to allow the driver to monitor the road boundaries. The device allows you to more clearly determine where the road ends and the shoulder begins.

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

Traffic makes the situation even worse - even if the driver manages to recognize an obstacle nearby, he will have too little time to prevent a collision. To protect himself from trouble and the car from being hit, the driver has to either install brighter lights, which will greatly irritate oncoming drivers, or drive too slowly.

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

International concerns

According to delegates at the Soldier Equipment Technology Advancement Forum (SETAF) conference held in London in March this year, improving night vision technology among near-peer opponents such as Russia and China remains a major concern for partners from NATO and beyond.

Jay Lewis, director of the Pixel Network for Dynamic Visualization (PIXNET) program at DARPA's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said: “The analog night vision goggles our military uses to identify the enemy are limited to a single spectrum band. As night vision systems become available to our opponents, the advantage of fighting in low or no light conditions diminishes. Existing multi-band cameras, which can be used in a variety of environmental conditions, are too large and expensive for an individual warfighter to carry.”

“The ability to see further with greater clarity at night and/or through various veils is vital in almost all military operations. At the same time, there is a tremendous need to increase the field of view, resolution and increase day/night capabilities while simultaneously reducing the weight, size, power consumption and cost of advanced imaging systems. The main driver here is to provide dismounted ground soldiers and support platforms with the best imaging tools available to enhance their combat effectiveness. With the advent of small UAVs that can provide enormous benefits to our soldiers, the need to improve performance and reduce weight, size and power consumption is even greater,” he explained.

At the SETAF conference, representatives from the British and German armies and the US Department of Defense debated the usefulness of various types of night vision devices, concluding that binocular systems were best suited for combat, while monocular systems were better optimized for patrol and reconnaissance surveillance.

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 car depending on the features of the device. This could be a separate video camera mounted in the radiator grille, in the bumper or near the rearview mirror.

The infrared sensor responds to obstacles over a larger 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.

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 capable of detecting a parked car with the lights turned off (we talk about why a car needs side lights here ) at a distance of about 300 meters, and a person - about a hundred meters away.

Is it possible to buy freelance equipment?

A night vision system is rarely included in a car's equipment. Basically, NVA can be seen as a factory feature in expensive foreign cars in the premium segment. At the same time, motorists have a legitimate question: is it possible to install Night Vision in your car yourself? This option is indeed possible. The market offers a large selection of available systems from both Russian and foreign manufacturers.

However, it is immediately worth noting that the purchase will not be cheap: on average, the price of equipment on the market ranges from 50 to 100 thousand rubles. Additional costs will be associated with the installation and configuration of equipment, since it will not be so easy to install all the devices yourself.

Design elements

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

Infrared sensor. There can be several of these parts, and they are installed at the front of the car, often in the head optics. The devices emit infrared rays over a long distance.
Camcorder. This element captures the road ahead of the car and also captures radiation reflected from 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.
Playback device. This can be a monitor or a color display. In some models, the image is projected onto the windshield, making it easier to control the road.

During the daytime, some devices can work like a regular DVR. In the dark, the device processes signals from sensors and displays them as pictures on the screen. Despite its obvious convenience, this development does not negate the driver’s attentiveness, so models with a projection onto the windshield are less practical, as they distract from monitoring the road.

Augmented Reality

According to Harris, one of the biggest technological leaps in next-generation night vision will be the integration of augmented reality. The company presented new developments that fully integrate these capabilities with the TMNVG family systems at the AUSA conference in October 2016.

Harris has developed a so-called ARC-4 AR node with the Augmented Reality Association that allows soldiers, a spokesman noted.

“The soldier does not look down at a flat map or smartphone, but sees virtual icons (for example, navigational landmarks, friendly force positions, aircraft) superimposed on his picture of the real world. ARC-4 is an augmented reality fusion tool that includes advanced head tracking sensors and algorithms, network management software, and an intuitive user interface that overlays information icons into the user's environment. The ARC-4 integrates with daytime translucent displays and night vision goggles.”

Before the new solution is released to customers in 2017, evaluation tests will be carried out in three more countries.

