In connected car news are Sony, OminVision, Cipia, Ambarella and Neonode.
In this Article
Sony Intros New Car Speakers
Sony Electronics Inc. announced its GS car speaker and subwoofer lineup, including the XS-162GS, XS-160GS, XS-690GS, XS-680GS speakers, and XS-W124GS and XS-W104GS subwoofers. For those who are seeking a step-up acoustic system from their factory car audio, the GS lineup is designed to deliver smooth, detailed sound, that will turn an everyday journey into a real audio experience.
OminVision Adds Two New New NIR
OmniVision, a leading global developer of semiconductor solutions, including advanced digital imaging, analog and touch & display technology, announced two new additions to its industry-leading Nyxel® near-infrared (NIR) technology family: the OX02C1S, a 2.5‑megapixel (MP) RGB‑IR BSI global shutter (GS) sensor for in-cabin driver and occupant monitoring systems (DMS and OMS); and the OX01H1B, a 1.5MP mono (IR) GS sensor for driver monitoring systems (DMS). With a pixel size of just 2.2 microns (µm), both new sensors feature industry-leading NIR quantum efficiency (QE) at 36%, a significant increase in modulation transfer function (MTF) over the previous 3.0 µm FSI GS pixel design, and extremely low power consumption for the highest-performance capabilities.
“As the automotive industry rapidly mandates advanced in-cabin sensing applications to increase driver and passenger safety, OmniVision is expanding its product portfolio to provide automotive OEMs with more options and flexibility in their designs,” said Paul Wu, automotive product marketing manager, OmniVision. “Our OX02C1S and OX01H1B sensors are the newest additions to our in-cabin solutions portfolio, with the same features as the 5MP OX05B1S GS sensor that we have introduced during the Consumer Electronics Show in 2022. All three sensors share the same pixel technology, so it’s a seamless process for automotive OEMs to incorporate any combination of them as solutions in their full line-up, from high-end to mainstream vehicles.“
Colin Barnden, principal analyst at Semicast Research, commented, “The CMOS image sensor market for automotive DMS and OMS can be divided into three distinct segments: digital cockpit, automated driving and NCAP/GSR (New Car Assessment Program/General Safety Regulation) compliance. Performance requirements differ significantly for each. Designers must also consider sensor location, including rear-view mirror, steering column and center console. With the new OX02C1S and OX01H1B sensors, and existing OX05B1S, OMNIVISION provides automakers with solutions for the total market.”
Wu added, “The OX02C1S is essentially a more economical and lower resolution (2.5MP) version of the OX05B1S for DMS and OMS, while the OX01H1B is a flexible 1.5MP solution for DMS that offers the ideal price/performance for OEMs that need flexibility to place the DMS camera into different locations within the vehicle based on their unique interior design.”
Both OX02C1S and OX01H1B are small-size automotive-grade sensors with world-leading QE for excellent low-light performance. Both utilize OmniPixel®4‑GS technology which enables simultaneous image detection in all pixels to accurately reproduce rapid motion without any deformation. They have integrated ASIL‑B and cybersecurity that meet the latest industry standards. Both come in an OMNIVISION stacked a‑CSP™ package, allowing for higher-performance image sensors in tighter camera spaces, and are also available in a reconstructed wafer option for designers that want the flexibility to customize their own package. The OX02C1S sensor features 2.5MP resolution in a 1/3.55‑inch optical format, while the OX01H1B features 1.5MP resolution in a 1/4.51‑inch optical format.
Cipia & Ambarella Combo Solutions
Cipia (TASE: CPIA), an AI computer vision in-cabin automotive solutions provider, announced a new solution from its continuing collaboration with Ambarella, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMBA), an edge AI semiconductor company. This latest combined solution offers automotive manufacturers higher flexibility regarding the location of in-cabin sensing systems, including the rear-view mirror, as well as the ability to use a single camera.
