IAA 2017: HELLA Presents Radar and Camera Functions for Highly Automated Driving

Lippstadt, September 12, 2017. Driver assistance systems including radar sensors and camera software are of increasing importance in the automotive industry. One of the most important measures of vehicle safety is Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Pro-gram). In the coming years, Euro NCAP will increasingly require reliable and cost-efficient sensor solutions for front-side environment detection, in order to avoid colli-sions. In addition to camera systems, especially radar sensors play a decisive role in the implementation of Euro NCAP as well as other safety and comfort functions, among other reasons, because they deliver reliable, robust results, independent of weather and light influences.

As one of the highlights at the IAA 2017, the lighting and electronics expert HELLA is presenting its 77 GHz radar sensors. The centerpiece of the sensors is the Radar Sys-tem Chip, which is based on RF-CMOS technology. The architecture of the sensor makes it possible to integrate the signaling function blocks as well as the self-diagnosis features in one single chip. In this way, not only is a compact design possible, also mal-functions and loss of information will be reduced, as it can occur with discrete compo-nents. The system for self-diagnosis also monitors all functions at any time - an im-portant prerequisite for highly automated driving. The compact sensor design opens up new possibilities for integration, such as in the side of the vehicle. Therefore, the sensor allows a 360° environment detection for identifica-tion of moving objects (object detection) - from cars to bicyclists to pedestrians - all around the vehicle. This is especially necessary for example for automated parking.

On the path from assisted to autonomous driving, detection functions based on cameras also play an important role. The software experts from the Berlin subsidiary Hella Aglaia have been working intensively with camera-based driver assistance systems since its foundation in 1998. Currently, the company is working both on software components for traffic sign detection, light control and lane detection as well as on an implementation of pedestrian and vehicle detection. The corresponding software is developed in individual modules which can run on the chips of various manufacturers.

The flexible software components and open hardware platforms make possible a cost-efficient implementation of functions for individual Euro NCAP requirements and scaling to future systems for highly automated driving.

At the IAA in Frankfurt on the Main, interested visitors can experience various radar- and camera-based functions up close on the vehicle at the HELLA fair booth in the New Mobility World (Hall 3.1, booth B31) from September 12th to 17th, 2017.