Driver vision enhancement on the light armored vehicle Scarabee of ARQUUS

Driving an armored vehicle requires a comprehensive overview of the ongoing situation, as the maneuvers are often dangerous and carried out under fire. To operate in full confidence, the crew consequently needs systems contributing to the enhancement of mobility and the strengthening of the platform’s security, while reducing the stress induced by the lack of visibility. Therefore, a good Driver Vision Enhancer has to provide reliable information on the immediate surroundings at all times of day and night, in any operational condition. It needs to maximize user comfort so the pilot can fully focus on the mission. This equipment must be easy to integrate into existing vehicles, thanks to a space optimized volume and an interoperable connectivity with the platform’s vetronics systems.
The Scarabee is a demonstrator for advanced future light armored vehicles, and is especially designed for scouting, reconnaissance and support missions, in any type of field, be it in open or urban areas.
To offer an enhanced vision to Arquus’ Scarabee crew, Bertin Photonics supplies the vehicle with a system composed of 2 optronic modules PeriSight at the front and the back of the platform, with a 90° Field of View (FoV) for the first one, and 120° for the second. Those 2 different FoV are used to optimize high-speed driving, as they allow to better anticipate the field layout. Nonetheless, the system is modular and can adapt to each user’ specific needs.

Optronic modules transmit video streams to a calculator dedicated to local situational awareness, via a GigE, PT-PAL or HD-SDI connector. Each configuration includes an image processing solution that integrates additional functionalities (numerical stabilization, image fusion, automatic detection and monitoring). The video stream and the extracted information are sent to one or more touch-sensitive screens equipped with a specific human-computer interface to receive the data collected by the modules. The equipment provided by Bertin Photonics meets the operational challenges of the Scarabee, such as the solution’s ergonomics, the relevance of its image processing functions, and the covering of the observed zone by several sensors to avoid redundancy. The driver vision enhancer PeriSight has since been tested by Armed Forces on another type of vehicle, and has given entire satisfaction to the users as they confirmed its operational utility in terms of reliability, security and comfort. The PeriSight is included in Arquus’ Scarabee prototype, which is paving the way for tomorrow’s reconnaissance vehicles.