night vision improves driving safety: device technology

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/ )

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Tsunoru NakashimaNikkei Electronics

Nikkei BP Japan Technology Report / E140512-038-012

© 2014 Nikkei Business Publishing,Inc.


© 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.



“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.



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

night vision improves driving safety: device technology

Documents