KOITO and DENSO Collaborate to Enhance Night Driving Safety

KARIYA, Japan, Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., and DENSO CORPORATION announced today they have begun collaborating to develop a system to improve the object recognition rate of vehicle image sensors by coordinating lamps and image sensors, with the aim of improving driving safety at night.

Each company is working to improve vehicle safety and realize a society with zero traffic accident fatalities, which is one of the largest challenges currently facing the automotive industry. In this work, improving driving safety at night is an important development theme.

KOITO has been contributing to safety by improving nighttime visibility with high-function, high-performance lighting technologies, such as the development of ADBs (Adaptive Driving Beams), which control the driving-beam to maintain better visibility without dazzling oncoming vehicles. DENSO also has deep expertise in developing sensors that recognize a vehicle's surroundings, which play the role of eyes in Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems, and is working to improve the object recognition rate of image sensors in various traffic situations, including at night.

In the collaboration, the companies will combine KOITO's strength in driving-beam photometry control technology and DENSO's strength in object recognition technology from image sensors to study the development of a system that can contribute to improving the safety of vehicles at night. In order to reduce the number of nighttime pedestrian fatalities^*, which are approximately twice as many as during the daytime, the two companies will explore and establish specific development themes, such as the feasibility of lighting that enables image sensors to recognize pedestrians more quickly.

Through this collaboration, the two companies aim to further improve the safety of vehicles.

Takayuki Katsuda, Senior Managing Corporate Officer in charge of the Engineering Division at KOITO said, "We believe that the collaboration with DENSO, a top supplier of automotive components, and KOITO, a leading company on lighting technology, will make a significant contribution to the realization of next-generation mobility.

KOITO will continue to develop and supply products that contribute to safety and security in the next-generation mobility society toward the achievement of the "KOITO VISION: Lighting the Way for Our Sustainable Future."

Hiroshi Kondo, General Manager in charge of the Mobility Electronics Business Group at DENSO, said, "The collaboration with KOITO, which has been improving the performance of lamps and contributing to the safety of vehicles around the world for many years, is of great significance to DENSO's Mobility Electronics business. By partnering with KOITO, a lighting professional, DENSO will continue to make strong efforts towards achieving its goal of zero fatalities in traffic accidents."

^*Calculated from statistical data provided by ITARDA (Institute for Traffic Accident Analysis and Research)

About DENSO
Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO is a $47.9 billion leading mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in around 200 facilities worldwide to produce cutting-edge electrification, powertrain, thermal and mobility electronics products, among others, that change how the world moves. In developing such solutions, the company's 165,000 global employees pursue rewarding careers while paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 9.0 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. For more information about DENSO's operations worldwide, visit https://www.denso.com/global. 

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ engineers, researchers, and skilled workers across nearly 50 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs 17,500+ employees across 14 states (and the District of Columbia) at 41 sites. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, DENSO in North America generated $11.3 billion in consolidated sales. DENSO is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion inside the company and beyond – a principle that brings together unique perspectives, bolsters innovation and pushes DENSO forward. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region and to review current career opportunities, please visit https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/. 

SOURCE DENSO