Four Issues of Infrared Night Vision Car DVR

[Bella Hong]

Infrared night vision car DVR is one type of car DVRs, designed for night shooting and shooting in low light conditions. This kind dashboard camera mainly makes sure videos shot at night clear, so it’s very hot. However, sometimes infrared night vision car DVR perhaps has four problems.

The first problem is focus shift. Due to different wavelengths of visible light and infrared light, imaging focus isn’t in a plane, which leads to clear image under visible light in daytime, fuzzy image under condition of infrared light at night, or contrary situation. How to solve this issue? What you can do is to use automatic focusing all-in-one car DVR, adopt special IR lens without offset, or use special tools to adjust the lens.

The second problem is color. For colorized dashboard camera, infrared light actually is veiling glare that affects video resolution and real color; as a result, colorized dashboard camera is usually configured with a filter to prevent infrared light from imaging. Two approaches can be used to solve this issue. One is to switch the filter to let infrared light come in or not, the other is to open a special channel for infrared light.

The third problem is sensitivity. Sensitivity is the central part of car DVR’s infrared night vision monitoring. The higher sensitivity, the stronger infrared induction ability. Hence in spite of high price, users should choose those dashboard cameras with high sensitivity.

The fourth issue is visual range. Some inferior infrared night vision car DVR has small visual range, as a consequence, video effect is not good.

When buying a infrared night vision car DVR, it’s proposed that users choose good-quality ones.

 

[Xybone]

You could also consider the fact that it's useless and doesn't actually light up the roads ahead of you.

 

[niko]

The only place to use dashcams with IR leds recording at night is if you mount it the car facing inside ( interior ) to record passengers, - good for taxi, busses etc. drivers.
If mount inside car and recording trough glass, - IR leds "bouncing back" from glass will kinda overexpose centre of the video and will be useless.

 

[albertson]

a Agree with replies above. Typical IR features provided in Dash Cam would only trick the uninformed buyer. It would be more honest to tell you the IR is effective for recording people inside your car, but that is not why most people buy a dash cam (maybe taxi drivers are the exception). I covered my camera's IR (DODLS300W) with black tape.

The general assumption is the only IR light source you have is the one coming from your camera. That's the big problem. The camera is inside the car and looking out through the windshield. Most of the camera's IR light is reflecting off the inside of the windshield and back against the camera. Over exposed. Result is worse image than not using IR at all. Also the camera's IR light source is so weak, it could not light up anything at a distance you needed even if it was outside the car. Take a look below at the size of a IR light designed to illuminate a dark area. This example would be a minimum size lamp (250-300 ft or 75-90 Meters) if the car speed was below typical highway speeds.

To make the IR work, the IR light has to be mounted outside the windshield, like near your headlights or on the bumper. This may be illegal in some countries. You need to check your local laws about car lighting rules. If you could mount an external IR light you would need one (or two) that pumped out huge amounts of IR (much like you want your headlights to brighten the night) and powered by 12 volts. There are outside security IR lamps meant for general flood coverage, for example:
http://www.securitycameraking.com/security-camera-illuminators-223-ctg.html
I have not tried this IR light nor purchased from this retailer. I have seen other IR video on security web sites that are very good at close range. That security camera is designed for this purpose. Do your homework before you buy anything. Wiring the lamps needs to be done by someone that knows how to do it safely. Rocks or vandals can damage any light, so there is risk with this idea.

It is better to get a camera with the excellent regular night vision and avoid all of this IR complication.

 

[albertson]

 

[schmendrick]

Glad I found this thread. I was about to ask this question. Since the IR is invisible, why would it be a legal issue? Also, are there any specifically designed for cars? Why arent the dash cam manufacture guys all over this? I'd replace my fog lights for IR in a heartbeat if it meant better night video with my cam...

 

[Lightguy]

.

It is better to get a camera with the excellent regular night vision and avoid all of this IR complication.

Also the IR panel would have to be weatherproof; Think driving at night 60mph in the rain.
In choosing my home security cameras there are 2 choices; IR cameras and panels or low light capable cameras.
I'm going to choose low light light like the IQeye products.

 

[schmendrick]

Wouldnt something like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00HS8DNZG work?

 

[albertson]

To Schmendrick: Although the IR light itself is suppose to be invisible, the lower frequency models also generate a slightly visible red glow near the light. I think this depends on the light. More noticeable on large IR lights. Some governments prohibit red lights on the front of a vehicle, or allow only very specific lights. May not be noticed, but it is a risk.

This light may work. Certainly it is designed for vehicles for night vision goggles. Before trying a $400 dollar experiment, you may want to contact the camera manufacturer to confirm the IR frequency is within the camera sensor range. "produces light in the infrared 850Nm or 940Nm end of the lightspectrum depending upon the version selected". The lumens intensity is another variable (180 lumens each x 9 bulbs = 1620 per light) but at least you would be in the ballpark of what is needed. Just make sure the IR frequency is what is needed for the camera. if this works, it would make a huge difference when you are out away from street lighting. Probably >100x better than the IR light that comes on the camera. I doubt you will really know until you try it. It would be grate to see what your results were. Then we would have data instead of speculation.

