Tuesday 26th October 2004

Honda develops night vision

Heat sensors protect pedestrians -- but not in the UK

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Honda has developed what it describes as "the world’s first intelligent night vision system which could dramatically cut night time pedestrian casualties". The system is already available in the Honda Legend in japan -- but Honda has not said iwhether it will be available in Britain.

The new system uses "far infrared" cameras to detect pedestrians in or approaching the vehicle’s path and provides the driver with visual and audio cautions to help prevent accidents involving pedestrians. The system uses images obtained from two far infrared cameras positioned in the lower section of the front bumper to detect the position and movement of infrared heat-emitting objects and determine whether they are in or approaching the vehicle’s path.

Based on size and shape, the system also determines if the detected object is a pedestrian. In addition to the conventional night vision function of giving the driver an enhanced view of the road ahead, the system warns the driver of the presence of pedestrians on the road or who are about to cross the vehicle’s path.

UK government statistics show there are twice the number of pedestrian fatalities during the three winter darkness months than during the equivalent summer period, making up over one fifth of all traffic accident fatalities.

To address this issue Honda said that's why it developed the Intelligent Night Vision System. Yet, bizarrely, Honda reckoned it could not confirm when or even if the technology would be available in Britain, though it said "pedestrian safety technologies pioneered in the HR-V and Civic now feature on all new Hondas for Europe." Thanks guys.

[gh0st]

well they are obviously not going to make it available in GB because then less pedestrians would be knocked down, the roads would be safer, and it couldnt justify more speed camreas....

[v8thunder]

Didn't Cadillac come up with this ages ago? I can see its plus points, if only to be able to tell your mates 'my car's got NIGHT VISION! Yeah!'

Couple that with an HUD with the speed, revs and so on and it'll look like you're driving a fighter jet.

I wonder, though, if it'll get grouped with scamera detectors and the politicians will all say 'people are just buying them to speed in areas where there aren't any people'. These people are going to lose the debate at some point.

[lanciachris]

'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down'
'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down'
'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down'
'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down'
<crunch>
'Warning, Warning, road rage detected. Police have been notified. Please pull over and await punishment'

[Davel]

So now we might have to constantly watch the view ahead, the speedo and a little screen as we drive.

How many accidents will be caused because there's too many things to look at as we go?

It sounds a great idea but could be more distracting than a mobile phone and it could prove dangerous to depend on this rather than simply looking at the view ahead.

[v8thunder]

lanciachris said:

'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down' 'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down' 'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down' 'Warning, Warning, pedestrian detected. Slow Down' <crunch> 'Warning, Warning, road rage detected. Police have been notified. Please pull over and await punishment'

Warning! Warning! Micra Detected, Prepare Anti-Numpty Countermeasures!

...the PH version, courtesy of any electronics gurus we have, if anyone would car to oblige...

[cdp]

Davel said:

So now we might have to constantly watch the view ahead, the speedo and a little screen as we drive. How many accidents will be caused because there's too many things to look at as we go? It sounds a great idea but could be more distracting than a mobile phone and it could prove dangerous to depend on this rather than simply looking at the view ahead.

No, you don't have to look ahead. That's what the screen and speedo are for or more precisely that's what it would be used for.

[jsr]

I'm gonna be a bit picky here, but it itn't really night vision.

It uses infra red so is heat sensitive - it would be no use if a pedistrian had just fallen into an icy lake in the middle of winter, climbed out and then stumbled into the road!!!

Ultra violet would be true night vision, but then everyone would drive round without their lights on using the night vision instead!!!

[Yugguy]

"Can you even see anything?"
"I see everything."

[Wintermute]

jsr said:

Ultra violet would be true night vision, but then everyone would drive round without their lights on using the night vision instead!!!

Also everybody's UV "receptors" would be blinded by everyone else's UV headlights unless they were on "dipped beam", and then wouldn't be able to see a pedestrian at any significant distance, thus no benefit over normal headlights

That's what I don't get about xenons, sure they light the road better but the guy coming the other way gets more glare, nature of the beast

Every day that passes I feel more like a luddite!!!

[Wintermute]

Wintermute said:

jsr said: Ultra violet would be true night vision, but then everyone would drive round without their lights on using the night vision instead!!! Also everybody's UV "receptors" would be blinded by everyone else's UV headlights unless they were on "dipped beam", and then wouldn't be able to see a pedestrian at any significant distance, thus no benefit over normal headlights That's what I don't get about xenons, sure they light the road better but the guy coming the other way gets more glare, nature of the beast Every day that passes I feel more like a luddite!!!

I just got it!! It would help numpties who can't/won't switch between full and dipped beam, with the "software" controlling the glare/beam

[rich-uk]

Pedestrians in the road

Do they not have pavements in Japan?

Stop, Look, Listen, Cross. It's not exactly taxing on the brain, if you get hit while you're in the road, maybe you shouldn't leave the comfort of your bed...

[ATG]

Wonder how good their sensors are? Thermal imaging is the ultimate night vision system, because it uses the radiation given off by an object itself and therefore requires no source of illumination at all. One of the practical problems is that the sensors are at a similar temperature to the objects you are trying to see, so the sensors themselves are giving off infra-red at the wavelengths you are trying to detect. (Bit like having a lightbulb inside your normal camera body ... not very helpful). You usually have to cool the sensor way below room temperature to get them to work well, which often means surrounding them with liquid nitrogen. Easy in a lab, but not so useful in the field. Wonder how Honda have got around this?

>> Edited by ATG on Wednesday 27th October 10:32

[zax]

Well personally I would very much like to be able to fit this thing to my Honda. An elk can make quite a mess of the average car and chances of surviving if you hit one at speed are not good.

Not a problem suffered by most UK city folks driving to the supermarket I know, but it does happen. It's not unusual for a for country dwelling redneck like me to spot one every couple of weeks. But it's the one you don't see that'll get you...

Given their habit of crossing the road without any sense of self-preservation a "night vision moose-cam" would be a very real help over the dark winter months. Especially if it could be configured to "scan" a little further out and to the side.

[wolosp]

zax said:

Well personally I would very much like to be able to fit this thing to my Honda. An elk can make quite a mess of the average car and chances of surviving if you hit one at speed are not good. Not a problem suffered by most UK city folks driving to the supermarket I know, but it does happen. It's not unusual for a for country dwelling redneck like me to spot one every couple of weeks. But it's the one you don't see that'll get you... Given their habit of crossing the road without any sense of self-preservation a "night vision moose-cam" would be a very real help over the dark winter months. Especially if it could be configured to "scan" a little further out and to the side.

Seems to me that what you want is a system that emits a sound only audible by elk (so it doesn't annoy the locals) that replicates the noise made by a really angry elk....that'd keep them away!

>> Edited by wolosp on Wednesday 27th October 12:20

[DustyC]

v8thunder said:

Didn't Cadillac come up with this ages ago?

Yep, exactly what I thought.

The Aussies also have it for night driving in the outback. (Lots of kangaroos at night).
Cant remember if it came standard on anything but it was certainly available.

>> Edited by DustyC on Wednesday 27th October 12:34

[DustyC]

GM claim to be first too!

www.gm.com/company/gmability/safety/avoid_crash/new_features/night_vision.html

[DustyC]

And theres a 2000 Caddy for sale on Ebay with night vision which looks factory fit
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6146&item=2496484032&rd=1

[JMGS4]

The reason why they'll not be used in this configuration in the EU is simple....
all speed controlling measures i.e. scams like Truvelo work with infra red and would be blinded automatically by such a system......and of course they'd not want to have a restriction on revenue would they??????
I regularly run with an infrared at the front at night, no-one can see it except the truvelos which get blinded and thus no silly 31mph fines!!!!!!!!!