Press Release
Continental replaces wing and interior mirrors with an
innovative camera monitor system
 Digital mirrors improve safety, efficiency and comfort.
 Enhanced safety thanks to a wider field of vision for both passenger cars and commercial
and special vehicles.
Hanover, Germany, Aug 2015. Camera technologies are increasingly finding their way into a very
wide range of vehicle classes. For the first time the international automotive supplier Continental
used a prototype vehicle to demonstrate how a camera monitor system can replace a car’s exterior
and interior mirrors. Three cameras from Continental’s product range are installed inside the test
vehicle, and a different aperture angle is the technical difference between these and the Surround
View cameras. Instead of the rear-view mirror, the driver has two monitors with organic light
emitting diodes (OLEDs) oriented in the usual viewing directions and displaying what’s happening
at the rear and sides of the vehicle. In addition to giving the driver a wider field of vision, the
system eliminates glare, provides traffic situation detection with driver assistance functions, is
much less susceptible to dirt and dust, makes damaged wing mirrors a thing of the past and gives
drivers better vision in poor light and rain. Vehicle fuel consumption is also reduced (less wind
resistance) and there is less noise from the wind.
“There are no blind spots in this camera monitor system. The effects of unwanted optical
phenomena such as glare and weak light can also be compensated”, said Alfred Eckert, Director of
the Advanced Engineering department in Continental’s Chassis & Safety Division. “By eliminating
the wing mirrors, we have created an additional benefit, because the vehicle’s air resistance is
reduced. The low cw value (drag coefficient) reduces fuel consumption, and wind flow noise at
higher speeds is diminished.” Unlike conventional car mirrors, the traffic situation is displayed
indirectly using a camera, thus glare caused by the sun low on the horizon and vehicles with their
headlights on high beam is avoided. To provide the best possible display of the lighting conditions
on the monitors, the cameras are equipped with a High Dynamic Range (HDR) function that
reduces a bright sun, for example, to a white surface without flare. HDR also improves visibility at
dusk.
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Contact:
Soeren Pinkow, Phone: +49 69 7603 8492 / Ilona Tzudnowski, Phone: +49 6196 87 2515
-2The coated lenses of the wing cameras are less sensitive than conventional mirrors and have a
smaller surface area where dirt and dust would normally collect – this improves the rear view even
in bad weather. A cleaning function for the rear view camera lens is currently being developed.
With its digital “mirroring” as presented, Continental implements the requirements for conventional
mirror classes I and III, but the system goes further than this primary basic function. “Instead of the
mechanical mirror, we rely on a driver-oriented and holistic human-machine interface (HMI) that
not only creates better visibility conditions, but also opens up the possibility of providing situational
instructions on the monitors,” said Dr. Otmar Schreiner, Head of Research & Development at
Interior Electronics Solutions in Continental’s Interior Division. If the approval of these cameramonitor systems goes through as planned in 2016, the systems could already be in use in vehicles
starting in 2018 – the relevant and internationally agreed technical regulation is UNECE R46
(United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation 46).
Unobstructed view without physical contortions
The adaptation of the wing cameras to the chassis was achieved using small, pyramid-shaped
housings in the window triangle. The third camera is unobtrusively integrated into the mirror base
of the GPS antenna on the roof. The image processing system uses the images created by the
three cameras to stitch together a corresponding image for each monitor. In addition to the usual
mirror images, the driver’s field of vision is also expanded by areas he couldn’t normally see – he
can use different picture modes to get a view of the side and the rear of his own vehicle, for
instance. Combined with suitable orientation, this image stitching (joining of the images) prevents
any gap in the field of view, especially the accident-prone blind spots of conventional mirrors.
Instead of the usual wing and rearview mirror images, the camera images are displayed on OLED
monitors developed by Continental. Thanks to Continental’s own coating technology, this energysaving monitor system is impervious to direct light, ensuring consistent readability of the monitors.
The OLED displays are crystal-clear and consume less power than conventional displays.
In addition to the better view, the elimination of the wing mirrors also has a positive effect on the cw
value – and that means less fuel consumption as well as better vehicle interior acoustics. The
reduced width of the vehicle also makes it easier for drivers to use the left lane in tight two-lane
road construction zones.
