Vehicle-based thermal camera has pedestrian safety in its sights

‘Tura’, a thermal longwave infrared camera, has been developed to improve automatic emergency braking and autonomous vehicle safety. Launched by Teledyne FLIR OEM, Tura is an Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL-B) thermal longwave infrared (LWIR) camera developed in compliance with ISO 26262 functional safety (FuSa) standards.

The solution has been purpose-built to meet the stringent perception requirements for vehicle-based night vision, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AV) that demand high performance, low supply risk, and cost-effective thermal solutions.

Featuring a new, high-performance passive 640×512 resolution far-infrared (FIR) sensor with sensitivity critical for detecting and classifying pedestrians, animals and other vulnerable roadway users, the automotive-qualified Tura is engineered to deliver perception far beyond headlights in complete darkness and through challenging conditions such as fog, smoke, sun glare and headlight glare.

Image: Supplied

“Safety and reliability are non-negotiable pillars of autonomous technology, and Tura sets a new industry benchmark with compatible FuSa features starting from the sensor,” said Paul Clayton, President and GM of Teledyne FLIR OEM. “We have manufactured more than one million automotive thermal camera modules over the last 20 years for driver warning systems and will continue to provide a high-volume, cost-effective solution.”

Also deployed in fully autonomous vehicles, perception data is provided, as are multiple thermal camera modules that can be integrated to enhance 360-degree situational awareness. This feature is designed for the detection of heat-emitting objects — such as people, vehicles and animals — even in low-visibility conditions.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Maximillian-cabinet. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.