(The following content comes from Gaogong intelligent automobile)

Automotive intelligence, not only increment, but also stock upgrade.

As a key vehicle component for drivers to observe road conditions, automotive rearview mirror (based on convex mirror) first appeared in 1906, and then gradually became the basic standard equipment of all vehicles.However, due to the defects of mirror design, the blind area of rearview mirror has always been objective.

Although the inner rearview mirror can make up for the observation blind area of the left and right external rearview mirror and help judge the distance of the vehicle directly behind, it can do nothing for the blind area of the left and right sides of the vehicle. Since then, the blind area warning function supported by BSD technology (reminder displayed in the left and right rearview mirror) has been added, and the goal is to further reduce safety risks.

From 1921 when inventor Elmer Berger obtained the patent of automotive rearview mirror and mass production to now, for more than 100 years, this traditional design can no longer be traditional, and there are still problems such as blind area, distortion, wind resistance and unclear.

Until 2016, the streaming media rearview mirror based on rearview camera to monitor the vehicle's rear road was firstly mass produced and carried on Cadillac, which led the automotive industry to rethink the reform of traditional rearview mirror. Two years later, as the streaming media rearview mirror supplier of Cadillac, Gentex took the lead in releasing the side rearview mirror integrated camera + streaming media rearview mirror, realizing the function of the rearview mirror.

In the same year, Lexus took the lead in mass production of real electronic rearview mirror in Japan, that is, the camera completely replaced the convex mirror, and then transmitted the real-time image to the LCD screen on the A-pillar on both sides of the car.

The advantages of electronic rearview mirror are that it can greatly reduce the blind area, overcome the interference caused by the reflection of rear lights and other problems caused by the traditional optical rearview mirror to the driver, without worrying about the blurring of windows and mirrors caused by bad weather;it can also effectively reduce the wind resistance caused by the traditional rearview mirror at high speed, especially for new energy vehicles, which can improve the range.

The electronic rearview mirror adopts camera imaging technology, which fundamentally solves the shortcomings of the traditional mirror reflection imaging.However, due to the restrictions of traditional regulations, the maturity of new technologies and cost problems, electronic rearview mirror has not become the mainstream of the market.

Even if the European Union and Japan lifted the regulations on electronic rearview mirrors in 2016 and 2017, only a few brands in the world have launched models with them in the past few years.

However, with the rapid penetration of ADAS and other intelligent technologies in recent years, it has also led to the maturity and performance improvement of cameras, chips and other related technologies. At the same time, including the display interactive terminal is gradually popular, which opens a new window for the acceleration of electronic rearview mirrors.

In December 2018, the Standardization Administration issued the revised plan of GB 15084-XXXX "Performance and Installation Requirements of Indirect Vision Device for Motor Vehicles", officially starting the process of incorporating the relevant provisions of the camera-monitor system into the standard.

On December 29, 2022, the National Standard Information Public Service Platform released a new version of GB15084-2022 regulations, which will be implemented on July 1, 2023, and replace the current version of GB15084-2013.

This clears the last obstacle for the start of the vehicle electronic rearview mirror front assembly market.In the view of the Institute of Intelligent Automobile, the next three years will be the key cycle of this track.Similarly, it also drives the industrial chain to layout enterprises in advance to enjoy market dividends.

Hefei Jiangcheng Technology Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as "Jiangcheng") launched the mass production layout of electronic rearview mirrors as early as 2019, which was the earliest supplier in China to really promote the mass production of electronic rearview mirrors on passenger vehicles.

In 2022, boundary together with BAIC, launched the first real CMS capacity models in China - BAIC Rubik's Cube, but limited by regulations, the configuration of electronic rearview mirror model version has not been really sold, but its product performance has been far beyond the requirements of the regulations.

BAIC cube with boundary electronic rearview mirror

"In the years of electronic rearview mirror mass production and development process, we have accumulated a lot of testing experience and real car road test experience, truly implement the expectations of the electronic rearview mirror." In the view of the relevant person in charge of boundary, the outbreak of this market segment is already the trend.

First of all, electronic rearview mirror can be truly free from the environment.The electronic rearview mirror display on the BAIC Rubik's Cube is placed in the interior door panel, and the left and right cameras grab the image of the rear side of the vehicle on the interior display, which can effectively avoid the impact of severe weather such as rain, snow and fog.

Considering the complexity of real road conditions, the electronic rearview mirror products provided by boundary have a bright performance in brightness, contrast, grayscale reproduction, color reduction and other imaging quality. At the same time, they put forward targeted solutions for many complex and traditional glass rearview mirror display effect is not good in rain, night, fog and other scenarios. No matter night driving, rear high beams, rain and fog weather, they can achieve clear and real-time picture display effect.

