C8 Rear Mirror Camera Information

[John]

Since we have seen the extra camera on the C8’s halo bar or top of rear window, we are pretty sure we will see something real similar on our C8 to the Cadillac’s mirror camera system.

Trying to learn more about what is it and what is might not be, I collected the following article and two videos, though all of the videos are older and do not show the 2019 enhancements listed in this first article.

[Quote=gmauthority] General Motors Rear Camera Mirror


Rear Camera Mirror is a General Motors safety technology that replaces the traditional rear-view mirror with high-resolution video streaming to a display in the rear-view mirror, thereby improving on the traditional inside rearview mirror by providing a wider, less obstructed field of view. How It Works


The Rear Camera Mirror system is comprised of two primary components:

• Camera: the rear-facing high-definition camera features a high dynamic range designed specifically to enhance rear view lane width and maximize low-light situations. The camera reduces glare and allows a crisper image in low-light situations compared to a traditional glass electrochromatic, or auto-dimming, rearview mirror. The camera is finished with a water-shedding hydrophobic coating to keep it clean to maintain visibility regardless of the driving conditions.
• Display: the in-mirror 1280 by 240-pixel TFT-LCD display with 171 pixels per inch

Benefits


Most evident when driving, changing lanes, and checking for vehicles and traffic conditions, the benefits of the Rear Camera Mirror include:

• Providing a clear view of the view behind the vehicle, with no obstructions of passengers, headrests and the vehicle’s roof and rear pillars
• Improves field of vision by 300 percent, or roughly four times greater than a standard rearview mirror

Left: regular mirror with obstructions. Right: rear camera mirror with no obstructions.

“The closest comparison to this kind of rear vision would be driving a convertible with the top down,” said Travis Hester, Cadillac CT6 executive chief engineer. “In addition to the increased field of view, the technology eliminates any rear seat, rear pillar or passenger obstructions, allowing the driver an unimpeded view of the lanes behind and traditional blind-spots,” Hester said. Washer Feature


For the 2018 model year, the Rear Camera Mirror gained a Rear Camera Mirror Washer feature that delivers a pressurized spray to the lens used the Rear Camera Mirror, thereby removing mud, dust, snow, ice and moisture from the camera’s lens. Enabling And Disabling


Drivers can disable the mirror’s video streaming function by “flipping down” the tab on the underside of the mirror. Doing so reverts the mirror to a traditional electrochromatic rearview mirror. Second Generation


The second-generation Cadillac Rear Camera Mirror was introduced on the 2019 Cadillac XT4 and 2019 Cadillac CT6. It features the following improvements:

• Frameless Design
• Increased brightness adjustments, from 3 to 5
• Zoom function
• Tilt/position adjustment (of camera)
• Increase in the screen and camera resolutions from 1280×240 pixels (Gen 1) to 1440×300 pixels (Gen 2)

Second-generation Rear Camera Mirror on 2019 Cadillac XT4


First-generation Rear Camera Mirror on 2016 Cadillac CT6 Intellectual Property


Researchers and engineers working on the GM Rear Camera Mirror have been awarded 10 patents – one for the streaming video mirror and nine for video processing. The patents cover innovations in the wide field of view camera image calibration, de-warping, glare reduction and camera hardware design. Vehicle Availability


The technology is currently available on the following vehicles.

Cadillac CT6	2016-2018	2019+
Cadillac XT5	2017+
Cadillac Escalade	2017+
Cadillac CTS	2017+
Cadillac XT4		2019+
Chevrolet Bolt EV	2017+
Chevrolet Blazer	2019+
Chevrolet Camaro	2019+
Chevrolet Silverado 1500		2019+
Chevrolet Silverado HD		2020+
Buick Enclave	2018+
GMC Sierra 1500		2019+
GMC Sierra HD		2020+

http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/general-motors-technology/gm-safety-technology/gm-active-safety-technology/gm-rear-camera-mirror/

[John]

Older review of the system by Wired, though a 2016 article re the first generation of the system.

CADILLAC’S ALL-SEEING REARVIEW MIRROR PEERS INTO THE FUTURE OF CARS

The 2016 Cadillac CT6 rearview mirror displays a high-definition view from a camera mounted at the back of the car.
CADILLACWHEN CRITICS MET the all-new Cadillac CT6 earlier this year, they lauded the sedan’s sharp design, luxurious interior, and impressive performance.

They generally paid less attention to the rearview mirror. Understandably; the rectangle of glass and plastic usually lacks the appeal of horsepower figures, of autonomous capabilities, of night vision. But the CT6’s mirror merits a closer look.

