BMW Night Vision to become available in March
It's a gadget worthy of 007 himself. This March, BMW will make its Night Vision technology available for the 5 Series
Sedan, 5 Series Sports Wagon and the 6 Series Coupe and Convertible. Infrared sensors use thermal imaging to "see" animals, people and objects in the vehicle's path before the driver can see them in the headlights. The images are transmitted onto the screen on the central instrument panel customarily inhabited by navigation information. The more heat the device senses, the brighter it shows up on the screen, making humans and animals easiest to see.
Check out the full press release after the jump.
BMW Night Vision Becomes Available in the U.S.
Munich. BMW Night Vision, the innovative driver assistance system, will be available from March 2006 in the 5
Series Sedan, 5 Series Sports Wagon as well as the 6 Series Coupe and Convertible.
Infra-red technology
incorporating a thermal imaging camera for extra safety in the dark. Driver support and active partner protection in
one.
BMW Night Vision provides a new dimension of optical perception when driving at night. A thermal imaging
camera detects human beings, animals and objects in front of the car before they become visible to the human eye in the
headlights. The image generated by the system is transmitted to the central Control Display within the car presenting
objects detected with increasing brightness as a function of the heat detected by the camera – and therefore
making human beings and animals particularly conspicuous.
The thermal imaging camera covers a range of up
to 300 meters or almost 1,000 feet ahead of the car. BMW Night Vision offers the customer particular benefits when
driving over land, down narrow lanes, through gateways leading into courtyards, and into dark underground garages,
significantly enhancing driving safety at night.
BMW opts for Far Infra-Red technology (FIR). Thermal
imaging camera for enhanced detection of human beings and animals.
Conducting comparative studies and
carefully observing independent scientific examinations, BMW's engineers have opted in favor of innovative far
infra-red technology (FIR), most efficient in detecting people, animals and objects at night. FIR offers the following
benefits:
* Reduction to the essential:
Far infra-red technology uses a thermal imaging camera
highlighting in particular persons, animals and objects irradiating higher temperatures. FIR intentionally does not
present a detailed image of the respective traffic situation, which would only delay the recognition of a human being
within the overall image. In other words, insignificant details are cancelled out and do not distract the driver.
* FIR enables the driver "to look further":
Covering a range of approximately 300 meters or
almost 1,000 feet, FIR "looks" about twice as far as other systems. Hence, the driver is informed earlier on
possible hazards – indeed, up to 5 seconds earlier at a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
* FIR cannot be
"dazzled":
FIR cannot be dazzled by the headlights of oncoming traffic, by traffic lights, road lights
and highly reflective surfaces such as traffic signs. And vehicles with FIR technology do not dazzle each other.
Over and above the advantages offered by the FIR principle from the start, BMW has enhanced this technology by
adding further functions: The image presented follows the road in a panning process and distant objects can be shown
larger as a function of speed (zooming).
Convenient use of BMW Night Vision like looking in the interior
mirror.
BMW Night Vision presents a high-contrast black-and-white night image to the driver on the Control Display
in the middle of the instrument panel. Benefiting from FIR technology, the driver only has to briefly check out the
Display in order to recognize a hazard. So using BMW Night Vision is comparable to looking into the interior mirror in
the car.
Examining the new system, BMW also considered the option to present the image in the driver's
primary field of vision, for example in the Head-Up Display or in the instrument cluster, but this option was rejected
for ergonomic reasons. Tests have shown that the combination of real-life and virtual images irritates the driver and
is not the best solution.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nastinupe 2:11PM (1/25/2006)
Oh man... this is too cool. Now I can run from the cops at night. All I have to do is turn off my lights when I drive. I need this option. OMG. I love BMW.
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Jason 2:23PM (1/25/2006)
I can see that distracting panel in your dash causing more problems then it solves.
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djSyndrome 2:33PM (1/25/2006)
This would be news if Cadiallac hadn't, like, done it six years ago.
