Patent ID: 8004394

Claim:
A vehicle-borne camera observation system for monitoring areas adjacent a vehicle, the system comprising: a plurality of cameras positioned at the vehicle and operable to provide a 360-degree field of view around the vehicle, including a first camera positioned to have a first field of view, a second camera positioned to have a second field of view, a third camera positioned to have a third field of view, a fourth camera positioned to have a fourth field of view, a fifth camera positioned to have a fifth field of view, and a sixth camera positioned to have a sixth field of view; a system for illuminating at least one of the fields of view around the vehicle providing a visible range light source; and a plurality of monitors positioned in a driver's area of the vehicle and operable to display the fields of view of the plurality of cameras including a first monitor, a second monitor, a third monitor, a fourth monitor, a fifth monitor and a sixth monitor; wherein at least one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth monitors automatically switches between displaying of at least one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth fields of view to another of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth fields of view based on operation of a control of the vehicle.