Technology & Traffic – CES 2023: ZF’s Smart Camera 6 monitors everything

ZF Smart Camera 6. Image: Consortium of Authors/ZF

With the Smart Camera 6, ZF introduced its next generation of cameras at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (January 8). It is an important part in the development of automated driving and safety systems. ZF combines various sensor data into an Image Processing Module (IPM), which is a compact, modular, and flexible controller with focus on processing camera and other sensor data. The fusion of up to a dozen camera signals enables, among other things, a detailed, comprehensive 3D view of the vehicle to recognize and deal with complex traffic situations.

In addition to high computing power, the 8MP Smart Camera 6 also has an image resolution four times higher than that of the previous 4.8 Smart Camera model. At the same time, the horizontal field of view increases from 100 to 120 degrees. This helps to identify oncoming or intersecting objects even earlier, especially in city traffic or on tight turns.

For the new camera, ZF uses the latest generation EyeQ6 processor from longtime partner and supplier Mobileye, with whom the technology group from Friedrichshafen has been working since 2008. System upgrades, for example to improve performance or activate new functions, are possible with Smart Camera 6 via updates through the air.

Production of the new device will begin in 2025, as will the new Image Processing Unit 6 (IPM 6) controller. As a scalable module, it provides up to twelve inputs for cameras and several inputs for radar, ultrasonic sensors, or lidar. It thus reduces the number of control units for assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD) and thus also the complexity in the vehicle, which simplifies assembly. (AWM)

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