Gray area in panoramic view monitor
01-24-18, 07:47 PM
#61
"(4) Masking: Since the lens of the front television camera assembly may affect the perceived distance to objects in certain areas of the image, masking is used."
Well, there's some seriously flawed logic in the above statement which would mean that the remaining three cameras should have masking as well as they are all distorted regarding distance too. Dumb.
Well, there's some seriously flawed logic in the above statement which would mean that the remaining three cameras should have masking as well as they are all distorted regarding distance too. Dumb.
01-24-18, 08:41 PM
#62
Intermediate
I wouldn't be concerned about the the side cameras but the rear camera is only slightly distorted - take a look, you can see the rear bumper as a nearly straight line compared to the front camera which shows the spoiler lip or in my case the license plate going up at a 60 degree angle on both sides of the image. It's a very wide view. The camera is seeing the greyed out area, Lexus just feels that it may be distracting/confusing as you edge forward because the centre area will be further away and suddenly you'll be much closer or hitting the front.
02-16-18, 12:25 PM
#63
Driver School Candidate
Front facing camera .
I think SoCalRx hit the nail on the head. If Lexus didn't block that area and some IDIOT tried to drive by camera alone, like in the James Bond movie and many others, or like a pilot flying by IFR, and then had an accident, the lawyers would have a field day. It's self preservation by Lexus. Anybody over 10 years old can remember things that are no longer available, because of lawyers. Lawyers are ruining countless aspects of our society by bring rediculous law suits. Like hot coffee in her lap at a McDonalds drive through. That cost McDonalds millions. Or many cases of burglars, or their families, suing the homeowner that had the nerve to shoot a masked and armed stranger in their bedroom in the middle of the night. If you want more evidence of the predatory lawyers, look at all the rediculous warning labels on everything. Page after page of warnings and precautions in the owners manuals for even the most basic things. Q-tips. "Don't sick these in your ear." Why do you think that warning is there? Some moron stuck one in his ear too far and hurt himself (herself). And then some scumbag lawyer sued and cost the manufacturer millions of dollars. But you can't blame the lawyers entirely. It is the judges fault. For not throwing the rediculous law suits out of court and refusing to hear them. They enable, in fact facilitate, the lawyers money grubbing, accident chasing, defendant destroying, reason be damned, actions. The judges are protecting their own. Who are the judges? They are former lawyers. But I digress. Let me get off this soapbox.
Everybody is missing the point of the front (end rear) view cameras. Everybody can see what is 20 feet in front of or behind your car. But you can't see what is 1 foot from your bumper. Front or rear. The cameras are to prevent you from driving over the toddler sitting in front of your bumper. How many stories have there been about a mother backing up over, and killing, a small kid behind their car in their driveway. The cameras are there to help us and protect us from doing stupid things. And the grey patch is also to protect some of us doing even more stupid things.
P.S. Watch now some lawyer or judge is going to take offense at my comments. Well there is nothing in the Constitution that gives you the right to not be offended by somebody else exercising their rights.
Everybody is missing the point of the front (end rear) view cameras. Everybody can see what is 20 feet in front of or behind your car. But you can't see what is 1 foot from your bumper. Front or rear. The cameras are to prevent you from driving over the toddler sitting in front of your bumper. How many stories have there been about a mother backing up over, and killing, a small kid behind their car in their driveway. The cameras are there to help us and protect us from doing stupid things. And the grey patch is also to protect some of us doing even more stupid things.
P.S. Watch now some lawyer or judge is going to take offense at my comments. Well there is nothing in the Constitution that gives you the right to not be offended by somebody else exercising their rights.
02-20-19, 09:49 AM
#65
Had nothing better to do so i quickly read thru this post because i remember thinking about this myself. Nobody seems to have come up with the official definitive answer. And/or Lexus is don't ask don't tell on this. I noticed one day when i was parallel parked on a street with no cars in front of me and no cars in back that the front view and rear view at a quick glance looked reasonable similar. ie without the bar there, you couldn't tell in a split second whether or not you were looking forward or backward. Of course that's not the normal situation but it can occur. So my conclusion was that its done to make it immediately obvious within a super split second, more than obvious, which camera you are looking at, (without your brain doing any additional processing). Even though the camera should only show in the way your drive direction is set, what if somehow the video came in reversed, or what if you were confused and though you were going backwards and liked the view and hit the gas, but you were really in drive and lurched forward. I never thought about some goofball eating a goldfish, seeing how many of him and his friends could fit in a phone booth and then went off driving by the camera. But I could now see that as part of the consideration also. (I was young once).
