Around View Monitoring

AROUND VIEW MONITORING

The automotive surround view camera system assists the driver in parking the vehicle safely by allowing them to see a top-down view of the 360-degree surroundings of the vehicle. Such a system normally consists of four to six wide-angle (fish-eye lens) cameras mounted around the vehicle, each facing a different direction. From these camera inputs, a composite view of the surroundings of the vehicle is synthesized and shown to the driver in real-time during parking.

PARK WITH CONFIDENCE

A 360-degree camera system doesn't work with just one camera. Instead, several video cameras are strategically placed around the vehicle, typically on each bumper (within an emblem, in the grille, or near the trunk release), and on either side (underneath the side mirrors, near the corners of the bumpers).

When you shift into reverse, or in some vehicles, press a button, the camera array activates. Software interprets the view coming from each camera and stitches them together in one single image on your infotainment screen. So as to avoid distraction, the cameras turn off once the vehicle is moving at traffic speeds.

Some vehicles can display the view from only one of those cameras. For example, the passenger-side camera can show a closer view of the wheels to avoid scraping on a curb. Or, the front camera can show what's ahead of the hood, like a parking block or off-road obstacles.

Newer 360-degree camera systems take things further. Instead of only providing a top-down or single-side view of the car, they can be adjusted to show different angles of the exterior. It's as if there's a camera on a drone, hovering outside your car, switching to the angle you select. Unfortunately, how this tech works isn't as cool as using flying robots. They simply have more advanced software that combines the views from different cameras into adjustable perspectives, with your vehicle illustrated in the middle.