School Bus Transportation News at STN Media

Mirror into the Future

Big things in store for the school bus mirror industry

Sometimes small ideas can become great concepts, and sometimes those concepts become innovative products that raise the bar to a new level. The school bus mirror industry has constantly pushed itself to meet ever-changing federal guidelines and regulations. Some companies are now taking leaps instead of steps when tackling these issues.

At the NAPT conference this past November, Rosco unveiled a glimpse into the future of bus driver visibility. Its conceptual “mirror-less” bus consisted of a series of small cameras that offered the driver visibility both in and around the vehicle that exceed the standards set by FVMSS 111, including one at the front and rear of the bus, as well as a camera that records the interior.

“We decided to combine our experience … and take the digital vision concept one step further by displaying a bus where all the driver’s vision requirements, both inside and out, would be satisfied by a series of strategically placed cameras, monitors and a multi-channel DVR (digital video recorder),” said Ben Englander, vice president of engineering at Rosco Mirrors. “We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from all who viewed the bus at the show. There was not a moment when the driver seat wasn’t occupied by an attendee.”

The cameras, which also work at night because they have infrared LEDs that illuminate the surroundings, continue to operate if the bus somehow loses power.
“An electrical problem can be overcome with certain fail-safe backups like battery power,” said Englander.

The images taken by the cameras are fed to four monitors — one above the sun visor, one at either side of the steering wheel and the back-up camera monitor where a standard rearview mirror normally hangs. The system utilizes an advanced switching system to change views from forward viewing to cross viewing to rear viewing, based on the driving mode of the vehicle at any given time. Although the bus is currently only a concept vehicle for discussion purposes, Englander said he feels, one day, there will be buses that will operate without any mirrors.

“The coverage is as good and in some places better than with mirrors,” said Englander. “However, at this time, we foresee a bus that uses a combination of cameras and mirrors. Today’s drivers are accustomed to mirrors and the process of conversion to camera systems will require a period of adjustment and acclimation.”

This ground-breaking concept vehicle was spawned after a partnership with Pierce Manufacturing, a fire and rescue apparatus manufacturer out of Appleton, Wis., led to the development of the One-Eleven Mirror for its Velocity fire truck. “Pierce’s exclusive One-Eleven Mirrors make the Velocity the only OEM fire truck to meet FMVSS 111 visibility standards for school buses,” states the company’s Web site.

“The number one agenda with the Velocity is vision and safety, so we partnered with (Pierce),” said Peter Plate, commercial/military sales and marketing, Rosco Mirrors, when School Transportation News met up with him at the NAPT Conference in November. “We used the same grid as for school buses, the FMVSS 111 standard, and from day one, we designed the mirror system to comply with that standard.”

The three-lens mirror system consists of two mirrors (flat and convex) in the vertical portion of the mirror shell and one lens (convex) in the horizontal portion of the arm, which also has a camera system as part of it.

“When we demonstrate the mirrors with cones along the bumpers and down the side of the body, customers are amazed at the level of visibility and that what were once considered blind spots are now part of the increased visibility,” said Mike Moore, director of new product development for Pierce.

The ancestor of the Pierce mirror, the Integrastyle, also has the ability to include a camera within the mirror.

“Rosco is currently testing a mirror like this one with embedded cameras for use in the school bus industry,” said Englander. “This product will be ready for piloting in the near future.”

Rosco also recently unveiled its latest cross-view mirror system, the EyeMax. Images in these mirrors are larger than before while the mirror itself is smaller than its Hawkeye series cross-view systems.

Other companies are also currently in the research and development stage for their next great contribution to the industry. Mirror Lite is working on a mirror that will give the driver better forward visibility in a very inventive way.

“We’re currently working on what we call a transparent mirror,” said Paul Schuster, communications director for Mirror Lite. “You will be able to see what’s behind the mirror lens. We’re hoping to nail it down in the coming year. It’s pretty radical as far as mirrors go. The technology will improve forward visibility while providing the same extended view of the road. You will still have the benefit of a wide field of view without sacrificing forward mobility.”

Mirror Lite is also developing a mounting system for Blue Bird, Thomas and the other major OEMS similar to the one it manufactures for IC Corp. The custom-made mount will hug the fenders.

“We tool up for individual bus models and makes to get optimum performance,” said Schuster. “We’re really big on lens performance and it is something we are constantly pushing the envelope with. We’re ready to apply new technologies and materials to school bus mirrors.”

Tiger Mirror recently introduced its Rubber Fender Mount, which saves fenders by reducing road vibration and eliminating the need for repair when a mirror mount bores into the fender. Made from molded, live rubber and stainless steel parts, the Rubber Fender Mount forms a solid seal by attaching directly to the body of the bus. The company has also continued to tout its TigerEye rearview mirror, which meets the requirements of the latest National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures adopted by the 14th National Congress on School Transportation, according to Jon Pietrowski, vice president sales, Tiger Corp.

“Our mirror features a press-bent, uniform radius which produces a large, recognizable image,” said Pietrowski. “The benefits of glass in a cross-view mirror is the quality of the image and the durability as our glass lens will not pit, black-edge, or deteriorate due to road salt or heat. Tempered mirror glass is heat strengthened, DOT approved, and meets or exceeds the FMVSS 111 standard for school buses.”