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Contact:
Soeren Pinkow, Phone: +49 69 7603 8492 / Ilona Tzudnowski, Phone: +49 6196 87 2515
-3Versatile future uses for the digital mirror
“The camera monitor system can also create more benefits for the driver than just mirror
replacement”, said Marc Simon, project leader for Mirror Replacement in the Chassis & Safety
Division’s Advanced Engineering department. Unlike conventional mirrors, digital mirrors also
ensure a real improvement in traffic management thanks to the use of mono-camera-based object
recognition and classification as a basis for advanced driver assistance systems functions. Critical
vehicles, speeds and distances are displayed on the monitor at dusk and at high speeds, for
example, enabling the driver to make decisions about maneuvers more easily.
In a holistic HMI, where the existing hardware and software can be dynamically adapted to the
driver’s needs by networking, digital mirrors expand the possibilities of assisting the driver. They
can increase the “situational awareness” of events in the traffic environment, for instance. Initial
field trials and a Continental-own study have shown that digital mirrors are preferred to
conventional models. Human testers found in particular that these images were easy to perceive
and that the entire system was attractive to use.
Cameras as wing mirror replacements in commercial and special vehicles
Concerning commercial and special vehicles there are specific regulations: The wing mirror
replacement must cover mirror classes II and IV. For it, Continental offers with ProViuTMMirror an
own solution with a camera monitor system for the right and left side of the vehicle. Two cameras
replace the wing mirrors on each side of the vehicle and transfer the images to 12,3 inch displays
(1,920 x 720 pixel). They are mounted on the left and right of the A-pillar inside the cab. Through
the abolition of the huge wing mirrors the visible area to the sideways front is clearly improved.
Furthermore, the solution developed by the business unit Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket
enhances driving safety and reduces fuel consumption at the same time.
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Contact:
Soeren Pinkow, Phone: +49 69 7603 8492 / Ilona Tzudnowski, Phone: +49 6196 87 2515
-4Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner,
the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe,
comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2014, the corporation generated sales of approximately
€34.5 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tire, and ContiTech. Continental
currently employs approximately 200,000 people in 53 countries.
The Chassis & Safety division develops and produces integrated active and passive driving safety
technologies as well as products that support vehicle dynamics. The product portfolio ranges from electronic
and hydraulic brake and chassis control systems to sensors, advanced driver assistance systems, airbag
electronics and sensorics as well as electronic air suspension systems all the way to windscreen washer
systems and headlight cleaning nozzles. The focus lies on a high level of system competence and the
networking of individual components. Thus products and system functions are developed along the
SensePlanAct chain of effects. They form the foundation for automated driving. Chassis & Safety employs
more than 38,000 people worldwide and generated sales of approximately €7.5 billion in 2014.
Information management in and beyond the vehicle is at the very heart of the Interior division. The product
portfolio for different types of vehicles includes: instrument clusters, multifunctional and head-up displays,
control units, access control and tire-information systems, radios, infotainment systems, input devices,
control panels, climate control units, software, cockpits as well as services and solutions for telematics and
Intelligent Transportation Systems. The Interior division employs more than 36,000 people worldwide and
generated preliminary sales of approximately €7 billion in 2014.
Contact for Journalists
Sören Pinkow
External Communications
Continental
Chassis & Safety Division
Guerickestraße 7
60488 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Phone: +49 69 7603-8492
Fax:
+49 69 7603-3945
E-Mail: soeren.pinkow@continentalcorporation.com
Ilona Tzudnowski
External Communications
Continental
Interior Division
Sodener Straße 6
65824 Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany
Phone: +49 6196 87-2515
Fax:
+49 6196 8779-2515
E-Mail: ilona.tzudnowski@continentalcorporation.com
This press release is available in the following languages: German, English
Links
www.continental-automotive.com
www.continental-corporation.com
Online Media Database: www.continental-mediacenter.com
Contact:
Soeren Pinkow, Phone: +49 69 7603 8492 / Ilona Tzudnowski, Phone: +49 6196 87 2515