LIPPSTADT, Germany, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Driver assistance systems prevent accidents and provide increased safety for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Driver assistance radar technology that has been standard in premium segments is now entering higher volume vehicle segments as costs are lowered.
HELLA, an auto industry electronics and lighting expert, is a leader in 24GHz automotive radar for rear applications. The company will launch production of its fourth generation 24GHz radar sensors in mid-2017, replacing third-generation radar sensors that have been in series production since June of 2014.
HELLA’s latest generation radar system offers an increased level of integration in a 25 percent smaller package and with improved measuring capacity. Costs for the new unit also were dropped without limiting the number of assistance applications offered, including blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assistance, rear pre-crash alert, a rear cross-traffic alert and vehicle exit assistant.
“With radar-based driver-assistance systems, many accidents can be avoided,” said Dr. Dietmar Stapel, head of HELLA’s driver assistance systems. “But in order to do this, they need to be more widely implemented, not only in premium segments but also in high-volume segments. By focusing on cost reduction and the development of additional applications, we were able to make this technology attractive for high-volume segments.”
With more than nine million sensors produced for use in 125 models from 11 different car manufacturers, HELLA has established itself as a major supplier of 24GHz sensor solutions in the automotive market.
“We are also looking at 77GHz technology,” Stapel added. “Despite higher costs and higher sensitivity, 77GHz provides much better distance resolution with a bandwith that is five times greater than 24GHz systems.”
