BMW Night Vision and High-Beam Assist: Driving better in the dark.

Contents: - BMW Night Vision and High-Beam Assist. Driving better in the dark. (Short version) - Driving at night. Pedestrians, animals and objects as a risk. - A comparison of night vision technologies: Far Infrared (FIR) vs. Near Infrared (NIR). - BMW Night Vision. Thermal imaging for detecting people, animals and objects. - High-Beam Assist. Automated activation of the high beam.

Driving in the dark is still one of the most strenuous driving situations and
one which tends to bear greater risks. For years, BMW has developed innovative
technologies which provide relief for drivers at night and thus at the same
time improve general road safety.

With the new driver assistance systems BMW Night Vision and High-Beam Assist,
BMW drivers will be able to drive with even greater foresight in the half light
and at night. Critical situations can be identified earlier than was previously
possible and one's driving style adapted accordingly. In addition to providing
a significant safety bonus, it is a relief to the driver when potentially
critical situations are detected early on and redundant operations avoided. The
driver thus experiences a significant gain in comfort.

BMW Night Vision:
Innovative infrared technology for greater security in the dark.
Relief of the driver and active partner protection.

A thermal imaging camera covers an area up to 300 m in front of the vehicle.
The image thus created on the central monitor displays objects more
brilliantly, the greater the warmth registered by the camera. People
(pedestrians at the edge of the road) and animals (wild animals crossing the
road) would thus be the brightest areas of the image - at the same time these
are the most important points to concentrate on when driving responsibly style.
BMW Night Vision offers customers particular benefits over routes through the
country, along narrow roads, entrance drives and in dark underground garages,
tangibly increasing safety when driving at night.

Based on comparative studies, BMW engineers have opted for the innovative Far
Infrared (FIR) technology since it best meets the goal of detecting people,
animals and objects at night. Scientific studies also prove that FIR is a more
suitable technology than Near Infrared (NIR) for performing this function. In
addition to the fundamental advantages of FIR, BMW has extended the technology
by adding other functional features. For example, the image section follows the
course of the road (panning) and objects in the distance can be enlarged
(zoom). BMW Night Vision is activated/deactivated simply by means of a switch
next to the light switch. BMW Night Vision is planned to be available in the
BMW 7 Series as of fourth quarter 2005.

High-Beam Assist:
More use of high beam on the road. Relief for the driver.

With High-Beam Assist, available from September 2005 in the BMW 5 Series, 6
Series and 7 Series, a camera sensor integrated in the rear mirror casing
registers activity on the road and automatically controls the activation and
deactivation of the high beam. The system identifies the headlights and rear
lights of vehicles, as well as the surrounding road lighting. The high beam
switches on in the absence of vehicles on the road ahead or oncoming traffic,
provided the road itself is not sufficiently illuminated. BMW is the first
European premium manufacturer to offer such a system.

A scientific study in the US has shown that the high beam is used very rarely,
although such use is possible and even desirable in many situations. High-Beam
Assist makes a significant contribution to ensuring the high-beam is used more
frequently. It also prevents other road users from being dazzled if the driver
switches to low beam too late or not at all. At the same time it relieves the
driver and increases comfort. All in all, High-Beam Assist makes for an
increase in safety.

Xenon light, Adaptive Headlight, High-Beam Assist, BMW Night Vision:
BMW initiative for safe and relaxed driving at night.

BMW Night Vision and High-Beam Assist represent the current high point of an
initiative by BMW to make nocturnal driving safer for all road users and to
offer the driver increased comfort. Xenon light, which provides significantly
increase brilliance and range, was introduced in the year 1991 (Bi-Xenon for
low and high beam in 2001). It was followed by the Adaptive Headlight in 2003,
whose horizontally swivelling headlamps ensure considerably improved
illumination of the road ahead.

BMW driver assistance systems:
Intelligent relief of the driver, without taking away control.

The function of BMW driver assistance systems is to support the driver in
certain situations without taking away his responsibility. The driver remains
the sole 'master' of the vehicle. On the one hand, driver assistance systems
serve the purpose of providing the driver with improved information on
potential dangers or giving him an early warning. On the other hand they
provide relief by taking on simple, repetitive tasks. In general, more
information is a bonus in road traffic: up to 50% of all serious accidents are
caused by the fact that the driver did not have information early enough. A
linear increase in the quantity of information is not the aim, however.
Important information must be qualitatively processed and made available at the
right moment. In addition to increasing safety for vehicle occupants and other
road users, BMW driver assistance systems also increase driving pleasure.