Digital mirrors improve safety, efficiency and comfort
Wing and interior mirrors will be replaced by an innovative camera monitor system
Three cameras from Continental’s product range are installed inside the test vehicle, and a different aperture angle is the technical difference between these and the Surround View cameras. Instead of the rear-view mirror, the driver has two monitors with organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) oriented in the usual viewing directions and displaying what is happening at the rear and sides of the vehicle. In addition to giving the driver a wider field of vision, the system eliminates glare, provides traffic situation detection with driver assistance functions, is much less susceptible to dirt and dust, makes damaged wing mirrors a thing of the past and gives drivers better vision in poor light and rain. Vehicle fuel consumption is also reduced (less wind resistance) and there is less noise from the wind.
The coated lenses of the wing cameras are less sensitive than conventional mirrors and have a smaller surface area where dirt and dust would normally collect. This improves the rear view even in bad weather. A cleaning function for the rear view camera lens is currently being developed.
The adaptation of the wing cameras to the chassis was achieved using small, pyramid-shaped housings in the window triangle. The third camera is unobtrusively integrated into the mirror base of the GPS antenna on the roof. The image processing system uses the images created by the three cameras to stitch together a corresponding image for each monitor. In addition to the usual mirror images, the driver’s field of vision is also expanded by areas he could not normally see. For instance, he can use different picture modes to get a view of the side and the rear of his own vehicle. Combined with suitable orientation, this image stitching (joining of the images) prevents any gap in the field of view, especially the accident-prone blind spots of conventional mirrors.