LEMON Manuals: Even more car manuals for everyone
Home >> Mercedes Benz >> 2015 >> E350 Base >> Repair and Diagnosis >> Electrical >> Motors, Switches, Relays >> Electrical System, Equipment & Instruments - 212 Chassis - 2 Of 6 >> Basic Knowledge >> Night View Assist, function - GF54.30-P-0005FL

Night View Assist, function - GF54.30-P-0005FL

MODEL, 212.0/2 28.2.13 with CODE (610) Night vision assist 

Function requirements, general 

IMPORTANT The request to "switch on low beams" can only be issued with a circuit 15 ON status. The electronic ignition lock control unit (N73) transmits the circuit 15 status to the front SAM control unit with fuse and relay module (N10/1) over the interior CAN (CAN B).

Night View Assist, general 

The Night View Assist system records people and obstacles in the driver's field of view, which are on the roadway, before they appear in the conventional headlamp light cone. The Night View Assist camera (B84/2) is located in the upper area of the windshield for this purpose. This is designed for infrared light and records the path the road in front of the vehicle as soon as twilight sets in.

The Night View Assistant camera recording range corresponds to the view through the windshield when the high beams are switched on. The picture data from the Night View Assist camera are processed by the Night View Assist control unit (N101) and then displayed on the Audio/COMAND display (A40/8).

IMPORTANT The Night View Assist camera operates like a conventional camera although with an extended Infrared light spectrum. The image data are therefore also displayed when the infrared illumination is not activated.

The windshield in the field of view of the Night View Assist camera must be transmissible for infrared light (possible disturbances here could be: fogging, blocking film, black print, labels, stone chipping, ice or dirt).

According to ambient brightness, the Night View Assist system differentiates between the following operating modes:

In twilight mode the pictures recorded by the Night View Assist camera are recorded and then shown on the Audio/COMAND display.

In night mode as from a vehicle speed of v = 15 km/h the left infrared light (E1e11) in the left front lamp unit (E1) and the right infrared light (E2e11) in the right front lamp unit (E2) are switched on.

The road in front of the vehicle is then illuminated with infrared light up to s = 150 m.

Because infrared light is invisible to the human eye, oncoming traffic is not dazzled.

In addition, the Night View Assist system detects persons on or near the road surface outside built-up areas. The people detected are shown with highlighted edges in the Audio/COMAND display.

This functionality is called "Intelligent Nightview" (night view with people detection).

Person detection in front of the vehicle is possible up to a distance of s = 90 m.

Shown "Intelligent Nightview" (with people recognition) 

Fig 1: Identifying Operation Of Night View Assist (With People Recognition)
G10050327Courtesy of MERCEDES-BENZ USA

Function sequence for Night View Assist 

Night View Assist is manually activated or deactivated by pressing the Night View Assist (S1s9) button on the exterior lights switch.

The front SAM control unit directly reads in the status of the Night View Assist button for model 212.0 up to 30.11.09 except model 212.077 over the instrument panel LIN (LIN 1) and for model 212.077, 212.2 and model 212.0 as of 1.12.09) and sends them over the interior CAN to the COMAND controller unit (A40/3).

The COMAND controller unit then activates the Audio/COMAND display over the telematics CAN (CAN A) and switches the display to "Night View Assist picture data".

The Audio/COMAND display now shows the picture data recorded by the Night View Assist camera and processed by the Night View Assist control unit.

The Night View Assist camera sends the recorded picture data over the digital video interface (low voltage differential signal (LVDS) line) to the Night View Assist control unit.

The Night View Assist control unit processes the brightness distribution. Extremely bright image areas that could dazzle the driver are thus filtered out here.

The Night View Assist control unit then sends the processed image data over the analog video interface (direct line) to the COMAND controller unit. The COMAND controller unit then transmits this over an additional digital video interface (LVDS line) to the Audio/COMAND display.

IMPORTANT The displayed image area and the brightness of the display can be adjusted on the Audio/COMAND control panel (A40/9).

The Audio/COMAND control panel sends the corresponding requests over the telematics CAN to the Audio/COMAND display.

