STMicroelectronics launches advanced image sensors for automotive safety systems
Semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics has unveiled two new automotive global shutter image sensors, the VG5661 and VG5761, featured for driver monitoring.
Both were demonstrated with automotive software innovator Jungo’s driver-monitoring solution CoDriver, at the recent AutoSens Imaging conference and at Electronica 2018.
These advanced image sensors enhance monitoring of vehicle occupants by capturing the scene as illuminated from the camera, eliminating unpredictable external effects such as sunlight or street lighting.
Their superior image quality sharpens the responses of driver-monitoring systems, especially under near-infrared illumination close to 940nm, and makes possible new features, such as assessing driver attention, passenger comfort or child behavior.
The new sensors embed ST’s automotive global shutter technology that strongly minimizes the illumination power consumption, even in high-dynamic-range mode.
Safety organizations worldwide agree that driver fatigue is a factor involved in up to 25 percent of road accidents, says STM.
The sensing accuracy also helps autonomous-driving systems assess a human driver’s fitness to take over any time during a journey, easing transitions between manual and autonomous driving modes for greater comfort and safety.
The European car safety rating system Euro NCAP’s 2025 Roadmap has proposed driver monitoring as the highest priority primary-safety feature. It is also a prerequisite for automated driving.
Working with Jungo, ST recently showed how the new sensors enable next-generation driver assistance at international industry events.
Jungo’s driver-monitoring software leverages the crisp, clear images from ST’s sensors to monitor the position and movements of all occupants, assessing the driver’s condition and accurately surveying the location and movements of other vehicle occupants.
The demonstration highlighted opportunities to improve interactions between autonomous and human drivers and showed how passenger monitoring expands opportunities to enhance comfort and security.
Aymeric Fuchet, differentiated imaging solutions business line director, STMicroelectronics, says: “Featuring ST innovative automotive global shutter technology, our image sensors are designed to enhance the performance of advanced automotive and industrial machine-vision applications.
“Our successful cooperation with Jungo has shown how these sensors can enhance road safety and extend the performance of autonomous driving systems.”
Ophir Herbst, CEO of Jungo, says: “Our software-based solution, combined with the outstanding background-removal and moving-image capture capabilities of ST’s sensors, enables affordable, high-performance driver monitoring and creates a powerful, flexible platform for new features and services in the vehicles of the future.”
The sensors are currently sampling, and ST says it is working with lead customers to facilitate adoption in new driver-assistance systems for next generations of vehicles.