AdaSky and STMicroelectronics Cooperate to Bring Day/Night High-Resolution Vision and Perception to Cars
21 Février 2018 - 03:01PM
- Far-Infrared thermal camera extends ADAS sensor fusion
capability with a new layer of information, paving the way to
fully-autonomous driving in any condition
- Prototypes now under evaluation by carmakers with initial
production targeted for 2020
Yok'neam (Israel) and Geneva, February 21, 2018 -
STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), a global semiconductor leader
serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications,
and AdaSky, an Israeli-based start-up bringing far infrared (FIR)
technology to the automotive market to enable vehicles of tomorrow
to see further and better, today announced a collaboration, in
which AdaSky's FIR thermal camera embeds custom silicon
co-designed with and manufactured by ST in its proprietary 28nm
FD-SOI[1] manufacturing technology. The complete sensing solution
from AdaSky, called Viper, aims to enable autonomous vehicles to
see and understand the roads and their surroundings in any
condition.
Having complete sight and perception of the roadway, other
vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and obstacles, especially in
challenging lighting or weather conditions, is fundamental to the
safe operation of next-generation autonomous cars. To achieve 24/7
autonomous driving, vehicles will rely on the fusion of
complementary information streams provided by different sensors. No
sensor or camera in operation today can capture all of the
information on its own and each has challenges in certain lighting
or weather conditions. Passive infrared vision, like that in
AdaSky's Viper, when used in a fusion solution, can help close the
gaps to provide accurate sight and perception without fail in
dynamic lighting conditions, in direct sunlight, in the face of
oncoming headlights, and in harsh weather.
The new camera uses an FIR micro-bolometer sensor to detect the
temperature of an object. In an ADAS solution, Viper uses
proprietary algorithms based on Convolutional Neural Networks to
classify obstacles and show them in a cockpit display to give the
driver an early warning. This warning comes several seconds earlier
than it would when using a conventional sensor in the visible
wavelength and is even faster than what is possible with the human
eye.
"With the help of ST, we have created the first high-resolution
thermal camera for autonomous vehicles with minimal size, weight,
and power consumption--and no moving parts. ST's access to, and
expertise in, ultra-low-power design, IP that is fully qualified
for automotive applications, and 28nm FD-SOI technology have been
vital to meeting the severe power constraints that would challenge
our sensors' performance," said Amotz Kats, Vice President
Hardware, AdaSky. "We're in a position to deliver a breakthrough
solution to revolutionize and disrupt the autonomous vehicle market
because of ST's mastery of automotive qualification and its strong
manufacturing supply chain, which grants reliability, long-term
support, and business continuity to car makers throughout the whole
life of their production."
"AdaSky has developed a powerful infrared-based vision sensor
and valuable algorithms that add a complementary and incredibly
valuable additional layer of information to the existing sensors
that will soon be driving autonomous vehicles," said Fabio Marchio,
Group Vice President and General Manager, Automotive Digital
Division, STMicroelectronics. "By addressing the challenging and
difficult driving conditions that remain one of the largest
concerns to true, always-on, 24/7 autonomous driving, AdaSky is
enabling these driverless systems."
Viper has been designed in ST's proprietary 28nm FD-SOI
manufacturing technology and uses ST IP that is fully qualified for
automotive applications. Prototypes are under evaluation by
carmakers, targeting a start of production in 2020.
About AdaSky
AdaSky brings far infrared technology to the automotive market,
aiming to empower the vehicles of tomorrow to see further and
better - whenever. AdaSky's founding team is made up of veterans
from the semiconductor, thermal sensor, image processing and
computer vision market. They have been developing state-of-the-art
FIR sensing solutions for the last decade. Now, the company's
multidisciplinary team of experienced engineers has further
innovated and adapted the solution to the specific needs of
self-driving cars, making AdaSky's solution a critical addition to
cars to eliminate vision and perception weaknesses for
fully-autonomous vehicles.
Learn more at http://www.adasky.com/.
About STMicroelectronics
ST is a global semiconductor leader delivering intelligent and
energy-efficient products and solutions that power the electronics
at the heart of everyday life. ST's products are found everywhere
today, and together with our customers, we are enabling smarter
driving and smarter factories, cities and homes, along with the
next generation of mobile and Internet of Things devices.
By getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands
for life.augmented.
In 2017, the Company's net revenues were $8.35 billion, serving
more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Further information can be
found at www.st.com.
For more information, please contact
AdaSky Caster Communications +1 401-792-7080
adasky@castercomm.com Alex Crabb +1 401-318-2229
STMicroelectronics Michael Markowitz Director Technical Media
Relations Michael.markowitz@st.com +1 781 591 0354
[1] Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator
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