4D imaging radar platform enhances safety, reduces complexity, lowers risk and offers significant cost savings
Providing vehicle and passenger safety using 4D imaging is a new single-chip solution that is powered by a single sensor.
In light of rapidly rising safety standards, the solution comes with features such as Child Presence Detection (CPD) and Seat Belt Reminders (SBR). This has been made possible by a large antenna array and an ultra-wide field of view. The sensor’s 48 transceivers offer a high resolution for rich detection and data classification of occupants.
Enhanced safety, however, usually demands more sensors, which come at a high price to automakers. It is estimated that a mainstream car model will require around 200 sensors by 2030. Hardware, software, wiring, ECUs and integration efforts surrounding each sensor greatly increase complexity and costs, making high-end safety unattainable.
To overcome the challenge, the solution delivers multifunctionality on a single-chip platform with the help of a cost-efficient sensor that is affordable as low-end alternatives, production-ready and designed to enable maximum in-car safety.
Powered by a single Radar-on-Chip (RoC), the solution replaces numerous existing in-car sensors, covering a full vehicle cabin and detecting and classifying all occupants. It operates effectively in all lighting conditions without requiring line of sight and can even detect a baby in a car seat sleeping under a blanket or a child in a footwell. Unlike cameras, the sensor also maintains user privacy at all times, an area of growing concern across the auto industry.
Thanks to its field of view, the solution, which is also simple to fit behind a vehicle’s headlining, can be installed in various locations, accommodating both five- and seven-seaters, as well as sunroof-equipped models.
Besides the CPD + SBR combo, the end-to-end software-hardware platform also enables OEMs and Tier 1s to seamlessly develop multiple advanced applications independently over the cloud, which includes Occupant Status (OS), optimised airbag deployment and dynamic disabling, seat belt pre-tensioning, eCall, vital signs, gesture recognition, out-of-position detection, intruder detection and more.
The fully validated, automotive-grade (AEC-Q100 qualified and ASIL-B compliant) sensor also grants automakers the flexibility to scale these features to meet evolving standards. These can be introduced early in the development cycle or at a later date via over-the-air (OTA) updates.
“Now more than ever, safety is top-of-mind right across the industry. That’s why automakers are reassessing many traditional approaches, like using dozens of single-function sensors to support key safety applications. Multifunctionality on a single-chip platform is a new paradigm that’s ready to redefine how people think of the in-cabin ecosystem,” said Ian Podkamien, Head of Automotive at Vayyar.
As automakers strive to protect motorists and their passengers, multifunctionality on a single-chip platform is an effective way to ensure higher safety levels. Vayyar’s affordable solution adds value and cuts complexity and costs, making it the driving force of next-generation automotive safety.
