Source: Cycle World
Yamaha is working on a forward-facing camera, which we believe is to aid auto-dimming headlights. (Yamaha/)Yamaha is on the verge of adding a forward-facing camera to upcoming touring models, potentially including a revised Tracer 9 GT+ and Ténéré 700.New patent applications from the company show details of the camera unit and its mounting hardware, with a focus on mundane details of the camera’s attachment points and a system that allows the protective transparent cover in front of its lens to be removed for cleaning. These patents suggest that the system is approaching production, with the focus being on integration of the camera with specific bikes rather than on the innovations within the camera unit itself.Although there’s a possibility that the camera—referred to in the patents as a “detection device”—is part of a rider-assist system for lane monitoring or frontal impact warnings, its purpose may actually be simply to operate an auto-dimming system for the bike’s headlights. Kawasaki has already implemented just such a system using a forward-facing camera behind the screen of the H2 SX SE, enabling its AHB (Auto High Beam) control that works above 12.4 mph after dark to automatically switch between high and low beam headlights depending on whether there’s an approaching vehicle.The Kawasaki H2 SX SE has Auto High Beam control that is enabled by a forward-facing camera. (Kawasaki/)It’s a technology that’s been available in cars for half a century (Oldsmobile and Cadillac offered the first such system as the Autronic Eye as long ago as 1952), using a photoelectric sensor to “see” oncoming headlights and switch to the low beam. Today, the ready availability of cheap digital camera sensors means it’s an idea that’s easier than ever to implement, so it’s standard on many cars, with some even going a step further and selectively dimming specific parts of their lights to avoid blinding oncoming drivers while keeping the rest of the road illuminated. On bikes it’s still unusual, but it’s the most likely explanation for the addition of a camera to the front of an upcoming Yamaha model.The new patents show the front of a twin-headlight machine with an electrically adjustable windshield above. Both are key elements of specific patents. The twin lights allow the camera to be mounted between them, ensuring it’s stable and solidly attached to the front of the bike without requiring its own bracket, thus minimizing the number of new components needed.The electric windscreen covers the screws that secure the camera, thus providing security for the unit when parked. (Yamaha/)The electric screen is key to solving a less obvious problem, that of security. To make sure that the camera is protected from damage it has its own transparent screen in front of the lens, blending in with the front end of the bike and making sure that dirt, insects, or debris can’t get to the camera itself. But that screen needs to be able to be cleaned, both inside and out, to get the best performance from the camera so it’s attached via two quick-release screws. That introduces the problem of security (the cover is easy to remove, so it’s also easy to steal), which is where the electric screen comes into play. The camera cover’s screws can only be accessed when the screen is raised to its highest position. When the bike is parked and turned off, the screen lowers to cover the camera cover’s screws, solving the security problem.Perhaps surprisingly, it’s an existing idea. BMW uses the movement of the screen on the R 1250 RT as an anti-theft measure when bikes are fitted with the optional navigation system. In its low position, the screen stops the nav from being removed. Further patents from Yamaha showing the same upcoming new model also reveal that it has a storage cubby on the right-hand side of the fairing, just below the bars, where the nose blends into the fuel tank, but so far none of the illustrations give an accurate look at the complete bike, leaving a question as to whether it will be a development of the Tracer range or a new Ténéré model. An updated Ténéré 700 is expected for 2025, and the new model has been spotted on test with revised bodywork, a new headlight, and adjustable screen that match the patents for the camera system, and extensive disguising covers over its side fairings in the area where the storage box is expected to be fitted.
Full Text:
Yamaha is working on a forward-facing camera, which we believe is to aid auto-dimming headlights. (Yamaha/)
Yamaha is on the verge of adding a forward-facing camera to upcoming touring models, potentially including a revised Tracer 9 GT+ and Ténéré 700.
New patent applications from the company show details of the camera unit and its mounting hardware, with a focus on mundane details of the camera’s attachment points and a system that allows the protective transparent cover in front of its lens to be removed for cleaning. These patents suggest that the system is approaching production, with the focus being on integration of the camera with specific bikes rather than on the innovations within the camera unit itself.
Although there’s a possibility that the camera—referred to in the patents as a “detection device”—is part of a rider-assist system for lane monitoring or frontal impact warnings, its purpose may actually be simply to operate an auto-dimming system for the bike’s headlights. Kawasaki has already implemented just such a system using a forward-facing camera behind the screen of the H2 SX SE, enabling its AHB (Auto High Beam) control that works above 12.4 mph after dark to automatically switch between high and low beam headlights depending on whether there’s an approaching vehicle.
The Kawasaki H2 SX SE has Auto High Beam control that is enabled by a forward-facing camera. (Kawasaki/)
It’s a technology that’s been available in cars for half a century (Oldsmobile and Cadillac offered the first such system as the Autronic Eye as long ago as 1952), using a photoelectric sensor to “see” oncoming headlights and switch to the low beam. Today, the ready availability of cheap digital camera sensors means it’s an idea that’s easier than ever to implement, so it’s standard on many cars, with some even going a step further and selectively dimming specific parts of their lights to avoid blinding oncoming drivers while keeping the rest of the road illuminated. On bikes it’s still unusual, but it’s the most likely explanation for the addition of a camera to the front of an upcoming Yamaha model.
The new patents show the front of a twin-headlight machine with an electrically adjustable windshield above. Both are key elements of specific patents. The twin lights allow the camera to be mounted between them, ensuring it’s stable and solidly attached to the front of the bike without requiring its own bracket, thus minimizing the number of new components needed.
The electric windscreen covers the screws that secure the camera, thus providing security for the unit when parked. (Yamaha/)
The electric screen is key to solving a less obvious problem, that of security. To make sure that the camera is protected from damage it has its own transparent screen in front of the lens, blending in with the front end of the bike and making sure that dirt, insects, or debris can’t get to the camera itself. But that screen needs to be able to be cleaned, both inside and out, to get the best performance from the camera so it’s attached via two quick-release screws. That introduces the problem of security (the cover is easy to remove, so it’s also easy to steal), which is where the electric screen comes into play. The camera cover’s screws can only be accessed when the screen is raised to its highest position. When the bike is parked and turned off, the screen lowers to cover the camera cover’s screws, solving the security problem.
Perhaps surprisingly, it’s an existing idea. BMW uses the movement of the screen on the R 1250 RT as an anti-theft measure when bikes are fitted with the optional navigation system. In its low position, the screen stops the nav from being removed. Further patents from Yamaha showing the same upcoming new model also reveal that it has a storage cubby on the right-hand side of the fairing, just below the bars, where the nose blends into the fuel tank, but so far none of the illustrations give an accurate look at the complete bike, leaving a question as to whether it will be a development of the Tracer range or a new Ténéré model. An updated Ténéré 700 is expected for 2025, and the new model has been spotted on test with revised bodywork, a new headlight, and adjustable screen that match the patents for the camera system, and extensive disguising covers over its side fairings in the area where the storage box is expected to be fitted.