Examples of overlaying tactical information from the ARC-4 system onto real-world images

Types of car night vision systems

Developers of automotive night vision systems have created two types of devices:

Devices that have an active operating mode. Such devices are equipped with sensors that detect infrared radiation, as well as emitters built into the headlights. The IR lamp shines into the distance, rays are reflected from the surface of objects, and a camera with sensors catches them and transmits them to the control unit. From there the picture goes to the monitor. The operating principle is similar to the function of the human eye, only in the infrared range. The peculiarity of such devices is that a clear, high-resolution image is displayed on the screen. True, the response distance of such modifications is about 250 meters.
The passive analogue operates 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.

There is no need to use devices that catch rays from objects located further than 300 meters. The reason is that on the monitor such objects will simply appear as small dots. There is no information value from such accuracy, so the maximum efficiency of the device is manifested precisely at this distance.

Operating principle of the camera

A night vision camera in a car works on the principle of thermal radiation. For example, a car generates heat while driving, and the operation of this device is based on it.

Infrared or thermal radiation is detected by a special thermal imager.
The device receives information and makes an image from it, which is fed through the monitor into the car interior.

Thanks to the night vision camera, an image with the clearest contours of various objects is formed on the monitor screen, which creates comfort and convenience when traveling at night.

Why do experts recommend installing these systems in cars? Everything is obvious: according to statistics, most emergency situations occur at night, when the car owner is put under an extra burden in terms of control and visibility.

Types of devices

Night vision systems for cars are divided into the following categories:

Passive devices.
Active devices.

Passive cameras work solely on receiving information about thermal radiation from oncoming objects. Active ones receive information using their own radiation and brightly highlight all important objects.

Thus, passive ones respond better to moving objects, and active ones - to stationary objects. If you have enough money to purchase this equipment, it is recommended to buy two models at once.

A little history

The first devices using thermal radiation appeared in the sixties and have become popular since then. The devices are used in the military industry to identify the enemy in poor visibility, in rescue operations during searches for people or animals, and in the automotive field.

Do you need a night vision camera?

The benefits of night vision cameras are invaluable, but is it accessible to ordinary drivers? A night vision system is not a cheap device, because the production and materials themselves are quite expensive. Therefore, the systems are so far only found in premium cars.

However, if you wish, you can purchase a camera separately for your car. It is worth considering that such a purchase will be an excellent opportunity to protect yourself from unpleasant situations on the road.

Article on the topic: Parking rules for residents

Night vision systems developed by large concerns

When creating an innovative security system, automakers are trying to develop unique devices that have advantages over analogues from other companies. Although night vision devices for cars have the same operating principle, some models still have their differences.

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

Night View Assist Plus from Mercedes-Benz

One of the unique developments was presented by a German concern, whose assembly line produces premium cars equipped with driver assistants, including NVA. To make the device different from its analogues, the word plus was added to its name. The advantage is that in addition to foreign objects on the road, the camera can also detect potholes.

The device works according to the following principle:

IR sensors pick up reflected rays from any surface, including rough roads, and transmit information to the control unit.
At the same time, the video camera takes pictures of the area in front of the car. This element contains light-catching diodes that react to sunlight. All this information is also supplied to the device's ECU.
The electronics combines all the data and also analyzes what part of the day the data is processed.
The console screen displays all the information necessary for the driver.

The peculiarity of the development from Mercedes is that the electronics take some independent actions. For example, if a car is moving 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), then the car independently makes several light signals, turning on/off the high beams. However, this option will not work if there is oncoming traffic 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 heartbeat sensor. In other words, electronics are able to recognize the heartbeat of a living creature located no further than 100 meters from the car.

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

Another unique feature of the device is that the LED lens can rotate 180 degrees. Thanks to this, NVA is able to recognize even someone approaching the roadway and warn him in advance about the danger.

Night Vision from Audi

In 2010, the arsenal of advanced developments in the field of Night Vision was supplemented by a product from Audi. 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 told in the history of the Audi automobile brand ).

For ease of perception on the screen, living objects on the road are highlighted with a yellowish tint. The development was complemented by tracking the trajectory of a pedestrian. The control unit calculates which direction the car is moving and which direction the pedestrian is moving. Based on this data, the electronics determines a possible collision. If the probability of crossing paths is high, the driver will hear a sound alert, and the person (or animal) on the display will turn red.

