Automotive News: Kyocera, Asahi Kasei

Nikkei: Kyocera presents "Camera-LiDAR Fusion Sensor" to be to commercialize in 2022 or 2023. The sensor uses two kinds of data collected by the camera and LiDAR sensor, respectively, to improve the recognition rate of objects around the sensor. The LiDAR uses MEMS for beam scanning. The resolution of the LiDAR is 0.05°.

"When only LiDAR is used, it is difficult to detect the locations of objects," Kyocera said. "When only the camera is used, there is a possibility that shadows on the ground are mistakenly recognized as three-dimensional objects."

Kyocera Camera-LiDAR

Nikkei: Asahi Kasei develops a technology to measure the pulse of a driver based on video shot by a NIR camera. The camera uses the fact that hemoglobin in the blood absorbs a large amount of green light. So, the brightness of the face in video changes and a pulse rate can be calculated.

It takes about 8s to measure the pulse rate of a driver, including the face authentication. It helps to check the physical conditions of a driver.