night vision improves driving safety: device technology
TRANSCRIPT
Night Vision Improves Driving Safety: Device Technology Supports a Thriving Market
Part 1: Market trends— New safety assessment standards drive furious market growthPart 2: Technology trends— High-performance devices at low cost
Nikkei Electronics published by Nikkei Business Publications (Nikkei BP) is a comprehensive magazine covering electronics, information and communications technologies. It is by far the most trusted and valuable source of information for engineers and managers in Japan who are engaged in research, development and design at electronics manufacturers. The brand is so strong that 60.1% cited Nikkei Electronics in an independent survey asking to name one B2B magazine in the electronics field. “Nikkei BP Japan Technology Report” is a fee-based publication offering English-language translations of key technical articles selected from the full array of Japanese-language Nikkei BP publications. ( http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/ )
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Tsunoru NakashimaNikkei Electronics
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© 2014 Nikkei Business Publishing,Inc.
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© 2014 Nikkei Business Publishing,Inc. 2
New safety assessment standards drive furious market growthPart 1: Market trends
Night Vision Improves Driving Safety: Device Technology Supports a Thriving Market
Abstract: Night vision, utilizing infrared cameras, helps the driver notice pedestrians and animals on the road in the dark. While these systems are only found in a few high-end cars at present, they are expected to start showing up in economy models as well. Part of the reason for the increased adoption is that night vision systems will be included in the automobile safety assessment in Europe from 2016, and the same assessment methods are slated for implementation in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. It is possible that night vision capabilities may be built into autonomous driving systems in the future.
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“Night vision systems are going to start showing up in a
lot more cars very soon,” predicts Stuart Klapper, Night
Vision Managing Director at Autoliv Inc. of Sweden,
the global leader in automotive night vision systems.
Now that a new safety standard for nighttime driving
is likely to take effect in 2016, automotive electronics
manufacturers around the world have prioritized
development of infrared cameras to complement the
driver’s night vision.
Night vision systems are safety systems, using an
infrared camera to help the driver notice pedestrians at
night. An increasing number of automobiles now mount
safety systems to help avoid accidents: electronic
stability control, traction control, and brake assist
systems are all pretty much standard equipment, and
automatic braking systems are spreading rapidly. The
indications are that night vision systems are going to
be added to safety standards, just like all these other
safety systems.
A two-million car market in 2020Night vision cameras are one implementation of infrared
cameras, and are used as auxiliary vision systems in
aircraft, and for facility security and monitoring, for
example. They are already found in some high-end
automobiles from firms including Audi AG of Germany, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) of Germany, and Mercedes-Benz of Germany. In Japan as well, they were available as optional equipment on luxury
models such as the Legend from Honda Motor Co.,
Ltd. and the Crown from Toyota Motor Corp.
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There are two types of infrared camera: the cooled
type, used in special fields such as cutting-edge scientific research and astronomical telescopes, and the uncooled type for everything else. Automotive
night vision systems are the latter design. While the
global market for uncooled designs is considerably
larger than for cooled systems, annual shipments for
uncooled models are still only about 300,000 units.
This is expected to change dramatically in the near
future, though. According to survey firm Techno Systems Research Co., Ltd. of Japan, the market will grow by an average of 62% annually from 2016 to 2018
(Fig. 1). The growth driver is automotive systems, the
firm says, which are expected to exceed two million units in 2020. Autoliv’s Klapper agrees: “They are only
used in luxury cars now, but we expect them to be
mounted in economy cars soon.”
Aiming to cut insurance premiumsThe biggest reason for the widespread adoption of
automotive night vision systems will be their inclusion
in third-party car safety assessment standards from
2016 (Fig. 2). While the new assessment method
will start in Europe, it is expected to be adopted in
America, Japan, and elsewhere as well.
In car assessment, actual cars are tested and their safety
performance evaluated by vehicle class. In Europe,
the European New Car Assessment Programme
Consortium, comprising a variety of consumer bodies,
is famous. The same function is handled by the
Department of Transportation in America, and the