<<BACK TO HOME

Japanese electronics group Sharp has developed what it claims is the first 180-degree wide-angle lens for a "drive recorder", a system to capture images and information from the moments before an accident.

The new system boards are being introduced into the Japanese market this week, with full production scheduled for July. Sharp expects to make 2,000 units a month. The sample devices out for test with automakers cost around €380 each.

The recorders take a 180-degree angle view to the front, left and right of the windscreen. They work in two modes:

• An event recording function takes up to 600 shots in a 25-second window which starts 15 seconds before a trigger and ends 10 seconds after the trigger. This is used for accident investigation and reconstruction.

• A continuous recording function which takes up to 15 frames a second for a maximum of six hours.

The devices can be mounted in the rear view mirror. The main markets are expected to be in fleet vehicles such as trucks and buses, but Sharp sees a growing market in cars too.