The Night View Assist camera continuously records the road's course in front of the vehicle and sends the picture data to the Night View Assist control unit. The Night View Assist control unit then checks the function requirements for the display on the Audio/COMAND display. The picture data re not sent to the COMAND controller unit until the Night View Assist is switched on and the function requirements fulfilled.

The Night View Assist control unit also sends the status of the Night View Assist over the chassis CAN (CAN E), front SAM control unit and the interior CAN to the COMAND controller unit.

IMPORTANT However, the display of the picture data is suppressed by the COMAND controller unit under the following conditions:

The following input factors are read in and evaluated by the Night View Assist control unit:

Ambient brightness, status of exterior lights:

The ambient brightness is sensed by the rain/light sensor.

A distinction is made between the following brightness values:

The front SAM control unit reads in the status of the rain/light sensor over the wiper/inside rearview mirror-LIN (LIN 2) and checks as the master control unit for the exterior lights, the switch-on conditions of the infrared lights taking further parameters into consideration (e.g. status of exterior lights). The front SAM control unit then sends the result of this test as an "Infrared light status" over the chassis CAN to the Night View Assist control unit.

Vehicle speed:

The vehicle speed is calculated from the wheel speeds, which are recorded by the following sensors:

The Electronic Stability Program control unit (N30/4) (model 212 (except 212.074/077/095/098/274/277/298) without code (233) DISTRONIC PLUS), the RBS control unit (N30/6) (model 212.095/098/298) or the Premium Electronic Stability Program control unit (N30/7) (model 212 (except 212.095/098/298) with code (233) DISTRONIC PLUS, model 212.074/077/274/277) reads in the rpm sensor signals and sends them over the chassis CAN to the instrument cluster (A1). The instrument cluster calculates the vehicle speed to be displayed and sends it over the chassis CAN to the Night View Assist control unit and over the chassis CAN to the front SAM control unit.

Image data of Night View Assist camera:

The Night View Assist camera sends the picture data over the low voltage differential signaling line to the Night View Assist control unit.

IMPORTANT After replacement of the windshield or a component of the Night View Assist system, the Night View Assist camera must be recalibrated.

Light source detection:

The multifunction camera (A40/11) distinguishes between light sources on vehicles and static light sources (e.g. street lamps). If the multifunction camera identifies static light sources in the vehicle's surroundings, the "Intelligent Nightview" function is deactivated. To this end, the multifunction camera transmits corresponding information via the chassis CAN to the Night View Assist control unit.

The Night View Assist control unit evaluates all the relevant data, and it switches between the operating modes twilight and night mode to match the ambient brightness.

In night mode the Night View Assist control unit generates the "Infrared light ON" request and sends it over the chassis CAN to the front SAM control unit.

The front SAM control unit then actuates the infrared lights. If the vehicle speed drops below v = 5 km/h, the infrared lights are switched off.

The function of the infrared lights is monitored by the front SAM control unit.

IMPORTANT The manual infrared light function test is carried out using a diagnosis tester and is possible for approx. t = 10 s.

For this purpose, a white surface (e.g. a piece of white paper) has to be held in front of the infrared lamps. When observed from the side, a red-green shimmer can be seen on the white surface. A repeat of the function test is only possible after t = 5 min.

When the Night View Assist system detects people on or near the road surface in night mode, these are highlighted with edges and displayed on the Audio/COMAND display.

For this it has to be defined whether the vehicle is in a town or on a non-illuminated country road.

This is accomplished by evaluating the data from the multifunction camera (light source detection).

Function notes:

Due to the limits of the system, the person detection function may interpret incorrectly e.g. objects may be detected as persons and displayed with highlighted edges.

Night View Assist system malfunctions are communicated to the driver multifunction display (A1p13) in the instrument cluster.

Here, a distinction is made between user-related and system-related messages.

The identification rate drops off with increasingly unfavorable conditions (e.g. strong backlighting, rain, snow, bright background or very darkly clothed people).

Individuals are not shown highlighted.

  Night View Assist, location of components   GF54.30-P-0005-01FL 
REFER TO SYSTEM WIRING DIAGRAMS Electrical function schematic, Night View Assist   PE54.30-P-2053-97DAA
  Night View Assist, block diagram   GF54.30-P-0005-03FL 
  Overview of system components, Night View Assist   GF54.30-P-9995FL 
scientia non olet · About LEMON Manuals