Active Night Vision Tech.

DaimlerChrysler tests

 Active Night Vision

The latest DaimlerChrysler vehicle to be tested with Active Night Vision is the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

DaimlerChrysler has fitted its Active Night Vision system to a Jeep Grand Cherokee to test the infrared system in light-duty applications. The system is being tested in several of the company's vehicles and will eventually be installed in luxury passenger vehicles, buses, trucks, emergency service vehicles, and taxis.

DaimlerChrysler researchers first tested Active Night Vision on a bus. Click to enlarge

Developed by company researchers in Ulm, Germany, the system illuminates the road scene and objects up to 152 m (500 ft) in front of the vehicle with infrared light energy to detect all objects in the field of view, regardless of temperature. The system reaches beyond the 40-m (130-ft) range of conventional high-beam headlights and, because infrared energy is invisible to the human eye, does not distract oncoming drivers.

In a bus application, the Active Night Vision system uses two laser headlights that illuminate the road by means of infrared light. A video camera records the reflected image, which then appears in black and white on a heads-up screen located directly in the driver's field of vision.

"This system enhances the night vision of drivers and thus makes night driving safer, especially for older drivers whose night vision may be less acute," said Steve Buckley, Manager of Electronic Product Innovation at DaimlerChrysler's Liberty & Technical Affairs group. Other night-vision systems are passive; they sense the infrared energy emitted by objects, but they may miss objects that are at the same temperature as the surrounding environment such as road signs or debris. "The advantage of Active Night Vision is that it gives the driver a complete view of the road ahead," said Buckley.
In the Active Night Vision system, two laser headlights on the front of the vehicle illuminate the road with infrared light, and a digital camera records the reflected image. The infrared image is projected in black and white onto a liquid-crystal display screen located in the instrument cluster.
- Kevin Jost