Continental Short Range Radar Wins 2013 Automotive News PACE Award

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. and DETROIT, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental, a leading global automotive supplier, received the 2013 Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers Contribution to Excellence) Award for its 24GHZ ISM Band Short Range Radar (SRR) solution, a component of the company's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business unit.

Automaker and consumer demand for advanced safety features continues to soar as global vehicle mandates become more stringent. Continental's SRR, a low cost, scalable solution for these mandates, offers improved performance and integration capabilities that address automotive safety across global platforms, resulting in worldwide acceptance of the technology. 

"All of us on the Continental team are proud to receive the 2013 Automotive News PACE Award for our Short Range Radar in combination with our benchmark Blind Spot Monitoring System," said Christian Schumacher, head of Continental's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, NAFTA. "Customer acceptance and integration of this advanced safety feature brings us closer to achieving Vision Zero – our goal of zero accidents and zero fatalities on our roads."

The SRR package features two smart sensors with integrated Electronic Control Unit (ECU) mounted to the vehicle's rear quarter/corner panel (both sides). The sensors can distinguish between traffic and infrastructure and alert drivers to the presence of relevant objects within the detection zone. 

In production with several automakers, the radar features Blind Spot Detection to warn the driver when there are vehicles in the blind spot of the side-view mirror, Lane Change Assist which warns the driver for unsafe lane changes when traffic is approaching from behind and Rear Cross Traffic Alert which could help to avoid accidents when reversing out of a parking space, with the ability to accommodate additional driver assistance functions in the future.

Continental's 24 GHZ ISM Band Short Range Radar is one of the industry's highest performing universal ISM band radar in production based on customer data and is the most widely accepted ISM radar globally including the China automotive market. The change from a traditional UWB to ISM was critical for acceptance in the global market, where many country regulations do not permit UWB systems.  

Continental's SRR will be the industry's first ISM radar applied to pickup trucks. Because of the design and traditional steel, rather than plastic, bumpers in pickup tailgates, rear bumper radar technologies will not be feasible. To overcome this challenge, the SRR features an increased mounting angle that allows Continental to package the ISM radar in for pickup's unique locations thereby avoiding interference with the steel bumper.  

The Automotive News PACE Awards are judged independently and announced annually. This year's PACE Award ceremony was held at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit Monday evening.

With sales of €32.7 billion in 2012, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires, and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has approximately 170,000 employees in 46 countries.

SOURCE Continental Automotive