What are currently the most important innovation subjects for HELLA in the field of automated driving?

A classic example is automated parking in multi-storey car parks using the valet parking function. Here, the vehicle autonomously covers a short distance from a certain transfer point to the parking space - it sounds simple, but it is actually technologically complex. A large number of different and sometimes complementary technologies are required: radar sensors, laser scanners and camera software, structure-borne sound sensors and environmental data.
We have been developing new radar technologies since the turn of the millennium. For classic rear-end functions such as blind spot detection or lane change assistant, a sensor, for example, with 24 GHz transmission frequency was developed. This went into series production in 2006. Today HELLA is the world market leader in the field of rear applications, having produced 20 million 24 GHz sensors.

But then we went one better: when compared to 24 GHz technology, our 77 GHz radar sensors operate at more than three times the transmission frequency and they have about five times the available bandwidth. While a 24 GHz sensor perceives two objects that are less than 1.5m apart as a single object, a 77 GHz sensor can even distinguish between vehicles that are only 30cm apart.

In addition, the sensor enables 360° perception of the area around the vehicle. And all this forms a sturdy foundation on which more advanced technologies of the future can be built. This total environment perception of a vehicle is based on laser beams. That is the reason why HELLA is focusing on developing LiDAR sensor technology and LiDAR system development for driver assistance systems and automated driving in a strategic partnership with the Californian start-up AEye.