Night vision
The purpose of the Night Vision System (NVS) is to assist drivers under conditions of low environmental lighting by displaying on a screen the scene in front of the vehicle, with details that would otherwise be invisible.
The system is not meant to be an alternative to the driver’s natural vision but instead a useful support when the high beams cannot be turned on traffic reasons.
Operation
Magneti Marelli’s Night Vision system (NVS) is an active system that operates in the Near Infrared Spectrum for the purpose of increasing the quality and details of the displayed scene.
The system consists of:
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Infrared illuminator
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CMOS video camera, which works in the IR portion of the spectrum
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Video camera control unit
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Video
An NIR video camera (positioned near the interior rear-view mirror) detects the IR light generated by the illuminator and reflected by objects and pedestrians in a radius of 150 meters in front of the vehicle.
The IR source (Illuminator) works by filtering the visible portion of the light emitted by the H11 halogen lamp built into the vehicle headlamp; the radiation of the nearby IR is not visible, consequently a considerable distance can be reached, at the same time avoiding the dazzling effects of vehicles approaching head on which are typical of high beams.
At present, Magneti Marelli Electronic Systems is also developing a system that works on the radiation of the far infrared radiation (FIR), which is a passive system and therefore does not require an additional source of IR light.
The heat video camera used reacts to the long wave radiation of the spectrum of IR light and shows a thermal recording of the scene in front, reaching a distance that is approximately twice (about 300 meters and beyond) the distance obtained with an NIR video camera.
The system consists of:
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Bolometer (heat video camera)
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Electronic Control Unit
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Video