Podium Automotive
 

Podium Automotive develops state of the art sand, dirt and precipitation sensors for use in the automotive industry. These revolutionary sensors address current industry concerns surrounding accurate sand and dirt detection, as well as snow and ice detection and offers manufacturers the ability to gain a significant advantage over competition. The sensors are effective, inexpensive to manufacture, and can be made from off the shelf components. The technologies can be implemented to advance: electric, hybrid, gas/diesel and autonomous vehicles wherein real autonomous functionality and energy drain concerns are effectively addressed.

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Podium Automotive's technologies ensure existing automobile cameras and sensory technology are able to detect sand and dirt, and autonomously clean it away. These technologies enable fully autonomous driving and do so while ensuring the safest drive possible.

 

Current Limitations in the Industry

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Obscuring of sensors including LiDAR, radar and cameras from sand and dirt has proven to be a consistent problem with autonomous vehicles. This is particularly the case with sensors mounted underneath windshields, where obscured sensors cause a loss of spatial awareness of the vehicle, resulting in safety compromises.

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In addition, ice accretion on windshields, side mirrors and other vehicular components can adversely affect the safety of the vehicle and its occupants. Current industry sensors for the purpose of detecting ice accretion are not reliable (manual or temperature based) and as such; serve to impede autonomous features and can have a significant effect on vehicle range and increased safety concerns.

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Some vehicle manufacturers selectively and continuously engage an area of resistive grid located above the LiDAR, radar or camera suite to melt frozen precipitation, and to prevent its accumulation. This workaround may prevent frozen precipitation from obscuring the various sensors, however it does not solve the problem of sand and dirt from doing the same thing. This will oblige the driver to manually engage/disengage windshield wiper systems, compromising autonomous features in conventional vehicles, as well as safety in fully autonomous vehicles.

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Another limitation in the automotive industry is rain detection for autonomous windshield wiper activity. The industry has attempted to address this limitation with additional software that is made to assist existing refractive technology.

It is the case however, that existing technology is large in size, expensive and moderate in efficacy.

 

Podium Automotive effectively addresses these concerns and offers the most advanced internationally patented sensory technology to both eliminate sensory obscurity from sand and dirt, as well as to address vehicle precipitation detection.

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Sand & Dirt Detector to Advance Autonomous Vehicle LiDAR/Radar/Camera Efficacy.​

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Sand and dirt build up at the existing sensor suite housing has proven to be a consistent problem wherein the obscuring of the sensor surface has diminished autonomous vehicle capacity. Podium's technology can instantaneously detect the presence of such debris at the sensor housing and in coordination with windshield wiper and other cleaning systems can promote sensor efficacy with the potential to perform at the 100% efficacy level. Podium Automotive’s technology has the capacity to be installed within existing sensor suite housing to promote a single integrated unit. This sensor is the same as the winter detection technology and can be implemented to facilitate obstruction-free autonomous vehicle sensor performance in both winter and summer driving conditions. In addition, the sensor can be used to detect dirt and sand on the windshield and engage wipers autonomously.

Winter Precipitation Sensor

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Podium’s frozen winter precipitation sensor has the unique ability to detect the commencement as well as the removal of snow and ice build-up on vehicle components to promote full autonomous vehicle de-icing in winter conditions. This allows vehicles to accurately determine when autonomous snow removal or de-icing systems require activation, providing additional convenience and safety for drivers. The technology can be used to facilitate autonomous:  windshield wipers, wiper heating pads/blades, heated windshields/side mirrors and rear defrosters. The applications are significant in terms of fully autonomous functions for all types of vehicle as well as energy saving for electric vehicles, wherein this technology allows for better power efficiency in winter weather thus increasing vehicle range and mobility.

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Rain Intensity Sensor

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Podium’s rain intensity sensor offers the unique ability to not only detect the commencement and cessation of rain but to also to accurately measure its intensity. Vehicle manufactures now have a new inexpensive option that is very small, is not tricked by ambient light, and quite effective. The result is that consumers will have autonomous windshield wipers that no longer need to be turned on or adjusted to match rain intensity. 

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The technology combination of the frozen precipitation and rain intensity sensors will allow automotive manufacturers the ability to offer full autonomous windshield functionality in summer and winter conditions with no limitations and on a cost-effective basis.

 

Autonomous Vehicles

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While the sand, dirt, winter precipitation and rain intensity sensors have the ability to improve convenience and efficiency in traditional vehicles, they also offer great potential in the autonomous vehicle market while also improving safety. Podium’s sensors improve the safety of vehicles and their occupants by providing better visibility with less distractions. Navigating the complexities of today’s roads requires autonomous vehicles to be able to function well on all roads and in all conditions from dry, arid and dusty environments on one end, to winter environments on the other.

Podium’s automotive sensors may also be used together as part of an effective vehicle control strategy. When implemented on autonomous vehicles these sensors can potentially facilitate the optimization of visibility, safety, and allowing the vehicles to really function in a more autonomous manner. By allowing autonomous vehicles the capacity to adapt to winter, arid or desert and rainy weather, Podium’s sensors have the ability to provide manufacturers with a significant competitive advantage.  There is the strong potential to affect traction, stability, and steering based on weather and external conditions.

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Autonomous Vehicle Winter Safety, 100% efficacy, 100% of the time

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Autonomous vehicles rely on sensor technology such as LiDAR, Radar or cameras to navigate roads.  These technologies are often obscured at their physical housing location by winter ice, snow, salt and even sleet. Podium's Winter Precipitation Sensor (WPS) can effectively facilitate these existing vehicle sensor technologies to perform at 100% efficacy in all winter driving conditions.  This is accomplished by detecting the presence of the sensor obstruction and engaging de-icing mechanisms to safely remove the frozen impediment. Podium’s WPS is a non-temperature based surface sensor which can be used to detect the very commencement and removal of all frozen precipitation. The WPS effectively facilitates maximum autonomous vehicle sensor efficacy to allow for a clear sensor field of view. Using the WPS in tandem with the existing vehicle sensors will help increase market share and differentiate manufacturers from the competition by providing a solution to sensor obscurity for winter driving.

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Electric Vehicles

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Electric vehicles can really benefit from the advent of the sand and dirt detector as more and more electric autonomous vehicles come into the mainstream. These new vehicles will rely on a suite of cameras and sensors to navigate the world safely. Podium Automotive’s technology can facilitate these sensors to work without obscurity, emphasizing safety and security. It is additionally the case, that even non-autonomous electric vehicles have a suite of cameras and sensors used which help with vehicle safety. These vehicles will equally benefit from Podium Automotive’s technology.

 

Of course, electric vehicles will also benefit from the frozen precipitation sensor in terms of addressing range anxiety.  At the end of the day, consumers are concerned with how far will the vehicle go on one charge and not only on ideal (non-wintry roads). In contrast to a temperature based automotive de-icing system which engages at 32F or 0C, even if there is no precipitation, Podium’s winter precipitation sensor is an effective way to increase vehicle range by saving energy. Implementing Podium’s sensor would eliminate this problem and promote extended vehicle range in winter environments.

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Gas / Diesel & Hybrid Vehicles

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Additional and effective autonomous features for vehicles to perform in summer and winter conditions could potentially increase manufacturers sales.  From the convenience of fully autonomous wipers, to defrosters that actually turn on and off themselves to remove snow and ice, these technologies have the strong potential to drive sales and make an impact in the consumer driving experience and safety.

 

Podium: First in Sensor Innovation
 

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