Volvo has launched the ES90

Details of the DMS have now been announced by Smart Eye.

Source: YouTube

Volvo has launched the ES90. Details of the DMS have also been announced by Smart Eye, which states: "Inside, Smart Eye’s dual-camera Driver Monitoring System is working behind the scenes to ensure drivers stay alert and engaged. With two strategically placed infrared cameras, this system tracks eye movement, head position, and drowsiness cues." The feature set declared for the DMS is eyegaze, headpose and drowsiness, but no mention is made of visual distraction. Perhaps this comes later via an OTA update? Volvo Cars is welcome to comment.

The ES90 is the next model launched using the NVIDIA Drive Orin SoC and based on the Volvo SPA2 architecture that will be rolled out steadily to the whole Volvo portfolio. Volvo is one of the automakers split across Nvidia and Qualcomm, with Nvidia SoCs used for driving functions, and Qualcomm for the digital cockpit.

Smart Eye has stated this is a dual-optical path driver and cabin monitoring design. The declaration of "two strategically placed infrared cameras" is assumed to mean the cabin camera is located in the rear-view mirror (RVM), and based on first visual evidence here, the driver is monitored from the center console, highlighted in red. That is clearly a Gentex Corporation mirror, so evidence is building of Gentex reaching SoP with an integrated cabin camera. We will know more when videos of test drives of the ES90 start to appear, and visual evidence of the IR illuminators can be found. Rivian has also just launched its hands-free driving software via an OTA update, which might also feature a Gentex RVM with integrated IR optical path. Again, we will know more as test drive videos surface in the coming weeks.

As forecast, for driver and cabin monitoring the importance of the RVM is growing rapidly. Some OEMs are adopting single-optical path for DMS/CMS in the mirror, others dual-optical path using software fusion to stitch the two images together on a domain controller. Fusion of images was a key theme at CES in January, using high performance domain controllers for the SDV.

Gentex and Magna are the two leading RVM suppliers to watch, each with a vastly different strategy from the other. Magna is starting with single-optical path DMS/CMS packaged solutions in an exclusive partnership with Seeing Machines; Gentex has its own proprietary algorithms from Guardian Optical, and clearly works as a system integrator for the automakers, and provides the specifications required in each design. Valeo is also doing something related to the mirror, and more details are likely to become available in 2025 or early 2026. Other interiors tier-1s should be aware of the opportunities presented by the rise of DMS/CMS.

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