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Vayyar Imaging is an Israeli company that has little to do with the world consumer, yet it is one of those that is worth talking about because it could bring a small-big revolution in the world of cars. And it is also an opportunity to inaugurate a new one address book aimed at discovering invisible technologies, hidden in the cars of today and tomorrow.
Known at CES in Las Vegas, the Israelis from Vayyar perfected theirs this year passenger compartment radar, a system that has more than one practical advantage and which, lately, has been approved by the FCC in the United States and by the ETSI in Europe, as well as having achieved Euro NCAP requirements for 2023.
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LESS COMPLEXITY IN A TIME OF CRISIS
The semiconductor crisis he hinted at how much modern cars are stuffed with chips, to the point of controlling aspects that we considered marginal: Tesla and Mercedes had removed the electric lumbar support from the passenger seat to save. In short, the chip shortage phenomenon has not only affected obvious features such as the Peugeot i-cockpit, which had to eliminate it from the 308, but also those aspects of the cars that are hidden from view. Not to mention Land Rover that has suspended production … after all, the Defender is stuffed with technology to the core!
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29 June
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Vayyar’s 4D radar fits perfectly into this context, replacing a whole series of sensors scattered around the cockpit and required by law with a single device. This is not only a cost saving but also a reduction in complexity, weight and wiring: although apparently negligible, these measures are the key to optimization in the future, especially when we will have to rely only on battery-powered cars. .
In a single-chip solution, Vayyar’s indoor radar integrates the hardware to have one vision on three rows of seats and up to 8 passengers.
Among its functions is the monitoring of children on board, so you can eliminate the uncomfortable sensor cushions that have become mandatory for the law on anti-abandonment devices. Also enabled the seat belt warning. The virtual eye in the cockpit then allows you to detect the occupancy status of the different seats, also useful for targeted and optimized deployment of the airbagsnot to mention the versatility a radar offers in terms of future upgrades. A software update could easily keep the car up to date with new requirements and enable more features.
Finally, the possibility of using it as an alarm in the event of intrusions into the passenger compartment is implicit, a function that is also added to the optimization of the seat belt pre-tensioning system.
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The platform integrates a 60 GHz radar that does not require external intelligence and is therefore defined as radar-on-chip: sensors and control logic in a single device tested and certified to be “automotive grade”, the definition that confirms characteristics of resistance and durability far superior to those found on classic consumer devices such as smartphones, computers and so on.
Since it is a radar, then, it is not affected by the light conditions and its “view” composes the images using a point cloud that can read up to the floor of the car. In the case of the detection of children on board, for example, it perceives the presence of the little ones even if they are under a blanket or if they were to sneak between the seats.
Furthermore, the advantage over a camera is also evident in terms of perceived privacy: as much as Tesla, for example, can reassure its users on the camera in the cockpit, there will always be those who object to data security.
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The uses that solutions such as Vayyar’s will enable in the automotive world are many. Integrated with eCall, the automatic emergency call, the radar can be used to expand its functionality beyond the scenario of an accident. In addition, it also opens up the possibility of use as a gesture recognition system to interact with some functions of the car, opening up, for example, the possibility of eliminating keys and further cutting the weight of the car.
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