OmniVision and Netradyne Develop a New Intelligent Camera System for Commercial and Consumer Automotive Apps

OmniVision Technologies announced its technical collaboration with Netradyne, a commercial-vehicle technology solutions provider specializing in deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI), to develop Driveri™, a new aftermarket intelligent driving monitoring system for commercial fleet vehicles and consumer automotive applications. Integrating OmniVision’s OV2775 image sensor and OV491 companion chip with Netradyne’s analytics software and cloud connectivity engine, the Driveri™ system allows for the capture and reproduction of clear, accurate scenes with real-time analysis and feedback. This revolutionary vision-based camera system with quad high definition (HD) 360-degree field of view and high dynamic range (HDR) is designed to meet the demands of growing commercial and consumer automotive markets.

“OmniVision’s OV2775 image sensor and OV491 chip deliver best-in-class HDR and low-light performance to complement Netradyne’s deep learning and AI algorithm technology,” said Cliff Cheng, senior director of marketing at OmniVision. “Together we have seamlessly integrated our technologies to enable top-quality scene reproduction and accurate real-time analysis, which we see quickly becoming key requirements for today’s in-vehicle mobile camera systems.”

In its 2016 market report, Credence Research anticipates the global in-vehicle camera market to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 17.4% between 2015 and 2022. They expect more operators of fleet vehicles, such as taxis, buses and commercial trucks, as well as law-enforcement agencies and driving instructors, to install in-vehicle cameras to capture real-time driving incidents. Consumer use is also expected to increase, as intelligent cameras can be used for detecting driver drowsiness, tracking stolen vehicles and monitoring young drivers.

Netradyne selected OmniVision for its Driveri™ driver-support platform because of OmniVision’s proven market leadership in automotive camera technologies. The front-facing camera features OmniVision’s OV2775 image sensor and its OV491 companion chip, allowing the camera to achieve exceptional mixed-lighting performance. The one inward- and two side-facing cameras are also built on OmniVision’s image sensors. The video output from these three sensors can be stitched together to create a 360-degree scene.

The OmniVision OV2775 is a 2-megapixel image sensor that can capture full 1080p HD video with up to 120dB HDR. The OV491 companion chip processes the HDR scheme from the OV2775, significantly increasing the level of detail that the camera can capture.

“With an estimated 1.25 million deaths globally every year, road accidents result in significant personal, social and economic costs. We believe that computer vision with high definition camera sensors can transform driver coaching and recognition,” said Avneesh Agrawal, Netradyne founder and CEO.

“Netradyne’s Driveri™ product combines OmniVision’s OV2775 state-of-the-art HDR, high definition image sensor with cutting-edge AI technology to create an advanced new tool for drivers facing a wide spectrum of driving environments. We’re extremely delighted to collaborate with OmniVision in this journey. The OV2775 provides a high level of clarity and vastly improves our deep learning algorithms in all conditions, including HDR and extreme low light,” he added.

Driveri™ is commercially available now and is being actively deployed within several industry-leading commercial fleets.