Veoneer on Monday announced it had started manufacturing its latest version of “Night Vision,” which will debut on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade as an option.

The fourth generation of the thermal sensing technology offers a “wider field-of-view thermal camera with four times greater resolution compared to the previous generation, to extend road coverage, improve detection capability, and display a sharper image to the driver,” according to Veoneer. The thermal view appears on an Escalade dashboard OLED screen, Veoneer said.

Veoneer said the thermal camera is 50 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter than the prior generation. The device can be found within the Escalade’s grille.

“Veoneer’s system senses very small temperature variances to differentiate objects from their surroundings at extended ranges,” Veoneer wrote in a news release Monday. “The system uses enhanced analytics to help drivers see beyond their headlamps and detect pedestrians, vulnerable road users, and animals up to 200 meters in good weather. The system alerts drivers of potential dangers in total darkness and other low visibility conditions including fog, smoke, and blinding on-coming headlights.”

Calibrating the device ought to be fairly easy for collision repairers, Veoneer marketing executive Stuart Klapper confirmed Tuesday.

“The night vision camera is self-aligning when replaced, as long as vehicle is situated on a level surface viewing the horizon,” he wrote in an email. “No heated target or manual adjustments should be required.  The camera is calibrated (for pixel uniformity) in our factory before delivery to Cadillac.”

The Tier 1 manufacturer called the Escalade “the first of several models” which will receive the latest version of Night Vision. Veoneer already supplies other thermal sensing capabilities for 35 models across 11 customers globally.

“Veoneer’s 4^th generation thermal sensing system is a leap forward in the innovation of smaller automotive thermal cameras with increased resolution and improved analytics to enhance the detection of pedestrians and animals on the road,” Veoneer CEO Jan Carlson said in a statement. “The launch of our newest thermal sensing system and the inclusion of our localization technology on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade is an important milestone in Veoneer’s journey towards safe collaborative driving.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in March reported that 76 percent of all 2018 pedestrian fatalities involving vehicles happened at dusk.

As Carlson indicated, Veoneer is also supplying an new high-definition map and localization module for Cadillac’s hands-off, eyes-on Level 2 ADAS system Super Cruise. ” This technology platform provides Super Cruise stored data from sensors across the vehicle including cameras, GPS, and HD Maps in order to position the vehicle in the lane and safely perform the Super Cruise maneuvers, including Lane-Change-on-Demand functionality,” Veoneer wrote in a news release.

General Motors on Oct. 1 said the 2021 Escalade began shipping to dealerships that week.

More information:

“Veoneer Starts Production of World’s Most Advanced Automotive Thermal Sensing System on the All-New 2021 Cadillac Escalade”

Veoneer, Dec. 14, 2020

“2021 Cadillac Escalade Elevates the Extraordinary”

Cadillac, Feb. 4, 2020

Images:

Veoneer is supplying the optional Night Vision thermal imaging system for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade. (Provided by Cadillac)

Veoneer is supplying the optional Night Vision thermal imaging system for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The view will be displayed on an OLED dashboard screen. (Provided by Cadillac)