(August 31, 2017) NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Following the recent announcement of the advanced ProPILOT Assist and Rear Door Alert (RDA), Nissan is launching another innovative technology in the 2018 model year — the Intelligent Rear View Mirror (I-RVM). I-RVM adds a built-in LCD monitor within the traditional rearview mirror to help provide clear rearward visibility unimpeded by traditional obstacles such as cargo, tall passengers or the design of a vehicle.

The 2018 Nissan Armada will be the first Nissan vehicle to offer the new I-RVM technology when it goes on sale at Nissan dealerships nationwide in Sept. 1. Exclusive in the full-size non-luxury SUV segment, the technology will be standard on the Armada Platinum grade.

The consumer benefits of the I-RVM are many, including "removing" interior obstacles such as oversize cargo and rear headrests, improving visibility in low-light conditions, reducing glare and providing an expanded field of view.

"Not since a magic mirror of children's fables has a mirror seemed to have such special powers as the new I-RVM," said Michael Bunce, vice president, Product Planning, Nissan North America, Inc. "It provides a clear, expanded field of view under a wide range of conditions – giving the driver the best possible view of the rear flanks no matter how tall the passengers in the back seat or how many balloons you have to take to that party."

The Intelligent Rear View Mirror looks just like a traditional rearview mirror, except it has a built-in LCD monitor that can be activated with the flip of a switch located at the bottom of the mirror – even while the Armada is moving. This allows the driver to access either the conventional rearview mirror reflection (to see, for example, what is happening inside the rear of the Armada), or the new intelligent view as desired.

How I-RVM works

Nissan's new I-RVM utilizes a high-performance, narrow-angle camera and a specially shaped LCD monitor, with a unique aspect ratio of approximately 4:1, versus conventional monitors' 4:3 or 16:9. Matching a standard wide-angle camera lens to this monitor could not be done since the images from the camera, when adjusted to the special monitor size, produced a low-resolution image with insufficient picture quality. To overcome this challenge, a narrow-angle camera was developed so that picture quality would not be sacrificed when formatted for the specially designed monitor.

When the LCD monitor and mirror are used in unison, the transparency of the monitor and the reflection in the mirror can create an image overlap – a dual layered effect – making it difficult to get a clean view. But with I-RVM, Nissan applied a special technology to the structural design of the LCD monitor and the mirror, enabling it to function without any image overlaps.

The camera projects an image onto the monitor for a clear view, as well as a more comfortable driving experience.

The high-quality camera and image processing system implemented in the LCD monitor consistently results in a clear image with minimal glare, even during sunrise or sunset conditions or when the vehicle is being followed by a vehicle with strong headlights.