Night Vision System Now Available on Kenworth’s Big Trucks
IVsource.net
24 April 2002

In a notable first for the trucking industry, Kenworth has expanded safety system offerings with the introduction of the Kenworth Night Vision System for its Class 8 product line, developed by Bendix Commercial Vehicles Systems.

“Technology savvy, cost-conscious customers are willing to pay for effective technologies that help them save money through increased safety and productivity,” said Kenworth Chief Engineer Jim Bechtold, who expects the night vision option to be priced at under $4,000.  “That [price] is less than the combined cost of most repair bills and downtime a truck may incur after hitting an animal, such as a deer, while traveling at night.”

The introduction is in partnership with Bendix Commercial Vehicles Systems LLC, which has been adapting the Raytheon technology originally introduced to American drivers on the General Motors Cadillac automobile.  Bendix has been developing the commercial truck system since at least 2000, based on discussion with company engineers.

Kenworth claims that it is the first Class 8 truck manufacturer to offer an option for a factory-installed, infrared thermal imaging system specifically designed for commercial vehicles. The Kenworth Night Vision System joins a safety suite that includes Kenworth’s previously introduced GPS navigation system and curbside camera options.

“Nearly 20 Kenworth customers are already operating the Kenworth Night Vision System in the field,” noted Bechtold. “Based on their positive feedback, we decided to expand the system from its current limited quantity release, and make it available in the third quarter for production.”

The Kenworth Night Vision system employs the same technology originally reserved for the military.  The system uses a heat-sensing, infrared camera mounted outside the cab to detect and transmit images to an in-cab display unit.

Night Vision sensor mounted on the hood of a Kenworth cab

The unit helps the driver see pedestrians, animals, and objects in front of the vehicle up to 1,500 feet away or more – or approximately five times farther than a driver can typically see with headlights.  The system’s extended vision range gives drivers more time to react to potential road hazards than with headlights alone.

When viewing Kenworth’s high-resolution, flat-panel video monitor, drivers see a real-time, black and white, thermal image of the driver’s front field of view.  The warmer the object, the "whiter" the image.  The camera can sense temperature differences as small as 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.7 deg C).  Because the camera is not affected by light, the display image is not susceptible to glare from on-coming headlights.

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For More Information ...

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Night Vision display within the vehicle cab