Technology is evolving at such a high speed that we are now able to enjoy certain things that were considered the stuff one might only see in science-fiction movies a while ago. This applies to pretty much any field, including that of automotive accessories, which have made it possible for vehicles to help drivers take phone calls, navigate and even park. But how about being able to clearly view the road ahead, even during nighttime, without requiring headlights?

Well, it seems that just about any BMW driver can enjoy this option nowadays, with the help of the BMW Night Vision System. This system, which is built around the PathFindIR camera from FLIR, was initially provided as an option for certain models from the company's BMW 5, 6 and 7 Series.

The PathFindIR uses an uncooled microbolometer sensor, and provides a field of view of 36 degrees horizontal by 27 degrees vertical. Additionally, it sports an 8 - 14 μ spectral band, a 320 x 240 pixel resolution, a focal length of 19 millimeters, plus a very short start-up time, of under 2 seconds. It provides a frame rate of 30-Hz for NTSC Video and 25 Hz for PAL video and it doesn't require too much power in order to function, namely just around 2 watts.

As the people over at BMW Blog inform us, even if the FLIR camera was initially offered only as a rather expensive option, the truth is that, with a little tweaking, it can ultimately be installed in earlier BMWs and Range Rovers simply by plugging this camera into the BMW TV Video module.

The installation process is quite a simple and fast one, since the camera (which measures just around 58mm x 57mm x 72mm and weighs under 400 grams) gets mounted in a grill, and the AV output connects any LCD or the BMW Navigation computer monitor. Then, the camera can easily be controlled either by using the BMW's own navigation computer, or, need be, an additional switch that only activates it when the drivers desires so.

All in all, the BMW Night Vision System is a very interesting product, and the fact that it can be easily installed in any BMW vehicle makes it even more versatile, as well as a very good option for all those drivers who really care about their safety while driving during the night.


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