Cars

Active

2002-2007 Lexus LX 470 (windshield)
2009 Lexus LS (instrument cluster)1
2012 Lexus LS (navigation screen)1
2012 Lexus GS (navigation screen)1
2006 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (C216) (instrument panel)1
2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (C217) (instrument panel)1
2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W212) (navigation screen)1
2010 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (W218) (navigation screen)1
2005 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221) (instrument panel)
2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222) (instrument panel)1
2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class #Third generation (W166: 2011–present)1
2012 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (X166)1
2012 Mercedes-Benz R231 SL-Class1
2008 Toyota Crown Hybrid (instrument cluster)1
2002 Toyota Landcruiser Cignus (windshield)

Passive

2014Audi A8 (instrument panel)1
2011 Audi A6 C7 (instrument panel)1
2010-2018 Audi A8 D4
2010-2017Audi A7 (instrument panel)1
2018-2020Audi A7 (instrument panel)1
2016 Audi Q7[37] (instrument panel)1
2005 BMW 5 Series (navigation screen)
2008 BMW 5 Series (navigation screen)1
2005 BMW 7 Series (navigation screen)
2008 BMW 7 Series (navigation screen)1
2011 BMW 6 Series (navigation screen)1
2013 BMW X5 (F15)(navigation screen)1
2014 BMW X6 (F16)(navigation screen)1
2009 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo(navigation screen)1
2000-2004 Cadillac Deville (windshield)
2016-2020 Cadillac CT6 (instrument cluster)1
2004 Honda Legend (windshield)1
2018 DS 7 crossback (instrument panel)1

1includes pedestrian and animal detection

Testing a domestic device

In addition to standard devices, any motorist willing to fork out approximately $250-500 has access to equipment that can be installed on any car. Previously, this option was available only to owners of luxury cars. Let's 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 beams 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 compartments for fog lights or mounted separately on the bumper.
A high-resolution video camera whose lens also perceives reflected infrared rays.
Monitor. Instead of the standard one, you can use almost any screen that is 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 the camera lens. Its purpose is to filter out the interference that light waves create.
A control unit that processes received signals.

If we compare the effectiveness of the device and the light from the headlights, the device can really make it easier for the driver to recognize distant objects in the dark. Test for recognizing two objects, provided that the optics are in low beam mode and the assistants are standing 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 standing on the road.
Distance is 100m. The silhouettes became almost invisible. If the car is moving fast (around 60 km/h), the driver has little reaction time to slow down or prepare to pass. 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 beams. On the device monitor, the picture is still clear: the quality of the road surface is visible, and the silhouettes are even smaller, but they are clearly visible against the displayed background.
Maximum distance – 200m. Even 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 sizes have decreased.

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

Thermal imaging

Even though the market is filled with a variety of thermal imaging weapon sights, new products are constantly being released. Britannia 2000 offers its Firefly family with an integrated Tau-2 camera from FLIR Systems. The device can be installed on the Picatinny rail of an assault rifle, carbine or machine gun.

The Firefly is not subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which allows the United States Army to have similar optics for use in covert operations.

The company said that Firefly systems, which provide accuracy and image quality at an extended range, are intended for law enforcement agencies, counter-terrorism units, border guards and special forces.

“They allow you to accurately identify an object even in the most difficult conditions, including fog, smoke and complete darkness. The sights were designed with ergonomics in mind in collaboration with leading gun manufacturers for optimal use with a wide variety of weapons up to 7.62mm caliber,” the company said.

One of the options, Firefly-30, is designed to capture objects at distances of up to 300 meters with the ability to install a close-range red dot sight.

Thermal imaging sight Firefly-30

The Firefly-30 operates from 7.5 to 13.5 microns and can record both photos and video, with a battery life of 8 hours. An infrared image is displayed to the operator either in the “black hot” mode (thermal picture display mode with indication of hot objects in black and cold objects in white) or in the “white hot” mode (vice versa).

Since image enhancement devices are a cheaper solution for less advanced militaries, their future appears to be assured, while more advanced militaries retain advantages in low light conditions with more expensive image fusion devices. and thermal imager, as well as the integration of augmented reality and other means of increasing the level of awareness of the situation.

/Alex Alexeev, topwar.ru/

How to install car night vision?

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

The installation of the system is carried out according to the following scheme. The installation of the video camera depends on the type of device. Some can be installed outside the car. In this case, it is important to ensure that the lens is clean. Other modifications are designed for installation near the rearview mirror or on the dashboard.

The power source is mainly a car battery, but there are also options with an individual battery. Communication with the monitor and control module can be done using a wired or wireless connection. The optimal location for installing the external camera should be selected 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 radiator grille.

