Toshiba’s image recognition processor win highest score

Düsseldorf, Germany, 26 November 2019 – Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH today announced that Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation Visconti™ 4 image recognition processor was a key component of the driver assistance systems of Lexus sedans from Toyota Motor Corporation (“Toyota”) that received excellent evaluations in the 2019 first half Japan New Car Assessment Program (JNCAP). The government-sponsored program assesses the road safety of new vehicles, and the highest ranked are recognized as advanced safety vehicles (ASV). The Toyota Lexus UX and Lexus NX recorded industry-leading scores of 141 points and, along with the Lexus ES, were evaluated as ASV+++, the highest possible level.

JNCAP was initiated by the Japanese government in 1995 to promote the safety of new cars launched in Japan. It brings together the results of vehicle safety tests carried out by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the National Agency for Automotive Safety and Victims’ Aid (NASVA). Tests cover vehicle performance in respect of preventive safety, collision safety, and pedestrian protection. The Preventive Safety Performance Assessment evaluates advanced safety technologies, such as emergency braking.

In 2018, JNCAP introduced evaluation of damage mitigation braking for pedestrians on lit streets at night. This year the standard was made even more rigorous, and now evaluates damage mitigation braking for pedestrian at night on unlit streets.

Toshiba supplies Visconti™ 4 to Toyota vehicles as an integral part of DENSO Corporation’s Front-Camera-Based Active Safety System. The LSI’s ability to process luminance differences between objects and their backgrounds, realizing better detection of pedestrians at night and in low light conditions, helped the Toyota vehicles win high scores in the assessment. The Lexus UX and Lexus NX integrating the system received a high score of 141 points, and all of the Toyota models integrating Visconti™ 4 were evaluated as ASV+++.

Toshiba continues to channel resources into Viscont™ as a contribution to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The company has already started sample shipments of Visconti™ 5, which delivers advanced Deep Neural Network IP, in September this year.