Patent ID: 9168871
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. An image display system, comprising: a camera presence detector for detecting presence of a rear-view camera mounted on a towed unit connected to a towing vehicle; an image display format controller coupled to the camera presence detector, the image display format controller enables a first display mode when the camera presence detector detects that the towed unit has a rear-view camera mounted thereon and enables a second display mode when the camera presence either detector fails to detect that the towed unit has a rear-view camera mounted thereon; an image display apparatus coupled to the image display format controller, the image display apparatus includes a towed unit rear-view camera input, a towing vehicle rear-view camera input, a viewing substrate having a front surface and a rear surface, and an image output device underlying a central portion of the viewing substrate at the rear surface, the image output device includes an image output surface on which a viewable image is outputted, the viewable image from the rear-view camera on the towed unit is output by the image output device and displayed at the central portion of the viewing substrate, up to a maximum image output area, when the image display format controller enables the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode, the maximum image output area of the image output surface defines perimeter edges of the central portion of the viewing substrate; the image output device outputs over the maximum image output area of the image output surface the viewable image corresponding to a signal provided at the towed unit rear-view camera input when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the first display mode and the camera input selector is selecting the towed unit rear-view camera input; the image output device outputs over a partial area of the image output surface an image corresponding to a signal provided by the towed unit rear-view camera input when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the second display mode and the camera input selector is selecting the towing vehicle rear-view camera input; and an area of the central portion surrounding the partial area of the image output surface provides reflected rear-view imaging utility when the image display format controller causes the image display apparatus to be in the second display mode and the image provided by the towing vehicle rear-view camera is selected for being displayed.