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An outside mirror camera to replace the rearview mirror?

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An outside mirror camera to replace the rearview mirror?

With car cameras / one Backup camera It is widely known to increase safety when parking. So-called side cameras are also commercially available, which are intended to ensure a better driver's view. The side cameras can be used, for example, for the blind spot area. For retrofitting vehicles, side cameras are available that zusätzlich can be used for the exterior mirror. And the major vehicle manufacturers have already presented cars in which the side camera can be found instead of an exterior mirror. What this is all about and whether retrofitting is worthwhile / possible is explained below.

Side camera plus exterior mirror

An outside mirror camera to replace the rearview mirror?

The side camera can be installed under an existing exterior mirror, for example. Compact side cameras are commercially available as Blind Spot Assistant available, which are supposed to provide more safety and, if set correctly, see the otherwise blind spot. When buying, you should pay attention to the factors assembly, sensitivity, sensor and viewing angle. For example, variants with a 74 ° viewing angle (diagonal), a sensitivity of 1 lux and a 1/4 ″ color CCD image sensor are sold. The camera should still function reliably at -20 ° C and +50 ° C. Before buying and installing, the legal situation should be clarified again to be on the safe side. A quick call to one Test organization is sufficient to clarify the situation before buying.

Side camera as an exterior mirror

An outside mirror camera to replace the rearview mirror?

In the USA and in this country, the technology in which camera images replace the classic rearview mirror is already officially permitted. The system is built into the Audi e-tron or the Lexus ES, for example. Cameras such as side cameras and rear cameras as an exterior and interior mirror replacement are of interest to car designers and technicians. The technology is intended to improve safety on the roads, as the cameras allow a larger field of view than the conventional rearview mirror. The blind spot should be avoided and the cameras do not dazzle. Furthermore, the cameras should deliver clearly visible images even in bad weather and in the dark, which is usually not the case with a normal rearview mirror. The technology should also be advantageous for maneuvering work and when reversing. The driver should also be able to get an enlarged view of the images.

The side camera as an exterior mirror also has disadvantages

In a practical drive it was shown that extremely bright sunlight, in which a driver has to wear sunglasses, has disadvantages for visibility. Only dark and light areas could be seen on the display. There was hardly any contrast and the monitor in the passenger area was too far away. It was also found that the control glances, such as those done with mirrors, took too long with the camera-display combination. But we think these are typical teething problems that can be eliminated with a little development time. And whether a conventional mirror, regardless of whether it is simple or automatically dimming, can do better is also questionable.

Cameras as exterior mirrors - a concept of the future?

Whether cameras will prevail as exterior mirrors also depends on customer requirements. If the cameras are not accepted by customers, it is unlikely that they will be widely used. The UN regulation of August 2016 was adapted with the ISO 16505 standard in point R 46. According to this regulation, so-called camera monitor systems, which are used instead of mirrors, are permitted. However, there are minimum requirements that must be observed by the vehicle manufacturers. Retrofitting such systems is difficult in older vehicles, because such systems usually require enormous computing power and of course approval.

Can you retrofit an exterior mirror camera?

Current is us no System known that it can be bought as an exterior mirror camera for retrofitting and is intended to completely replace the factory rearview mirror. But the international standard ISO 16505 "Ergonomic and performance aspects of Camera Monitor Systems“Should actually make retrofitting possible. This is because it describes the minimum technical requirements that such a digital mirror or camera monitor system (KMS) must meet. If the retrofitting system fulfills the safety aspects, ergonomics aspects, performance and passes various test procedures, it should also be possible to place a retrofit kit on the market. So you can be curious.

An outside mirror camera to replace the rearview mirror?

We hope that you have read the info report on the topic / term Side camera (Further designations / keywords: rearview mirror camera, rearview mirror camera, side mirror camera, outside mirror camera, mini camera, virtual outside mirror, multi-camera system, digital side mirror) from the field of autotuning. Our goal is that the largest German-language tuning dictionary (Tuning Wikipedia) and to explain tuning terms from A to Z easily and understandably. Almost every day we expand this lexicon and how far we are, you can HERE see. Soon the next one will be Tuning scene concept be illuminated by us. By the way, you will be informed about new topics if you have ours Feed subscribe to.

An outside mirror camera to replace the rearview mirror?

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An outside mirror camera to replace the rearview mirror?

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About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

a comment

  1. Hannes Bartschneider

    I recently bought a mirror extension for my motorcycle. I then considered whether I could optimize something here in my car as well. It is a pity that there is currently no system that offers exterior mirror cameras for retrofitting. But maybe something like that will come onto the market.

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