Press Release
Surround View camera technology can help avoid
accidents while reversing
 Continental demonstrates in a prototype vehicle how Surround View cameras can be
used for assistance while backing up.
 By making multiple use of sensors, Surround View cameras can be used for this back-up
assist and other applications.
 A joint research project with the Allianz Center for Technology shows that driver
assistance systems can reduce damage caused during parking and maneuvering.
Hanover, Germany, July 2015. The international automotive supplier Continental presented a new
potential application for Surround View camera technology. At an event with the Allianz Center for
Technology (AZT) in Ismaning near Munich in the beginning of May, Continental demonstrated a
driver assistance function based exclusively on this camera. The back-up assist helps to avoid
collisions while reversing at low speeds. The technical basis is the integrated Surround View
camera technology in the demonstration vehicle. It encompasses the entirety of the vehicle’s
surroundings in a 360° view and can be used for various functions. “Until now, fish eye camera
technology was used to assist drivers while parking by showing the vehicle from a bird’s eye
perspective and the vehicle path while reversing. This allows drivers to better estimate the distance
to objects in their surroundings,” explains Wolfgang Fey, Director of the Surround View Segment of
the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Business Unit within Continental’s Chassis & Safety
Division. “However, we see additional applications for the surround view systems. These include
automatic brake intervention while reversing, a cross traffic assistant and automated parking.”
At the joint event with the AZT, Continental used a prototype vehicle to demonstrate the use of fish
eye camera technology to actively assist drivers while backing up. The back-up assist combats one
of the main causes of the typically minor, but overall costly damage which results from such
collisions. “As part of a current research project, we found out that nearly every other accident is a
parking and maneuvering-related accident and three out of four happen while backing out of a
parking space or reversing. A suitable driver assistance system can significantly reduce the risks of
accidents in the future,” said project leader Dr. Johann Gwehenberger from the Allianz Center for
Technology.
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Contact:
Soeren Pinkow, Phone: +49 69 7603 8492 / Nicole Orgnon, Phone: +49 69 7603 6000
-2Back-up assist helps reverse maneuvering
Four fish eye cameras are built into the prototype – one at the front in the grill, one at the rear and
one at the base of each side mirror. Each camera has an aperture angle of more than 180°,
making it possible to have a 360° view of the vehicle’s surroundings without any gaps. Objects in
the vehicle’s path which obstruct the space needed for maneuvering are recognized in the image
analysis. Continental uses the image analysis from the rear camera for the back-up assist in order
to avoid a collision with objects behind the vehicle. The electronic control unit for the Surround
View system is connected to the vehicle’s electronic brake system and automatically brakes when
a collision with a recognized object cannot otherwise be avoided.
“Compared with the most common technologies currently used for this purpose, Surround View
camera technology has several advantages,” says Dr. Benedikt Lattke, Project Manager for
Surround View in the Advanced Engineering department of the Chassis & Safety Division. “These
include its range of up to 15 meters and the recognition of markings.” The longer range of the
camera increases its flexibility, which allows the brake intervention strategy to be adjusted to the
vehicle manufacturer and market expectations: from a late, powerful intervention to early, gentle
braking. Combined with additional image analysis or other sensors, the robustness of the back-up
assist can increase even more.
Another strength of the camera technology is its ability to not only recognize objects, but also
classify objects, for example as pedestrians or cyclists. In the United States, surround view
technology has potential for the rear view systems which are required for all new vehicles in the
country beginning in 2017. As the back-up assist can be used without any components beyond the
rear camera, it offers additional added value as a vehicle function. Continental continues to work
on the development of assisted and automated parking with the goal of avoiding collisions with
objects next to the vehicle during parking and maneuvering, as damage to the passenger side of
vehicles is responsible for a large amount of damage payments for insurance companies.
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Contact:
Soeren Pinkow, Phone: +49 69 7603 8492 / Nicole Orgnon, Phone: +49 69 7603 6000
-3Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner,
the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe,
comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2014, the corporation generated sales of approximately
€34.5 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tire, and ContiTech. Continental
currently employs approximately 200,000 people in 53 countries.
The Chassis & Safety division develops and produces integrated active and passive driving safety
technologies as well as products that support vehicle dynamics. The product portfolio ranges from electronic
and hydraulic brake and chassis control systems to sensors, advanced driver assistance systems, airbag
electronics and sensorics as well as electronic air suspension systems all the way to windscreen washer
systems and headlight cleaning nozzles. The focus lies on a high level of system competence and the
networking of individual components. Thus products and system functions are developed along the
SensePlanAct chain of effects. They form the foundation for automated driving. Chassis & Safety employs
more than 38,000 people worldwide and generated sales of approximately €7.5 billion in 2014.
Contact for Journalists
Sören Pinkow
External Communications
Continental
Chassis & Safety Division
Guerickestr. 7
60488 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Phone: +49 69 7603-8492
Fax: +49 69 7603-3945
E-Mail: soeren.pinkow@continentalcorporation.com
Nicole Orgnon
Vice President Communications
Continental
Division Chassis & Safety
Guerickestraße 7
60488 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel.: +49 69 7603-6000
Fax: +49 69 7603-3945
E-Mail: nicole.orgnon@continentalcorporation.com
This press release is available in the following languages: German, English
Links
www.continental-automotive.com
www.continental-corporation.com
Online Media Database: www.continental-mediacenter.com
Contact:
Soeren Pinkow, Phone: +49 69 7603 8492 / Nicole Orgnon, Phone: +49 69 7603 6000