Partnership to Develop and Supply a Combined Automatic Headlamp Controller and Lane Departure Warning System
DETROIT, July 18 -- Magna Electronics, an operating unit of Magna International Inc., and Mobileye Vision Technologies have announced that they have partnered to develop advanced automotive driver assistance features. The companies have signed an agreement to develop and supply a combined automatic high beam/low beam headlamp controller and lane departure warning system integrated into a single-camera system.
Mobileye's EyeQ(TM) vision image processor-on-a-chip will be combined with Magna Electronics' advanced camera and automatic headlamp control software in order to provide enhanced value and minimize package size. This collaboration will capitalize upon both companies' strengths in lane departure warning (LDW) and automatic headlamp control (AHC).
"We are excited to team up with Mobileye," said Francois Truc, Vice President and General Manager of Magna Electronics North America. "Together we expect to be first-to-market with this important product combination. We look forward to further collaboration with Mobileye to add other driver assistance features to our system."
"Studies show that drivers use high beams less often than is appropriate, making nighttime driving hazardous," says Professor Amnon Shashua, Mobileye Chairman and Chief Scientist. "What's particularly startling is the fact that 55% of fatal accidents in the United States are due to unintended lane departures."
The combined technologies will enhance day and nighttime driving. -- When driving at night, the system will automatically switch headlamps from high beams to low beams based on traffic conditions to improve nighttime visibility. -- The system will automatically provide audio or tactile alerts to warn against unintentional lane departures. -- The automatic headlamp system and lane departure warning system will use the same camera and image processing system to analyze images and monitor road lane markings.
The new integrated AHC/LDW will complement the product portfolios of both companies. Mobileye has LDW and Collision Mitigation programs scheduled to launch in 2007. Magna Electronics has an AHC program scheduled to launch in 2007. Magna Electronics is also utilizing Mobileye's EyeQ(TM) in another major customer product launch scheduled for 2007.
About Magna Electronics
Magna Electronics was formed in 2005 to better serve customers by combining the electronics expertise of Magna's automotive units. Magna Electronics provides driver assistance systems, safety systems, wireless connectivity, power systems and body electronics. More information about Magna Electronics is available at http://www.magna.com/ .
About Mobileye
Mobileye N.V. is a technological leader in the area of advanced image sensing and processing technology for automotive applications, using computer vision technology for processing image sequences from a single camera input source. The processing includes functionalities such as vehicle detection, lane finding and pedestrian detection. The functionalities are embedded within the proprietary EyeQ(TM) vision-system-on-chip technology. The second generation EyeQ2(TM) is already in an advanced stage of development. Mobileye N.V. is headquartered in the Netherlands with an R&D staff of 120 employees located in Jerusalem, Israel. Further information on Mobileye can be found at http://www.mobileye.com/ .