An Optimal Camera Monitor System (OCMS) to Improve the Visibility Performance and Safety of Commercial Vehicles and Trucks 2015-01-2903

Similar to Passenger Vehicles (PV), Commercial Vehicles and Trucks (ComVecT) use standard rearview mirrors to improve the visibility of the surrounding environment and facilitate a safer maneuvering of large vehicles. Standard rearview mirrors used in ComVecT are large and flat to cover outside areas as specified in theFMVSS 111 standard, or other requirements like ECE-R46. In addition, ComVecT are also equipped with optional mirrors with different Field of View (FoV), such as wide angle, look-down cross proximity, and front mirrors. These optional mirrors cover wider or specific areas around the vehicle which might not be possible otherwise with standard mirrors only. While these mirrors tend to enhance the visibility around the truck, they create undesirable blind zones to the driver. These blind zones can be gaps between the direct vision through the windows and indirect vision provided by the mirror. These can also be invisible areas occluded by the vehicle structure and hidden to the driver. Or, these can be obstructed areas concealed behind the mirror.

In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility and design of an Optimal Camera Monitor System (OCMS) to ideally eliminate the blind zones around the ComVecT with the goal of enhancing the driver visibility. We show that blind zones occur naturally due to the vehicle structure and large dimensions; number of mirrors used and mirror sizes. The optimal design takes into consideration not only the position, FoV, and resolution of the camera, but also the position, size, and resolution of the display inside the vehicle. The optimal design takes also into consideration human constraints like driver position and visual acuity of the human eye.