Bendix makes Xvision commercially available

In a long-awaited move, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has officially made its Xvision infra-red night vision system commercially available to the truck and bus markets. Bendix, based in Elyria, OH, first unveiled Xvision during its proptype development stage in March of 2000. It is an infrared night-vision system that helps drivers sees five times farther in the dark and was developed through a partnership with Raytheon Commercial Infrared, based in Dallas, TX. "XVision will help reduce the more than 90,000 nighttime driving accidents involving large trucks that occur each year by improving the driver's ability to see at night," said Andreea Raaber, director of new ventures for Bendix. "Research shows that most nighttime accidents simply occur because of the driver's inability to see clearly in the dark."Raaber said a driver using XVision has 18 to 20 seconds of extra time to react to hazards on the road ahead at 60 mph, compared to three to five seconds using standard headlights. Xvision uses an infrared camera mounted on the vehicle's exterior captures thermal images of the road 1,500 feet ahead and beyond, then transmits these images to an in-cab display unit.The display unit is roughly the size of a rear-view mirror, and is mounted either just above the driver's line of sight, flipping down like a visor, or on the dash -- just below the driver's line of sight, flipping up from the console.