TMY Technology Inc. (TMYTEK) and HCMF Group strategically collaborated to develop an in-car Child Presence Detection (CPD) system and millimeter-wave intelligent car door sensing technology. They showcased this solution for the first time at CES 2024, the largest international consumer electronics expo in the United States. This year, attendees have the opportunity to experience real-time scenarios in the intelligent car cabin, enhancing the immersive experience for car owners. HCMF Group, with over 60 years of experience as a global automotive components and systems supplier, places particular emphasis on overall vehicle safety. For this collaboration, they specifically chose TMYTEK's millimeter-wave radar module to simultaneously enhance intelligent sensing and monitoring both inside and outside the vehicle, evolving safety to version 2.0 in response to the growing trend of vehicle intelligence.
To address the recurring issue of children being left alone in cars and the risk of heat-related incidents, countries worldwide are increasingly focusing on the development of products with similar functionalities, such as CPD. The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) includes CPD functionality as part of the automotive safety assessment. Additionally, the U.S. Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, urging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to take action to reduce child deaths due to hot cars. This underscores the increasing importance and ubiquity of CPD systems.
Setting itself apart from products that merely detect the presence of occupants, TMYTEK's in-car CPD technology utilizes millimeter-wave radar TDM-MIMO FMCW technology. This technology can differentiate between adults and children, objects and non-objects. It integrates heartbeat and respiratory detection technology, seamlessly integrating with HCMF Group's panoramic sunroof system. Operating at the zenith of the car cabin, it conducts a 360-degree, no-dead-angle scan to detect the interior space. The system then transmits real-time interior status information to the car owner's mobile phone, allowing immediate awareness of the car's conditions and providing advanced warnings in case of anomalies. The millimeter-wave radar TDM-MIMO FMCW technology utilizes 3 transmitting antennas and 4 receiving antennas to generate 12 sets of transceiver links. This simulates an antenna array aperture similar to the size of 12 antennas, effectively enhancing the horizontal and vertical scanning angles of the antenna array and improving angular resolution.
"TMYTEK's millimeter-wave radar technology entering the automotive market is complemented by the crucial role played by HCMF Group," said Su-Wei Chang, Founder and President of TMYTEK. "Our collaboration consistently prioritizes user perspectives, developing cutting-edge products that meet market demands. We believe that the role and applications of millimeter-wave radar are indispensable, and TMYTEK is prepared to address diverse applications in the future, including road vehicle monitoring, automated driving, traffic flow detection, collision prevention, and more."
Jeffrey Hsi, CTO of the HCMF group, stated, "We are fortunate to collaborate with TMYTEK integrating their advanced millimeter-wave radar technology into our smart vehicles. This collaboration not only enhances the safety and stability of our vehicles but also solidifies our position as a leader in innovative technology. We look forward to providing customers with more advanced and reliable smart vehicle solutions through this integration, contributing to the development of driving safety technology together."
Regarding intelligent car doors, TMYTEK successfully applied millimeter-wave radar algorithms to HCMF Group's autonomously designed and developed automatic side door opening and closing system. This system detects obstacles outside the door when it opens automatically and integrates HCMF's unique anti-pinch mechanism to prevent collisions with external objects during automatic door opening and avoid accidental pinching during closing. TMYTEK's millimeter-wave radar operates in the 60-64 GHz millimeter-wave frequency band, offering a high bandwidth advantage of 4 GHz to provide high-distance and high-speed resolution. The system can be set for various modes, such as standby mode, software update mode, and working mode, and for scanning areas, it can be configured into multiple hierarchical blocks, such as alert zones and restricted zones. All of these capabilities rely on the rich data provided by millimeter-wave radar, including speed, angle, and distance.
TMYTEK is dedicated to millimeter-wave solutions, laying the foundation for communication technologies like 5G/B5G and satellite communication. As the technology matures, it rapidly expands into the automotive market, striving to integrate millimeter-wave technology into various future intelligent applications and safety systems, driving the synergy between technology and safety excellence.
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