A once-in-a-century major transformation is underway in the automotive industry. As demonstrated by the CASE trends – connected cars, autonomous driving, sharing and services, and electric vehicles – the emergence of new technology domains is dramatically reshaping the set of technologies applied to automobiles. Sensing technology using cameras, LiDAR and millimeter waves – considered the “eyes” for autonomous driving – will be essential for ascertaining what goes on outside the vehicle and standard inclusion is on the rise. It is also a core technology for diverse monitoring of driver status and other conditions inside the cabin, contributing to safer, more comfortable mobility for vehicle occupants. Such functions cannot realistically be achieved using individual sensors, meaning sensing algorithms will play a vital role in realizing advanced perceptive features through integrated processing of data from multiple sensors.

Alps Alpine, with advantages in the sensing domain, has built up a diverse lineup of sensors for automotive and consumer electronics sectors over the years in response to customer and market needs. A particular area of focus is premium human-machine interfaces (HMI)^*1. Alps Alpine combines sensors and systems, such as capacitive sensors, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sensors and cameras, to create functional devices and advance efforts to realize safe and comfortable mobility for vehicle occupants.

Looking to bolster its expertise in millimeter-wave sensing, which has a growing market, Alps Alpine entered a strategic partnership with Acconeer in September 2019 to develop products for the automobile industry. Already the companies have jointly explored various applications of millimeter-wave sensor technology, including sensing of obstacles outside the vehicle and motion sensing based on foot movements to enable opening and closing of rear doors, as well as occupant detection for noticing left-behind children or unfastened seatbelts. Presentations to customers have been well received.

The memorandum of understanding with Acconeer and joint development of next-generation sensing technology will enable the creation of millimeter-wave sensors with advanced functionality and superior cost performance by drawing on Acconeer’s strengths in analog design using low-power, small-scale circuitry for wide-angle sensing, as well as Alps Alpine’s antenna and millimeter-wave design and evaluation technology and automotive quality control expertise.

The addition to Alps Alpine’s product lineup of new sensor varieties based on original algorithms will further bolster the company’s ability to put forward application proposals to meet the wide-ranging requirements of next-generation vehicles in the CASE age and will expand the automotive business domain. Specifically, Alps Alpine aims to establish a \50 billion business through sensor fusion involving integration of cameras and millimeter-wave sensors.

1. Human-machine interfaces of a high quality enabling comfortable operation while eliciting a sense of premium class