Shanghai Auto Show Focuses on Intelligent Driving; ULiLASER's New Automotive Camera Manufacturing Process Becomes a Focal Point.
2025-04-27 17:11:41
At the recently concluded 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, Intelligent Driving undoubtedly became the most prominent focal area. Numerous vehicle manufacturers successively showcased their latest achievements in the field of Autonomous Driving, from more advanced sensor fusion solutions to advanced autonomous driving systems capable of achieving "zero intervention" under complex road conditions, all underscoring the accelerating advent of the Intelligent Driving era. Behind this progress, automotive cameras, as core components of the intelligent driving perception layer, have seen their importance increasingly highlighted. Concurrently, the novel manufacturing process combining AA (Active Alignment) + Laser Soldering + 3D Vision Inspection, developed by ULiLASER, has also emerged as a significant point of industry attention.
During this auto show, the Intelligent Driving functionalities presented by many vehicle manufacturers placed extremely high demands on the performance of automotive cameras. For instance, the Huawei Qiankun ADS 3.0 system achieved millisecond-level response to sudden appearances like "ghost pedestrians" and improved the throughput at complex intersections by 40%, heavily relying on automotive cameras for precise and rapid capture of road environment information. The Audi A6L e-tron enhanced ramp merge success rate by 40% through multi-sensor fusion of LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, and cameras, with the high-definition visual images provided by cameras offering critical data support for the decision system. As Intelligent Driving progresses from assistance towards human-like decision-making, automotive cameras are required to possess higher imaging precision, wider dynamic range, and stronger environmental adaptability, presenting substantial challenges to their production and manufacturing processes.
ULiLASER's integrated manufacturing process combining AA + Laser Soldering + 3D Vision Inspection offers an innovative solution to address these challenges. AA (Active Alignment) technology utilizes advanced image analysis algorithms and precision mechanical control to perform real-time monitoring and dynamic adjustment of optical component positions during automotive camera assembly. By detecting key parameters such as image clarity and distortion, it rapidly calculates the optimal position of the optical components, which is then precisely fine-tuned by precision mechanical mechanisms, ensuring optimal alignment between the lens and the image sensor. According to industry statistics, implementing AA technology generally raises the yield rate of automotive cameras to the 95% - 98% range, an increase of 15 - 20 percentage points compared to traditional processes. This significantly shortens the production cycle and provides high-quality semi-finished products for subsequent processes.
Laser Soldering technology presents significant advantages in automotive camera production. Compared to traditional soldering methods, it focuses a high-energy-density laser beam to instantaneously melt the solder, achieving precise connections. When joining critical parts such as image sensors to circuit boards, the speed advantage is evident, reducing the soldering time per camera to one-fourth or even less than traditional methods, thereby significantly increasing throughput per unit time. Furthermore, the heat-affected zone of laser soldering is extremely small, precisely controlled within 0.2mm², which greatly minimizes the risk of thermal damage to surrounding precision optical components and electronic devices. This ensures product quality stability and effectively reduces rework and scrap caused by poor soldering.
3D Vision Inspection technology functions as a tireless intelligent quality control system on the production line. Through multi-angle scanning and imaging, it acquires detailed three-dimensional data of the product. This data is then subjected to in-depth analysis using advanced algorithms to precisely detect dimensional deviations, surface defects, and issues with internal structural integrity. For camera lens assembly, it can accurately determine if the lens is correctly installed, including checking for tilt or off-center conditions. Regarding solder joints, it can precisely detect their size, shape, height, and subtle defects such as cold solder joints. Compared to 2D inspection, 3D vision inspection offers higher precision, capable of detecting defects at the millimeter or even sub-millimeter level, with a detection accuracy exceeding 99%. Furthermore, it provides real-time online inspection; once production issues are identified, immediate feedback is sent to the production equipment for parameter adjustment, preventing the generation of large quantities of defective products.
Leveraging 8 years of deep expertise in the field of camera laser soldering, ULiLASER has deeply integrated these three technologies to launch an integrated solution, which has achieved remarkable results in practical applications. In 2024, after a certain automotive camera manufacturer implemented ULiLASER's equipment, their yield rate soared from the original 88% to 99.3%, achieving a qualitative leap in product quality and gaining a significant advantage in market competition. In February this year, ULiLASER released the first domestic integrated equipment for automotive cameras combining AA + Laser Soldering + 3D AOI Vision Inspection, the [ULS - 5000]. Subsequently, after a certain leading intelligent vehicle manufacturer adopted this solution, the daily average throughput of a single production line soared from 3,000 units to 10,000 units, increasing production efficiency by over 230%; the product's first pass yield rate improved from 92% to 99.2%, with the after-sales complaint rate being nearly zero; the automated process reduced manual labor input by 60%, material loss decreased by 40%, resulting in annual production cost savings exceeding 8 million CNY.
Against the backdrop of the vigorous development of Intelligent Driving showcased at the Shanghai Auto Show, innovation in the manufacturing process of automotive cameras, serving as the "eyes" of intelligent driving systems, is paramount. ULiLASER's integrated AA + Laser Soldering + 3D Vision Inspection manufacturing process provides robust assurance for improving the production efficiency and product quality of automotive cameras, and injects powerful momentum into the development of the intelligent driving industry. It is poised to become a key force driving industry progress and leading the automotive camera manufacturing industry towards a new stage of development.
