Automotive Mirror-Replacement by Camera Monitor Systems

Abstract

This contribution presents a discussion of automotive mirror-replacement by camera monitor systems (CMS). This is a growing research and development field. Such systems can be used to improve factors of the indirect vision of the driver, to improve the aerodynamics and to optimize the fuel economy of new vehicles. Besides the potential benefits of such a system, there are also potential challenges discussed in this contribution. The normative framework of the new standard ISO 16505:2015 in combination with the latest version of UN Regulation No. 46 enables the replacement of mandatory rear-view mirrors by CMS for vehicles in series production. Based on the characteristics of conventional mirrors, a CMS has to be designed for comparable functionality. This includes the real time behavior, the system resolution, and the dimensions of the displayed object and field of view. In this chapter, beginning with system requirements, incorporating additional standards and regulations, different CMS architectures are discussed. The final subsection presents a system design based on ISO 16505:2015 including selected real values and a description of camera, display, and image processing components of a CMS.