Death Knell For The Rear View Mirror?
When Ford unveiled the 2017 F-250 Super Duty with all its driving aids and other electronic goodies, one particular item caught my attention, the Trailer Reverse Guidance System.
Note that this will not backup the trailer for you like the new Pro Trailer Backup System available on the 2016 F-150 can. Remember the Super Duty is a big truck generally paired with very large and heavy trailers. Instead this system provides the driver with a unique and very clear view of the trailer environment and where it is going.
Digital imagery at its finest
While the presenter was raving about the camera following the movement of the trailer to help backup safely, I couldn’t help thinking about our climatic reality. Great! This gadget will last one winter here, with the moving cameras jammed up with salt and corrosion it will quickly be the end of that idea!
The folks at Ford obviously gave this a lot of thought and their solution is a very clever use of digital imagery.
The cameras do not move at all, it is the software that moves the image!
How did they do that?
Small high definition wide angle cameras, permanently attached to the base of the side mirrors, send images to a digital image processor. Using the base of the mirrors ensures the viewing angle does not change when the side mirrors are either folded in or extended.
The image processor then uses only a portion of what the camera sees. More specifically, the processor only shows the center of the field of view of the camera, the rest is blanked out. Just imagine the camera as peering through the center of a slightly opened pair of curtains. The magic happens when backing up and the trailer veers. The image processor gradually opens up the image on the appropriate side while simultaneously masking it on the opposite side.
The illusion of camera movement is uncanny and totally free of any mechanical devices whatsoever. The image processor stitches the images together to provide exactly what is needed to see where the trailer is going and what lies on each side. Not only that, but it is possible to expand the view in the other direction simply by touching the appropriate control arrow on the screen.
Part of a complete viewing package
This neat Trailer Reverse Guidance System is but one component of a comprehensive camera system available on the 2017 Ford SD. Up to seven high definition cameras provide a convincing 360 degree bird’s eye-view all around the truck. In addition, the grille-mounted camera can, to some extent, see around obstacles such as when driving out of a tight parking spot or a city alley.
The Trailer Reverse Guidance system is so new that Ford does not have an acronym for it yet, nor is it part of the Super Duty Camera system promotional video. You can however see photos of the backup screens and a video of the rest of the 360 degree camera system in the photo gallery.
Take a look into what is likely to be the future of the rear view mirror.