Volvo Debuts Raytheon Infrared Night Vision System

DETROIT, Jan. 14 -- Night Vision, developed by Raytheon Commercial Infrared, will be available in the Volvo XC90 SUV, which was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last week.

Night Vision is an automotive thermal imaging system that allows drivers to see several times farther than standard low-beam headlights. Volvo is the first European manufacturer to incorporate Night Vision into its design.

The Volvo Night Vision system has a 50 percent wider field of view and a deployed combiner mirror head-up display (HUD) that folds flush into the dashboard when not in use. Raytheon engineers were brought into the XC90's early design stages to integrate the system into the car's overall packaging requirements.

Night Vision utilizes an infrared thermal imager above the car's front bumper to detect slight temperature emitted by all objects. It converts these differences into a real-time video image displayed in front of the driver. Warm objects such as people, animals or recently driven cars stand out white against cooler surroundings.