An automotive night vision system uses a

thermographic camera Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video and/or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared ...

to increase a driver's perception and seeing distance in darkness or poor weather beyond the reach of the vehicle's headlights. Such systems are offered as optional equipment on certain premium vehicles. The technology was first introduced in the year 2000 on the Cadillac Deville. This technology is based on the night vision devices (NVD), which generally denotes any electronically enhanced optical devices operate in three modes: image enhancement, thermal imaging, and active illumination. The automotive night vision system is a combination of NVDs such as infrared cameras, GPS,

Lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

, and

Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

, among others to sense and detect objects.

Display type

* Instrument cluster using a high resolution

liquid-crystal display A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but ...

(LCD), newest type * navigation system or information screen, least expensive and with display's location further away from driver's field of vision (used exclusively by BMW, and the W212 E-class) *

windshield The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. ...

via head-up display, earliest type, dimmer knob can reduce brightness, display nearest to driver's line of sight There are two types of systems, either passive or active systems, both have advantages and disadvantages when compared to the other. The passive system pertains to the technologies that detect thermal radiation emitted by humans, animals, and other objects in the road while the active systems illuminate objects as a significant distance ahead using infrared light sources.

Active systems

Active systems use an

infrared light Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of Light, visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from ...

source built into the car to illuminate the road ahead with light that is invisible to humans. There are two kinds of active systems: gated and non-gated. The gated system uses a pulsed light source and a synchronized camera that enable long ranges (250m) and high performance in rain and snow. Near

Infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from aroun ...

wavelength is 0.75–1.4

µm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

is smaller and can pass between the typical fog particles. Fog particles sizes are typically 10 to 15 microns and ranges is sizes from 1 to 100 microns. Far infrared has a wavelength of 15 micrometers (µm) to 1 mm. During night-time operations, police officers with range gated near infrared cameras can read license plates at a distance of up to 1.2 km. Near Infrared (NIR) cameras are available to see 50 km through fog, haze, smoke, rain. *Pros: higher resolution image, superior picture of inanimate objects, works better in warmer conditions, smaller sensor can be mounted to rearview mirror. *Cons: does not work as well in fog or rain, lower contrast for animals, shorter range of 150–200 meters or 500–650 feet

Mercedes-Benz

Night View Assist prototype was shown in 2003 on the Mercedes-Benz F500 concept. Series production Night View Assist system introduced in 2005 on the redesigned Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221). It was the first system to use the instrument cluster's LCD as a display. 2009: Night View Assist Plus added a pedestrian detection function calling the revised system on the redesigned Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W212) and refreshed S-class, however, the E-class uses the navigation screen's display. 2011: Night View Assist Plus with

Spotlight Function An automotive night vision system uses a thermographic camera to increase a driver's perception and seeing distance in darkness or poor weather beyond the reach of the vehicle's headlights. Such systems are offered as optional equipment on cer ...

premiere: the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (C216) became the first series production car with night vision-guided

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...

spotlighting ( HID version) can flash at any

s it detects in order to warn both the driver and the pedestrians. The flashing light is directed in such a way that vehicles in front and oncoming traffic are not dazzled. 2013: Night View Assist Plus with animal detection on the W222 S-Class.

Toyota

In 2002 Toyota Night View was the first worldwide series production active automotive night vision system, introduced on the Toyota Landcruiser Cygnus or

Lexus LX The is a full-size luxury SUV sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota since January 1996, having entered manufacturing in November 1995. It is Lexus' largest and most expensive luxury SUV. Four generations have been produced, all based hea ...

