LONDON: LAND ROVER has today announced its boffins have been hard at work on a new camera system that would allow it to make either a trailer or caravan appear see-through to “completely remove the blind spot created when towing a caravan”. This would allow you to see the traffic behind you when towing a caravan, making it safer for you and the vehicle’s following you.
“The prototype ‘Transparent Trailer’ system fitted to a Range Rover combines the video feed from the vehicle’s existing surround camera system – which includes the reversing camera and a camera on each wing mirror – with a video from a digital wireless camera that is placed on the rear of the trailer or caravan. The video feeds are then combined to create the live video images that make the trailer behind appear see-through. When the trailer is coupled to the towing car, the live video feed would automatically appear in the rear view mirror inside the vehicle,” Land Rover said.
Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “When you are overtaking it is instinctive to check your mirrors, but if you are towing your vision is often restricted with large blind spots. Our Transparent Trailer project is researching how we could offer a view out of the vehicle unrestricted by your trailer, no matter what its size or shape. Our prototype system offers a very high quality video image with no distortion of other cars or obstructions. This means the driver would have exactly the right information to make safe and effective decisions when driving or manoeuvring, making towing safer and less stressful”.
But that’s not all Land Rover is doing. It’s also stated it’s managed to create a pressure mat to lay in the bottom of a trailer that will help you determine if you’ve loaded the trailer correctly, or when one of your items has shifted its weight in transit.
“The system would send a ‘Check Cargo’ warning to the dashboard to alert the driver to an issue with the cargo, or a horse, before it becomes serious. Live video footage from the camera inside the trailer could then be made available through the infotainment screen in the vehicle. A passenger would be able to view the footage whilst the vehicle is in motion. Alternatively, the driver could view the video while stationary to assess the situation in the trailer from the safety of the driver’s seat”.
The system will also work for those transporting horses, allowing them to see their horse in the trailer while driving. Owners, via an app on their smartphone, would also be able to check on the horse’s wellbeing when they’re away from the trailer. Owners would be notified by SMS if the horse has become distressed, via a sudden change in its weight transfer, or if the trailer is being tampered with.
