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Mayumi Negishi
28 Aug, 2006
JAPANESE microchip maker NEC has begun shipping image detection chips for cars, with the first going into a new Lexus.
Chips control a growing bulk of car functions from power door locks to transmission controllers, and NEC Electronics hopes to grab 40 per cent of the emerging market for image detection chips in cars by 2015.
"Our share will be only a few per cent in 2010, but by increasing the number of images the processor recognises, we hope to become the de facto standard for carmakers worldwide by 2015," said Yoshirou Miyaji, NEC Electronics general manager of auto systems.
The new Lexus LS460 with the image processors will automatically slam on the brakes a split second before hitting a pedestrian or vehicle and prevent a collision or reduce impact.
NEC Electronics projects annual sales of the device will grow to ¥20 billion ($225 million) in 2015, which would be equivalent to 3 per cent of the chipmaker's total sales in fiscal 2005.
Monthly production is expected to be 10,000 units at the end of fiscal 2007. In 2010, NEC Electronics expects 4 million cars to have image detection chips in place, with the market growing to 8.6 million cars in 2012 and 18 million cars in 2015.
NEC Electronics, the world's eighth-largest chip maker, 70 per cent owned by NEC Corp., posted an operating loss of ¥5.76 billion in the quarter ended June on poor sales of mobile phone chips, and it sees the car industry as a long-term source of growing demand.
Image recognition technology is more widely known for enabling high-end surveillance cameras to pick out an individual in a crowd, but the market for them in cars is still small.
Source: http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20275062%5E15339%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15321,00.html
Stan Beer
28 Aug 2006
New image sensing chips for cars from Japanese electronics manufacturer NEC have started shipping with the intention of preventing collisions with pedestrians and other vehicles.
Image detection processors have initially been deployed for facial recognition in security applications. NEC is among the first of the electronics manufacturers to apply image detection to the automotive industry for accident prevention.
The first of the NEC IMAPCAR image detection chips will be installed in the soon to be released upmarket Toyota Lexus LS460 sedan. The high cost processors have the capability of detecting people, animals and other cars that are on a collision course with the vehicle and automatically applying the brakes to prevent impact.
What is not entirely clear, however, is how the technology works in cases where braking is not the best option and swerving is safer. Also unclear is where the technology draws the line between what is an acceptable risk to the occupants of the vehicle by braking hard to avoid hitting say a small animal.
NEC aims for its image detection technology to become the standard for the global automotive industry within the next 10 years.
Source: http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/5421/53/
NEC Electronics, NEC, Toyota and Denso unveil the IMAPCAR image processor for automobiles, which can detect nearby objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, and lane markers in real-time. This enables automobile manufacturers to easily implement safety mechanisms and collision prevention systems. IMAPCAR will be included in the pre-crash safety system of the new Lexus LS460 developed by Toyota, scheduled to be available this autumn. IMAPCAR is five times faster than the leading automotive image processor, performing up to 100 GOPS. Using parallel processing technology throughout its 128 processing elements, IMAPCAR provides the advanced performance necessary for real-time identification of objects.
The image recognition functions are processed by software, which allows easy modification of programs as compared to hardware solutions. Additionally, the 0.13-micron process technology used in the IMAPCAR helps it suppress power consumption to under 2 watts, which is optimal for automobiles. NEC Electronics and NEC have long recognized the need for image recognition technology in automotive and IT applications, and began research and developments in 1990 at NEC's research laboratories. In particular, the companies focused on parallel processing technology, which was necessary for advanced recognition of and response to moving images.
The first single-chip image processor was introduced in February 2003, and consequently exhibited at industry events such as CEATEC 2003, ITS 2004, and Convergence 2004. IMAPCAR was developed in conjunction with Toyota and Denso, based on this technology. NEC Electronics and NEC say IMAPCAR will help manufacturers of automobiles and automotive electronics more efficiently develop safety systems, leading to widespread adoption in vehicles. The companies will pursue further developments in the field of image recognition technology, refining the technology for pre-crash safety systems, as well as developing both high-end and low-end devices for use in a wide range of markets including security, game, robot, and factory automation.
Source: http://home.nestor.minsk.by/computers/news/2006/08/2801.html
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