470. This system uses the headlight projectors emitting near infrared light aimed like the car's highbeam headlights and a CCD camera then captures that reflected radiation, this signal is then processed by computer which produces a black-and-white image which is projected on the lower section of the windshield. In February 2008 the

Toyota Crown Hybrid The is an automobile which has been produced by Toyota in Japan since 1955. It is primarily a line of mid-size luxury cars that is marketed as an upmarket offering in the Toyota lineup. Introduced in 1955 as the Toyopet Crown, it has served ...

added a feature which highlights

pedestrians A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with t ...

and presents them in a box on an LCD display in front of the driver. This was the first pedestrian detection feature for an active system. In 2009, Lexus introduced Night View on the LS, but only in Japan. In 2012

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

introduced Night View worldwide, on LShttp://www.toyota.com/esq/pdf/The%202013%20LS%20Advanced%20Active%20Safety%20%282%290.pdf 2013 Lexus LS Advanced Active Safety Features and GS. The Night View system combines a windshield mounted near infra-red camera and near infra-red projectors within the headlamps with a Night View ECU to display an image of the road ahead on center console display screen. Moving the image from the driver’s instrument display to the center console offers drivers a larger display and an easier viewing angle. With the camera constantly in operation and the near infra-red projectors activating at speeds over 10 MPH to enhance system efficiency, night view will display an area up to 65 feet in front of the vehicle. This system was discontinued for 2014 in the US.

Passive systems

Passive infrared systems do not use an infrared light source, instead they capture

thermal radiation Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation generated by the thermal motion of particles in matter. Thermal radiation is generated when heat from the movement of charges in the material (electrons and protons in common forms of matter) is ...

already emitted by the objects, using a

. *Pros: greater range of about 300 meters or 1,000 feet, higher contrast for living objects *Cons: grainy, lower resolution image, works poorly in warmer weather conditions, larger sensor

Audi

Night Vision Assistant was introduced in 2010 on the

Audi A8 The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive—and i ...

. It uses a thermal imaging camera behind the four rings at the front of the car which can "see" 300 meters (984 ft) ahead. The display in the instrument cluster highlights humans with yellow markings. More importantly, the computer can determine if the person on the road moves in a way that could lead to a collision with the car. In that case the pedestrian is being marked in red color and the driver of the car receives an audible warning. 2013 update added

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

detection. and Pedestrian Marker Lights: As soon as a

is detected by the Night Vision Assistant in a critical range in front of the vehicle, individual Matrix LEDs flash briefly 3 times in succession to alert that person, who is then clearly visible to the driver.

BMW

BMW Night Vision introduced in 2005 on the BMW 7 Series (E65). This system processes far infrared radiation, which minimizes non-essential information placing a greater emphasis on pedestrians and animals, allows for a range of 300 meters or nearly 1,000 feet, and avoids "dazzle" from headlights, road lights and similar intense light sources. 2008 update added pedestrian detection system on the redesigned BMW 7 Series (F01), which flashes a caution symbol on the navigation/information screen and

automotive head-up display An automotive head-up display or automotive heads-up display —also known as a auto-HUD— is any transparent display that presents data in the automobile without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name st ...

when it detects pedestrians. 2013 update added Dynamic Light Spot. 2013 update added animal detection. The system provides a real-time video image that also depicts on the Control Display persons, animals and other objects emitting heat when they are outside of the light beam and warns in the event of an impending collision. The Dynamic Light Spot is produced by a special headlight that directs the light beam onto the recognised persons or animals respectively, thus drawing the driver’s attention to possible hazards in good time. As soon as the remote infrared detects pedestrians or larger animals on course for collision in the dark, the system directs two separately controlled Dynamic Light Spots at them without creating an unpleasant glare. In the event of an acute risk, an acoustic warning signal is also sounded and the brakes are set to maximum standby. For the model year 2014, the BMW 5 Series will also have these new features.

Cadillac

First worldwide series production automotive night vision on 2000 Cadillac Deville: Night Vision, however it was discontinued in 2004. This system was developed with

Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliz ...

and worked by using a ''passive infrared'' sensor camera mounted behind the vehicle's grille. Infrared radiation is picked up by the sensor, processed by computer and then displayed on the windshield using a head-up display. Information is displayed as a black-and-white image with warmer objects in white, while cooler objects appear black. Because this system outputs a standard NTSC composite video signal and the used parts are somewhat easy and inexpensive to find, it has become a popular choice for fitting thermal night vision to other vehicles. After a long hiatus, the 2016 flagship Cadillac CT6 was equipped with an improved version of the Enhanced Night Vision, in which the images are displayed and embedded in the instrument panel instead of being displayed as a reflection on the windshield.