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Yaroukh 2:43PM (1/25/2006)
#2 Jason: so do I, exactly
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Dustin Tarditi 2:49PM (1/25/2006)
This is sooo cool! Too bad Cadillac has it already and consumer-grade thermal imagery has been out for about 6 years now...
http://www.sweetliberty.org/issues/privacy/raytheon.htm
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Domo 2:54PM (1/25/2006)
According to this picture, I could see more than what I saw on the screen...interesting anyway
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Whydrive 2:59PM (1/25/2006)
Actually, Cadillac was the first to offer this and they've been offering it for quite some time already. Unlike the BMW, the image is projected onto the windshield, much closer to the line of sight than the BMW's implementation.
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nastinupe 3:01PM (1/25/2006)
to 3 and 4. Caddy did it but it sucked because the display was too small and it was posted up on the windshield, which made it confusing becasue you were looking at a mini image of what you are already looking at... like picture in picture. BMW did it right by putting it in the Navi area.
However, if you really want to do it right, then change the entire car to infrared at a puch of a button... including side and back windows. Now that would be something.
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Rishi Khaitan 3:04PM (1/25/2006)
Even if one were to assume (because it is newer)that BMW's infrared system is functionally superior to Cadillac's system, still the fact that Cadillac displayed it on the HUD rather than on the navi display seems like it would be an order of magnitude more useful while driving.
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Joel 3:06PM (1/25/2006)
Yeah, this is really cool. But do we really need to give people who have no idea how to drive and can't see very well at night a false sense of security, causing them to drive even faster when they can't see what's going on in front of them?
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nastinupe 3:11PM (1/25/2006)
9. Why would this be a "false sense of security"? If you are given glasses you CAN actually see better. How would this be any different?
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john 4:17PM (1/25/2006)
One more electronic gadget on the already unreliable German electronic-engineered BMW to fix!!!!
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TRD_Dan 4:56PM (1/25/2006)
I believe Lexus LX has had it for a while too.
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Finished.Law.School 5:16PM (1/25/2006)
It seems a much better place for it would be on the windshield rather than the dashboard - assuming that it would be quicker and easier for someone to look to a spot on the windshield rather than farther away on the dash...
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Dan Kuehling 5:50PM (1/25/2006)
I think projecting the image on the windshield would only work better if the projection matched up 1:1 with what the driver is seeing out the windshield. Now, for that to work, I'd think, the projector would have to employ some pretty strange optics, or the projector would have to be, well, right about where the driver is.
Anybody notice that even though the announcement was for the 5 and 6 Series, the car in the pic is the 7 Series? Guess this is another neat feature that's in the 5 and 6 but not the 7, the other being the Head-Up Display.
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Brian 7:10PM (1/25/2006)
Doesn't Mercedes have this for their new S class. Top Gear or Fifth Gear tested the Mercedes and the infrared camera didn't work all that great. They had someone stand in front of the car but off to the side. You could clearly see the person w/ the headlights but nothing come up on the screen. Merecedes has their screen in the instrument panel and it looked pretty big though.
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Alonzo 11:54PM (1/25/2006)
Yeah, I'd have to go with the Mercedes implementation of it. BMW would have us looking all the way over to the dash and the Caddy's way sounds like it would give me a headache. At least with the S class, well you're already looking down at the instrument panel anyway.
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Justin Bell 6:33AM (1/26/2006)
I also agree about projecting it on the windscreen. Otherwise, you have to keep your eyes on the middle of the dashboard column, which isn't a great idea.
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Car-la 10:56AM (1/26/2006)
I'm actually not too convinced of the screen display. I think this placement makes it very tiresome to check the nightvision regularly. I really hope for something like "interactive" windscreens soon that display possible hazards once they occur.
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NPW 12:43AM (1/28/2006)
I say it's just a technology they include to stay on top in the luxury sector. Will people actually use it? I doubt it. And if they did, it would just complicate the driving experience because you'd have to look at the road and the screen. With swivel headlights and brights I don't know if this is really necessary. Again, I think it's just something to brag about.
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