Soon, auto glass technicians might see technology from the same company that makes their cell phones roll into their shops. Apple recently filed a patent for a rearview camera feed that displays on the windshield.
According to the abstract of the patent filed on July 25, the rearview system could include one or more cameras mounted to either side of the vehicle’s body.
“One or more displays may be integrated into a [windshield] and may be configured to display a live video feed of images captured by the cameras…” the filing says. “The display on the [windshield] may be used to display the left side view and/or the right side view.”
According to Jacques Navant, the technical director of Don’s Mobile Glass in technology-forward Modesto, California, and the president of the Auto Glass Safety Council, this technology and auto glass would likely be similar to that used in current heads-up displays (HUD).
“The burden will fall on the glass person to be spot-on with the installation,” Navant says. “Similar to a heads-up display, you need to be careful that you’re using the right part [and spacing], or you could get a blurry or non-existent image that people are relying on.”
Like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Navant says this safety feature would likely become popular quickly.
“The more features that keep your eyes forward, the better off we are,” he says. “Something like this would gradually take away what used to be the leading cause of accidents: blind spots.”
This isn’t Apple’s first attempt at entering the automotive industry. The company had previously been developing an Apple Car with “project Titan” before scrapping that idea earlier this year. According to Navant, he foresees Apple being successful in the automotive industry, if not as a manufacturer, then as a parts or technology maker.
“They’ve changed the game with cellphones, there’s absolutely no reason they wouldn’t do the same with automobiles,” he says.
