Suddenly dazzled, vision restricted: This is something drivers experience regularly when driving on a sunny day when the sun is low in the sky. Not only that, briefly driving blind is often required due to the glare when driving out of a tunnel on a bright day.
Changing or poor lighting conditions provide a challenge not only for the human eye, but also for video sensors such as those required for driver assistance systems and automated driving. To make these sensors better, Bosch and Sony Semiconductor Solutions have agreed to a partnership that aims to develop a highly innovative camera technology that will enable cars to reliably sense their surroundings even in difficult lighting conditions.
“Bosch and Sony Semiconductor Solutions are bringing together the technological know-how of the market leader for image sensors and the automotive know-how of the world’s biggest supplier,” said Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division.
Along with radar and ultrasonic sensors, video sensors are the sensory organs of modern cars. To create driver assistance systems, such as automatic emergency braking for pedestrians, lane keeping support systems and road sign recognition, cameras are becoming increasingly integral to modern vehicle models. The advantage of video sensors is that they can detect objects and the images produced have a huge information density.
For many years, Bosch has been producing video sensors in mono and stereo technology to provide a 360-degree, all-round view, and is one of the leading suppliers in this sector of the automotive industry, the company says. In the future, video sensors will be a crucial component of the sensor concept for automated driving, according to Bosch. This requires cameras that operate reliably when there is a sudden change of lighting conditions from dark to light and vice versa. In addition, they must be able to instantaneously differentiate when there are drastic differences in brightness within a shot.
“Automated driving cars will only be safe on the road if they can accurately sense their surroundings at all times,” said Steiger.
