What it claims is “the world’s first 3600 surround view camera system for vehicles will be on show on Spillard Safety Systems’ stand G1 at Plantworx 2013 [a UK exhibition]. Optronics 360 is the most technologically advanced vision system for off-road environments. It gives operators an all-round, real time, bird’s eye view from a single monitor. “Customisable for each individual installation, it can be programmed from horizon to horizon as well as forward and rear. By covering a much wider area this makes it the most effective system on the market for eliminating blind spots” – shown repeatedly in visibility studies to be a major and life-threatening problem on many machines and vehicles.
Calibrated ultra-wide cameras produce large amounts of omnidirectional image data which is manipulated using vision mapping software through a programmable image processing unit. Image regions are then digitally synthesised to create a quadra-spheric composite view on the operator’s screen (30 frames per second) that looks just as if it’s been taken from above the vehicle. There are no jumps between viewed frames.