Continental launches 360-degree view camera safety system
Vehicle technology specialist Continental has launched a new retrofit 360-degree camera system, which assists drivers of trucks, buses and special purpose vehicles by offering birds’-eye surround view monitoring functionality.
Launched at Busworld in Kortrijk, Belgium in October, Continental ProViu ASL360 provides the driver with real-time, high-resolution images of a vehicle’s surroundings via several microcameras equipped with fisheye lenses. The system is designed to help mitigate issues caused by blind spots, which in the case of buses can ‘swallow up’ pedestrians, cyclists or even entire cars, the company says.
Previously produced by Continental solely for OEM use, ProViuASL360 is now available for the aftermarket.
“A city bus normally has a service life of well over a decade. So the monitoring system is not only important for the OEM,” explained Dr. Michael Ruf, head of the commercial vehicles and aftermarket business unit at Continental.
“Safety should always come first – for this reason, Continental now has a retrofittable ProViu variant in its product range. With ProViu ASL360, we now offer a product which optimally transfers all the advantages of original equipment to the aftermarket.”
Instead of single cameras which monitor only the area around the doors and the back of the bus, ProViu ASL360 can integrate all these individual functions in one bird’s-eye view image.
This makes the 360-degree camera an indispensable safety feature for school buses and buses used for local public transport, Continental claims.
The surround view surveillance function enables the bus driver to recognise immediately whether children, other pedestrians or cyclists are in a potentially dangerous situation. This is made possible by several microcameras with fisheye lenses, mounted on the sides, the rear end and the front end of the vehicle.
An electronic control unit then merges these four digital, high-resolution camera images – automatically optimised for contrast and brightness. On a display in the cockpit, these partial images are joined into a whole, showing the driver his vehicle and its immediate surroundings from a bird’s-eye view and helping him keep track of what’s going on outside his vehicle.
Since wall projections, corners of buildings and other vehicles are made visible, the system also considerably speeds up maneuvering operations. The risk of accidents is reduced, Continental says, which means shorter idle time or downtime, lower costs for damage and repair, as well as reduced risks for the parked vehicle and its cargo.
ProViuASL360 also greatly facilitates vehicle operation in critical situations, in dense city traffic, at narrow loading ramps, in cluttered factory yards, and at busy building sites, the company adds. Retrofitting of individual vehicles or whole fleets can be performed at workshops equipped for this purpose.
