A 360-degree camera on a car is also known as a Bird’s Eye view camera as it provides the driver with a view of the car from above, similar to drones. But how does 360 camera work on cars?
For that matter, I have created this article. The full system of the 360-degree camera allows drivers to be safer when driving as they can see from every angle of the vehicle. Using a simple dash cam is no longer recommendable as they do not provide as much coverage as 360 cameras.
How Does 360 Camera Work on Cars
The 360-degree camera on cars is not just a single camera but a surround-view camera system. This system collects images of up to six strategically placed cameras on a car that are projected directly to the dashboard in front of the driver in real time.
360-Degree View Camera on Cars
An array of images from numerous cameras positioned all around the car are used by a 360-degree view system. These cameras are strategically placed around the vehicle to provide a wide vision and cover blind spots.
Typically, these spots are your car’s front grille, the area underneath the side mirrors, and the back. These images are combined into a 360-degree view inside the vehicle’s computer.
By using several processing steps, your car’s computer software compiles these images from the many cameras. It eliminates the wide-lens distortion and the overlapping portions of the images and patches them together to offer you a clear view of the area around your car.
In the end, the software shows a view of the area around your car and a graphic of it and gridlines. You can easily determine if you need to steer more or less to fit into that parking space.
The 360-degree image alone might not be completely accurate. Still, when combined with proximity sensors and the flexibility to move between cameras for various angles, it will be smoothed out, and all blind spots will be covered.
The surround-view camera system makes parking simpler and easier, which is excellent for nervous drivers and beginners.
Read more: How Do Police Dashboard Cameras Work
Parts of the Surround View Camera System
Because the 360-degree camera is a system of hardware and software that works together to aid the driver with real-time data when driving, many parts are involved. The list of parts needed for a 360-degree camera on a car includes the following:
Surround-view cameras
The system includes four to six cameras with wide-angle lenses. They are put on the front grille, under the rearview mirrors on each side, and the back. The placement of the cameras aids in surveilling all sides of the vehicle.
Proximity sensors
The proximity sensors are the components of the surround-view camera system that determine how close nearby objects are to your car.
The proximity sensors are electromagnetic devices that send signals to a nearby object, and the time it takes for them to be reflected determines the distance.
Software
The cameras capture images that are sent to the image processing software part of the system. The software gathers all the images and puts them together to give the driver a cohesive view of the car in real time.
Display hardware
Once the images are processed by the software, the video of the stitched-up images is projected on a Human Machine Interface (HMI) or the infotainment system screen.
The surround-view camera system also incorporates feedback mechanisms like audio alerts to inform the driver of an object in the immediate proximity of the car.
Also read: Do Dash Cameras Work When the Car Is Off?
Conclusion
As you can see, 360 cameras can be a beneficial asset to every driver. So, how does 360 camera work on cars? Well, I can tell you that it gives you a real-time view of your car’s surroundings.
However, the 360-degree camera is not just a single camera on your vehicle but a system of four to six cameras strategically placed for the best surround view.
A real-time view of every angle of your car can make driving safer, and you can always park without worrying about accidentally hitting an object or a nearby car. Unfortunately, not every car sold is equipped with a surround-view camera system.