Frost: Sensor Fusion Emerges as Primary Means of Enhanced Function in Auto Applications

March 1, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

According to Frost & Sullivan, sensor fusion improves robustness and reliability, while also enhancing the existing functionalities of various in-vehicle systems.

"Reliability and higher system performance are the main factors driving sensor fusion," said Frost & Sullivan research analyst Praveen Chandrasekar.

"Sensor fusion is expected to gain maximum priority in driving phases, where the driver needs assistance from safety and comfort features to ensure riding comfort, stability and safety. Motorway driving, night driving and driving in adverse conditions therefore offer the maximum potential for making use of sensor fusion."

Sensor fusion assists in meeting drivers' lighting, object and obstacle detection requirements. This is particularly crucial in motorway and night driving.

Analysts said in the entry/exit phase, comfort features are likely to remain the key focus, and as a result, vehicle access and security will offer growth opportunities for sensor fusion.

In addition, the pre-crash, crash and post-crash scenarios that arise due to adverse driving conditions offer significant potential for active and passive safety systems that incorporate sensor fusion.

Data fusion can also be used to achieve higher system performance and accuracy. For instance, analysts said while existing adaptive front-lighting systems (AFS) can function using information from sensors such as steering angle, vehicle speed and height sensors, fusing data from the navigation system can improve the accuracy and performance of the system in different driving conditions.

While these factors offer tremendous scope for the uptake of sensor fusion, most sensors are stand-alone devices which do not facilitate open communication and data distribution to other vehicle systems. For example, analysts said using information from navigation systems in combination with steering angle sensors for adaptive lighting requires several interfaces and data conversions.

Analysts said the absence of easy data exchange acts as a significant restraint on the deployment of sensor fusion. The lack of open communication "smart" sensors is likely to be a major obstacle in sensor fusion, according to Frost & Sullivan research analysts Vigneshwaran Chandran and Karthikeyan Vijayakumar. They said this is because most sensors in the market are not open to communication from one or more systems.

As a result, vehicle manufacturers and associated suppliers will need to work on smart sensors that can communicate with each other and distribute information with ease. Analysts said this is critical, since sensor fusion increases the quality and reliability of the resultant application, thus enhancing performance accuracy.

Tier one suppliers with expertise in radar applications will have an edge over new entrants in developing sensor fusion. Analysts said original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) plan to offset the high costs involved in sensor fusion by maximizing the use of sensors across a variety of applications. However, the commercial success of the various applications can pose a potential risk due to increased costs.

"Packaging fusion and functional integration together will provide an opportunity for cost savings," said Frost & Sullivan research analyst Shyamsundar Anandhan. "This will offer suppliers several opportunities to package more features and functions into a single system."

Source: Frost & Sullivan.