Kawasaki plans to mount a camera on the front of some of its models to improve driver assistance systems. Last year, “stolen” images of the 2 model Ninja H2022 SX prototype already featured the camera system shown in the patent application.
It's clear that Kawasaki wants to be the industry leader in driver assistance technology. By including front and rear radars on the Ninja H2 SX 2022 Edition, it is now one of the fastest and safest sport-touring models currently available on the market. Radar is truly a huge step forward in adaptive safety features. This has been demonstrated by its use in cars for over a decade now. For motorcycles, however, Kawasaki thinks it can make things even safer.
Adaptive cruise control, collision alerts and blind spot monitoring are already possible with the radar technology of the 2 H2022 SX. Bosch has brought its know-how to this device whose subtle appearance complements the design of the motorcycle . Radar is great, but cameras can also help make up for things radar misses. This is exactly what Kawasaki is developing for the next generation Ninja H2 SX. The firm has filed patent applications for a camera mounted in the front of a motorcycle, clearly showing the components of the latest generations of Ninja H2 SX.
While patents alone fall far short of confirming that a technology is approaching mass production, the new documents are just the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to Kawasaki's camera technology. A year ago, the first stolen photos of the Ninja H2 SX showed a prototype with the exact same camera system revealed in the new patent document. In these images, the camera was visible, mounted just behind the bubble, in a carefully finished molded plastic panel. Although it is not installed on current models, it is clear that the camera has already been built and tested, making it extremely likely that future versions of the H2 SX will be equipped with the system.
Kawasaki's patent explains some of the possibilities created by the camera. Although focused on camera mounting points rather than electronics, the document specifically states that the camera can interact with the motorcycle's headlight. Simply put, this means it could automatically switch between high and low beams when it sees other vehicles. It also opens the door to more complex adaptive headlights, another technology quickly spreading in cars, which use multiple LEDs to illuminate the road ahead, automatically dimming small sections to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers without switch to low beam lights.
The patent also mentions that it could improve the collision warning system provided by radar, by recognizing obstacles such as other vehicles or pedestrians and automatically braking to avoid them. While the radar system has some of this capability, a camera adds a whole extra layer of information. Radar-based collision mitigation can see if the distance between you and the car in front is starting to decrease, but a camera-based system may be able to spot and recognize brake lights, giving a fraction of potentially life-saving early warning second.
While the patent doesn't detail other benefits, one need only look at the camera systems in today's cars to see what motorcycles could benefit from. Cameras enable traffic sign recognition, for example, enabling dashboard reminders of speed limits or even letting adaptive cruise control systems modulate automatically. They can also recognize the difference between red and green lights.
Given Kawasaki's relentless development of safety features consisting of radar and camera-powered systems, it won't be surprising if we could see these features rolling out as early as 2023. Although it appears that the platform Ninja H2 SX is the first model to feature it, there is no denying that other models, such as the Versys range, could also benefit from improved levels of safety technology.
