Focus on binocular and stereoscopic vision to create a complete perception solution

Binocular stereo vision, as an important technical branch of machine vision, has been increasingly widely used in recent years. Yuanqiao Technology was founded in 2017. With many years of resource accumulation and technology accumulation in the field of stereo vision, it has successfully developed binocular stereo vision chips, binocular camera modules, binocular standardized cameras and other products, forming a leading position in the automotive field. Complete system solutions and gradually expand into fields such as robotics and industrial inspection. Recently, China Machine Vision Network specially interviewed Lu Yaojie, CEO of Yuanhuo Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., let’s take a look at how Yuanhuo Technology’s binocular stereo vision can protect driving safety? Where will the future of binocular stereo vision go?

CMVU:C

Lu Yaojie:L

C: Hello Mr. Lu, I am very happy to interview you. As a leader in the domestic 3D visual field, Yuanqiao Technology, can you share your entrepreneurial story?

Lu Yaojie, CEO of Yuanqiao Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

L: Hello everyone, my name is Lu Yaojie from Yuanhuo Technology. I am very happy to accept the invitation from China Machine Vision Network. Yuanhuo Technology was established in 2017 and has been focusing on the development and application of binocular stereo vision technology since its establishment. Our entire R&D team has many years of experience in stereoscopic vision-related fields. We very much hope to build an open platform so that people who are interested in stereoscopic vision can shine on this platform.

C: In the automotive field, binocular stereo vision has the advantages of high density, low latency, small computing power, and real-time output, but there are also limitations such as high computing power requirements, difficulty in calibrating stereo cameras, and high cost. Yuanhuo Technology How to optimize the above problems?

L: The principle of stereo vision itself requires relatively high computing power. We chose high-efficiency FPGA chips at the beginning, but there are few chip manufacturers to choose from for large-scale FPGAs. Car manufacturers also consider supply chain security. . So we decided to start making our own dedicated chips. In 2018, we began the research and development of dedicated chips for stereoscopic vision. Yuanqiao's positioning is from chips to solutions. In 2021, our stereoscopic vision chips passed automotive grade certification and were successfully used in automotive terminals.

Yuan Oak's dedicated stereoscopic vision chip supports 720P@60FPS, which greatly improves power consumption and efficiency. On the basis of special chips, Yuanhua also develops self-developed binocular standardized camera products, which can flexibly adapt to customer products and directly output various images + depth information. Independent binocular cameras are suitable for various business fields and can quickly meet customer needs. Yuanhuo also customizes stereo vision solutions for a variety of scenarios to solve industry pain points, meet various needs, and also reduce the use of stereo vision sensors. threshold.

C: It is reported that Yuanqiu Technology and Baolong Technology have jointly reached a cooperative relationship with a domestic first-tier passenger car company, and jointly won the front installation position of the car company’s active suspension road preview system. Could you please introduce the "Active Suspension Road Preview System"? What are the technical advantages of Yuanhuo Technology in this project?

L: The "active suspension road preview system" uses a camera to scan and measure the undulations of the road surface and the height of obstacles in advance. The maximum measurement accuracy needs to reach centimeter level. After obtaining this information in advance, the suspension can be dynamically adjusted to ensure that the vehicle passes The smoothness of the road surface reduces the bumps caused by rough roads to the driver and passengers in the cockpit, thereby improving the stability and comfort of the ride. To realize the function of "active suspension road preview system", the vision system must have the following capabilities:

1. While obtaining road color information, it is necessary to distinguish the bumpiness of the road through depth information, such as the height difference relative to the road surface of road obstacles such as manhole covers, road construction steel plates, or speed bumps;

2. Able to identify speed bumps, manhole covers or pits on the road to achieve accurate measurement;

3. The real-time nature of the entire system needs to meet the response time and adjustment needs of the chassis;

4. The system can identify the road type and then realize intelligent linkage with the entire chassis and air suspension.

The binocular camera fully possesses the above functions and is therefore an essential sensing sensor for the vehicle to implement the "active suspension road preview system". In addition, the expandable functions of the binocular camera road preview system include: LDW, FCW, HMW, AEB, ACC, LCC, TJA and other ADAS functions as well as extended parking and parking integrated functions; height limit, width limit, etc. can be passed through the area detection function; height limit Precision map drawing and collection functions, etc.

In 2022, Yuanqiao Technology has been designated by two leading domestic passenger car companies, and is also the first domestic company to obtain an "active suspension road preview system".

C: What are the main differences between vehicle vision and industrial vision? In addition to the commercial vehicle field, where else are Yuanqiao Technology's vision solutions used?

L: Vehicle vision and industrial vision are actually roughly the same in terms of usage principles. They both use machine vision technology to achieve functions such as detection, measurement, identification, and positioning. The difference is mainly reflected in the different application fields of technology, and different solutions are adopted according to different needs. However, the essence is the same, and they all require clear seeing, accurate measurement, and true identification. In the vehicle field, it is mainly used for ADAS functions to improve vehicle safety performance and "active road preview" functions for comfort performance, while industrial vision applies machine vision technology in the industrial production and manufacturing process to complete detection, positioning, measurement, and identification tasks to achieve For the purpose of quality inspection and automated control, the main position is in the field of production and manufacturing.

Yuanhuo Technology's binocular stereo cameras are currently mainly used in the three fields of vehicles, robots, and industrial inspection. According to the continuous maturity and refinement of use scenarios and the continuous development of visual perception sensors, Yuanhuo will use higher resolution and richer The main directions are higher perceived information density, longer detection distance and more accurate and tiny detection capabilities.

C: In 2022, what is the cumulative shipment volume of the company’s self-developed binocular stereo vision solutions? What are the breakthroughs compared to last year?

L: Due to the impact of the epidemic and the overall economic environment in 2022, Yuan Oak’s absolute shipment volume is not high, and it has even declined compared with 2021. However, there have been many breakthroughs in the application fields of Yuan Rubber's products in 2022. For example, Yuan Rubber's main mass-produced products were applied in commercial vehicles in 2021. In 2022, Yuan Rubber continued to maintain the market application of commercial vehicles and realized the application of passenger cars. Expansion of the field. At the same time, in 2022, Yuanhuo's stereo vision camera has also made breakthroughs in the field of low-speed robots, such as perception applications on unmanned sweepers and unmanned patrol vehicles.

C: What do you think of the future of binocular stereo vision? What are the next difficult challenges for the company? What surprises will it bring you next?

L: We live in a three-dimensional environment, and the future of sensors must be three-dimensional. Stereoscopic perception must be the focus of the field of perception, but there are not many related companies. This track must be a good direction. For Yuanqiao Technology, we will continue to iterate products and plan new products from a practical perspective. The performance of new products will be measured further and more accurately. In terms of business development planning, Yuanqiao Technology Technology will not be limited to just providing sensors, but will pay more attention to the collaborative integration of sensors and output complete sensing solutions to serve subsequent higher-level autonomous driving and robotics industries.