Lintec has developed an innovative film heater specifically designed for automobiles. This film heater serves as an attachment for the essential radar and sensors required for autonomous driving, ensuring their smooth operation by melting snow. Following a safety evaluation, it is scheduled to be available for purchase after 2025.
The film heater possesses the ability to heat up to any desired temperature once activated. It boasts a thickness of less than 100 micrometers, offering outstanding characteristics such as high transparency and electromagnetic wave transmittance. Its flexibility enables it to conform to curved surfaces, making it suitable for various shapes. By connecting the film to the vehicle’s electrical system, thin metal wires within the film generate heat when energized.
Conventional Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems heavily rely on millimeter-wave radar and high-performance LiDAR sensors. Unfortunately, these components are vulnerable to snow, which can cause them to malfunction when driving in snowy areas, as snow accumulates on the vehicle’s surface.
The film heater achieves a remarkable 90% visible light transmittance. In the future, it is being considered as an effective solution for preventing snow accumulation on automobile windshields and even for application in light-emitting diode (LED) traffic lights.
more info:https://www.lintec.co.jp/