Webasto has launched a prototype Roof Sensor Module that combines a total of 14 camera and lidar sensors.
Together with its functions, this module ensures sensor availability that can be elegantly integrated into an openable panoramic roof.
“Technological progress in the field of autonomous driving is impressive – but the solutions offered to date are simply not visually appealing,” explains Jan Henning Mehlfeldt, responsible for the global roof business at Webasto. “We have leveraged our decades of expertise to develop a slimline roof system that offers space for various technologies yet blends aesthetically into the vehicle’s architecture.”
The five lidar sensors integrated into the Webasto roof system measure the distance and the speed of moving objects. Located at the centre and corners, they create a 3D point cloud of the vehicle’s surroundings in order to understand the car’s driving situation.
Ten cameras recognize colours and objects, making it possible to assess the meaning of traffic lights, traffic signs and lane markings too.
The new Roof Sensor Module is also capable of determining distances, thanks to the use of stereo cameras. The entire sensor set, together with other antennas, is concealed under a full-surface polycarbonate cover, blending in with the vehicle’s silhouette.
To integrate these new technologies into the roof system, Webasto – as a mechatronics systems integrator – relied on a network comprising both long-standing and newly established development partnerships.
The elegant polycarbonate cover was realized in collaboration with Covestro. “Combining our competencies with our partners’ expertise allows us to offer our customers a reliable and scalable solution,” explains Mehlfeldt.
Webasto’s prototype, which houses 14 lidar and camera sensors, is just one of many options for integrating sensors into the roof. Webasto states that automakers can customize and assemble the desired technology set for their roof system. In the Lotus Eletre electric SUV, for example, the company’s Roof Sensor Module with a single retractable lidar is already in series production.
At the IAA Mobility exhibition to be held in September in Munich, Webasto (Hall B3, Booth C40) will present further sensor sets in combination with a large panoramic roof, opening function or retractable display.