Principles of Operation

Parking Aid - Video

Principles of Operation

NOTE: The tailgate must be closed for correct operation of the video camera system.

The rear video camera system is active with the ignition in run and the transmission selector in the reverse position. The video camera receives commands and sends status to the Body Control Module (BCM) over a dedicated Local Interconnect Network (LIN). For vehicles with navigation, the video camera sends a video signal to the Front Display Interface Module (FDIM) on a pair of shielded video circuits, which displays the video image of the area behind the vehicle. For vehicles without navigation, the signal from the rear video camera is sent to the auto-dimming interior mirror display on a pair of shielded video circuits, which displays the video image of the area behind the vehicle.

The video camera system has 4 video features (only the fixed guidelines are available with the base Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC)). The features are:

- Fixed guidelines
- Visual park aid alert
- Manual zoom
- Video camera delay

For vehicle without navigation, these features are controlled in the message center. For each one of these system features the IPC sends a network message requesting the system feature to the BCM via the High Speed Controller Area Network (HS-CAN).

For vehicles with navigation, the video camera features are controlled within the FDIM menu screen. For each one of these system features the Audio Control Module (ACM) sends a network message requesting the system feature to the BCM via the Medium Speed Controller Area Network (MS-CAN).

The BCM sends the message to the video camera over the LIN. The LIN is a dedicated single wire communication line that sends and receives network messages from the BCM to the video camera.

The messages sent from the BCM to the video camera are:

- transmission selector (PRNDL) status
- camera configuration data
- display manual zoom request
- parking aid audible warning status
- parking aid sensor distance to object data

The messages sent from the video camera to the BCM are:

- camera status
- display zoom status
- camera part number data
- visual park aid alert status
- fixed guideline status

The video system has a delay feature and is available on vehicles with optional Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) and navigation. For vehicles equipped with navigation, the image is displayed in the FDIM until the vehicle reaches 8 km/h (5 mph) when the vehicle is shifted out of reverse or if any button on the FDIM is pressed. The image is not displayed if the vehicle is shifted into PARK (P). For vehicles without navigation, the image is displayed in the auto-dimming interior mirror and remains on for a few seconds once the vehicle is shifted out of REVERSE (R).

The fixed guidelines feature displays guidelines on top of the video image to assist the driver with alignment of the vehicle. A dashed line on the displayed image represents the center of the vehicle and 3 color-coded lines (red, yellow, green) identify different zones between the rear of the vehicle and objects.

NOTE: The color-coded lines cannot indicate accurate or consistent distances between objects located behind the vehicle and at the rear of the vehicle. This normal condition is due to variances in vehicle ride height, including, but not limited to, vehicle loading.

The visual park aid alert feature utilizes the 4 parking aid sensor inputs from the Parking Aid Module (PAM) and the video camera image. When the transmission selector is in REVERSE (R) and an object is detected in the path of the parking aid sensor, a network message of the distance from the parking aid sensor to the object is sent from the PAM to the BCM over the HS-CAN. The BCM networks the parking aid sensor message to the video camera over the LIN. The visual alerts are red, yellow or green and appear as highlights on top of the displayed image to indicate in which zone the object is detected. The highlighted visual alerts are still operational if the parking aid system is disabled within the IPC and the visual alert feature is enabled.

The manual zoom feature is controlled by the video camera. The manual zoom feature has 3 zoom levels that are only active when the vehicle is in reverse. If the manual zoom feature is enabled and the vehicle is shifted out of reverse the manual zoom feature is disabled. The manual zoom feature must be re-enabled the next time the vehicle is shifted into reverse. For vehicles with navigation, when the FDIM requests the video image to be zoomed in or out, the ACM sends a zoom request network message to the BCM. For vehicles without navigation, when the message center requests the video image to be zoomed in or out, the IPC sends a zoom request network message to the BCM. The BCM sends the zoom request message to the video camera over the LIN. The video image sent by the video camera is then digitally zoomed in or out.