AutoTronics Innovation Awards 2012 Presented on Opening Day

This year's 7th Taipei International Automobile Electronics Show (AutoTronics Taipei 2012), the largest and most specialized automotive electronics show in Asia as well as a major auto-electronics sourcing platform globally held alongside Taipei AMPA April 11-14, will also be the stage for the AutoTronics Innovation Awards.

According to TAITRA, organizer of the 2-in-1 event, the AutoTronics Innovation Awards is an opportunity for manufacturers with excellent hardware and software R&D capabilities to vie for honors and build profile. The award presentation will be held on April 11, the opening day of the show, with the honorees announcing winning products during the New Product Launch on the same day, while the five award-winning products will be displayed in the "AutoTronics Innovation Awards" section set up by the organizers.

2012 AutoTronics Winners

Finished Electronic Products
Company	Product	Booth No.
E-Lead Electronic Co., Ltd.	Module Upgradable Head Unit	L0418
Conserve & Associates, Inc.	Advanced Head Up Display	L0428
Whetron electronics co., Ltd.	Non-ECU Parking Aid System	L0312
Electronic Components
Company	Product
Avisonic Technology Corporation	Mega-pixel Fisheye Lens Distortion Compensation, Birdview & Multi-window Chip – AVS7201	L0309
Source: TAITRA.

E-Lead's Module Upgradeable Head Unit

E-Lead Electronic Co., Ltd., a maker of original equipment (OE) infotainment systems for global automakers, had developed a winner in the module upgradeable head unit, the ECO AV Head Unit.

Via modularized design, the ECO AV Head Unit can be easily upgraded with Navigation, Bluetooth hands-free, and other functions for Car Infotainment Navigation System. E-Lead says that, with modularization-enabled upgrading, its major customers or global automakers, can easily adjust the level of head unit to suit the optional trim level available for any car model.

The company says that, due to users preference for storing media files in memory devices as SD card or USB flash pens, it removed the in-dash CD/DVD loader and added USB port, Micro-SD card slot, and iPhone/iPod connector, to spare drivers from having to burn CDs just for in-car listening. In addition, multi-functionalities as Navi, DVD, DTV, Parking Sensor, Rear Camera, and TPMS can be easily added by replacing the original modules.

Conserve & Associates Inc.'s Advanced HUD+PND
Conserve & Associates Inc. says that its newly developed, advanced Head-Up Display (HUD) for vehicles adopts the virtual image projection design concept, which is totally different from ones currently on the market.

The key advantage of a HUD is displaying information on a windshield while driving to avoid distracting driver's attention, which happens when looking at PDAs. The winning HUD consists of a colored LCD panel, LED backlight module, light pipe, aspheric lens, and sophisticated control circuits. Its versatile programmable display functions and innovative optics design help to achieve very high cost/performance (C/P) value, which draws lots of attention among potential customers and automakers.

This HUD can be embedded with a personal navigation device (PND) module to work as a revolutionary "HUD+PND," as well as be connected with a smartphone directly to project contents of the smartphone onto a windshield, enabling distraction-free use of smartphones wile driving.

Whetron's Non-ECU Parking Aid System

Whetron Electronics Co., Ltd., a major OE automotive-electronics supplier to automakers, has a winner in the Non-ECU Parking Aid System, a two-sensor parking aid system without electronic control unit (ECU).

According to the company, each parking sensor in the two-sensor system has an embedded IC, which can inter-communicate and calculate, to eliminate the traditional ECU.

The non-ECU design, Whetron says, makes the parking-aid system easy to install and more compact. Without the traditional ECU, the unit uses less wiring and accessories to be more eco-friendly; while Whetron says the two-sensor parking aid system is very functional but very price-competitive, hence stirring ample interest among Japanese customers, including both aftermarket buyers and automakers.

Avisonic's World's 1st Mega-pixel Fisheye Lens Distortion-compensation IC

Avisonic Technology Corporation's winner is the Mega-pixel Fisheye Lens Distortion Compensation, Bird-view & Multi-window Chip, the AVS7201, which, says the maker, is the world's first "mega-pixel fisheye lens distortion compensation" integrated circuit (IC), and able to replace the more expensive and technically difficult Digital Signal Processors (DSP).

The versatile IC features many advantages:

1.Supports mega-pixel CMOS and CCD sensors up to 30 fps.

2.Supports fisheye lens up to 190 degree field of view.

3.Provides bird's-eye view, multi-view and picture-in-picture for driving recorder and automotive cameras.

4.Split-window display of multiple image areas with independent digital panning, tilting and zooming (ePTZ).

5.Dynamic/static parking line and multi-language OSD.

6.Video conversion for different input/output video format.

The fisheye lens, without blind spot, is the only camera needed to save cost, reducing bill of materials and production/assembly costs.