Continental announced a strategic partnership with AI semiconductor company Ambarella at CES 2023, aimed at co-developing scalable hardware and software solutions for driver assistance and autonomous driving based on artificial intelligence. Along with this, they also showcased a curved ultra-wide display combined with a transparent control panel and an innovative driver identification display.
At this year’s CES 2023, Continental unveiled the ‘CV3’ SoC integrated into ADAS for the first time in collaboration with Ambarella. This strategic partnership began with Continental’s announcement last November about integrating Ambarella’s power-efficient System-on-Chip (SoC) product line into advanced driver assistance systems. Compared to other domain controller SoCs, Ambarella’s ‘CV3-AD’ chip line can process sensor data five times faster and more comprehensively, providing better environmental awareness and safe mobility. Ambarella combines Continental’s software and hardware expertise with its own computer vision know-how, powerful SoCs, and software modules.
In addition to developing camera-based recognition solutions for ADAS, Continental and Ambarella are focusing on a scalable full-stack system from Level 2+ autonomous driving to highly automated vehicles. These full-stack solutions adopt a multi-sensor approach, including Continental’s high-resolution cameras, radar, Lidar, related controllers, and essential software. Vehicle manufacturers can flexibly integrate these joint system solutions into the latest generation of vehicles.
For electric vehicles, the solutions aim to increase energy efficiency by reducing power consumption and cooling energy, resulting in a decrease in battery weight (about 6 pounds). Consequently, it can be expected that the driving range will increase by an average of 5-10 km with the same battery capacity. Continental and Ambarella aim to complete the global mass production preparation of this joint solution by 2026, providing services suitable for the gradually expanding autonomous driving market.
Frank Petschnig, head of Continental’s Autonomous Driving Business Unit, stated, “We are now able to offer the most efficient scalable full-stack vehicle system solutions in advanced driver assistance systems to reach high levels of automation, strengthening our leadership in the field of autonomous driving. This strategic partnership with Ambarella further extends our portfolio and brings us one step closer to our Vision Zero and autonomous driving goals.”
Permi Wang, CEO of Ambarella, stated, “The automotive industry has evolved to the point where we can leverage Continental’s global scale and proven track record in commercialization technologies for autonomous driving, combined with Ambarella’s algorithm-first SoC architecture and software IP. Together with our partner Continental, we are providing automotive manufacturers with attractive new options to make vehicles safer, while also building a foundation for autonomous driving.”
Innovation signifies an improved driving experience. Continental supports making driving safer and more intuitively engaging. As user experience becomes a key factor in vehicle purchasing, Continental’s display solutions are establishing themselves as a new driver inside vehicles.
At CES 2023, Continental introduced a curved ultra-wide display that arches from one A-pillar to the opposite pillar. The 47.5-inch TFT display is illuminated by over 3,000 LEDs in an active area of 7,680 x 660 pixels. The matrix backlight offers excellent high-contrast image quality and provides an option to darken individual areas of the screen that are not needed. This self-dimming technology saves energy and improves readability.
The curved pillar-to-pillar display offers vehicle manufacturers a high degree of design freedom to create forward-looking, high-end cockpits and display content on a seamless screen surface. The operating concept is based on an invisible display control panel that allows for perfect visibility when needed and provides convenient, safe control. Mass production of the curved ultra-wide display is planned for 2025.
The interaction between the invisible display control panel and the pillar-to-pillar display is supported by a unified control display that appears magically only when needed. This unique display solution prevents unnecessary information from distracting the driver and allows for convenient control even in areas out of reach with the use of the panel. Haptic feedback from the panel enables operation of the pillar-to-pillar display without taking eyes off the road. The invisible display, covered with a translucent surface, integrates perfectly both visually and tactually into the interior design surface.
When the display is not needed, it becomes invisible, merging with luxurious surface finish materials such as wood or carbon, forming one cohesive unit. Additionally, a special matrix backlight allows content to be displayed at the necessary brightness even under lighting conditions where the background is not visible.
At CES 2023, Continental also showcased another innovation with its driver identification display. This driver identification display solution adds new capabilities to driver monitoring by enabling safe driver authentication through non-contact facial recognition.
This is ensured through the perfectly integrated sensor and related software from Trinamics within the display, providing top-grade protection against negative attempts by third parties. Trinamics facial authentication enables rapid and reliable driver authentication, allowing applications such as in-vehicle payments without the need for additional devices. This driver identification display was honored with the CES Innovation Award in the ‘Vehicle Technology and Advanced Vehicle’ category.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr