DaimlerChrysler tests Active Night Vision

The latest DaimlerChrysler vehicle to be tested with Active Night Vision is the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

DaimlerChrysler has fitted its Active Night Vision system to a Jeep Grand Cherokee to test the infrared system in light-duty applications. The system is being tested in several of the company's vehicles and will eventually be installed in luxury passenger vehicles, buses, trucks, emergency service vehicles, and taxis.

DaimlerChrysler researchers first tested Active Night Vision on a bus. Click to enlarge

Developed by company researchers in Ulm, Germany, the system illuminates the road scene and objects up to 152 m (500 ft) in front of the vehicle with infrared light energy to detect all objects in the field of view, regardless of temperature. The system reaches beyond the 40-m (130-ft) range of conventional high-beam headlights and, because infrared energy is invisible to the human eye, does not distract oncoming drivers.

In a bus application, the Active Night Vision system uses two laser headlights that illuminate the road by means of infrared light. A video camera records the reflected image, which then appears in black and white on a heads-up screen located directly in the driver's field of vision.

"This system enhances the night vision of drivers and thus makes night driving safer, especially for older drivers whose night vision may be less acute," said Steve Buckley, Manager of Electronic Product Innovation at DaimlerChrysler's Liberty & Technical Affairs group. Other night-vision systems are passive; they sense the infrared energy emitted by objects, but they may miss objects that are at the same temperature as the surrounding environment such as road signs or debris. "The advantage of Active Night Vision is that it gives the driver a complete view of the road ahead," said Buckley.

In the Active Night Vision system, two laser headlights on the front of the vehicle illuminate the road with infrared light, and a digital camera records the reflected image. The infrared image is projected in black and white onto a liquid-crystal display screen located in the instrument cluster.

- Kevin Jost

Microvision, Ford collaborate on heads-up display

Microvision Inc. will collaborate with Ford Research Laboratory on the design and development of next-generation driver and passenger display systems for automotive use. The first project will demonstrate Microvision's light scanning display technology as a driver's heads-up display (HUD) that is similar to those used in military and commercial aircraft. Microvision's light scanning displays are believed to provide the potential for the brightest and only daylight-readable augmented vision display in either monochrome or full color. Such a display would allow the driver to view transparent images for daytime navigation information as well as night vision imagery by projecting the images off of the windshield. In addition to its recently announced efforts to develop mini rear-projection displays for automobiles, Microvision's HUD development schedule will first focus on a proof of concept demonstrator, said Tom Sanko, Microvision's Vice President for Marketing.

- Kevin Jost

Motorola, Delphi engineering powertrain controls

In July, Motorola and Delphi announced an alliance to develop powertrain control systems that will be based on the PowerPC to create engine management systems for next-generation requirements. The technology behind the alliance is Motorola's automotive control architecture powered by the latest PowerPC e500 core, which is engineered to provide high-performance on-chip solutions for networking, transportation, and other embedded control applications.

The planned e500-core-based devices will build on the development of the current PowerPC MPC5XX family, the new DSP instruction set and enhanced embedded features of which are said to allow the execution of many functions in software previously requiring specialist external analog ICs for automotive applications. The new e500-based products will be software compatible with today's products, but will enable the design of systems that are more efficient, integrated, and cost-effective than those currently available.

"Motorola and Delphi have a long history of successful collaboration, beginning in the mid-1970s when the two companies jointly developed the first engine control unit for the automotive industry," commented Franz Fink, General Manager of Motorola's 32-bit Embedded Controller Division. "With Delphi's successful positioning across a wide range of engine control applications, we are confident this relationship will help further solidify this technology as a standard in the industry."

The e500 automotive system architecture will be introduced later this year. It is intended for powertrain applications such as engine management as well as other high-end applications including suspension control.

- Kevin Jost