News

  Alps Alpine Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 6770; President & CEO: Toshihiro Kuriyama) will participate in the CEATEC 2021 ONLINE exhibition to be held from Tuesday, October 19, 2021. The company will present its latest offerings for a wide range of markets, including new proposals for the next generation of automobiles, such as a 5G-compatible communication module with C–V2X features essential for autonomous driving; the AirInput™ series of products employing touchless control technology to prevent disease transmission – winners of the CEATEC AWARD 2020 Grand Prix in the “Elemental Technologies and Devices that Support the New Normal Society” category; and a variety of new proposals emerging from the viewpoint of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  At CEATEC 2021 ONLINE, Alps Alpine will present a range of initiatives supporting the realization of next-generation vehicles and smart cities, embracing major technological trends represented by the CASE domains (Connected, Autonomous, Shared & Services, Electric) and the Internet of Things (IoT), and will exhibit a diverse lineup of products, technologies and solutions tailored to the latest market trends, including the SDGs and the New Normal.

Centerpiece Exhibits

5G NR Cellular Module for Automotive Use (Debut Exhibit)

  This is a 5G communication module with built-in C–V2X features essential for enabling autonomous driving. It is compliant with specification 3GPP Release 15. Module performance can be maximized at all times due to suppression of heat generation, brought on by complex data processing that comes from having advanced features and multifunctionality, and use of an original structure that supports greater dissipation of heat inside systems after mounting. Stability of the customer’s mounting process is also made possible with an original automotive-grade product design achieved by controlling the module’s flatness. In addition, the module has compatibility with the varying frequencies used by specifications worldwide, helping to reduce the development workload for customers.

AirInput™ Panel/Switch (Debut Exhibit)

  Winners of the CEATEC AWARD 2020 Grand Prix in the “Elemental Technologies and Devices that Support the New Normal Society” category last year, these touchless control solutions contribute to prevention of disease transmission and enhanced security. High-sensitivity sensors inside the products detect changes in capacitance to determine the distance between panel and hand or finger, and to perceive the approach of a hand or finger. A variety of non-contact input operations are enabled by an original algorithm based on the level of change. With the aid of a well-designed user interface, even first-time users of touchless devices will be able to intuitively operate systems. Two demo sets – a panel type and a switch type – will be used to introduce the solutions while putting forward specific potential applications, including information terminals, commercial cooking equipment, self-checkout systems and elevators.

Assistive System for People with Impaired Vision/Hearing (Debut Exhibit)

  A neck speaker-styled wearable device with vision and hearing assistance functionality. Every day, we face a barrage of warning sounds, like the sirens of ambulances or police cars. People with impaired hearing, however, have difficulty correctly recognizing them. This system uses a microphone built into the neck device to capture environmental sounds and identifies the warning sounds among them with the help of sound classification artificial intelligence that has undergone deep learning. An original sound localization algorithm determines the direction of the sound source. Built-in speakers and HAPTIC™ devices for tactile feedback use intuitive auditory signals corresponding to the degree of urgency and diverse vibrational expression to convey to the user the type of warning sound and the direction it comes from. For people with impaired vision who find it hard to accurately perceive where a destination is, the system uses directional 3D audio to guide the user to the destination. In this way, the system assists the independent lifestyles of people with impaired vision or hearing.

Exhibit Outline

Exhibition	CEATEC 2021 ONLINE
Dates	October 19 – 22, 2021
Venue	Online (https://online.ceatec.com/booth/2551)
Exhibits	5G NR Cellular Module for Automotive Use* AirInput™ Panel* AirInput™ Switch* Assistive System for People with Impaired Vision/Hearing* Achromatic Glass Lenses for RGB Laser Light Source* Positioning Module Using Bluetooth® Low Energy Chip* Challenges* HAPTIC™ Reactor HAPTIC™ Reactor Nano Type Logistics Asset Tracking System Bidirectional Power Supply for Industrial Equipment/Consumer Products ECU-Integrated Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System(AVAS) and Speaker

(*First-time exhibit)