The 360° camera system: four pictures, one image

With a new sophisticated 360° camera system, AGCO/Fendt now offers more visibility and safety all around the combine. Four ultra-wide cameras, attached to all four sides of the machine, combine the digital pictures into one single image on the terminal. Areas of the vehicle that are difficult to see into are visible and the operator sees the entire machine from a bird’s eye perspective. Effortless manoeuvring is possible. The 360° camera system is available for the Fendt combines in the X and P-Series. AGCO/Fendt presents the system for the first time in public at the Agritechnica 2015 in the combine area.

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When working in the field or manoeuvring, there are areas on large agricultural machinery that cannot be seen, which leads to collisions and damage to vehicles and persons. Visibility for operators is often considerably limited due to the height and breadth of the combine. AGCO/Fendt has created a practical solution for all-round visibility, where all four sides of the machine are completely visible and there are no blind spots. This is possible with the aid of a state-of-the-art 360° camera system. Four ultra-wide cameras are equipped with 185° lenses and attached to all four sides of the combine. Intelligent software flattens the four fish-eye images and combines them into one seamless image on the monitor. Operators have a bird’s eye view of the machine on the terminal. The entire environment of the combine is shown in real-time. It can be displayed in black and white on the Fendt Varioterminal 10.7, as a full-screen or quarter-screen image.

New camera system increases efficiency

Up to now, the X and P-Series combines were only available with reversing cameras as well as cameras on the unloading tube and the hitch to monitor machine operation. The new, state-of-the-art 360° camera system provides a tremendous increase in safety all around the combine, for example, during turning manoeuvres with limited space in the farmyard or in the machine shed. It reduces machine downtimes and repairs and lowers the risk of accidents. That saves time and money and increases efficiency.

The 360° camera system will be available on the market for the Harvest 2016.