Hyundai Mobis uses lighting to communicate in autonomous car era

Hyundai Mobis, the parts and services arm for Hyundai Motor, Genesis Company and Kia Motors, has showcased its latest Communication Lighting concept at CES  2019. The communication lighting uses an 'Indicating Lighting Zone' to indicate when an autonomous vehicle is operating in self-driving mode.

The concept includes a 'Communication Lighting Zone' that uses LED, digital boards, headlamp projection and sound to communicate with nearby pedestrians and vehicles during various driving scenarios, which it says ensures safer cohabitation.

Hyundai Mobis says it developed the concept to reduce the number of accidents related to the development and testing of autonomous vehicle technology, such as the fatal accident that occurred in mid-March 2018 involving an autonomous test car and a woman walking across the street.

The autonomous vehicles outfitted with communication lighting can detect a pedestrian from more than 450 feet away, and upon detection, headlamps project a bright red warning symbol indicating that is unsafe to motion across the self-driving vehicle. When the vehicle reaches a complete stop, the headlamps project a crosswalk symbol onto the ground to indicate to nearby pedestrians that it is safe to proceed.

As pedestrians clear the path of the vehicle, LED boards indicate when the vehicle is about to resume motion by counting down—similar to traditional crossing signs used today—while showing directional arrows that indicate the direction the vehicle intends to move.

The communication lighting can integrate with Mobis' Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) enabled Adaptive Drive Beam (ABD) technology, or AADB—a headlamp innovation announced earlier this year. The integrated solution offers a more responsive self-dimming headlamp due to increased object detection and processing capabilities, with vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-pedestrian interaction.

The company says as OEMs, suppliers and technology companies race to bring higher levels of autonomy to market, the conversation continues to be centred around the safety, complexity, infrastructure and governance required for full autonomy. As communication lighting is solely focused on using intelligent lighting solutions to save lives the solution could be introduced in new vehicles across OEMs much more quickly and cost effectively.

Micro Goetz, director of lamp engineering, Hyundai Mobis said: “Light has been used as a conduit for communication among vehicles and pedestrians for almost as long as the automobile has existed, so we are excited to lead the evolution of this technology to save lives and offer peace of mind to all that use the road. Our primary focus on the safe progression to future mobility will enable our industry to continue the advancement of autonomous vehicle technology, while helping to keep pedestrians and drivers out of harm’s way.”

In addition to the Communication Lighting Experience Zone, Hyundai MOBIS is showcasing new technologies in autonomous driving, infotainment and eco-friendly solutions at CES 2019 at Booth 3931 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center.