Thermal design of monocular vision system used in automotive application

Abstract

Advanced driver assistance systems such as Forward Collision Warning or Lane Departure Warning on automobiles rely heavily on a vision-based system. One such system is a monocular camera that is mounted inside the cabin on the center of the windshield. This module has a temperature sensitive FPGA and Image Sensor. The module sees extreme temperature environments due to high solar radiation in the dashboard section of the vehicle. It is important to keep such a system under specified temperatures for reliable functioning and safety. This study presents a detailed methodology to analyze and design thermal management solutions for the automotive camera by factoring in the transient nature of its immediate surroundings. The transient environment that accounts for the temperature drop from the high initial ambient temperatures includes factors such as movement of the vehicle and/or turning on the air conditioner. Experiments help understand the boundary conditions required for the computational thermal analysis and appropriate experimental measurements are taken to define the relevant boundary conditions of the system.