How a Smart Rearview Mirror Works on Your Car
Smart Rearview Mirror, claimed to be the world’s first LCD monitor, helps provide clear rearward visibility unimpeded by traditional obstacles such as cargo, tall passengers, inclement weather or the design of a vehicle. Leading automaker Nissan has debuted its Smart Rearview Mirror.
Installed in an all-new 2014 Rogue at Nissan’s stand at the New York International Auto Show, the Smart Rearview Mirror allows the driver to switch between the LCD monitor and the traditional rearview mirror, depending on the driver’s preference.
The Smart Rearview Mirror is housed within the structure of the traditional rearview mirror, with a built-in LCD monitor that can be activated in place of the conventional mirror.
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A high-resolution camera mounted on the rear of the vehicle provides the driver with a clear, unobstructed view of the rear flanks, circumventing traditional rearview obstructions such as the vehicle’s C-pillars and allowing the driver to feel more confident when maneuvering in a variety of traffic conditions.
The camera projects a clear image – a wider and clearer view than a standard mirror – onto the monitor for a better view, as well as a more comfortable driving experience.
A switch function, operated by a control located at the bottom of the mirror, allows the driver to access either the traditional rearview mirror system or the Smart Rearview Mirror.
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“Smart Rearview Mirror will give our customers the best possible view no matter how tall the passengers in the back seat or how bad the road conditions,” said Andy Palmer, chief planning officer of Nissan.
In addition, the Smart Rearview Mirror can provide a clear image in a variety of environmental conditions including rain, snow, dawn and dusk.
The high-quality camera and image processing system implemented in the LCD monitor consistently results in a clear image with minimal glare, even during sunrise or sunset conditions or when the vehicle is being followed by a vehicle with strong headlights.
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The Smart Rearview Mirror is equipped with a newly developed, high-performance, narrow-angle camera and a specially shaped LCD monitor, with a unique aspect ratio of approximately 4:1, versus conventional monitors’ 4:3 or 16:9.
Matching a standard wide-angle camera lens to this monitor could not be done since the images from the camera, when adjusted to the special monitor size, produced a low-resolution image with insufficient picture quality.
To overcome this challenge, a 1,300,000 pixel narrow-angle camera was developed so that picture quality would not be sacrificed when formatted for the specially designed monitor.
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When the LCD monitor and mirror are used in unison, the transparency of the monitor and the reflection in the mirror can create an image overlap – a dual layered effect – making it difficult to get a clean view, but with the Smart Rearview Mirror, Nissan applied a special technology to the structural design of the LCD monitor and the mirror, enabling it to function without any image overlaps.
Nissan plans to implement the Smart Rearview Mirror in the ZEOD RC, an experimental race car scheduled to compete in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as other NISMO race cars.
Also, Nissan is planning to introduce the Smart Rearview Mirror to global markets over the next few years after an initial rollout to Japanese customers this spring.