The rainy day test figure of the electronic rearview mirror of Jiangcheng

Secondly, the electronic rearview mirror has a larger field of vision.

In order to expand the field of vision and reduce the blind area, the traditional rearview mirror generally adopts a curved lens, but the field of vision is still limited, and will cause image distortion. The imaging field of the electronic rearview mirror products provided by Jiangcheng can be greatly increased, the shielding area can be greatly reduced at least, and the depth of field and other parameters are even far higher than the new national standard, which can perfectly match the driver's demand for vehicle assistance driving safety.

Thirdly, the electronic rearview mirror can also be used as an interactive platform to improve the intelligent driving experience.

The electronic rearview mirror products provided by Jiangcheng can derive more functions that are impossible to achieve by the traditional rearview mirror. For example, for the application scenarios of turning or roundabout scenarios, vehicle reversing scenarios, lane change scenarios, etc., it provides a solution that can better match the driver's needs, and can also provide door opening warning prompts on the electronic rearview mirror, etc.

Jiangcheng can realize the folding function of the electronic rearview mirror

Jiangcheng believes that the electronic rearview mirror as an image entry device can provide more interactive functions and create more interesting intelligent travel experience.

Finally, the electronic rearview mirror can effectively reduce wind resistance and improve the passing of vehicles.

Compared with the traditional rearview mirror, the electronic rearview mirror itself has smaller windward area and volume, with the modeling design ability of the OEM, so as to effectively reduce the vehicle wind resistance, reduce the vehicle power loss, and improve the endurance ability of the vehicle or reduce the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

However, in the view of the boundary, although the product architecture of the electronic rearview mirror is relatively clear, the principle is very simple, intuitively speaking, it is to image the picture captured by the camera in the display screen, which seems to have a very low threshold. "In fact, there is an entry threshold to do a good job in the real electronic rearview mirror. It can not be like the streaming rearview mirror, even if it fails, it will not affect the driving safety."

In addition, in the chip, camera, display and other core components level, many enterprises have also begun to make efforts in the past few years.To some extent, this also fills in the system shortcomings of the electronic rearview mirror.

For example, the global camera CMOS leader ON Semiconductor, in 2017, took the lead in launching a new generation of Hayabusa platform, providing 120dB ultra high dynamic range (UHDR) and eliminating LED flicker (LFM) imaging technology, to ensure that all objects and potential dangers can be identified in the dark and bright scenes.

In addition, the Hayabusa product line also has real-time functional safety features in accordance with ISO26262 standards, alerting the system processor when any problems or potential errors occur in the sensor, designed to achieve automotive safety integrity level (ASIL-C).

In 2019, Howe Group also launched the OAX4010 automotive image signal processor (ISP) with a combination of HDR and LFM engines, enabling advanced applications such as electronic rearview mirrors to run continuously under extreme temperature conditions, and achieving 1920x1280 resolution at the highest frame rate of 60 frames per second.

The OX03C10 is the world's first automotive image sensor with 3.0 micron large pixels, 140dB high dynamic range (HDR) and LED flicker suppression (LFM) functions, and integrates HALE (HDR and LFM engine) combination algorithm, defective pixel correction and lens correction and other image processing functions.

In another key computing platform, Qualcomm's fourth generation Snapdragon digital cockpit platform, which will be mass produced this year, supports the development of augmented reality head up display (AR-HUD), electronic rearview mirror (e-Mirror) and in-car driver monitoring functions.

At the CES early last year, Qualcomm also collaborated with Alps Alpine to launch the high performance reference architecture (HRPA) based on the Snapdragon digital cockpit platform, and debuted the electronic rearview mirror demonstration effect.

With the sharp rise in the number of vehicle-mounted cameras, the fusion and reuse of different functional sensors has also become a new trend. For example, the 360 degree surround vision system uses the CMS (computerized rearview mirror), which solves the pain points of too many cameras, large processor load, high requirements, and beautiful layout.

"If the field of view angle, performance index, and algorithm integration meet certain requirements, the integration of multiple functions can be achieved. "According to Cheng Fanglu, deputy general manager of Hongjing Optoelectronics, three types of rearview cameras (full-screen rearview, inner rearview mirror and outer rearview mirror) can be reused through the ADAS surround vision camera.

For example, unlike traditional on-board cameras, CMS cameras have higher requirements for resolution, distortion, stray light and ghosting, hydrophobicity, and low-light imaging ability. At the same time, they need to ensure excellent temperature characteristics, and generally adopt an all-glass + metal structure.

