Continental display records vital signs
Invisible integration of sensor technology for driver monitoring
At CES in Las Vegas, Continental will be presenting an innovation that has won the CES Innovation Award: The ‘Invisible Biometrics Sensing Display’ uses a camera and laser projector positioned behind the screen to record the vital parameters of vehicle occupants for greater safety and comfort.
The technology recognises the passengers in the vehicle interior through the high-resolution OLED screen and thus remains completely invisible.
The ‘Invisible Biometrics Sensing Display’ offers many other advantages: For example, it creates a 3D depth map for an optimised airbag deployment decision and reliably detects whether the seatbelt is fastened.
The display, which was developed together with TrinamiX, a provider of biometric solutions and subsidiary of BASF, also enables contactless analysis of vital parameters such as heart rate. This means that stress situations or an impending medical emergency can be registered in good time. If necessary, an appropriate vehicle safety function can be initiated to protect the occupants and other road users.
»Our expertise as a system integrator enables us to seamlessly integrate pioneering technologies into our display solutions and thus increase the range of functions and added value,« says Pavel Prouza, Head of the User Experience (UX) business unit at Continental.
New design possibilities for interior design
Continental has now been honoured with the CES Innovation Award in the ‘Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility’ category for its intelligent display solution in the run-up to the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the world's most important technology trade fair.
»The award confirms our in-depth technical expertise in the field of user experience. By placing the camera and laser dot projector invisibly behind the display, we create completely new design possibilities for interior designers and also increase user acceptance,« says Prouza.
The Invisible Biometrics Sensing Display collects a large number of relevant data points that are relevant for the interpretation of driver monitoring systems. This makes it a complete solution with seamless, invisible integration into the vehicle.
Recording vital signs using biometric image analysis
In addition to a 1.5 MP near-infrared camera, a laser dot projector that is harmless to the human eye is positioned behind the high-resolution OLED screen to capture vital data. The biometric image analysis used here comes from technology partner TrinamiX.
The process utilises the reflections of the light dots emitted by the laser dot projector in the invisible light spectrum to derive results based on artificial intelligence. The solution also provides other relevant information: the distance from the driver to the cockpit or the classification of textiles, which is required to recognise a correctly fastened seatbelt.
»Our biometric imaging technology is ideally suited for use in car interiors. The ability to capture vital parameters and other relevant passenger data without physical interaction and with just one hardware module is unique on the market. We are delighted to be able to offer this solution together with Continental,« explains Wilfried Hermes, Director Consumer Electronics North America and Europe at TrinamiX.
