3D Vision Systems for Active Safety

A new and innovative approach for 3D vision systems is presented. The systems can be used not only for the acquisition of 3D distance images, but also for the acqui­sition of the corresponding 2D gray-scale images. Silicon imagers which are based on so-called photonic mixer devices are the key components. Photonic mixer devices (PMD) represent a new kind of active pixel sensors (APS), fabricated in CMOS technology. With a PMD camera an entire 3D-scene can be monitored. Therefore, PMD technology offers high potential for automotive applications with respect to both active and passive safety. Conti Temic is developing an occupant detection system as a first application of a PMD camera. Further applications, such as traffic environment perception, can benefit from the new opportunities of 3D-vision and are already being considered.