In addition, there are some special treatments on the structure of the camera. For example, the component shell of the external camera is designed to prevent water droplets from falling on the lens, and the lens needs an extra layer of waterproof coating. The vehicle monitoring display screen also needs to have the function of manual or automatic adjustment of brightness, and to ensure no glare in harsh weather, low light and nighttime conditions.

At the same time, in order to reduce the performance failure of the camera exposed to dust and rain, a built-in heater is equipped to prevent freezing or fogging, and some solutions are also equipped with light sensors that can automatically reduce the glare of other car headlights.

In another major system component, the display screen, BOE (BOE) can provide 6.39 inch flexible AMOLED screen can also be applied to the electronic rearview mirror system, the flexible screen can be rolled according to the characteristics of the car's internal morphology customized design; At the same time, the OLED display delay is only 1ms, which can further improve the reliability of the system.

Of course, the introduction of new technology, there are also many problems. For example, Magna believes that a complete CMS system cost is still very high, is 3 to 5 times the traditional mirror (in the short term, the optional installation will be the mainstream choice of the market).

At the same time, there are a series of hardware performance problems that need to be solved. For example, the image quality of night and harsh weather scenes, how to keep the external camera free of dust, debris or even water drops/stains.

Electronic external rearview mirror cleaning test diagram

In the eyes of Jiangcheng, this is the core competitiveness of the system solution provider. In the view of the High-tech Intelligent Automobile Research Institute, this means that a company that truly has the strength of front-mounted mass production must achieve breakthroughs in cameras, display screens, data transmission, software and other aspects, and at the same time put forward the difficulties and solutions of vehicle scale mass production.

For example, from the perspective of product layout, the display screen of the electronic rearview mirror should be placed in what position in the car to meet the requirements of the interior of the passenger car, and at the same time take into account the drivers who need to change their driving habits to adapt to the electronic rearview mirror. There are also many tests and considerations.

The layout scheme on the Magic Square of BAIC is the choice under the comprehensive consideration of the above requirements. Based on this, Jiangcheng has also accumulated experience in the placement of products, parameters such as position and angle, under different models and different functional requirements.

Range of electronic external rearview mirror real car road attempt

At the same time, the journey is also the direct investment company of the global leading enterprise of vehicle display screens - BOE's vehicle business platform. Previously, in the HUD track, the journey's mass production scheme also reflects the advantages brought by the synergistic effect of the industrial chain.

And the clear imaging of the electronic rearview mirror in extreme weather such as rain, fog and snow also needs to meet many parameters. For example, the brightness and contrast, gray level reproduction, halo and glare and so on mentioned in the new regulations, in these application scenarios, the electronic rearview mirror products of Jiangcheng have completed a full set of testing and verification, and even in all kinds of extreme environments have very good data performance.

At the same time, because Jiangcheng in the completion of the production of electronic rearview mirror development, is no longer a simple pre-research and testing, but need to really consider the compliance requirements of future regulations, some of the key indicators affecting the image imaging is far beyond the existing regulatory requirements.

For users, the electronic rearview mirror to give the picture prompt is large enough, clear enough, accurate enough is the most critical, and these also need to accumulate a large number of road test data and test data.

For example, in the straight, turning, reversing, into/out of the tunnel and other different application scenarios, jiangcheng can achieve the dual verification of software and real vehicle road test, the most suitable for the rearview mirror display screen to perfect imaging.

And long time in the complex environment operation, electronic rearview mirror may appear "black screen", "freeze" and picture lag and other problems, the new national standard also clearly according to the camera, monitor and control unit three modules for failure mode identification.

In this respect, the Jiangcheng has also accumulated enough rich case base, can provide customers with mature, stable, truly mass production solutions. As the industry's first mass production project, the journey in the first landing in BAIC, behind is the experience of a step ahead.

In the view of the journey, any electronic product has reliability problems, which is unavoidable, can only be reduced through experience accumulation and technological innovation, and experience accumulation and technological innovation are not accomplished overnight, so the threshold of the electronic rearview mirror is not low.

From the perspective of technological evolution, industrial chain collaboration (camera, display screen and visual processing technology itself is also one of the advantages of China's local suppliers in this round of automotive intelligent transformation), software and hardware maturity (especially ADAS and cockpit intelligent reuse) and regulatory level, the electronic rearview mirror market has entered the large-scale mass production cycle is a high probability event.

GRACE Intelligent Automotive Research Institute predicts that by 2025, the scale of the front electronic rearview mirror in the Chinese market alone will likely exceed one million sets / year.At the same time, the intelligent driving system gradually shifts from functional configuration to user interaction experience upgrade, which will become the biggest variable factor in the electronic rearview mirror market.