Continental Develops New Digital Rear-View Mirror

Continental has developed a new digital rear-view mirror without a split screen. The company’s next generation of its ProViu Mirror digital side-view mirror comes with a new version of the camera system that will depict a single, large, seamless image to make life easier for motorists. The various images obtained through the cameras which are mounted on the side of the driver’s cabin are shown on the interior displays as one single merged image by ProViu Mirror, thus minimizing the blind spots and increasing the visible area.

As part of the ProViu Mirror system, two cameras are installed on each side of the vehicle, thus covering the areas of the main side-view, wide-angle and close-range mirrors. The images received through the cameras are then transmitted to two displays on the right and left sides of the A-pillar in the cabin. Hence, they are always in the user’s line of vision.
Earlier, these images were displayed as individual images one above the other. The new system makes it possible for the motorist to see the movement of the entire vehicle. Hence, the danger caused by not having a complete idea of the relevant field of view at the right time is less.

The new displays are also larger and have an aspect ratio of 16:9. The images are sharper and clearer thanks to full HD resolution. They are more contrast-rich and detailed. The driver also has the option of supplementing the displays on the A-pillar with a central display on the instrument panel that shows the area of the front mirror. The digital side-view mirror is meant to become even more intelligent in the future.

Tobias Schmalriede, product manager, ProViu Mirror said that the outcome of the product is a particularly comprehensive image of the vehicle environment on the monitor, one that meets and even exceeds the legal field-of-view requirements. Continental is already working on the system to ensure that the driver will have the relevant fields of view and the right information at exactly the right time.
ProViu Mirror meets the legal requirements for indirect visual displays, the standards for camera monitor systems in compliance with ISO 16505:2015 and the standards for functional safety for road vehicles (ISO 26262). Continental will now team up with OEMs in order to industrialize the available basic version together to match their specific requirement based on the cabin’s interior, the external geometry of the vehicles and aerodynamic studies to optimize the fuel efficiency of the car.

The small size of the cameras used as part of the system causes a significant reduction in aerodynamic resistance and this is further reinforced by the small size of the camera modules. Due to these two factors, the camera monitor system can reduce fuel consumption by one to 2 %, thus helping to optimize fleet cost efficiency and reducing the effect of emissions.