This is an advanced technology of head lights and brings the vision in a whole new dimension by thermal imagining. Thermal imagining is used by the military, police, and the fire services for finding the criminals hidden in the fire walls and in the dark places. The cameras take the signals of heat and the adaptive software translates the results into images. This technology is offered by both, Audi and Mercedes in their high-end models. This thermal camera projects beyond the range of the headlights. The images are transmitted to an on-board screen, which is usually used for video or GPS. By this the driver gets the glimpse of what is beyond the outer edge of the headlights, which may be people or animals, and warn vehicles that are either driving or idling by the side of the road.
How this technology works?
This system is located in the drivers information system, in between the speedometer and the rev-counter. A camera’s eye view of the road ahead is displayed to the driver, through this system. This system highlights the people or animal or any other object by using their heat source and it is typically highlighted in the yellow color, which indicates that they are outside/in front of the vehicle route. If the person/object starts walking towards the road, then the advanced image process system will identify that they could walk into the path of the car and it will highlight them in red color.
This system could be adjusted in MMI menu, which allows the adjustment of highlighting people, the warning system and the contrast of the screen. It significantly improves the safety and comfort when driving at night, by helping the drivers spot hazard beyond the view illumination, by the headlight beam and the thermal camera registers heat sources, which are located near or approaching the route ahead.
Having a night vision assist technology is extremely helpful, while traveling on highways, mountains or through forests.
