Valeo and Leoni collaborate on zone controller to make cars smarter

According to foreign media reports, Valeo, a leader in ADAS sensors and related functional software, announced a collaboration with German company Leoni to combine the strengths of both parties to provide first-class solutions for zone controllers, a key component of future vehicles. Valeo has professional electronic equipment technology, while Leoni is a leading supplier of wiring systems and power distribution systems. Both companies are very interested in the zone controller market and have had close exchanges with several European OEMs and are ready to offer.

Zone controller (Image source: Leoni Group)

In the next few years, vehicle architecture will undergo a major transformation to meet the needs of automated, connected and electrified vehicles, which are also equipped with more and more ADAS, sensors, connected devices, electronic devices and software, and communicate more and more with the infrastructure. Among them, the regional controller will become the nerve center of this new vehicle architecture, a real hub for network connectivity, data transmission and integration, electronic control and intelligent power management.

By combining the expertise of Tier 1 supplier Valeo and Tier 2 supplier LEONI, the two companies will aim to take a leading position in the field of zone controllers, using cutting-edge, easy-to-integrate technology to meet the challenges of future vehicles.

Smarter, more functional

The solution developed by Valeo and Leoni is already in the early stages of development and will make vehicles smarter, more functional and more power-efficient, while reducing overall complexity and the amount of wiring required, thereby reducing vehicle weight and costs. The technology developed by Valeo and Leoni can also optimize power distribution and provide safe power for technologies such as autonomous driving.

Valeo is a global leader in driver assistance systems, with unique expertise in sensors, electronic control units and related software, the most comprehensive product portfolio on the market, and more than 6,000 software engineers. The company will provide expertise in engineering software development and validation systems. In addition, a dedicated department has been set up within Valeo to promote the strategic development of regional controllers.

LEONI is a leading global supplier of wiring systems with comprehensive expertise in vehicle electrical architecture and equipment. The accumulated R&D, optimization and manufacturing knowledge in wiring systems and power distribution components can help it develop advanced solutions. Adding smart solutions can achieve safe and reliable power supply, and modern vehicle architectures rely on this power supply to improve advanced driving and safety functions. With smart equipment solutions, LEONI will provide innovative power electronics technology for regional control box development.