Magna to begin production of next-gen front camera module for European carmaker

At IAA Mobility 2023 last week, Magna announced the start of production of its innovative Gen5 front camera module system for a European OEM from late September 2023. The net-gen forward-facing camera system is manufactured at Magna facilities in Germany, Slovakia and China.

The high-volume business award will support various platforms across regions and vehicle models over the next few years. Magna leveraged its market-leading camera expertise and global manufacturing processes to develop a scalable, one-box front camera module which it will supply to the automaker.

The complete forward facing camera system features a wide field of view with opening angles of 120 degrees horizontally and 48 degrees vertically. This allows for both long-range perception of obstacles exceeding 160 metres in front of the vehicle, and detection of side objects, such as traffic lights, emergency vehicles and cut-in vehicles. The camera offers eight megapixels of resolution, a 36 frames per second frame rate and a full colour image. The microcontroller is scalable for sensor fusion with up to five radars.

"We are dedicated to providing cutting-edge solutions and innovations that prioritise safety for all who share the road," said Sharath Reddy, Senior Vice- President, Magna Electronics. "With our latest generation front camera module system, we are advancing driver assistance by offering essential features that keep drivers engaged and provide real-time road insights, equipping them with a comprehensive understanding of their surroundings."

The system offers features like:
- Trained Park Assist (TPA), a parking automation comfort feature that provides the driver with an option to park the vehicle automatically with a previously learned ‘park-in’ or ‘park-out’ trajectory.
- Environmental Condition Recognition (ECR) that classifies the current condition of road surfaces ahead with respect to wetness or snow coverage for piloted driving functions to control the vehicle.
- Monocular Scene Reconstruction (MSR) which detects the transition of drivable to non-drivable areas. For example, asphalt to grass transitions, construction site delimetres and many more.
- Hazard Detection (HZD), noticing static obstacles on the road upfront to avoid collisions.

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