Parking Assistance Camera, Wide Angle Front

System overview

System overview




Parking assistance camera wide angle front increases the driver's visual field and facilitates driving through intersections and tight exits with poor visibility to both sides. This is an excellent supplement to traffic mirrors at critical intersections as well as areas with many buildings and dense vegetation. The camera has a discrete placement in the grille.
The system consists of a wide angle camera that covers a vision field of 180 degrees to the sides and allows the driver to see around corners, past buildings and hedge rows at intersection, for example. The camera view is shown on the screen in the Infotainment control module (ICM).
Parking assistance camera wide angle front communicates with the Infotainment control module (ICM) via composite video signal (CVBS) which in turn communicates with the Climate control module (CCM) via CAN.
Parking assistance camera wide angle front has no diagnostics of its own, trouble codes can only be set in the Infotainment control module (ICM) during a self-test.

Camera




The camera is located in the grill.

Camera view range




The camera view shows 180 degrees horizontally out to the sides. The camera view does not show the driver's vision field ahead, instead it focuses on objects on the left and right side. Using image processing the picture is corrected from so-called "fish eye" effect to showing a flat picture. A result of this correction is that it may seem that objects in the picture are leaning. However, this is normal for this type of image processing.
Depending on vehicle model, a part of the vehicle's grill may be seen in the picture's left or right edge.

Activation




The driver activates the camera either by pressing the button CAM on the Climate control module (CCM) or with the control for menu handling. On markets with side view camera, two presses on the button CAM are needed to activate Parking assistance camera wide angle front.
The screen shows two fields, one for each side of the road. The screen's upper left corner shows the text "Front camera" to indicate selected function. During the first five seconds a safety text is also shown on the screen.
The camera is deactivated either by driver pressing the CAM-button again or automatically when the vehicle is driven faster than 20 km/h.
Parking assistance camera wide angle front remains active even if reverse gear is engaged. If the vehicle is equipped with Parking assistance camera rear, the picture from the rear camera will be shown instead when reverse gear is engaged. After reversing, the front camera must be activated again.

Light conditions
The camera has automatic sensing of light conditions and adjusts the sensitivity continuously. This means that the image may vary in light intensity and quality during the time that the camera is used, but the image is stabilized after a few seconds.
In poor light conditions or dark the camera compensates by increasing the light sensitivity. This in combination with the light from the vehicle's headlights makes it possible to see the image on the screen even if it is completely dark when the camera is used. However, in poor light conditions it may be that the image quality is slightly reduced. If the image is too dark, the light intensity can be turned up with the control for the instrument lighting.
If light conditions are poor, it is extra important to keep the camera lens free from dirt and ice.