CoAsia Optics Registers Patent for Autonomous Driving Camera Lens... "Accelerating Entry into Automotive Electronics Business"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Koasia Optics, a company specializing in camera lenses and modules for smartphones, is accelerating its entry into the automotive electronics business by securing a patent for cameras used in autonomous driving.

On the 10th, Koasia Optics announced that it obtained a patent for a high-resolution lens developed for front cameras used in ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) cameras for autonomous driving.

The newly acquired patent relates to small telephoto optical system technology and provides core autonomous driving functions such as pedestrian detection, vehicle detection, obstacle detection, lane detection, and traffic light recognition when applied to autonomous driving. In particular, it minimizes the 'assembly tolerance' error that inevitably occurs during lens assembly, enabling consistent resolution regardless of ambient temperature changes or external conditions.

A Koasia Optics representative stated, "Starting with this patent acquisition, we will accelerate our entry into the high-growth automotive camera market," adding, "We expect to complete patent registration for high-resolution lenses for all-around cameras by the first half of next year."

They continued, "Based on our long-standing business experience and technological expertise in optical lenses and camera modules, we will strive to provide differentiated, high-quality products for autonomous driving."

According to industry sources, the market for autonomous driving camera modules is expected to grow from 147 million units in 2021 to 363 million units by 2027, with an average annual growth rate of about 9%. Growth is expected to be particularly prominent in front and interior cameras.

Meanwhile, in October, Koasia Optics became the largest shareholder of Koasia CMBNA, a first-tier supplier of camera modules for Samsung Electronics smartphones. The strategy is to establish a vertically integrated structure within the Koasia Group’s optical business and increase sales through vertical integration. Koasia CMBNA recorded sales of 303.8 billion KRW last year and achieved sales of 239 billion KRW through the third quarter of this year. From next year, when Koasia CMBNA’s performance is fully reflected, Koasia Optics’ scale is expected to grow further.