 

[sludgeguts]

My home cctv cam has IR lighting & covers up to 25metres (just).
I have to say that the IR lights stand out like a sore thumb.
Although @albertson is correct about governments prohibiting red lights on front of vehicles, the police in this country couldn't seem to care less.
We have cars with blue LEDs (originally a no-no, then 'someone' decides the LEDs cannot flash - like they appear to do when you go over the normal bumpy roads!)
We have cars with fog lights on day and night - again, supposedly a no-no but plod couldn't care.

 

[schmendrick]

Again, I stand by my question...If night vision on theses cam's are so bad, why arent the same developers offering out side the box thinking LIKE these lights...One's that are compatible with their cam's?

 

[kamkar]

You want 940 Nm light, the 850Nm is visible to the naked eye.

The car boys here allso like to sneak a blue LED light in here and there, and drive with foglight on all the time, that along with so many other illigal things motorists do seem to be okay with the police.

Yestreday i saw a car with a ( guesstimated ) 5" nav unit mounted on the windscreen under the mirror, and again under the nav unit a cellphone in phablet size or maybe it was a small tablet.
Either way it was like a old time car with a 2 pice windscreen and the mittle divider was 5 " thick.

Dunno where the fasination with blue light come from, to my knowlege blue whent out of fasion several years ago.

My personal plan was to put 2 like these where the foglights would sit in my front bumper / spoiler.

But my experiment never got off the ground as i can find no way to get the footage from my camera projekted / displayed on my Windschreen HUD style )

 

[schmendrick]

Gonna need a link! Looks like you've found it!

 

[kamkar]

They are on ebay, i just looked for 940 Nm.
It is allso one of these i use for my nighttime varmin hunting, i am thinking of changing to a more focused IR laser as this one give off so mutch light a glare from my silencer is visible in my scope.

 

[albertson]

It would help you to identify whether to even consider this, if you first took your dash cam to a outdoor location that had IR security lights in use and checked what the image looked like. How well does your camera work using the IR from a general flood. Don't forget to use the camera menu to switch it into IR recording mode, and then back off for daytime use. (Another bother with this concept.) Hopefully you will get good detail. If not, you may need a different camera or an even better idea is to invest into strong normal headlights that help both you and your camera to see. As always, consider what is legal, or at least what is ignored.
For example http://www.tigerlights.com/ may be legal only when off-road. Other suppliers can be found using a search engine.

I think schmendrick question points to the same opinion several of the veterans in this forum have said, the IR feature on a dash cam is just a sales deception for the person not aware of what is really required. If the manufacturer were serious, they would explain what else is needed to make it work.

 

[sludgeguts]

Something else I noticed with my cctv - any mist/fog/rain or even dust particles, these all reflect the IR so the image looks like a snowstorm (to some degree)

 

[kamkar]

Indeed slugeguts, it can look mutch worse than it is at times, and not forgetting what those damm spiders do in front of the lens.
My friend run CCTV too as ppl cant seem to leave the hood onament on his 1983 Dodge ram charger alone, or for that matter the other cars he have parked at the curb,, and what is in his fenced off garden.

Its funny, there is sidewalk on either side of the street outside my friends house, but 90% of all who walk by do so in the mittle of the street

 

[Sophie Mileson]

Infrared night vision car DVR is one type of car DVRs, designed for night shooting and shooting in low light conditions. This kind dashboard camera mainly makes sure videos shot at night clear, so it’s very hot. However, sometimes infrared night vision car DVR perhaps has four problems.

The first problem is focus shift. Due to different wavelengths of visible light and infrared light, imaging focus isn’t in a plane, which leads to clear image under visible light in daytime, fuzzy image under condition of infrared light at night, or contrary situation. How to solve this issue? What you can do is to use automatic focusing all-in-one car DVR, adopt special IR lens without offset, or use special tools to adjust the lens.

The second problem is color. For colorized dashboard camera, infrared light actually is veiling glare that affects video resolution and real color; as a result, colorized dashboard camera is usually configured with a filter to prevent infrared light from imaging. Two approaches can be used to solve this issue. One is to switch the filter to let infrared light come in or not, the other is to open a special channel for infrared light.

The third problem is sensitivity. Sensitivity is the central part of car DVR’s infrared night vision monitoring. The higher sensitivity, the stronger infrared induction ability. Hence in spite of high price, users should choose those dashboard cameras with high sensitivity.

The fourth issue is visual range. Some inferior infrared night vision car DVR has small visual range, as a consequence, video effect is not good.

When buying a infrared night vision car DVR, it’s proposed that users choose good-quality ones.

What you mentioned was just common night vision system. Advanced night vision system not only includes both day and night video recording, also fog penetration, pedestrian detection, lane departure detection and alarm like what I found here http://www.protruly.com/ProdDetail_63_788.html

Did anyone tried this kind of car night vision system?

 

[jokiin]

What you mentioned was just common night vision system. Advanced night vision system not only includes both day and night video recording, also fog penetration, pedestrian detection, lane departure detection and alarm like what I found here http://www.protruly.com/ProdDetail_63_788.html

Did anyone tried this kind of car night vision system?

you can promote your product in the appropriate section, you don't really 'find' something when you work at the company