Automotive Cameras
Comprehensive vehicle optimization using
our long-accumulated technologies and user insights
A key individual in design and development
with a thorough understanding of client needs
Katsumi Umeda
1st Product Development Department, Safety & Security Systems Business Unit, Automotive Systems Business Division, Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd.
Katsumi Umeda joined Panasonic in 1996, starting his career in the development of magnetic heads for hard discs and high-frequency devices for mobile phones. As an optical engineer, he then became involved in the design of lenses, a key component for automotive cameras. He was then seconded to a major car manufacturer for three years where he worked alongside clients to formulate plans and specifications for automotive cameras. This experience gave him an in-depth understanding of client needs. He currently leads the development of automotive cameras and his expertise is leading to orders from major domestic car manufacturers.
Getting Closer to the Customer’s Ideals
Through Discussions on an Equal Footing
I oversee the development of automotive cameras for automatic parking and peripheral monitoring, which are key to supporting a safe and comfortable driving experience.
Not many people know this, but Panasonic was in fact the first company in the world to engage in the development of automotive cameras for passenger vehicles. Since beginning production in 1996, for nearly 30 years Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. have continued to develop multifunctional and high-performance automotive cameras, and today we boast a major share of the market for surround-view cameras, which provide a view around the whole of the vehicle.
Concept design of automatic parking (top left) and a self-driving vehicle (bottom right)
There are many different requirements for automotive cameras today. This includes cameras that provide a 360-degree view around the vehicle with no blur, high-resolution cameras with highly accurate color reproduction capabilities, and cameras that provide high-definition images even in harsh environments such as strong sunlight, rain and wind, and changing temperatures. Through our development activities, our aim is to establish technologies that can cater to customers’ ideals to a higher level.
For approximately three years from 2020, I was seconded to a major domestic car manufacturer who, from the planning stage, wanted Panasonic to participate in the specification development for a 360-degree camera and digital inner mirror cameras for a vehicle going into mass-production from 2025 onward. This was a first for us, but rather than approaching the project as a device manufacturer, we engaged in discussions with the car manufacturer on an equal footing, thinking about how to develop a car that could satisfy the needs of the end user. We looked at the optimal specifications of automotive cameras, exchanging honest opinions and bringing our respective skills to the table. Joining the project from the planning and specification development stage enabled us to quickly ascertain the project’s needs and design the system and cameras based on a thorough understanding of the customer’s operating environment. It allowed end-to-end consideration of everything from the individual components to the vehicle as a whole, so we could incorporate our findings into the design and specifications. Moreover, while on secondment, I made sure to quickly and accurately relay the information I collected back to Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. to promote collaboration.
Creating a Shared Platform Using Minimal Components
to Balance High Performance with Low Cost
The number of parts could be reduced through communicating with car manufacturers and developing a common attachment bracket, of which our conventional products required a different one for each vehicle type.
With conventional automotive cameras, the varying specifications for different clients and applications, as well as the large number of components, meant that manufacturing and parts costs were a major issue. To counter this issue, and with a view to rolling out the products to other car manufacturers in the future, we developed common specifications for the 360-degree camera and the digital inner mirror cameras, which were previously made of different structures. The key was to develop a shared platform with a minimal number of components. Although we faced difficulties with heat radiation and countermeasures for electromagnetic noise from electronic components, for example, we came together as a team and continued to come up with ideas. As a result, using a new material we were able to develop a new solution that could both prevent interference and reduce heat radiation. This enabled us to create a common structure and minimize component numbers, ensuring both high performance and low cost. Since then, thanks to our long-standing track record, our quality and supply capabilities, and the superiority of this new technology and its low cost, we have received orders from all major domestic car manufacturers. The success of this project was down to several factors: a strong desire among all those involved to achieve zero traffic fatalities, a passion to develop the next generation of automotive cameras using state-of-the-art technological capabilities, and the confidence and expectation of the car manufacturer who partnered with us in developing the specifications.
Automotive Cameras to Create a Future
with Zero Traffic Fatalities
There are still many issues for us to address. The automotive cameras that we are in charge of now are mainly used at low to medium speeds, such as for automatic parking, but we are currently working to solve certain issues so that in the future they can be used at high speeds for self-driving vehicles. Further, to address visibility issues when used at night, we are looking into the development of an automotive camera using the infrared region so that it can be used in dark environments. Our aim is to contribute to a safe driving culture both during the day and at night.
At Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd., based on our vision to become the “Joy in Motion” design company, we are working alongside car manufacturers to achieve further technological innovation and streamlining and equip all vehicles with automotive cameras. In doing so, we hope to normalize self-driving vehicles, automatic parking, and peripheral monitoring, and in turn achieve our goal of zero traffic fatalities and comfortable mobility. We will continue evolving to enable our customers to live their best.
