From 3 to 4 December, the 2021 China Auto Supply Chain Summit 2021, and the 6th Lingxuan Awards Ceremony were held in Auto Valley, Wuhan, China. Beijing ASU Tech Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as ASU) won the Excellence Award in the ‘Outlook Technology - Electronic and Electrical Category’ competition with its original research and development of the AR smart tailgate.
The China Auto Supply Chain Summit, hosted by Auto Business Review and Xuanyuan Academy, is now in its sixth year. The Lingxuan Award, also known as the annual contribution award of China's auto parts industry, has jury members composed of a total of 30 vice presidents of procurement, R&D and industry experts of China's mainstream car companies, adhering to the principles of objectivity, professionalism and fairness, has become a high-level supply chain award in China's automotive circle.
For the Chinese auto industry, which urgently needs to solve the problem of ‘stranglehold’ in the supply chain, the annual China Auto Supply Chain Summit and the Lingxuan Award Ceremony are very important, as it is the only professional summit that brings together the procurement and R&D leaders of the largest number of mainstream Chinese automobile companies, with the mission of ‘promoting the progress of China's automotive industry’. Through hot topic discussions, key issue analysis, industry trend research and prediction, participants can directly be involved in the essence of the supply chain in the new automotive era.
As the latest tech innovation in the field of smart automotives, the original AR smart tailgate of ASU truly starts from the user's pain points, defining the product in multiple scenarios, perfectly integrating technology, function, and fun. In the past year, this smart product has been selected and designated by a total of 5 car companies including state-owned enterprises, traditional mainstream car companies and new forces in car manufacturing and has become a best-seller in the industry.
From traditional air springs to electric switches, automotive tailgate technology has undergone a qualitative leap. However, the current ‘kick’ type switch, widely used in high-end models nowadays, often actually leave the users in an awkward situation: the ‘kick’ has a sensing failure rate of about 20%, meaning that users sometimes need to sweep their foot repeatedly, making it easy to meet with the car itself, in rainy or snowy weather, can easily stain the clothes of the user, negatively impacting the user experience. The sensing distance of ‘kick’ is very short, and there is a safety hazard in terms of getting hit in the face. There are also some SUV models with higher car bodies, and the tailgate opening height is extremely high, leaving many female users with a very unfriendly experience.
External Structure of The ASU Original AR Smart Tailgate
Providing users with high-quality interactive experience is the core demand of smart innovations, and such ‘kick’ type products can no longer meet the needs of users in the era of smart automotives. ASU invested in the research and development of the AR smart tailgate, precisely to solve the pain points of the ‘kick’ type in real applications, so that the operation of the power tailgate become more humanised.
The AR smart tailgate is accurate in its detection with, with an accuracy greater than 99%, when the user carries the key close to the rear of the car, the system will be automatically activated, and through optical projection technology, project the corresponding pattern a certain distance from the tailgate, not limited by weather or terrain. With a light tap on the pattern, the TOF module will accurately detect and issue commands, and the tailgate will automatically open a safe distance from the user. Similarly, users can easily tap on the projection again and close the door after placing luggage and items, not having to use both their hands and feet, solving this particular pain point of the ‘kick’ type product.
ASU always adheres to the strategy of ‘independent innovation and domestic substitution’ and focuses on leading optoelectronic technology. At present, ASU’s original AR smart tailgate has been upgraded to version 2.0, with a total of 3 products, 2 sets of installation positions, and customized display patterns.
Since its establishment in 2015, as a leading company in developing new and special optoelectronic products, ASU has made breakthroughs in laser display modules, ultra-short lenses, infrared laser virtual touch control technology and visual algorithms, and has obtained more than 200 technical patents in related fields, of which more than half are invention patents, involving the interactive display of virtual interface and physical object, projection alignment system, colour detection method, projection correction method, etc.
In addition to the AR smart tailgate that has been mass-produced as pre-installed components, at present, ASU is also tackling cutting-edge technologies in three major fields: smart automotives, consumer electronics, and rail transit.
In the field of smart automotives, ASU entered the AR-HUD industry with laser + LCoS technology, making it the first domestic technology company to independently and successfully develop their own PGU, creating PGU image engines and complete AR-HUD products with LCoS laser projection technology as its core, surpassing the DLP technology that previously monopolized in the market in terms of both performance and experience.
Compared with DLP technology, LCoS has the advantages of power saving, low cost, and high resolution. At present, internationally speaking, Sony, Ricoh, Google, Microsoft, etc. are all developing LCoS technology related applications, and commercial products include projection equipment, AR glasses, MR headsets, etc. Huawei is said to have also joined the LCoS technology camp. Having made early plans on LCoS, with its first LCoS laser TV about to be launched, paving a unique path for the popularization of full-colour home theatres. In terms of rail transit, ASU is committed to creating a ‘smart transportation – underground and in-flight’ ecology, and at present, the company is actively discussing solutions for PIS information display and cabin projection technology with underground and aviation organisations.
In the future, ASU will also invest in DOE and HOE glasses-free 3D technology in the field of optoelectronics.
In just 6 years, ASU has grown into a leading domestic science and technology innovation company, integrating optical research, scenario application development, optical module and core component production and sales, and with the maturity of its LCoS technology, in the future, ASU will make every effort to create a new generation of virtual display and interactive products, enrich user experience with hardcore tech gadgets, and help China’s technological innovation to a higher level.