It is the first of its kind to trade the standard reflection for a high-definition, wide-angle display pulled from a camera sitting at the back of the car. No obstruction from your seat headrests or the rear windshield frame, no interference from tall rear passengers or the stack of boxes from your Ikea trip. Just a clear view of everything behind you. LAP OF LUXURY

The humble rearview has never earned much love. Yes, at some point engineers made them dim to mitigate glare, then made that process automatic. Luxury car makers recently dropped the plastic rim, which for some reason took a whole century. And the things are certainly a lot bigger than their dashboard-mounted ancestors. Helpful progress, but hardly a reinvention of the sort that companies like Tesla regularly cough up, confounding the competition—things like thrilling electric power, enormous touchscreens, or over-the-air software updates.

Until now. General Motors’ partnership with Michigan’s Gentex Corporation on this trick tech beat the rest of the industry, rethinking—and improving—one element of how the driver interacts with and sees the world around him. (Other manufacturers, including Nissan, have experimented with the idea, but not made it either a) affordable enough for production; or b) play nice with stodgy regulations, as GM did.) The 2016 Cadillac CT6


CADILLAC
I caught my first glimpse of the mirror while testing the CT6 a few weeks ago. The crisp 1280 x 240 display improves situational awareness and overall intel about what’s out back. It’s not a perfect replacement, as sometimes it can be hard to figure out details since the field of view is wider than a conventional mirror. To decipher if that guy 50 yards back is a squad car or a taxi may take some extra glances in the sideview mirrors.

Or, flip the toggle at the bottom of the mirror to turn off the digital view, leaving a standard reflection in its place. It’s a move to stay within the rules that require a mirror physically reflect light, and to sidestep resistance from customers who just want the thing they’re used to.

That conventional backup system is also helpful for those who use the mirror for more than safety: menacing glares at misbehaving kids, hair situation reviews, flirty eye contact at stoplights. Forgetting to turn off the digital view can produce the unnerving idea that you, your family, and your car’s interior have turned to vampires.

The digital rearview, also to be available in Chevrolet’s Bolt EV, takes some getting used to. The view is wider, the angle lower. The nighttime view is somewhere between high-dynamic-range photography and night vision, like watching the road through an Instagram filter. You also don’t need adjust the thing to reflect what’s behind you: Better to angle it right at your face.

Cadillac’s new mirror is emblematic of how technology is reshaping human life in the car.

And once you get used to that, you start to wonder why it needs to be mounted to the top of the windshield anyway. Is that truly where science and ergonomics would place a rear-camera, were it not for that century of habit? Why not plop it right in your line of sight, beyond the steering wheel? Cadillac? Elon?

While we're at it, should it even be called a “mirror” anymore? For the time being, sure—for the same reason we still “dial” telephones and “roll up” car windows. Terminology has a way of sticking, even when the technology evolves.

Some CT6 drivers will flip to the conventional mirror and forget there’s a camera out back. Others will groove on the bright video stream and stop worrying about their hair. Someday, the feds will update the rules to allow automakers to replace side mirrors with camera displays—and reap the aerodynamic benefits of cleaving off those bulky protrusions.

This is how technology advances. An unpredictable mix of big steps, smaller steps, and baby steps, with some regulatory resistance and public resistance to stymie the earliest adopters.

Cadillac’s new way of looking is a small upgrade, but it’s emblematic of how technology is reshaping human life in the car. The mirror is a marvel, the kind of feature competitors will hurry to match. It may take years, but someday ordinary mirrors will feel like those windows we actually did have to roll up and down, and those cars we had to drive ourselves.

https://www.wired.com/2016/11/cadill...mirror-camera/

[Glenn Quagmire]

Just received the '19 Escalade I ordered to replace the '16 I traded in, and to my surprise, found the mirror camera on the new truck. On the way home from the dealership, I found that it was actually giving me a bit of a headache and I wasn't sure I'd get used to it. However, with a few more miles, I've come to rely on it more than I thought I would. Front visibility in my McLaren has always been excellent. However, there are definitely some blind spots. So, I trust with the C8, blind spots will be significantly reduced with the mirror camera.

PS - The only problem I've observed with the mirror camera is that when it's wet or raining, you can't see a **** thing. Given that I don't ever drive toys on rainy days, this won't be an issue for me. But, for those that do, it just means flipping it back to the regular old mirror for rearward viewing.

[John]

Thanks Glenn. Highly informative first post. We appreciate your insightful comments.

[MidEngine]

Good to know Glenn. Especially that you got used to it fairly quickly.

[Bobfred44]

Thanks Glenn. Regarding the wet spots on the camera, our new KIA Telluride has the same issue when you put on your turn signal. There is a camera in the driver and passenger mirrors that alerts you if there is an oncoming car in the lane you're turning into. Other than the wet spots, it works great. I am sure the rear view mirror on the C8 will give you that enhanced view and with the special coating may eliminate the droplets of rain water.

