Visteon’s “NightDemo” Website Offers A Look at Night Vision
IVsource.net
15 September 2001

Visteon Corporation has introduced its innovative night vision technology, Driver Vision at Night, and has crafted a top-notch web demo to show it off.

Visteon Corporation has introduced its innovative night vision technology, Driver Vision at Night, and has crafted a top-notch web demo to show it off. 

In Europe, only 16 percent of car journeys take place at night – when there are 30 percent fewer vehicles on the road.  The numbers are very similar in the United States.  So why do drivers need help to see better at night?  Because, despite the dramatic decrease in traffic at night, 40 percent of all major accidents occur after dark.

Visteon says its advanced technology substantially improves a driver's orientation in dark driving conditions.  As a result, reaction time is improved because obstacles and pedestrians in the road are easier to see.  The technology enhances a driver’s view of the road ahead by providing clearer images in the primary field of view. Because the device is in the driver’s natural line of vision, the driver’s eyes never leave the road.

Visteon engineers designed and installed a mini-camera inside the vehicle and positioned it to be aligned with the driver's eyes.  The system's electronics can sense up to 300 meters -- a range that extends much further into the dark than that of traditional headlights.

Near-Infrared Beams Supplement Headlights

The camera detects extremely long-wave radiation invisible to the human eye, and employs it in reproducing an image of the road.  This near-infrared sensor detects the scene ahead with the help of an intensified beam from the headlights.  The signal from the sensor passes through a processing unit and is then projected onto the screen in front of the driver.  With no perceptible delay, the driver sees a real-time image of the road ahead in a natural scale.  The technology doesn’t obscure the driver’s vision; everything is seen just as it normally would be – it’s just sharper, clearer, and easier to interpret.

"The image of the road ahead that’s displayed to the driver is intuitive and natural, and requires no interpretation time as seen on some competitors’ thermal systems," says Bassem N. Saad, of Visteon Interior Systems.  "It allows the driver to see better and farther than what’s possible with headlamps."

A representation of the driver's view using Driver Vision at Night

An electronics module designed by Visteon is at the core of the system, translating the information captured by the camera into easy-to-understand images.  An optics box mounted in the vehicle's roof projects the final image on to a 'heads-up' display.  The display is located directly within the driver's primary field of view, allowing his or her eyes to be kept on the road.  The image on the transparent windshield display offers important additional visuals of the road beyond the reach of the headlamps.

Compared to other products on the market, which employ only thermal sensors, Visteon's Driver Vision at Night uses light amplification and near infrared techniques.  This approach has the advantage of preventing variations in the display's brightness and contrast levels.  The system also helps in reducing the feared 'blinding effect' drivers sometimes experience from the headlights of oncoming traffic.

Brand New Web-Based Demo

To demonstrate the features and benefits of Driver Vision at Night, Visteon has launched a web site featuring cutting-edge technology that allows viewers to experience the system through moving images, video footage, and text instructions.

"We wanted a medium that would allow us to show the features of Driver Vision at Night while illustrating the operation of the technology better than a still photograph or art work," says Mark Thomson, Visteon Direct Marketing, Europe.  "It highlights the safety aspects of the technology, depicts how it works, then shows the user the features and benefits through an illustrated demonstration and video footage. "

"Because customers use different browsers and PCs, we created two versions of the site: a ‘flat’ site and a ‘flash’ version, which uses a Shockwave plug-in. This should ensure that the maximum number of customers can view Visteon’s latest night vision technology."  

The site can be accessed at http://www.visteon.com/nightdemo .

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