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DENSO’s Digital Side-View Monitor ECU for Use in New Lexus ES

–World’s first mass-produced vehicle to be equipped with digital side-view monitors –

Oct. 25, 2018

KARIYA (Japan) ― DENSO Corporation today announced that it has developed a digital side-view monitor ECU (electronic control unit) that helps enhance the view for the driver and improve vehicle safety. The new ECU is used in the new Lexus ES that will be released in October 2018, and which has become the world’s first mass-produced vehicle to be equipped with digital side-view monitors.

Digital side-view monitor technology is expected to help improve vehicle safety by increasing the view and enhancing the view in bad weather compared to conventional optical mirrors. DENSO has been committed to developing technologies to recognize the environment around vehicles using cameras and radar sensors. By taking full advantage of its image processing technology refined in the course of development processes, DENSO was able to develop the world’s first digital side-view monitor ECU.

A digital side-view monitor system consists of cameras, an ECU, and displays. The ECU processes and controls the image captured by side-view cameras in real time based on various kinds of vehicle information, and presents images on the displays, one each on the left and right sides of the cabin, depending on the driving condition and the environment around the vehicle. The ECU interlocks the monitors with the turn signal operation when making a left or right turn or changing lanes, and the shift lever operation when backing up. Images from the left and right behind the vehicle are expanded to enhance the view for the driver. In a road environment with different brightness levels, such as a tunnel, or a parking garage during the daytime, the ECU recognizes the situation using information from the vehicle, such as brightness around the vehicle and changes in vehicle speed, and controls the camera exposure to provide a view that is suitable for the surrounding environment.

DENSO has been developing technologies and products to help create a society free from traffic accidents. Based on these technologies, DENSO will continue to contribute to building a safe and secure automotive society for all people around the world.

Image of a digital side-view monitor
【Image of a digital side-view monitor】
ECU
【ECU】
About DENSO Corporation

DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has approximately 220 subsidiaries in 35 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs approximately 170,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, totaled US$48.1 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/