Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

The automotive industry is rapidly changing and with the introduction of innovative vehicles resulting in safer and more efficient transportation. ADAS, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, are the key components of this new frontier in mobility, safety and connectivity, and encompass a wide range of sensors, cameras and connectivity features. Henkel is at the forefront of developing advanced materials that are essential to these components.  

Today, semi-autonomous vehicles are already on our roads, and fully autonomous vehicles are fast becoming the norm. Current adoption rates are expected to grow dramatically over the next years as ADAS proliferation continues across automotive industries and new technologies deliver greater levels of safety behind the wheel.

To handle the demands of these new technologies, including higher heat distribution and the increased miniaturization of electronic components, automotive manufacturers face a number of challenges. Autonomous megatrends include the reaching Level 5 autonomous driving systems (or self-driving cars), which is an opportunity to revolutionize driving but creates significant material challenges. Henkel offers industry-leading solutions for every component of modern ADAS systems, especially with a focus on thermal management materials for component and device assembly including electrically conductive adhesives, underfills, active alignment adhesives, and circuit board protection.

Contact us to find out how Henkel’s materials and experts can help in the development of ADAS technology.

Henkel ADAS Solutions, Making Driving Safer.

Efficient and reliable functionality of the ADAS system relies on each individual component working effectively whilst in communication with the vehicle and the other sensors. In order for this to happen, certain challenges must be overcome including component assembly and device fixation to the vehicle. In addition to these core concerns, circuit encapsulation protection and thermal management are crucial to ensuring the ADAS systems can work, and continue to work, within a broad range of environmental conditions—as well as future-proofing an industry that is embracing miniaturization as it continues to expand. 

These solutions stand alongside our trusted (and tested) structural adhesives, instant bonding adhesives, and elastomeric adhesives. Whether you are assembling an entire powertrain data module or you are focusing on a single component within the latest camera lens advancement, Henkel is on hand to guide and advise you on the future of ADAS technologies. 

One area where Henkel is playing an important role in driving automotive advances relates to automotive displays that are increasingly important for ADAS systems. ADAS systems constantly monitor the vehicle to vehicle communication (V2V), and the automotive displays show the alert or condition of the system for supporting the driver’s safety. At the same time, automotive displays are now integrated with technology to alert the driver of hazardous road conditions, and take corrective actions, such as slowing or stopping the vehicle. Automotive display technology represents all aspects of interior electronics from infotainment devices to the automotive systems used by both drivers and passengers. Henkel’s LOCTITE® brand offers material solutions for ranging from optical and structural bonding  to thermal management, and more.

ADAS Cameras

As an essential component of the ADAS system, cameras deliver an unprecedented amount of data both to the driver and to the onboard computer. Vehicles may integrate as few as one camera or as many as nine, and as the technologies behind this type of sensor develop, vehicles are likely to feature more cameras with increased sensitivity and range. Cameras may be mono, stereo, or full surround, and placed in areas such as dashboards and windshields. Used for object tracking, lane recognition, blind spot identification, autonomous driving applications, and much more, camera visibility is key to effective operation. Henkel offers the most robust total solution portfolio to respond to all aspects of camera assembly through active alignment adhesives, thermal management materials and underfills.

ADAS Radars

Whilst the ADAS system relies on cameras for its visual input, measuring metrics such as speed and distance require radar technologies. Radar sensors are usually placed on the front and rear fenders, wing mirrors or behind branding emblems on most vehicles, and they provide accurate and exacting information to enable features such as adaptive cruise control, emergency braking and rear collision warnings.

Ensuring radar systems continue to function correctly depends largely on the integrity of the components in the units themselves and how they are mounted to the vehicle. Additionally, as these particular components continue to become smaller, efficient heat dissipation and thermal protection is crucial to long term functionality. Those functions will be strengthen through Liquid Gasket Solutions, underfill and Thermal Interface Materials. 

ADAS LiDAR Systems

LiDAR (Light Imaging, Detection, and Ranging) systems provide a very fast and high definition topography of the environment using Laser with the additional advantage - the calculation of distances between vehicles and other objects sensors. Whilst this technology has been used in many different fields, including geoscience, it has been essential to the continued advancement of ADAS, allowing for 3D imaging of surrounding environment. For this specific technology Henkel provides the material solutions necessary to assemble these sensors, including lens bonding materials, die attach, underfill and Thermal Interface Materials.

ADAS Ultrasonic Sensors

Similar to radar units, ultrasonic sensors help to determine speed and distance through sound waves. As part of the ADAS system, it is generally used at low speeds and at short distance, often for park assist, self-parking, and blind-spot detection. 

Typically, ultrasonic sensors are placed on the front and rear bumpers. Reliability and functionality depend on effective component integration and vehicle mounting, as well as  thermal protection , Potting and encapsulation.

ADAS Data Module

At the heart of any ADAS car or autonomous vehicle, the data module combines the information received from the various sensors, processing a wealth of data generated by the ADAS sensors. Responsible for processing the image, radar, and ultrasonic data, as well as displaying that data on the user interface, the data module is of critical importance to any semi- or fully autonomous vehicle.

Additionally, its ability to connect to the wider world will revolutionize the automotive industry, making our roads safer and our transport more efficient. For this reason, the importance of this processing unit’s unimpaired functionality is crucial to the ADAS system as a whole. 

At last, Electronic-control-unit (ECU) usage is roughly correlated with design features, and some OEMs integrate ECUs in more sophisticated ways of V2X an connectivity. In order to empower those integrative operations, Henkel offers the most robust total solution portfolio to respond to all aspects of data module solutions through thermal management materials, electrically conductive adhesive, underfill, potting, liquid gasket solutions and solder.

ADAS V2X & Connectivity

Networking vehicles is the next great frontier for the ADAS market, and this emerging technology is set to expand exponentially over the next decade. Currently, vehicles communicate and connect to the world around them using a range of sensors. However, the development of the V2X network will revolutionize the automotive industry. Level 5 autonomous driving is the next frontier in ADAS advancement and V2X systems are the essential connectivity function that makes this possible. 

V2X encompasses both V2V and V2I connectivity, two technologies that are crucial to the rise of Level 5 autonomous driving. Improving communication between vehicles and rolling out advanced infrastructure technologies will not only make driving safer by providing information on weather conditions, nearby accidents, road conditions, and the activities of nearby vehicles.

Henkel materials are integral to these devices, especially Thermal Interface Materials, solder, underfills and encapsulants.

Brochure: Materials for Automotive Radars

Brochure: Materials for Automotive Cameras

Brochure: Printed Circuit Board Protection

Whitepaper: Materials for Automotive Cameras