Backview screen included in the infotainment screen

[Luke42]

I find the rear camera great for backing up at low speed but the side view cameras just do not inspire confidence at any speed. I find myself checking the mirrors in most situations. The backup camera has very little value at highway speeds.

I wonder if is just the size of the image? I feel like it just needs more magnification to provide a similar experience as a mirror.

I think incorporating the FSD AI to display an augmented view might solve some of my concerns.

My take so far is that video resolution, screen quality, and optical distortion (within the camera) are very important to making camera systems work.

The backup camera in my Sierra got a lot more useful when I replaced the head unit with a more modern aftermarket head-unit with a better screen.

There's no replacement for using the good stuff on safety-critical systems.

 

[Crissa]

...that means never having anything else on the console screen.

That's not how Tesla's cameras work with their integrated console. Or Ford's. They have a big screen which has multiple things on it at once. Or switch as things happen.

My take so far is that video resolution, screen quality, and optical distortion (within the camera) are very important to making camera systems work.

This is so true! Between my model and my mom's model of Mazda they went to a more vertical screen. But on hers, the screen they use for the backup camera is half the size of mine.

While hers gets less glare, and is up at the top of the dash, overall mine is much better because it is so much larger.

-Crissa

 

[JJ_Tex]

You would also need to worry about the camera getting dirty, especially with a truck.

That has happened a few times on my backup camera, but since I had the mirror it was not a huge deal to just remember to wipe off the backup camera the next time I stopped. It is your rear view camera, you would need to pull over to clean it off which would get really annoying after a time or two.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

You would also need to worry about the camera getting dirty, especially with a truck.

That has happened a few times on my backup camera, but since I had the mirror it was not a huge deal to just remember to wipe off the backup camera the next time I stopped. It is your rear view camera, you would need to pull over to clean it off which would get really annoying after a time or two.

I am assuming that a safety device like that would have to have some mechanism. To keep it as clear as possible. I should think that the NHTSA would mandate it.

 

[Firetruck41]

That's not how Tesla's cameras work with their integrated console. Or Ford's. They have a big screen which has multiple things on it at once. Or switch as things happen.


This is so true! Between my model and my mom's model of Mazda they went to a more vertical screen. But on hers, the screen they use for the backup camera is half the size of mine.

While hers gets less glare, and is up at the top of the dash, overall mine is much better because it is so much larger.

-Crissa

I'm not certain, but it sounds like you are talking about a backup camera, I'm talking about a rearview mirror replacement for use while driving on the road.

 

[Crissa]

I'm not certain, but it sounds like you are talking about a backup camera, I'm talking about a rearview mirror replacement for use while driving on the road.

I'm not certain, but I don't think that the camera is particularly relevant to whether putting it on the main screen is better or not.

I was sharing my experience that larger was better than being closer to the forward viewing position. Being able to make out objects was better than the change in viewing angle.

-Crissa

 

[Firetruck41]

I'm not certain, but I don't think that the camera is particularly relevant to whether putting it on the main screen is better or not.

I was sharing my experience that larger was better than being closer to the forward viewing position. Being able to make out objects was better than the change in viewing angle.

-Crissa

I'm not speaking of the camera itself, more the modality (?) of use. On my Bolt, there is a system that uses cameras for a 360 deg "overhead" view and a front and rear camera that can be viewed on the infotainment screen when operating at low speed (parking). There is a separate camera and a screen "inside" the rearview mirror that is for use while driving on road or highway. The rearview mirror can be used as a traditional mirror, or you can turn on the screen and use the camera (the screen fills the entire mirror).

The infotainment screen works well for those parking situations, I wouldn't want it there for driving down the road, though. I would still prefer something like the rearview mirror in position and functionality.

 

[Crissa]

The infotainment screen works well for those parking situations, I wouldn't want it there for driving down the road, though. I would still prefer something like the rearview mirror in position and functionality.

And how big is the info screen vs the mirror? vs one in a Tesla?

All I was saying was that bigger was more important than up.

-Crissa

 

[Luke42]

My take so far is that video resolution, screen quality, and optical distortion (within the camera) are very important to making camera systems work.

The backup camera in my Sierra got a lot more useful when I replaced the head unit with a more modern aftermarket head-unit with a better screen.

There's no replacement for using the good stuff on safety-critical systems.

I've got a few hundred miles under my belt towing my travel trailer with the trailer-mounted rearview camera effectively replacing my rearview mirror.

The depth perception and focal distanced issues mentioned up thread are non-issues for me. I focus on the rearview camera as easily as I do the dashboard. No worries there!

The camera is mounted in a position which gives it good perspective and, if that isn't enough, the backup lines provide more visual references.

The annoyances of this system are all things that can be engineered out of it for a price: the video washes out, there's optical distortion. The camera is pointed down, so traffic that's far behind is near the top of the screen, and there's some optical distortion there. And also, higher definition is always better for seeing things in the distance.

Overall, I'm not too concerned about the use of rear-view cameras just so long as doing it right (and accepting the BOM costs that come with that) are a priority. Good cameras, good screens, and lots of testing during the product development process are all necessary. I can't find any fundamental problems with using video screens to replace mirrors, but there are a lot of gotchas to find and address in the implementation.

Overall, any competent product engineering organization could get this right -- just so long as the bosses don't tell them not to.