DENSO Corp. has announced two new products to be incorporated in the new 2018 Lexus LS, which will be released in Japan and the U.S. after this fall. The new stereo vision sensor and millimeter-wave radar sensor will help improve safety performance of vehicles by more precisely detecting obstacles and lane lines on roads.
The stereo vision sensor uses 3-D image processing techniques called “dense stereo matching” to detect obstacles of different shapes, including pedestrians, vehicles and guardrails, as well as empty road spaces marked by lane lines. This enables autonomous emergency braking and automatic steering control to avoid obstacles. The product’s highly sophisticated cameras also can better detect pedestrians at night.
The new millimeter-wave radar sensor provides higher pedestrian detection performance in a more compact module. More frequent radio waves emission also detects obstacles with higher sensitivity, particularly pedestrians approaching from the sides. In addition, the product’s radar beam can be emitted over a wider angular range, without requiring a mechanism to adjust the angle, as with previous versions. This reduces its size by 60 percent compared to conventional radar sensors, allowing for easier installation.
DENSO develops technologies and products that are aimed at helping to create a society free from traffic accidents.