General Motors patents visibility-boosting pillars

Contemporary vehicles might have additional cameras and sensors than ahead of, but visibility is frequently even worse owing to greater belt lines and thicker pillars.

Standard Motors seems to be trying to mitigate that, with Motor Pattern discovering a patent filing by the American automaker for clear A-pillars.

The filing describes a “novel fiber strengthened composite A-pillar that features one particular or far more designed opening impregnated with a clear resin or composite”.

The transparent substance inside of the pillars is intended to filter both ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, minimizing the opportunity for sun hurt to the car’s occupants and cabin products.

To aid preserve rigidity, the pillar support options an interior fibre structure of some sort, like carbon fibre.

Like a windscreen or rear window, there is also electrical wiring to help with demisting. This could also perhaps allow for the window to be dimmed or darkened electronically.

The patent submitting also mentions approaches for minimizing assembly charges, including embedding the electrical wiring in the obvious material during the moulding process.

No precise GM makes or autos are stated in the patent filing, even though the alternatives are infinite taking into consideration all autos have A-pillars.

GM is not the 1st automaker to patent this kind of established-up.

A Toyota patent submitting was posted in 2017 describing a “cloaking device” of types, with a complicated arrangement of mirrors and polarised fifty percent mirrors allowing the driver to see by way of the A-pillar.

Earlier, Jaguar Land Rover showcased in 2014 its 360-diploma Virtual City Windscreen program. This utilised a mix of cameras and show screens embedded in the A, B and C-pillars to make them just about invisible.

A-pillars have gotten substantially thicker about the decades, mostly thanks to stricter safety expectations. Absent are the times of wraparound windscreens and thin pillars affording nearly panoramic visibility, while some automakers have put compact windows in A-pillars.

Providers have progressively moved to cameras as a implies of strengthening a vehicle’s visibility.

For case in point, encompass-view cameras are greatly readily available these days, even though corporations like Genesis, Honda, Hyundai and Kia offer you units that task digicam footage of a vehicle’s blind-location inside of a display screen in the dash.