AdaSky, STMicroelectronics enhance visual acuity of cars
AdaSky’s FIR thermal imaging camera uses customer-specific semiconductors developed and manufactured in cooperation with STMicroelectronics. The basis is the proprietary 28nm FD-SOI technology from ST. AdaSky’s comprehensive sensing technology, known as Viper, is designed to enable autonomous vehicles to see and recognise roads and their surroundings under all conditions.
The complete visibility and perception of the road itself, other vehicles, road infrastructure and any obstacles, especially in difficult light and weather conditions, is a basic prerequisite for the safe operation of the next generation of autonomous vehicles. In order to enable autonomous round-the-clock driving seven days a week, vehicles depend on the fusion of complementary information streams from different sensors. No sensor or camera alone can capture all the information today, and every solution has its problems under certain light or weather conditions. In a fusion solution, vision systems with passive infrared technology, such as those used in AdaSky Viper, can help close existing gaps in order to ensure precise vision and perception in dynamic lighting conditions, in direct sunlight, in the light of oncoming headlights and in harsh weather conditions.
The new camera uses an FIR microbolometer to detect the temperature of an object. In an ADAS solution, Viper uses proprietary algorithms based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to classify obstacles and display them on the cockpit display as an early warning for the driver. This warning occurs several seconds earlier than with a conventional sensor at visible wavelength and even surpasses the human eye in speed.
AdaSky’s high-resolution thermal imaging camera features a compact design and low power consumption, they say. Viper was developed on the basis of ST’s proprietary 28 nm FD-SOI technology and uses ST-IP, which is fully qualified for automotive applications. Prototypes are currently being tested by car manufacturers, with production scheduled to start in 2020.
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