Nissan removes blind-spots

In-dash image shows all-round view

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 21 June 2005 / Loading comments

No problems parking there, then...

Thought you'd seen enough cameras? Nissan wants to add more -- but to your car. The company is developing a system it said will eliminate blind spots from around the vehicle with a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding area displayed on a central monitor.

Rear view cameras are becoming more common, to eliminate the reversing blind spot of what’s beneath your rear window. But there’s a second blind spot along both sides of the car. To eliminate this, side mounted cameras need to be fitted.

Nissan said it is now testing front mounted cameras too, which gives the driver an image on the dashboard mounted monitor as if he or she were looking down onto the car. It also shows up everything around it.

Cameras mounted at the front and rear and on both sides take pictures of the surrounding road surface, which are synthesized by an image processing technique into one view that is shown on a central display. The system is especially helpful when parking, enabling the driver to steer easily and precisely into a parking space. It also eliminates any fear of running over the neighbour’s prized belongings or posts or animals or anything else for that matter.

Nissan hasn't released a date for the arrival of the technology but tried to be coy by suggesting that its upmarket Infiniti brand is due to arrive in Europe before 2008, starting with Russia.