Image Sensors at Autosens Detroit 2021

Autosens Detroit to be held on May 12-13 as an on-line event publishes its agenda with a number of image sensor-related presentations:

• Sensor Innovation and In-Cabin Intelligence
  Following our purpose to provide freedom to move in a personal and safe way, Volvo Cars is working towards offering a more personal and safer in-cabin experience. This presentation shares our vision of future in-cabin intelligent experience based on innovations of sensor software and hardware, with the aim of enhancing the functions to support drivers and passengers and building an intuitive, safe and natural car-occupant interaction.
  Danilo Neves, Advanced Engineering Leader, Volvo Car Corporation
• Panel discussion: Extending the limits of CMOS image sensors
  Over recent years we have seen lots of innovation in the different sensor modalities, lidar moving to solid state, radar increasing resolution, cameras building 3D images etc. Also at the edges of performance, we have seen the domain of each sensor become blurred and overlap more. There are specific innovations in what we traditionally call 'image sensors', based on CMOS technology that are extending the capabilities of what could be considered a 'camera' as well. The argument of the discussion is "CMOS camera technology capabilities will broaden sensor capabilities to such an extent to make other sensor modalities redundant".
  Boyd Fowler, CTO, OmniVision Technologies
  Robert Stead, Founder, AutoSens
• Characteristics of image sensors for precise object detection in automotive ADAS systems
  The number of ADAS systems in the automotive industry using imaging technology is steadily increasing year over year, both for external viewing as well as for in-cabin purposes, to help make vehicles safer for drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Most current commercially available systems are based on CIS technology, but next generation systems are increasingly looking to adapt some level of depth sensing technologies. In this paper we will present which image sensor characteristics are important in order to provide robust and reliable ADAS sensing systems and in-cabin monitoring systems, both from traditional CIS solutions, as well as new ToF and LIDAR depth sensing technologies. We will present analysis based on common available sensor parameters to determine the system level performance, and what it means for object detection probability as well as distance uncertainty for depth sensing solutions. The analysis will include some specific common real world traffic scenarios as well as NCAP scenarios.
  Marius Evensen, Head of Automotive Marketing, Sony
• Lidar integration for automotive ADAS series production
  Lidar sensors are increasingly becoming important for ADAS in consumer vehicles. This talk will provide some insights on considerations for high performance ADAS lidars and how such lidars can be integrated into vehicles to support the next generation of ADAS functionality.
  Mitch Hourtienne, VP of Business Development, Cepton
• The human eye as an example for LiDAR
  The performance of the human eye is awesome. It has a fantastic resolution, hence small objects can be seen at long distances. It works very well in a huge brightness dynamic range and it is able to estimate distance. This in a system of two eyes and a dedicated computer system - the human vision system (HVS). There are many aspects of the HVS, which outperforms any LiDAR system. However, the performance is based on a very cleverly designed system. Why not use the human eye and the human vision system as an example for future LiDAR systems?
  Beat de Coi, CEO, ESPROS Photonics
• The Future of AVs Depends on Non-Stop Vision, Day & Night
  Mr. Levi introduces VISDOM, an automotive-qualified eye-safe (class 1) Camera System with high-speed gated illumination. It can be mounted on the front windshield or integrated into the vehicle headlights, and comes in three configurations for multiple transportation sectors, including cars, trucks, light trains, buses, and robotaxis - offering a range of up to 300M, horizontal FOV from 16 to 60 degrees, and resolution from 800x480 to 2M pixels. VISDOM enables optimal contrast, detection, and recognition required by leading automotive manufacturers and AI perception technologies. Powered by proprietary GatedVision technology protected by 26 patents, VISDOM incorporates an extended-range imaging technology that produces high-contrast images from thousands of micro-exposures per frame with dynamic and variable range slices. GatedVision technology provides a detailed and clear image by accumulating multiple range slices from varying depths into a single clear frame, and can perform background removal to improve contrast by enabling depth-slices of the scene.
  Eyal Levi, Co-Founder, Bright Way Vision
• No Automated Future Without LiDAR
  As we look to the future of automated driving, there is no single sensor that can do it all. Instead, there is a need for camera, radar and LiDAR sensors, complementing each other's sensing capabilities and creating safety through redundancy. Short-range LiDAR sensors are crucial to negotiate urban environments and traffic jams, while long-range LiDAR sensors enable high speed driving on highways. As a mobility supplier, this highlights some key questions – what technologies are meeting the requirements of automated driving in urban and highway scenarios? What is available now and what should we plan for later introduction? How can we deliver the right technology mix in a way that is affordable? While it will be a race to see who can drive down the cost of LiDAR, Continental’s perspective is clear: Safe autonomous mobility requires LiDAR technology – with the right performance-to-cost ratio – to address existing corner cases unsolvable by camera and radar solutions.
  Gunnar Juergens, VP and Head of LiDAR Segment, Continental
• Detecting the “Invisible”: Designing Cameras for Challenging ADAS/AV Computer Vision Edge Cases
  Dave Tokic, VP Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, Algolux
• Leading Edge Sensor Innovations for ADAS and Avs
  This session will include an overview presentation from Dr Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, Chief Technology Analyst, AutoSens Research, to present the hottest innovation areas, and companies to watch in 2021. This will be followed by a panel discussion between leading innovators from SWIR, LiDAR, Radar, and Camera.
  Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, Chief Analyst, AutoSens Research