The Around View Monitor - What It Is and Why You Need It - Vol.270
The Around View Monitor is an ingenious automobile support technology that makes parking easier and that can also help prevent bumper damage as well as accidents. It gives you a better idea of your car's position relative to the parking space and surrounding objects through a bird's-eye view of your vehicle shown on the LCD display. The system processes video from four wide-angle cameras placed on both sides of the car as well as in the front and in the back, and combines it into a bird's-eye, moving image on the dashboard LCD screen. The technology has been pioneered by Nissan and Infinity cars, but due to its usefulness it will likely be incorporate by more and more manufacturers in the future.
How Exactly Does It Work?
An Around View Monitor comprises of a central image processing unit to which four cameras are connected. One camera shows a left side view, one a right side view, one a front view, and one a rear view. Surround view cameras are more effective than the rear camera (which will become a requirement on all cars in the future) because they help you orient better. In terms of placement, the front camera is usually tucked in the middle of the front grille, the rear camera is placed above the license plate, while the two side cameras are placed on the side mirrors or just above them and have an ultra-wide-angle to capture everything that's happening left and right of your car.
The central image processing unit combines the four views into a virtual bird's eye view live image on the car's LCD screen, usually showing your car and immediate surroundings as a live 3D rendering. The key feature of the Around View Monitor is the central unit's image processing capability, which blends in four different camera streams into a real-time, bird's-eye rendering. It's as if a drone hovers some 30 feet above your car roof, streaming footage in real time on your dashboard screen.
In addition to an Around View Monitor, some cars also feature a sonar, which can warn you when you're too close to an obstruction. The sonar consists of a alarm which sounds whenever you're in danger of hitting something. While not all cars with An Around View Monitor have or need a sonar, it's certainly a good extra feature.
What Are the Befits of an Around View Monitor?
The Around View Monitor comes with several benefits, noticeable especially in crowded cities where parking space can be a problem. The bird's-eye view shows obstructions around the vehicle, whether in the form of cars or other objects, allowing you to avoid them and thus prevent fender damage as well as other kinds of damage to your car. And since the system can display both front and rear views, it allows you to check your car's 360-degree surroundings with both the front and the back views, as well as both of them together. An Around View Monitor can also help prevent damage to people or animals, and may even save lives -- think of backover deaths, although these constitute only 0.5% of all road accidents.
Should You Get an an Around View Monitor?
Absolutely! It's a great new technology that not only makes parking easier, but can also prevent annoying fender or wheel damage and, moreover, can prevent accidents and casualties. That said, there's no easy to install Around View Monitor, so if you want this technology, you have to buy a new car that features it. As already mentioned, some Nissan and Infinity models have it, and you'll also find it in some BMWs and other high-end cars. In the years to come, it's likely that more and more car manufacturers will incorporate this technology into their models.