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Cadillac Harnesses High-Tech Hardware for Motorist Safety

20 August 1998

From 'Desert Storm' to Detroit ... Cadillac Harnesses High-Tech Hardware for Motorist Safety

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- Cadillac today announced it will be
the first automaker to offer an advanced technology designed to greatly
increase motorists' safety and security.  The system, called Night Vision,
uses infrared technology and a "head-up display" (HUD) to alert nighttime
drivers to potentially dangerous situations existing well beyond the range of
headlamp visibility.
    "It is a tragic fact that the risk of dying in a traffic crash almost
doubles during nighttime hours even though only about one quarter of driving
occurs after dark.  As a result, Cadillac's Night Vision system will help
improve the safety of motorists," said John F. Smith, Cadillac
general manager.
    According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are
over 700,000 annual vehicle crashes across the United States that cause death
or serious injury during nighttime hours. "Personal security, an important
issue for all Americans, will also be increased by Night Vision since it can
detect a person hiding in the dark near homes, offices and even parking lots
at the mall," Smith said.
    During the Gulf War, thermal-imaging systems helped U.S. military forces
successfully carry out their missions under the cover of darkness.  With the
introduction of Night Vision as an option on the 2000 DeVille, Cadillac will
be the first automaker to bring the safety advantages of this 21st-century
technology to the motoring public.
    Night Vision is not meant to replace a driver's view of the windshield,
rather it will give drivers additional visual information beyond what their
eyes are capable of seeing.  The system, which is projected as a head-up
display low onto the windshield near the front edge of the car's hood, allows
drivers to see up to three to five times farther ahead of their low-beam
headlamps. It also helps drivers see better when avoiding the dangerous
headlight glare of oncoming vehicles.
    Because Night Vision's thermal image is projected onto a HUD, rather than
on a flat screen mounted in the car, it helps drivers keep their eyes on the
road and hands on the wheel.  As with a rearview mirror, the HUD is designed
for glancing looks to provide the driver with additional visual information.
    It creates infrared pictures based on heat energy emitted by objects in
the viewed scene.  Though everything emits some degree of heat, humans,
animals and moving vehicles are more visible in the image due to their thermal
contrast with the background.
    The same infrared technology, which was developed by Raytheon Systems Co.,
has been adopted extensively by the U.S. military, the U.S. Secret Service,
law enforcement personnel, fire departments and marine safety professionals.