Night-sight: Competing technologies for the vision systems in autonomous vehicles
26th May 2020
INFRARED, LIDAR, AND TIME-OF-FLIGHT IMAGING OFFER HOPE IN SOLVING ONE OF THE INDUSTRY'S TOUGHEST CHALLENGES
By Ha Lan Do Thu, Marketing Manager for 3D imaging at Teledyne e2v
It's nighttime. You're driving. A Chuck Berry song enters your mind: New Jersey Turnpike in the wee, wee hours / Rolling slowly because of drizzling showers.
But, are you rolling slowly enough?
At night, the average vehicle high beams can illuminate about 400 feet, far less in inclement weather. And, if you're traveling at a conservative 55 mph—80 feet per second—that means it will take you about 170 feet to stop once you apply your brakes. But, the average driver will travel 120 feet before the brakes are applied. There's not much margin for error, and if you're driving less conservatively, you better hope that deer moves before you reach it.
But, perhaps you're driving a car of more recent vintage. A nice one. Something German, maybe. It has night vision, so you think you're safe. Are you?