Veoneer has been awarded a production contract to manufacture the world’s first thermal camera for a Level 4 AV. The company, which provides solutions focused on ADAS and collaborative and automated driving, will receive funding from a leading auto maker to engineer a camera that can handle conditions of low visibility including darkness, smoke, sun and headlight glare.
The Level 4 autonomous driving system will employ multiple high-resolution thermal cameras to enhance safety for the mobility-as-a-service market. The system uses narrow and wide field-of-view thermal cameras to enhance the detection of pedestrians, animals, vehicles, motorcycles, bicyclists and objects to complement the capabilities of other sensor technologies. The start of production is planned for 2021.
The thermal sensing system is built on Veoneer’s fourth-generation night-vision system, which uses a high-resolution thermal camera plus advanced analytics to detect pedestrians and animals on the road at night, warning drivers of potential dangers in total darkness and other low-visibility conditions. Thermal cameras can sense very small temperature differences to differentiate objects from their surroundings at extended ranges under all lighting conditions.
“Thermal cameras are critical for enhancing the safety of AVs because of their unique sensing capabilities,” said Jan Carlson, chairman, president and CEO, Veoneer. “This award is an industry breakthrough for Veoneer and the future of self-driving cars.”
To learn more about lidar and other sensor technologies for AVs, catch the “Vision – Sensors and Lidar Test and Development” session at the Autonomous Vehicle Test & Development Symposium in Novi, MI in October. For more information, up-to-date programs and rates, click here. The symposium is hosted at Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo.
