Veoneer taps into military infrared tech

Veoneer, the spinoff from Swedish airbag maker Autoliv, has taken its thermal-sensing technology to a new level for a debut on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade.

The fourth generation, called Night Vision, aimed for better forward visibility for drivers by using a wider field-of-view thermal camera with greater resolution compared with the previous generation.

It extends road coverage, improves detection and provides a sharper image to the driver — all of which required updates to not only the detection device and camera, but also to its algorithms, said Stuart Klapper, chief marketing executive at Veoneer.

"We're able to detect animals that might be three or four times further than the headlights allow you to see on the road," Klapper told Automotive News. "You start off by developing the sensor that actually sees the objects on the roads, and then you have to confirm that the algorithms are working properly.

"A lot of the autonomous-driving systems out there use a variety of sensor modalities — vision cameras, lidars, radars," Klapper added. "The nice thing about this thermal device is it allows you to see in total darkness."

The technology started development at Autoliv in 2005 and was first introduced on the 2005 BMW 7 Series. In its original design, the camera was just a visual system that allowed the driver to see images of the road ahead. The next generation was introduced on the Audi A8 in 2008 and added pedestrian-detection capability. Five years later, the third generation included animal detection.

The system has since been included on 35 different vehicle models across 11 automakers, Klapper said.

The new Escalade is the first application of the fourth generation, for which Veoneer enhanced the thermal device's infrared detector. To raise the bar, Veoneer worked with Flir Systems of Wilsonville, Ore., an infrared tech company with roots in military and first-responder markets.

The new generation enhanced the clarity of camera images and received improved algorithms for detection.

"Every time we develop a new system, we try to improve the detection algorithms to make sure we get better reliability," Klapper said. "In a very cluttered environment, driving where there's a lot of brush and bushes, an animal, like a deer, may be coming onto the road. You want to be able to reliably detect them.

"We have to make sure we're not seeing a fire hydrant that might look like a deer at a distance," he added. "The technology is able to detect very small temperature differences."

The latest system also required Veoneer to expand production capacity in Goleta, Calif., where the thermal-sensing cameras are designed and manufactured. Veoneer could turn out 300,000 systems a year of the previous generation; it can now turn out 500,000 a year.

Klapper said it is a priority to keep the technology's cost down as it enhances it. It is a mission of improving resolution while keeping the device compact and light, and improving the field of view at the same time, he said.

"At some point, we'd like to bring the overall cost of the system down even further so that it can be offered on many, many vehicles," he added. "The optics are not just standard optics that can be made out of glass or plastic. They're made out of infrared materials.