The life history of cars has seen hundreds of ideas, systems and features develop and become standard features of the vehicles we drive today. Along the way, some stand out more than others. These are the innovations that have provided major leaps in performance, comfort, convenience or safety.
ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, are stirring the most interest and activity in the industry right now and it is predicted, not unreasonably, that eventually they will be a key element in the realization of the autonomous vehicle that will make the driver a mere passenger. This will mitigate the risks associated with human loss of concentration, misjudgment and fatigue.
Image sensing will be the front-end for a significant amount of ADAS functionality. This makes the continuing rapid advancement of CMOS image sensing technology and know-how a key enabler for systems that will see the next quantum leap in passenger car technology. Luxury, and some mid-market vehicles, already feature basic ADAS to provide features such as lane departure and collision warning, auto high beam, autonomous braking assist and other driver safety functions. Cameras are also used to give ‘viewing’ capability for the driver in back-up cameras, and park assist for example.
The next couple of years will see the fusion of existing ADAS with viewing and image sensing to give highly dependable systems that take partial control of vehicle movements based on real events or predictions. Side and rear mirror replacement systems that include blind spot coverage are a good example; these, when integrated as part of ADAS, could automatically prevent the vehicle from changing direction into a hazardous situation.
Vehicle determined interventions for braking and steering that use image sensors as well information from LiDAR and RADAR for example, will prevent accidents and completely change the way we drive. For those who enjoy fully interactive ’real’ driving, this may not be good news, but for the masses, getting to a destination as quickly as possible in the utmost safety and comfort holds huge appeal and value.