[Klinn]

Thanks for posting the info John, and for your experiences Glenn. It's one of the features of the C8 that I've not used yet on any other vehicle so I've been curious about how well they will work.

I'm still concerned about side views when changing lanes. Shoulder checks, especially to the right, are a tough habit to break. Small side mirrors just don't convey as much information as quickly.

[Shepherd777]

- The only problem I've observed with the mirror camera is that when it's wet or raining, you can't see a **** thing. Given that I don't ever drive toys on rainy days, this won't be an issue for me. But, for those that do, it just means flipping it back to the regular old mirror for rearward viewing.

Regarding the wet spots on the camera, our new KIA Telluride has the same issue when you put on your turn signal. Other than the wet spots, it works great. I am sure the rear view mirror on the C8 will give you that enhanced view and with the special coating may eliminate the droplets of rain water.

The hydrophobic coating on the camera lens is very helpful in shedding water in the rain. But in my experience, aerodynamic design of the camera stalk is even more important. On my prototype Class 8 concept truck, the side view camera/monitor system did not have ANY rain or droplets shown on the monitors even in cats & dogs pouring rain. It was actually amazing how clear the monitors were, blowing away conventional mirrors by a wide margin. With some of the best aerodynamicists in the world, one would think that GM could have all but eliminated the water obscuration problem via aero.

Here is Carlos Maurer, President of Shell Lubricants Americas, sitting the the cab of my truck inside of the Jacksonville Convention Center. One can see how the camera stalks are tapered and pointed at their outside trailing edge to all but aerodynamically eliminate water drops on the side view monitors.

[Klinn]

Shepherd777, please excuse the off-topic, but that StarShip truck prototype you showed is amazing. You must have had a ton of people staring at you during the real-world test.

[frankb]

Anyone who has one of these mirrors tried to hook up a radar detector directly to the mirror.

[Shepherd777]

Shepherd777, please excuse the off-topic, but that StarShip truck prototype you showed is amazing. You must have had a ton of people staring at you during the real-world test.

Thanks for the kind words on the truck, Klinn. I didn't mean to get off-topic with the truck either, but it just seems dumb to me that an old truck driver like me can have a camera monitor system with NO water droplets in the rain, but some of the big OEMs can't figure out how to do that. Hopefully Chevrolet will have figured that out with our new C8s.

Yeah, it was actually real scary and dangerous at times traveling around the country last year with that truck. 4-wheelers and truckers would be holding up their phones for videos rather than driving. Many, many times, morons would just about crash into me. A new video is up at YouTube and it has almost 1/4 million views in the past two weeks.

Here is a screenshot and a short 2 minute video of the camera/monitor system that I used on the truck. It shows all of the benefits of cameras vs. mirrors. Night vision is as absolutely amazing as the torrential rain vision. And I'm working with the nice folks at Stoneridge on a camera/monitor system for the split-window restomod that I am currently building.

[Nitrobrother]

Maybe I'm just a troglodyte, but I still want to be able to lean one direction or another to get a different angle on things beside or behind me. Cameras are okay in one direction, but lay down when I need a quick directional view, or when covered with snow, or when the lens gets a scratch, or...

If you're going to give me a camera view, then let me also have an option to view through a good-old-fashioned mirror.

[DWG]

Maybe I'm just a troglodyte, but I still want to be able to lean one direction or another to get a different angle on things beside or behind me. Cameras are okay in one direction, but lay down when I need a quick directional view, or when covered with snow, or when the lens gets a scratch, or...

If you're going to give me a camera view, then let me also have an option to view through a good-old-fashioned mirror.

Looks like they thought of you. From the first post:
Drivers can disable the mirror’s video streaming function by “flipping down” the tab on the underside of the mirror. Doing so reverts the mirror to a traditional electrochromatic rearview mirror.

[Nitrobrother]

Yes, but the author of piece seems to have an agenda to push the world to his view:

"Someday, the feds will update the rules to allow automakers to replace side mirrors with camera displays—and reap the aerodynamic benefits of cleaving off those bulky protrusions."

Again, as an Official Curmudgeon, I'm not so keen to drink that Koolaid....

[meyerweb]

Rear Camera Mirror is a General Motors safety technology that replaces the traditional rear-view mirror with high-resolution video streaming to a display in the rear-view mirror, thereby improving on the traditional inside rearview mirror by providing a wider, less obstructed field of view.

Not to nitpick, but I rented a Ford u-haul truck not too long ago that had similar technology. At first, I thought "why put an inside review mirror when all you can see is the back or the cab." Then I put it into reverse and to my surprise, I could actually see what was behind me.