Continental prepared for future of ADAS

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — For Continental A.G., advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are nothing new.

The company, whose autonomous mobility segment is based largely at its research and development center in Auburn Hills, has been working on ADAS systems since 1996.

In more recent years, the focus has been on a full-stack system supplier solution, according to Vinh Tran, Conti's head of business area autonomous mobility for North America.

Full stack includes three pillars — the system and the software; the ecosystem; and the component business, he said.

"What we try to do with a full-stack solution is to really make a scalable architecture."

Continental aims to have those full stack solutions in each level of ADAS, one through five, from entry-level awareness systems to fully autonomous driving, Tran said.

The focus now is on supporting functions such as lane-departure warnings, traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot detection — features that drivers know are there and working. When drivers are aware of ADAS systems, "they can slowly learn to accept the system," Tran said.

As those systems evolve into more autonomous driving, drivers already will be accustomed to trusting ADAS, which will help them trust their vehicle to navigate during difficult situations, he said.

"It's a combination of trust as well as acceptance," Tran said.

Drivers need to learn to trust systems like radar and Lidar, he said, as well as they trust their own eyes.

Continental has numerous systems and software functions on the market and is a market leader to many original equipment manufacturers, Tran said.

The company's portfolio includes technology that uses radar and cameras including lane-departure systems, blind-spot detection, traffic-sign assists, rear cross traffic — a feature that uses short-range radar to determine if something or someone is near the vehicle and could create a collision — as well as traffic-jam assist, which uses cameras and radar to help ensure safety in a traffic-jam situation, he said.

It's been a growing area for the company. Conti has been able to adapt its technology to changes.

"The architecture is getting more and more complex. And with that, also the components and the system and the software as well," Tran said.

The company's autonomous mobility segment is headquartered in Auburn Hills, but the business also has teams in Mexico and Santa Barbara, Calif., the latter focused on developing Lidar systems through a partnership with technology company AEye Inc.

Last year, Continental budgeted approximately $110 million for plant in New Braunfels, Texas, focused on ADAS components. The plant, which is expected to begin production later this year, will first focus on short-range radar products and eventually on camera products, Tran said.

The focus on ADAS also ties into Conti's Vision Zero strategy — a future with zero fatalities, zero crashes and zero injuries on the road.

"In the end, our strategy in North America has been to be able to provide this solution to help create the autonomous mobility space," which will in turn reduce crashes, Tran said.

"It's a great vision and I think we're headed toward that. I think the market, and the entire market, is working towards that. As the technology evolves and evolves, I think that opportunity is increasing every day."