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BensonTT (02-20-19)
02-22-19, 08:52 AM
#66
Had nothing better to do so i quickly read thru this post because i remember thinking about this myself. Nobody seems to have come up with the official definitive answer. And/or Lexus is don't ask don't tell on this. I noticed one day when i was parallel parked on a street with no cars in front of me and no cars in back that the front view and rear view at a quick glance looked reasonable similar. ie without the bar there, you couldn't tell in a split second whether or not you were looking forward or backward. Of course that's not the normal situation but it can occur. So my conclusion was that its done to make it immediately obvious within a super split second, more than obvious, which camera you are looking at, (without your brain doing any additional processing). Even though the camera should only show in the way your drive direction is set, what if somehow the video came in reversed, or what if you were confused and though you were going backwards and liked the view and hit the gas, but you were really in drive and lurched forward. I never thought about some goofball eating a goldfish, seeing how many of him and his friends could fit in a phone booth and then went off driving by the camera. But I could now see that as part of the consideration also. (I was young once).
When the car in D or other drive gear, it will show the front camera.
Not sure why it would get confused.
The reason that they blacked it out because that area does not reflect the actual distance with the car in front. On the screen, the car in front will look much further away than where it actually is. Similar to passenger-side mirror, there is always a warning (however, they can't black out the mirror haha). To prevent lawsuit and accident from this "far illusion", toyota/lexus black out that area of the front camera.
02-24-19, 12:53 PM
#67
I think if you put the car in reverse, it will show the backup camera, not the front camera.
When the car in D or other drive gear, it will show the front camera.
Not sure why it would get confused.
The reason that they blacked it out because that area does not reflect the actual distance with the car in front. On the screen, the car in front will look much further away than where it actually is. Similar to passenger-side mirror, there is always a warning (however, they can't black out the mirror haha). To prevent lawsuit and accident from this "far illusion", toyota/lexus black out that area of the front camera.
When the car in D or other drive gear, it will show the front camera.
Not sure why it would get confused.
The reason that they blacked it out because that area does not reflect the actual distance with the car in front. On the screen, the car in front will look much further away than where it actually is. Similar to passenger-side mirror, there is always a warning (however, they can't black out the mirror haha). To prevent lawsuit and accident from this "far illusion", toyota/lexus black out that area of the front camera.
02-03-21, 09:50 AM
#68
Driver School Candidate
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To all those saying it is because Lexus doesn't want you driving via the camera has missed one critical point that negates that thought. The camera turns off automatically at around 7 MPH so the danger of that being an issue is irrelevant.
There is no physical reason that the greyed area exists. It is masked via software and someone that has the technical skills could probably find a way of removing it.
The bottom line is, who cares why Lexus put it there, we would just like the option of removing it.
~B
There is no physical reason that the greyed area exists. It is masked via software and someone that has the technical skills could probably find a way of removing it.
The bottom line is, who cares why Lexus put it there, we would just like the option of removing it.
~B
Last edited by brianzx7; 02-03-21 at 10:24 AM.
02-03-21, 10:58 AM
#69
Intermediate
Jut happened to be at the dealer to yesterday looking at another car for the wife and was talking to a new guy and remembered to ask this question. His response was, (and this is probably in previous comments and maybe implied in yours), that the picture is a composite from the cameras on side mirrors and not the camera in the front of the car. (And they of course miss the middle.) (still not sure why is not using the front camera).
These are fish eye lenses, so it will look distorted. The side cameras are under the side mirrors and have no line of sight to the front. Given the image, you can verify it is the actual front camera by pacing your hand in front of it. It is just blacked out by software. Probably some lawyer told they could get sued if someone got into an accident for driving at low speeds while using it to navigate and misjudged the distance. In reality, they could compensate for the fish eye distortion, but it is too much of a liability...
11-12-21, 12:36 PM
#70
360 Camera View Question
Our new 2022 RX has the 360 camera option . Can someone tell me what the intent of the darkened area of the upper center of the screen for the front camera, is? The area is mostly opaque, and you can just make out an image of what is directly in front of you. It shows in the pictures in the manual, so it must be by design, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why.
11-12-21, 12:43 PM
#71
From previous threads, most folks speculate that it was blacked out so an idiotic driver wouldn’t try to drive by looking at the screen alone. In other words, lawyers made them do it. (Factoring in that the camera can be configured to be “on” whenever the vehicle speed drops below about 6 mph)
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ravenuer (11-12-21)
11-12-21, 01:21 PM
#72
From previous threads, most folks speculate that it was blacked out so an idiotic driver wouldn’t try to drive by looking at the screen alone. In other words, lawyers made them do it. (Factoring in that the camera can be configured to be “on” whenever the vehicle speed drops below about 6 mph)
I read your response to my wife and she said, "What idiot would drive just using the camera? But then, what idiot would hold a cup of hot McDonald's coffee between their legs and drive?" The world is not lacking for crazy people!!!!!! Thanks again for the response.
11-12-21, 03:10 PM
#73
Thanks for the fast response. Guess Lexus does not use the same law firm as Mercedes! I read your response to my wife and she said, "What idiot would drive just using the camera? But then, what idiot would hold a cup of hot McDonald's coffee between their legs and drive?" The world is not lacking for crazy people!!!!!! Thanks again for the response.
I read your response to my wife and she said, "What idiot would drive just using the camera? But then, what idiot would hold a cup of hot McDonald's coffee between their legs and drive?" The world is not lacking for crazy people!!!!!! Thanks again for the response.
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wa3cuj (11-12-21)