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

The module, which operates wirelessly, can be mounted in any part of the car interior. The main condition is that the driver should not be distracted from driving the car in order to monitor the situation on the road on the screen. It is most convenient to place the monitor directly in front of the driver’s eyes. Thanks to this, he will simply need to focus either on the windshield or on the display.

Atoms

Atoms are in constant motion. They constantly vibrate, move and rotate. Solid particles are always in motion! Atoms can take on different excited states; in other words, they have different activities. If an atom receives too much energy, it leaves what is called the ground state energy level and enters an excited level. The level of excitation depends on the amount of energy applied to the atom. The energy can be temperature, light or electricity.

An atom consists of a nucleus (containing protons and neutrons) and an electron cloud. Electrons move in this cloud like nuclei in many different orbits. Although some scientists consider these orbits to be just different energy levels of the atom. Thus, it turns out that when an atom is exposed, some of its electrons from a lower orbit move to a higher energy level, moving away from the nucleus.

As soon as an electron moves to a higher energy level, it tries to return to its ground state. As a result of this process, the electron releases its energy as a photon, a particle of light. Excited electrons have more energy than a relaxed electron. The released photon has its own specific wavelength (color), which depends on the energy state of the electron when the photon is released.

Advantages and disadvantages

There is one important rule regarding driver assistance systems: not a single modern assistant replaces the need for independent control of the vehicle. Even the most advanced model of devices has its limitations.

NVA systems are practical to use for the following reasons:

Based on the picture on the screen of the device, it is easier for the driver to navigate the boundaries of the road surface, especially at dusk, when the headlights do not cope with the task so effectively;
The display has optimal dimensions, so 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, does not notice a pedestrian or an animal running onto the road, the device will help prevent a collision by providing a clearer picture compared to what the motorist himself sees;
Thanks to the reliability of the device, the driver peers at the road with less effort and his eyes do not get so tired.

However, even the most advanced system has significant drawbacks:

Most models recognize stationary objects or those that move in the direction of traffic. When it comes to animals crossing the road, many devices do not alert the driver to the danger in time. For example, the camera can recognize an obstacle at the edge of the road. Based on this, the driver will take a maneuver to avoid the animal, which is moving in the direction of the maneuver. Since the camera transmits the image with a delay due to this, the driver can hit an object. Such situations are minimized in more expensive models that are able to recognize the speed of movement of objects and transmit the image to the display faster.
When it rains or there is heavy fog outside, the device does not work, since drops of moisture 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 both the road and the image on the screen. This makes the task more difficult, which in some cases distracts you from driving.

So, a night vision device can make the driver’s work easier, but it’s still worth remembering that it’s just an electronic assistant that may experience 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 about how such a system works in real conditions:

Night vision device in the car! Lanmodo Vast1080P

Enhancing Image Quality

Most night vision devices use this technology. Night vision devices consist primarily of an electro-optical image intensifier that collects and amplifies infrared and visible light.

An electro-optical image intensifier converts photons into electrons and vice versa. A regular lens, called an objective lens, captures ambient light and some near-infrared light.

The collected light is then sent to an electron-optical amplifier. Most night vision devices operate using special batteries (N-Cell) or two AA batteries. The amplifier produces high voltage, about 5,000 volts. The electro-optical amplifier also contains a photocathode, which is used to convert photons of light into electrons.

When electrons pass through this amplifier, the atoms also release similar electrons, increasing the original number of electrons by several thousand times due to the use of Micro Channel Plate (MCP) in this amplifier. A microchannel plate is a tiny glass disk with millions of microscopic holes made using fiber optic technology. Microchannel plates are in a vacuum, and metal electrodes pass along the edges of the disk. Each channel is approximately 45 times its width and acts as a photomultiplier tube.

Once the electrons from the photocathode hit the first electrode of the MCP (microchannel plate), they are accelerated and enter the glass microchannels.

As electrons pass through the microchannels, they release thousands of other electrons in each channel using a process called cascaded secondary emission. Essentially, the original electrons come into contact with the exciting atom side of the channel, thereby freeing other electrons. These new electrons also come into contact with other atoms, a chain reaction occurs, as a result of which tens of thousands of electrons flow out of the channel, although only a few thousand entered the channel. The most interesting thing is that all microchannels in the MCP are located at a slight angle (5 - 8 degrees). This is necessary for electrons to collide with other electrons.