Sunny Optical and Valens integrate chipsets into cameras to enable ADAS and surround view applications

According to foreign media reports, on September 9th local time, Sunny Optical Technology (Group) Co., Ltd. announced that it has cooperated with Valens Semiconductor to integrate chipsets compliant with the MIPI A-PHY protocol into the next-generation camera modules.

A-PHY is a long-range serializer-deserializer (SerDes) physical layer interface for multi-gigabit automotive network connectivity. The standard was released by the MIPI Alliance in September 2020, simplifying the integration of vehicle cameras, sensors and displays while also incorporating functional safety and security features. The Valens VA7000 chipset series is the first chipset compliant with the A-PHY standard, with samples available in the fourth quarter of 2021.

VA7031 chipset (Image source: Valens)

The two companies will collaborate to integrate the VA70XX transmitter chipset into Sunny Optical’s camera modules to enable ADAS and surround view applications:

1. ADAS: This module will use an 8-megapixel sensor with a VA7031 serializer;

2. Surround view: The module uses a 3-megapixel sensor embedded with a VA7021 serializer, which is connected to the ECU via an unshielded twisted pair cable and connector.

Gideon Kedem, senior vice president and head of the automotive division at Valens, said: "Sunny Optical's interest in integrating chipsets compliant with the A-PHY standard is further evidence that this standard will dominate the automotive industry, and the collaboration between our two companies will help Valens gain a foothold in the vast Asian market. Our VA70XX chipsets are in strong demand and have unparalleled performance in network connection speed, performance and distance. The integration of such chipsets can enable the best network connection performance for automotive cameras, radars and lidars to support the continued development of ADAS."