New cabin monitoring technologies coming as automotive biometrics demand grows

A pair of new technologies for auto cabin monitoring with biometric facial recognition are coming to market, and a new report from Persistence Market Research says driver monitoring and cabin personalization features are driving automobile biometrics growth, along with wide adoption in automotive security systems.

OmniVision Technologies and Fullhan Microelectronics have announced a joint solution for capturing and processing images in automobile interiors during both day and night. The color (RGB) and infrared (IR) imaging system combines OmniVision’s OV2778 2MP RGB-IR image sensor and Fullhan’s FH8310 image signal processor (ISP), which provides dedicated hardware for processing signals from the sensor. It provides high quality video for simultaneous machine vision in-cabin monitoring systems and viewing applications, and enables integrated solutions with facial recognition and other features.

“We partnered with OmniVision because it provides a mature RGB-IR image sensor for IMS that was readily adaptable to our processor,” says Fullhan VP of Sales Shen Ma. “Our FH8310 is a high performance, cost effective 2MP ISP for automotive image sensors that provides good low light performance and an internal analog high definition transceiver.”

The joint solution comes with a small footprint for discrete placement of the smallest possible camera modules, the companies say.

Meanwhile, Ambarella and Shanghai Baolong Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. have announced a joint project to develop a high-performance driver monitoring system (DMS) with artificial intelligence and biometric facial analysis for fatigue detection.

Baolong’s visual perception software and Amabrella’s CV22AQ CVflow computer vision chip form the basis of the DMS platform. The software captures drivers’ facial information, and Ambarella’s SoC performs real-time image processing and analysis.

“Our partnership with Ambarella to develop an advanced AI-based DMS solution will help enable the automotive industry’s shift toward including driver monitoring in production vehicles,” comments Li Wei, director of Baolong’s electronics unit. “Ambarella’s CV22AQ CVflow computer vision processor is ideal for our visual perception algorithms: it provides the high performance and low-power consumption required for compact DMS camera designs.”

The global market for automobile biometrics is set for increased revenue growth as demand rapidly increases, according to the Persistence report.

The report “Automotive Biometrics Market: Global Industry Trend Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 – 2028” says biometric modalities from butt size to fingerprints can be used for biometric driver identification, as the technology transforms driving experience, vehicle safety, and comfort features.

The development of autonomous vehicles is expected to drive demand for advanced auto biometrics in the forecast period, along with insurance breaks for drivers using biometric systems, and growing demand for aesthetic and comfort features.

The report examines the market by application segment, vehicle type, and region, and identifies more than a dozen leaders in the industry, including Next Biometrics, Crossmatch (now part of HID), and Green Bit.

Article Topics

Ambarella  |  automotive biometrics  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  market report  |  OmniVision Technologies  |  Persistence