Optical sensors contract to improve pedestrian collision avoidance for automobiles
Jena, Germany--The Optical Systems division of Jenoptik has entered a framework agreement for the supply of optical sensors in the automotive industry for pedestrian collision avoidance. The agreement with Magna Electronics Europe GmbH & Co. KG is in the low double-digit million euros range and starts in mid-April 2011 with the technical systems for the new contract installed at Jenoptik's Triptis, Germany facility. Series production of the sensor will start in the summer of this year. Over and above the framework agreement, Magna and Jenoptik are working together on preparations for further optical sensor projects.
With the agreement, Jenoptik is enlarging its volume production of systems and modules for sensor technology and imaging applications in the automotive industry. The sensor enables improved protection of pedestrians in the event of frontal collisions. It will be installed on the front end of almost all models of a leading German car maker and is based on the principle of optical information transfer. In the event of a collision, the light intensity in a polymer band changes, thereby giving off a signal which causes a lighting-speed action on the vehicle. This helps to prevent or reduce serious injuries to pedestrians in the event of an accident.
Jenoptik manufactures optoelectronic systems with over 200 employees in Triptis. Jenoptik was awarded the major contract from the automotive industry due to its comprehensive competence in volume production of such modules and systems with particularly high quality requirements. Products manufactured in the last years include 100 million optoelectronic modules and components for medical technology applications. Production at the Triptis site is certified in accordance with the exacting demands of the medical technology and automotive industries.
At present, the Optoelectronic Systems business unit supplies a range of automotive and supplier companies with, for example, components for heads-up displays and optical sensors and components for driver assistance systems such as automatic lane or sign recognition. The Group’s product range for the automotive industry also includes numerous high-technology systems such as metrology for quality assurance, especially in engine production, lasers and laser processing systems for processing interior fittings and body parts as well as imaging and infrared camera modules. Order intake from the automotive and automotive supplier industries has risen sharply in all the above-mentioned areas since the 2nd half-year 2010. Following contributions to sales from the automotive/machine construction industry of over 100 million euros in the 2010 fiscal year, the figure will continue to rise in 2011.
SOURCE: Jenoptik; www.jenoptik.com/en-press-release-jenoptik-signs-long-term-delivery-contract-with-automotive-supplier-magna?open&ccm=000&reopen=sb_news
Gail Overton | Senior Editor (2004-2020)
Gail has more than 30 years of engineering, marketing, product management, and editorial experience in the photonics and optical communications industry. Before joining the staff at Laser Focus World in 2004, she held many product management and product marketing roles in the fiber-optics industry, most notably at Hughes (El Segundo, CA), GTE Labs (Waltham, MA), Corning (Corning, NY), Photon Kinetics (Beaverton, OR), and Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA). During her marketing career, Gail published articles in WDM Solutions and Sensors magazine and traveled internationally to conduct product and sales training. Gail received her BS degree in physics, with an emphasis in optics, from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA in May 1986.