Vayyar, an Israeli developer of 4D imaging radar, has introduced what it says is the automotive industry’s first in-cabin safety ‘combo’ solution. Powered by a single radar sensor, it is designed to prevent both ‘hot car’ incidents as well as deaths and injuries caused by vehicle occupants neglecting to wear seatbelts.
The company highlights that Euro NCAP is introducing stricter scoring criteria across all protocols, starting in 2023. Child presence detection (CPD) will be worth up to four points, while the existing requirement for front and rear seatbelt reminders (SBR) will become a precondition for achieving three additional occupant status (OS) points. Vayyar says its solution enables vehicles to earn these crucial seven safety points, while enhancing user experience by minimizing false alarms.
Powered by a single radar-on-chip (RoC), the ‘combo’ features CPD and enhanced SBR, addressing the Euro NCAP 2023 requirements with just one sensor for the entire cabin. The company claims it can replace numerous existing in-car sensors, covering a full vehicle cabin and detecting and classifying all occupants. It can operate effectively in all lighting conditions without requiring line of sight and can even detect a baby in a car seat sleeping under a blanket or a child in a footwell, for exceptionally precise CPD.
Vayyar explains that this functionality is made possible by the platform’s large antenna array and ultra-wide field of view. The sensor’s 48 transceivers offer high resolution for rich detection and classification data about occupants. Thanks to its field of view, the sensor can be installed in various locations, accommodating both five- and seven-seaters, as well as sunroof-equipped models.
The end-to-end software-hardware platform also enables OEMs and Tier 1s to develop multiple advanced applications independently over its point cloud layer. These include occupant status (OS), optimized airbag deployment and dynamic disabling, seatbelt pre-tensioning, eCall, vital signs, gesture recognition, out-of-position detection and intruder detection.
“Now more than ever, safety is top-of-mind right across the industry. That’s why auto makers are reassessing many traditional approaches, like using dozens of single-function sensors to support key safety applications. Multifunctionality on a single-chip platform is a new paradigm that’s ready to redefine how people think of the in-cabin ecosystem,” said Ian Podkamien, head of automotive at Vayyar. “We’re proud to offer first-rate safety for less cost to all vehicles, including entry-level models.”
