PR96788

SEOUL, South Korea, June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

*Installing an in-cabin radar module will become mandatory in the USA and

Europe.

*LG Innotek's radar module secures the world's highest level of precision.

   - Allowing to prevent children from being left alone in the car and to

optimize airbag settings to protect passenger's life

*"We will advance the era of autonomous driving through CX innovation."

LG Innotek (CEO Cheol-Dong Jeong) announced on the 28th that the company had

developed the world's best 'in-cabin radar module.' Thanks to the development

of the product, the company will be able to secure an advantageous position in

making inroads into the global automotive radar module market.

The in-cabin radar module uses radio waves to detect the presence or movement

of a living organism and can be used to prevent vehicle burglary or to prevent

children from being left in the car alone. The product is made by mounting

various components, including a radar chip, antenna, and communication chip on

a printed circuit board. It is mainly installed on the car roof above the

second row or near the room mirror.

The demand for in-cabin sensors, including in-cabin radar modules, is on the

rise on a global scale. In Korea, installation of safety device allowing to

check if children have got out of the vehicle has become compulsory for all

children transportation minibuses. Europe plans to add a child presence

detection test to its standards for new automobile sales starting 2023. The USA

is pursuing mandatory installation of child presence detection function

starting 2025 to prevent parents from leaving their child alone in the car.

This trend is spreading fast to other countries around the world as well.

Especially, in-cabin radar modules stand out among different in-cabin sensors.

A radar can penetrate obstacles such as clothes and blankets and detect the

presence of a living organism. Since it uses radio waves, instead of images, to

detect a person, it is free from privacy infringement issues. Also, unlike

pressure sensors and ultrasonic sensors, in-cabin radar modules have strengths

in that they don't need multiple sensors to function and have high sensitivity.

In addition, in-cabin radar modules are useful for self-driving cars. They can

play different roles, such as checking the fastening of seat belts and

notifying passengers of get-off times, on behalf of the driver. That is the

reason why global car manufacturers and automobile parts suppliers are actively

considering the adoption of in-cabin radar modules.

• The new product secures the world's highest level of precision in terms of

resolution

LG Innotek's in-cabin radar modules have increased the resolution (the ability

to distinguish objects close to each other) by approx. 40% compared to existing

products, securing the world's highest level of precision. Also, the module's

signal processing time has been reduced by approx. 30%, enabling faster

detection of objects.

For such performance improvements, LG Innotek applied to the in-cabin radar

module a proprietary antenna design technology and a weak signal detection

algorithm (an algorithm that filters noise and uses only valid signals) that

the company had developed so far in the vehicle communication field.

Especially, the company used digital transformation (DX) technology to optimize

the antenna layout, achieving antenna performance 1.3 times higher than before

with the same number of antennas. Also, the company minimized signal detection

errors and developed its own software that increased the sensitivity to weak

signals, improving the product's precision further.

Another advantage of this in-cabin radar module is that it can be installed

anywhere inside a car. By changing the antenna design a little, the company can

produce a module that can be installed in the location that the customer wants.

Existing products had difficulty in changing the radio wave direction and could

only be installed in designated locations such as the car roof above the second

row and the room mirror.

• Helps preventing children from being left alone and optimizes airbag settings

to protect passenger's life

LG Innotek's in-cabin radar module can detect the location and number of all

passengers in the car and their vital signs and movements. Currently other

commercialized products can only detect the presence of living organisms, such

as people and pets, on the second-row seats.

But LG Innotek's new product can prevent vehicle burglary or prevent children

from being left in the car alone, since its high level of precision can even

detect weak breaths of a 3-month-old infant. If the child is left alone, a

notification is immediately sent to the driver, minimizing so accident

occurrence.

The product increases also passenger's safety, for it helps customizing airbag

settings. It identifies indeed passenger's position and body size and then

customizes the airbag settings by adjusting the airbag pressure according to

whether the person is an adult or a child.

The module can also be used as a burglar alarm. If anyone is left in the car or

if the module detects suspicious movements inside or near the car, it can

notify the car owner by smartphone alarm or alert.

The product also provides functions that are necessary for autonomous driving

without a driver. Various functions can be implemented with the product, such

as starting a car only when all passengers have worn seat belts and vibrating

the seat to wake up a passenger when he/she fell asleep and does not get off at

the destination.

The company will add more functions to the product in the future so that people

can conveniently control various vehicle functions, such as setting the

in-cabin temperature and adjusting the music volume, using only gestures like

hand movements.

•  "We will advance the era of autonomous driving through CX innovation."

LG Innotek plans to actively make inroads into the global vehicle radar module

market by putting the in-cabin radar module at the forefront of their plan.

With the goal to commercialize the product by 2024, the company has actively

carried out product promotions targeting global car manufacturers and

automobile parts suppliers in South Korea as well as the USA, Europe, and Japan.

Byaeng kuk Yoo, Vice President of Automotive Components & Electronics Business

Unit of LG Innotek, said, "Up until now, vehicle radar modules had strengths in

their prices, sizes, and external environments, but fell short of expectations

in their resolutions." He added, "LG Innotek's in-cabin radar module has

overcome limits which existed in terms of resolution and innovated customer

experience(CX) creating a great ripple in the vehicle radar module market." He

continued, "In the future, we will continue to release components for future

vehicles faster than competitors, innovating CX and advancing the era of

autonomous driving."

According to Yole Development and Fuji Chimera, both of which are global market

research firms, the market for global vehicle radar modules will grow by

approx. 11% every year from 1.1 billion dollars in 2020 to 17 billion dollars

in 2040. Especially, the demand for in-cabin radar modules is expected to

increase fast by approx. 37% every year from 150,000 units in 2020 to

87,000,000 units in 2040.

For more information, please refer to the website: www.lginnotek.com

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SOURCE: LG Innotek

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