Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg, Germany has partnered with mobility safety firm Joyson Safety Systems of Auburn Hills, MI, USA (a subsidiary of Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp, which has over 50,000 staff in 25 countries) to supply key IRED and LED components for the 2018 Cadillac CT6’s Super Cruise feature – the industry’s first true hands-free driving technology for the highway.
Osram’s IRED and LED components, which are embedded in Joyson Safety Systems’ steering wheel for the Cadillac CT6, allow the system to monitor driver attentiveness by tracking their head position to ensure drivers are watching the road ahead while Super Cruise is engaged.
Super Cruise adaptive cruise control works only if the driver is paying attention to the road ahead. Joyson Safety Systems hence worked with Osram to design a steering wheel that features an embedded infrared camera that tracks the driver’s head position and gaze to confirm that the driver’s eyes are on the road at all times. If the driver looks away from the road for too long, the Super Cruise system will send a series of alerts for the driver to resume supervision of the road. In the rare event when a driver becomes completely unresponsive, the Cadillac CT6 uses the full capability of onboard driver assistance technologies to bring the car to a controlled stop.
“Our visible and infrared LEDs place us in a unique position to collaborate with a variety of dynamic development partners looking to innovate advanced driver assistance systems – from driver monitoring, to LiDAR, adaptive headlights and more,” says Rajeev Thakur, regional marketing manager, Osram Opto Semiconductors. “Partnerships like this will continue to allow us to advance mobility and create safer transportation solutions.”
The Joyson Safety Systems’ steering wheel is equipped with Osram’s Olson Black SFH 4715S IREDs (which track eye movement) and its RGB Multiled (to indicate to the driver when the Super Cruise system is operating and what function it is currently performing: they turn green when the Super Cruise system is engaged, blue when it senses that the driver might not being paying attention, and red when it disengages; they also blink when the IREDs are blocked from viewing the driver’s eyes).
“This Driver Monitoring System will play an important role in reducing distracted driving and enhancing road traffic safety,” believes Joyson Safety Systems’ chief strategy officer Kirk Morris.
