Cadillac’s Wide Angle, LCD Rear View Mirror

Cadillac’s XT5 Rear View Mirror – LCD Portraying View of Traffic Behind

On flipping the day-night lever towards the bottom of a Cadillac XT5’s rear view mirror it tends to change to a LCD portraying a wide-angle view of the traffic behind you. It is said to be the first of what could be a flood of inside as well as side rear mirror utilising small cameras providing wider viewing angles as well as less wind resistance than the traditional outside mirrors. The likelihood prevails for several cameras edging together a seamless view of 180 degree.

Cadillac has partnered with Gentex Corpn in order to develop the Rear Camera Mirror, as called by Cadillac, after its announcement on the concept as a `streaming video mirror’, a year ago. Initially, it is available on the XT5, a crossover compact replacing the Cadillac SRX together with the high-end Cadillac CT6 sport sedan. On test trading the XT5, it was found that it worked well though it also needs to getting used to it. As Gentex seems to call it – the Full Display Mirror tends to pull an image from a moderately high-definition camera mounted on the rear of the car just over the license plate.

Lens – Hydrophobic/Water-Shedding Coating

The lens tends to have a hydrophobic or water-shedding coating in order to decrease the effects of the rainy weather. The image is said to be fed to the 1280-by-240 pixel LCD display implanted in the rear view mirror. The driver can switch between views utilising the lever towards the bottom which on modest mirrors tend to switch between daytime and night viewing modes. In reflective mirror mode, the electro-chromic component tends to dim automatically, the view whenever bright headlamps tend to shine on the mirror. Moreover the other exceptional feature is a high-dynamic range camera which tends to reduce the glare at night.

Gentex had informed that each pixel arrays its own exposure and the headlamps seem as bright objects, though darker objects like the outline of the car or a pedestrian at the side of the road can also be noticeable. It is said that Gentex seems to be having 10 patents on the mirror system inclusive of the streaming video mirror concept as well as for wide-angle-view calibration, de-warping, glare reduction together with the camera’s hardware design.

Wide View Beneficial in City Traffic

The first and the last impression is how extensive is the field of vision, which is around four times as wide as a traditional mirror. Since it is on the exterior of the car, the view is not blocked by back seat headrest, roof pillars or passenger. One needs to be aware that the view is 8 – 10 feet beyond a traditional mirror view. The wide view could be beneficial in city traffic as well as for looking around before reversing into a parking space.

When one is properly certain that there is no crossing traffic in one’s blindspot, you can switch on to the camera view on the main LCD of the car. What Cadillac has been doing with Gentex is just the beginning. Other automakers, including Tesla have been toying with small cameras as replacement for side mirror. They tend to lessen wind resistance, making the car contracted and easier to fit into a snug garage.