Teledyne FLIR Releases Software Tool to Improve Object Detection in ADAS and AV Systems

According to foreign media reports, on June 22, local time, Teledyne FLIR, a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, released Prism AI, a software framework that provides classification, object detection and object tracking, allowing perception engineers to quickly Imaging cameras are integrated into advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle (AV) systems.

Prism AI software for automotive thermal sensing systems enables faster integration, testing and time-to-market (Credit: Teledyne FLIR)

Built for developers of automotive perception systems, Prism includes visible and thermal image fusion and advanced thermal image processing to provide superior pedestrian and animal detection in challenging lighting conditions.This feature is especially effective at night, as 79% of pedestrian fatalities in 2020 occurred at night.

“The Prism AI software model ran successfully in third-party NCAP automatic emergency braking (AEB) testing and is now helping perception engineers create more efficient systems,” said Michael Walters, vice president of product management at Teledyne FLIR. “The Prism AI development tools, plugins, and Combined with dataset development, it can provide integrators a way to rapidly test thermal camera-based ADAS and AVs, and help save lives by reducing R&D costs."

Developers can use Prism AI as their primary perception software or as reference software for in-house development.A suite of Prism AI tools combined with the recently released Teledyne FLIR Conservator™ data lifecycle management software and the largest thermal imaging visible light training dataset in the industry simplifies data integration.Prism AI is compatible with Teledyne FLIR's market-leading thermal cameras Boson®, Tau® 2, and FLIR ADK™, and includes production-ready features such as certification between thermal cameras and ECUs to further simplify development .

By providing the basis for the development of efficient perception models, Prism AI can also reduce the computing costs of commonly used desktop and embedded processors from Nvidia, Ambarella, and Qualcomm.With integration support from Teledyne FLIR's expert technical services team, perception engineers from academia to OEMs can have a complete ecosystem for ADAS and AV systems that enable thermal imaging.

In the U.S., figures released by theGovernors Highway Safety Associationfor the first half of 2021 show a projected 17 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities compared to the previous year and a 46 percent increase over 2011.ADAS and AV systems that enable thermal imaging can play a key role in reducing pedestrian traffic fatalities and help automotive OEMs meet upcoming regulatory testing procedures such as nighttime pedestrian collision avoidance.

Prism AI software is now available globally from Teledyne FLIR.