CESA conference : is there still a driver in the car ?

For this day 1 of CESA congress in Paris, one round table should be very popular. It's the one about autonomous cars with driving assistance systems. Many experts from PSA, Volkswagen, Bosch, Freescale, LAB (common safety lab to PSA and Renault), STMicroelectronics and TRW will discuss the evolution of ADAS.
As some OEMs (Mercedes, Volvo) announce traffic jam assistant systems and remote control in parking lots (BYD in China), in addition to innovations becoming mainstream (LDW, ACC, emergency braking), the question is : will the technology allow the car drive by itself in the future ?
The answer may be yes, but it's not only a technical issue. So, that's why you should attend to CESA 2012 and listen to top experts. For instance, Volkswagen will mention is expertise, thanks to its ERL (Electronics Research Lab) located in the Silicon Valley) with Google as a neighbour.

Renault adopts ADAS technologies from Valeo

Valeo is supplying Renault with two driving assistance systems. The BeamAtic lighting automation and LaneVue lane departure warning applications will equip the new mass-market Scenic, Grand Scenic, Mégane, Mégane coupé and Mégane estate facelift vehicles.

These applications are embedded in the Valeo multifunctional camera, located between the windshield and the rearview mirror.

The BeamAtic lighting automation system takes over the lighting commands to optimize the use of high beam. It switches back to low beam as soon as an oncoming or leading car is detected by the embedded camera. The system alleviates the stress of constantly switching the headlamps on and off, thus improving nighttime driving comfort and safety.

The LaneVue detection system alerts the driver if the vehicle drifts into the adjacent lane. The front camera detects the lane markings on the road, and compares them with the vehicle's trajectory. If the vehicle drifts into the adjacent lane without having activated the turn indicator, LaneVue™ immediately alerts the driver through sound and visual signals. This application may anticipate critical situations, e.g. in the event of driver drowsiness or lack of attention.

With these two applications, which combine innovative vision technologies and software developments, Valeo is making leading-edge driving assistance functions available to the widest possible markets.

79 GHz takes the lead in Europe

On 10 May 2012, the 79 GHz consortium will hold its first Plenary Meeting in Boras, Sweden. It will be the opportunity to give an overview of the achievements and of the work that has been carried on at global level.

This event will present the activities with vehicle manufacturers and automotive supplier associations, the latest results from the MOSARIM EU Project, as well as radar bandwidth requirements for new ADAS functions.

79 GHz is a European research project under the Seventh Framework Programme. The aim is to establish a global, world-wide available and harmonized frequency allocation for vehicular radars. Today, the 79 GHz radar equipment is only authorized in the 27 EC member states, in most of the further 21 CEPT countries, in Singapore and Australia. In all other countries the operation of 79 GHz radar devices is not possible due to the lack of any regulatory framework for this frequency band.

Link : http://www.79ghz.eu/