Cipia adapts its driver and occupant monitoring system (DMS and OMS) AI software to support a wide-field-of-view (WFOV) camera, making it possible to monitor the entire in-cabin environment from a single camera. These in-cabin sensing algorithms are optimized to run on Ambarella’s CVflow® AI systems-on-chip (SoCs), which provide industry leading performance per watt. That high efficiency enables Cipia’s advanced DMS and OMS computer vision algorithms to run in real time without compromising image quality or AI performance. This flexible solution also has the processing capacity to support additional features in the future, via over the air (OTA) updates or other means.
For this in-cabin solution, Cipia chose Ambarella’s CV2 SoC family, which provides high-quality processing of the video stream from a WFOV, 5MP RGB-IR sensor. This sensor can function in all lighting conditions, running Cipia’s in-cabin sensing solution, as well as video conferencing and remote cabin monitoring. Likewise, its combination of efficient form factor, low power consumption and reduced thermal management requirements, enables this solution to be seamlessly integrated into a wide variety of locations within the vehicle, including rear-view mirrors and overhead consoles.
Yehuda Holtzman, CEO of Cipia, said, “We are proud to expand our collaboration with Ambarella, addressing together the in-cabin computer vision needs of automotive manufacturers, by facilitating easy and seamless integration into spaces such as the rear-view mirror that require a small form factor and high thermal efficiency.”
Fermi Wang, president and CEO of Ambarella, said, “The industry-leading efficiency and performance of our CVflow AI SoC architecture, combined with Cipia’s optimized DMS and OMS algorithms for WFOV cameras, provides automakers with a compelling option to add single-camera, all vehicle in-cabin monitoring within thermally constrained locations. This is yet another example of how our longstanding collaboration with Cipia is accelerating innovation in the automotive market.”
Neonode Gen 3 Cabin Sensing
Neonode Inc. (NASDAQ: NEON) is delighted to announce the release of its third-generation driver and in-cabin monitoring solution, based on Neonode’s proprietary MultiSensing® platform. This unique software platform represents a significant leap forward in enhancing traffic safety and comfort, with advanced, value-adding driver and in-cabin monitoring features that can be seamlessly deployed in new and existing vehicles.
Current-generation driver and in-cabin monitoring systems are an evolution of the purely General Safety Regulation (GSR)-focused first-generation driver monitoring systems. Like first-generation systems, they still primarily rely on the driver’s eyes to assess distraction and build on top of that legacy technology. To meet future customer requirements, the next generation of driver and in-cabin monitoring systems requires a different approach untethered from legacy solutions. As a third-generation solution, MultiSensing utilizes the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Deviating from the eye-tracking paradigm, MultiSensing takes a holistic approach to the driver and in-cabin monitoring problem that includes vastly more datatypes when assessing the situation inside the vehicle. By leveraging Neonode’s pioneering artificial intelligence and machine perception technologies, the MultiSensing driver and in-cabin monitoring solution exceeds the current industry standard for driver and in-cabin monitoring systems in terms of reliability, availability, accuracy, efficiency and flexibility. This unique approach to driver and in-cabin monitoring enhances performance and robustness, thus improving traffic safety and end-user satisfaction.
MultiSensing is purpose-designed to be a scalable software platform for driver and in-cabin monitoring, offering customers an efficient and scalable software framework and powerful development tools, allowing controlled development and releases of new driver and in-cabin monitoring features with very short lead times. The result is easy and rapid development, allowing customers to easily satisfy end-user needs with unparalleled safety, innovative new features and purposeful over-the-air (OTA) updates.
As a further testament to MultiSensing’s scalability, the platform is truly hardware agnostic and has a very small computational footprint. This provides customers with great flexibility in the choice of host system and components. For example, MultiSensing works well with different camera types, even low-resolution ones, and does not impose strict requirements on camera placement.
“We are incredibly proud to introduce the third generation of driver and in-cabin monitoring: MultiSensing,” said Urban Forssell, CEO Neonode. “Our engineers have pushed the boundaries of sensor fusion and machine learning algorithms, pioneering a unique approach to training neural networks using synthetic data to deliver a driver and in-cabin software platform with an unparalleled level of performance, robustness and efficiency. We firmly believe that this innovation will have a transformative impact on the driver and in-cabin monitoring market, significantly contributing to making roads safer for everyone.”