Rear Vision System

A vehicle of this size is obviously difficult to maneuver when

backing up. Having a camera mounted in the rear greatly

increases the visibility and saftey. Ideally, the rear vision system

is not burdensome to operate. Integrating the system into the

reverse sensor makes it easy to use. It also prevents ever

forgetting to activate the camera. The image from the camera is

displayed on a 5" monitor which is embedded inside of the SAVV

Rear View Mirror.



The camera used in this system is a "flush mount" color CCD

camera from Accele. The most important thing to me when

mounting the camera, was to angle it downward as much as

possible. By having the rear most point of the vehicle visible in the

field of the camnera, you have the greatest perception of how

close you actually are in relation to other objects. Too many

people simple mount these cameras pointing directly backwards in

a bumper or flat area of sheet metal. The problem with this is that

it offers no depth perception as to exactly how close you are

getting to other objects. With the rear bumper actually being in

the field of view, you can see exactly how close you are to

another object.



The only mounting location for the camera was inside the

tailgate handle. This was the only place that would allow the

camera to be angled downwards. A piece of round aluminum stock

was used to create a spacer of the just the right shape. By

painting the camera and the trim spacer, the camera blends in as

much as possible.



The SAVV rearview mirror offers a substantially larger

monitor over other mirrors. Most others only have a 4" monitor.

Here you can see the size and clarity of the image produced by the

system. A switch was also installed to activate the camera and

monitor when the vehicle is not in reverse.