Ricoh, a Japan-based technology solution provider and IEE, a leading provider of automotive sensing systems headquartered in Luxembourg, have announced a strategic partnership to improve the relationship between the driver and the vehicle in this age of increasing levels of automated driving.

With higher levels of automated driving, the relationship between the driver and the vehicle is facing a fundamental change with control being partially or even fully given to the vehicle. This transition will be supported by driver status information, provided by highly sophisticated in-vehicle sensing systems. Ricoh explains that machine vision through an internal camera system will be a key enabler for this new driving experience. 

As a first achievement of the partnership, Ricoh Industrial Solutions and IEE co-developed a 3D stereo camera for in-vehicle sensing. Within a downsized body of 7cm(W)x4.4cm(D)x2cm(H), the stereo camera is said to acquire in-vehicle 3D data to enable advanced safety and comfort functions. This new camera system will be presented at the Automotive World Expo held in Japan from 16-18 January 2019, followed by a worldwide demonstration to lead customers.

IEE, a global leader in advanced vehicle interior sensing solutions, is said to be the first supplier to introduce a capacitive sensor for hands-on/off detection for traffic jam assistance systems in 2013. Ricoh had reportedly launched the serial production of the world’s smallest  ADAS  stereo camera in 2016, based on a unique experience in optical design, calibration, and real-time parallax calculation technology.

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