The new BMW 7 Series offers a new advanced driver assistance system developed by BMW, Continental and Mobileye. Three driver assistance functions are controlled by a single camera powered by a system-on-chip EyeQ1 processing unit. The three combined technologies are:
- Speed Limit Information (SLI).
The SLI functionality is the first of its kind on the market for this type of demand. The application informs the driver with the accurate speed-limit for all type of speed-limit signs (fixed, variable and also supplemental signs) and informs the driver of any impending speed restriction. The current speed limit is then displayed in the instrument cluster and the optional Head-Up Display. This is the first time a production car has been offered with a speed warning system that can read road signs. - High Beam Assist (HBA).
The HBA functionality makes a significant contribution to ensuring the high-beams are used more frequently. Studies have shown that in many cases the high beams are very rarely used and thus not providing the driver with optimum lighting. - Lane Departure Warning (LDW).
The LDW capabilities are based on the proven technology already launched in March 2007 in the BMW 5 Series with additional sensing functionalities such as “road edge detection”.
These three technologies were engineered with BMW through a partnership between Continental and Mobileye, world leaders in the development of vision-based driver assistance systems.
The two companies have collaborated over the past few years in the development of the combined system on a world-wide range of weather conditions, road types and lane markings. The system consists of a highly dynamic range digital CMOS camera developed and produced by Continental and a high performance chip EyeQ1 provided by Mobileye. The EyeQ1 is a system-on-chip designed to cater the type of computation one faces in such intensive visual interpretation tasks.
Mobileye are headquartered in The Netherlands, with R&D in Israel and satellite offices in the U.S., Cyprus and Japan. Mobileye are a technological leader in the area of advanced image sensing and processing technology for automotive applications.
An interview with the Mobileye CEO, Pr Amnon Shashua was published at Driving Vision News newsletter dated June 24, 2008.