Toposens partners with Infineon to launch new ultrasonic 3D sensor to improve autonomous driving safety

     German sensor manufacturer Toposens has partnered with Infineon Technologies AG to enable 3D obstacle detection and collision avoidance in autonomous driving systems using Toposens’ proprietary 3D ultrasound technology,media reported. Toposens features the ECHO ONE DK, a 3D ultrasonic sensor that leverages sound, machine vision and advanced algorithms to provide robust, cost-effective and accurate 3D vision for applications such as robotics, autonomous driving and consumer electronics.

     The 3D ultrasonic sensor is easy to integrate and avoids collisions with precise 3D obstacle detection. Based on Infineon's XENSIV™ MEMS microphone IM73A135V01, this next-generation reference product helps customers reduce development effort and time to market. In addition, compared to existing industrial 3D sensors, the product is low-cost and energy-efficient, making it ideal for improving the performance of automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

     Dr. Roland Helm, Vice President and Head of the Sensors Product Line at Infineon, said: "Our XENSIV MEMS microphones detect sound pulses and are therefore a key component for 3D object localization via ultrasound. These microphones combine extremely low noise with the highest level of noise in the industry. SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), which greatly improves the reliability of 3D data, and can detect even the faintest ultrasonic echoes from distant, complex and small objects."

     Tobias Bahnemann, CEO and co-founder of Toposens, said: "Using Infineon's MEMS microphones, we are able to introduce a new ultrasonic 3D sensor with high overall sensitivity in the ultrasonic spectrum, enabling the best range and widest opening angle, This in turn enables AGVs, robots or other applications to avoid collisions with various obstacles, even in the harshest environments.”

     Often, lighting conditions, reflections, and weather can affect the performance of existing sensor technologies. However, Toposens sensors rely on echolocation to generate real-time 3D point clouds, so they can guide autonomous driving systems and enable consumer electronics to recognize their surroundings, even in the most challenging environments. This ultrasonic echolocation sensor reduces calibration effort and increases reliability and robustness, enabling 3D multi-object detection critical for collision avoidance. The use of optical sensors can lead to a large number of false positives and false negatives, and reduce system efficiency, which can be avoided by using ultrasonic sensors.