Honda

In 2004, Honda introduced first worldwide system with pedestrian detection on redesigned Honda Legend: Intelligent Night Vision. It detected far infrared radiation. The pedestrian detection feature alerted the driver with an audio warning and visually enclosed the pedestrian in a box on the display which was presented via head-up display. The night vision system uses a separate heads up type display projected on the center bottom of the windshield. The infrared cameras do not require a light source, and the software is able to detect human like figures, surround the image with a red box and give audible caution tones.

DS Automobiles

DS Night Vision offers road visibility by night. An infrared camera in the front grill identifies objects, pedestrians and animals on the road at a distance of up to 100m. A digital instrument cluster shows the driver the area around the car in infrared, with a yellow line around any sources of potential danger. For critical danger, the line becomes red, allowing the driver to react to the situation. The DS 7 Crossback is the first DS vehicle to include Night Vision.

Peugeot

On the Peugeot 508, an optional night vision system helps to see pedestrians and animals during the night and alert the driver.

Automobiles

Active

*2002-2007 Lexus LX 470 (windshield) *2009

Lexus LS The is a full-size car, full-size luxury car, luxury sedan (F-segment in Europe) serving as the Core product, flagship model of Lexus, the luxury division (business), division of Toyota. For the first four generations, all LS models featured V8 ...

(instrument cluster)¹ *2012

(navigation screen)¹ *2012

Lexus GS The is an executive car sold by Lexus, the premium division of Toyota. The same car had been launched in 1991 as the Toyota Aristo in Japan. For non-Japanese markets, it was released as the Lexus GS in February 1993. It continued using the Toyo ...

(navigation screen)¹ *2006 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (C216) (instrument cluster)¹ *2014

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (C217) The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé and Convertible (C217/A217) are grand tourers manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from 2014 to 2020. The C217 model succeeded the C216 CL-Class and is the last version of the S-Class coupé. It is also the first Mer ...

(instrument cluster)¹ *2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W212) (navigation screen)¹ *2010 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (W218) (navigation screen)¹ *2006 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221) (instrument cluster) *2013

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222) The Mercedes-Benz W222 is the sixth generation of the S-Class produced from 2013 to 2020, the successor of the W221 S-Class and the predecessor of the W223 S-Class. The W222 was designed during 2009. The original design proposal of the car wa ...

(instrument cluster)¹ *2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class#Third generation (W166: 2011–present)¹ *2012

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (X166) The X166 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a full-sized luxury SUV produced from 2012 to 2019. It is the second generation model in the GL-Class range, and was renamed GLS as of the 2016 facelift. Development and launch The X166 GL-Class debuted at the ...

¹ *2012

Mercedes-Benz R231 R231 is a chassis code for the sixth generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class roadster, replacing the R230. The car was released in March 2012 and uses Mercedes-Benz's new 4.7 litre twin turbo V8 engine with a power output of . AMG version of th ...

SL-Class¹ *2008

(instrument cluster)¹ *2002 Toyota Landcruiser Cignus (windshield)

Passive

*2014

(instrument cluster)¹ *2011

Audi A6 C7 The Audi A6 is an executive car made by the German automaker Audi. Now in its fifth generation, the successor to the Audi 100 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany, and is available in saloon and estate configurations, the latter marketed by A ...

(instrument cluster)¹ *2010-2018

Audi A8 D4 The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive—and in s ...

*2010-2017

Audi A7 The Audi A7 is an executive luxury five-door liftback coupé produced by Audi since 2010. Also available as a three-box, four-door saloon in China since 2021, it features a sloping roofline with a steeply raked rear window and integrated boot ...

(instrument cluster)¹ *2018-2020

(instrument cluster)¹ *2016 Audi Q7 (instrument cluster)¹ *2005

BMW 5 Series The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972, succeeding the New Class Sedans, and currently in its seventh generation. The 5 Series was initially available as a sedan, with a wagon/estate body style (market ...

(navigation screen) *2008

(navigation screen)¹ *2005

BMW 7 Series The BMW 7 Series is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker BMW since 1977. It is the successor to the BMW E3 "New Six" sedan and is now in its seventh generation. The 7 Series is BMW's flagship car and is ...