Sony has announced “VISION-S,” an initiative aimed at developing the electric vehicle market at the global technology event, CES 2022. In addition to exhibiting a prototype vehicle at its booth, Sony also revealed it will establish an operating company, “Sony Mobility Inc.” in the spring of 2022, through which the company intends to explore entry into the EV market.
Sony began 5G driving tests of its VISION-S 01 coupe prototype in April 2021 and started public road testing in Europe in December of the same year. The company also conducted verification tests of the safety and user experience of the imaging and sensing technology installed inside and outside the vehicle, as well as the human-machine interface (HMI) system.
CES 2022 was the first time Sony had exhibited an SUV-type prototype vehicle (VISION-S 02) as a new form factor. This vehicle uses the same EV/cloud platform as the VISION-S 01. Sony states that by offering entertainment experiences utilizing “the large interior space and variations of a 7-seater”, this new prototype will, together with VISION-S 01, “promote the accommodation of a large variety of lifestyles within a society where values are becoming increasingly diversified”.
The vehicles’ system supports safe driving by recognizing and analyzing the surrounding environment in real-time, with sensors installed 360 degrees around the vehicle. These sensors include high-sensitivity, high-resolution, wide dynamic range CMOS image sensors and LiDAR sensors that accurately sense three-dimensional space.
In addition, the system provides driver interaction in conjunction with the vehicle’s sound system and HMI system, so that the driver can accurately judge the status of the surrounding environment, such as the presence of emergency vehicles, even from inside the vehicle. Sony aims to provide greater safety and comfort through its sensor and communication technologies and is currently conducting functional verification tests in Europe toward the release of Level 2+ advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on public roads.
An impression of the inside of Sony’s VISION-S 02, which features a front panoramic screen and individual rear-seat displays. Image: Sony.
Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors are used to provide monitoring functions for driver authentication and to watch over passengers. They also support gesture and voice commands that are intended to enhance the usability of the car interface. Additionally, in order to deliver an environment that suits each user’s preferences, the vehicle will include a new function that allows users to customize the display theme and the acceleration and deceleration sounds of the vehicle.
Vehicle settings, key locks, and user settings can be synchronized by linking the vehicle to the cloud using mobile communication, including 5G communication, which features low-latency, high-capacity, and high-speed capabilities. In addition, since updates are reflected in the vehicle via over the air (OTA), it is possible to provide security and evolve service functions and value-added offerings continuously.
Using Sony’s in-house technologies and knowledge of communication technology and security cultivated through the development of smartphones, Sony has positioned remote operation as an important technology in anticipation of the arrival of the autonomous driving era. To achieve this, Sony conducted driving experiments connecting Japan and Germany with 5G, and is working with its partners to achieve low-latency transmission (video and control signals) and communication control (monitoring and prediction) using the telematics system installed in VISION-S 01.
Leaning into the consumer space it’s known for, Sony’s VISION-S will feature seat speakers offering a three-dimensional sound field, and the streaming service compatible with “360 Reality Audio”. The vehicle also includes the fully integrated digital video service “BRAVIA CORE for VISION-S”, which enables shared or individual video playback on the front panoramic screen and individual rear-seat displays. Lastly, users will have the ability to play PlayStation® games through a remote connection to a console at home, in addition to the ability to play streaming games through the cloud.
You can find more information about Sony and its entry into the electric vehicle market on its website.
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