Beginning next year, ZF will use a two-lens camera system to improve the performance and functionality of various advanced driver safety features. The Dual-cam two-lens camera is specifically designed for the commercial truck market and will be combined with Mobileye’s advanced EyeQ4 processor. ZF made the announcement June 12 at a media event at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio.

Part of ZF’s S-Cam4 family of automotive-grade cameras, the Dual-cam is designed to help meet varying global regulatory requirements. ZF says it will deliver advanced functions such as traffic sign recognition, lane-keeping assist and centering, and object and pedestrian detection enabling automatic emergency braking (AEB). 

"A second lens is necessary help ensure some of these advanced functions work effectively on commercial vehicle," explained Dan Williams, head of ADAS and autonomy for ZF commercial truck applications. “For example, for pedestrian AEB, in some instances a standard mono-camera with a 52-degree field of view can limit the system's ability to detect pedestrians or other vulnerable road users soon enough to actuate the brakes and help avoid or mitigate accidents for larger trucks in complex environments."

Dual-cam simultaneously delivers medium- and wide-angle object detection, with image resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels. ZF said the Dual-cam can resolve lane markings and objects as far away as 350 feet (120 meters), and pedestrians up to 180 feet away (60 meters).

The second lens also offers redundancy for Level-2+ autonomous functions – if one lens becomes blinded or non-functional, the second lens helps ensure the camera can still operate due to multiple optical paths, Williams explained.

ZF’s camera technologies feature best-in-class optical performance and an enhanced fusion envelope, said the company. When combined with a full suite of the company’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies such as forward-looking and corner radar, automated functions such as lane change assist and traffic jam assist are enabled. These functions can form the basis for technologies such as truck platooning.

ZF said it will launch an advanced ADAS system in association with a major Japanese vehicle manufacturer in 2020. The launch represents ZF’s first application for its Image Processing Module, where camera images will be processed in a separate unit from the camera housing.