Gwangjin Wintec "Developing Ultrasonic Detection Technology for Autonomous Vehicles with Pronics KAIST"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Gwangjin Wintec announced on the 2nd that its subsidiary Pronix is collaborating with KAIST to develop new technology related to sonar (sound wave detection) for autonomous vehicles using resonant-type ultrasonic sensors.

The new technology being developed by Pronix is a technique that dramatically increases the measurement range of ultrasonic distance sensors previously used in vehicles. Kim Kisu, CEO of Pronix, stated, “Existing ultrasonic distance sensors, due to low sensitivity, could only detect nearby objects within a few meters. If we succeed in developing a flexible piezoelectric-based resonant ultrasonic sensor currently under research, it will be able to measure objects approximately twice as far as the existing range, surpassing the limitations of current sound wave detection devices.”

The KAIST research team developing the technology has created an ultra-sensitive resonant acoustic sensor through ten years of research and development. Pronix was founded by KAIST faculty members. The flexible piezoelectric thin-film-based resonant acoustic sensor can detect sounds from over four times farther distances compared to conventional microphones, thanks to its structure utilizing the resonance principle where vibration amplification occurs at specific frequencies. Due to multichannel signal processing, it can acquire clear acoustic information ranging from low to high frequencies. This technology has been extended into the ultrasonic range to develop the current sound wave detection device for autonomous vehicles.