Plastic lenses are smaller, thicker, and more competitively priced than glass lenses.
"We will actively pursue the global automotive camera module market."

LG Innotek has become the first company in the world to use plastic in ADAS lenses for autonomous driving, reducing their size and increasing their price competitiveness.

LG Innotek announced on the 7th that it has developed two types of 'high-performance hybrid lenses for autonomous driving (hereinafter referred to as high-performance hybrid lenses)'.

The 'high-performance hybrid lens' developed by LG Innotek is for two types: one for DMS and one for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System).

It features improved performance by cross-applying thin plastic and glass inside the lens.

Existing autonomous driving lenses were made only of glass that does not deform due to temperature or external force.

In particular, LG Innotek is the first in the world to apply plastic to ADAS lenses to achieve high performance.

■ Size and thickness ↓, performance and price competitiveness ↑

LG Innotek's 'high-performance hybrid lens' is 20-30% thinner than all-glass products.

As it gets thinner, it is suitable for the interior of our customers' vehicles.middot;It has the advantage of increased freedom in external design.

An LG Innotek official explained, “As the level of autonomous driving increases, more sensing devices are attached, so it is important to reduce the size of the components themselves.”

This is because there is an increasing demand from automakers to apply parts in a way that is not visible on the vehicle body, such as on the front pillar (the long frame on the front left and right of the vehicle body that connects to the ceiling) rather than on the dashboard.

Plastic, which changes its performance and shape depending on heat and pressure, is known to be less stable than glass and difficult to make into a strong lens.

Because vehicle parts must maintain performance in various driving environments, including deserts, extreme cold, and extreme heat, it was difficult to introduce plastic into vehicle lenses.

LG Innotek's 'High-Performance Hybrid Lens' has performance equivalent to that of all-glass products, maintaining consistent performance regardless of temperature and enabling accurate object recognition.

Additionally, by using plastic, which is relatively cheaper than glass, we are able to supply high-performance products to our customers at reasonable prices.

This allows auto parts and complete vehicle manufacturers to install more cameras at the same cost, thereby improving autonomous driving sensing performance.

■ "We will accelerate the era of autonomous driving by innovating the customer experience."

LG Innotek plans to aggressively target the global automotive camera module market with its "high-performance hybrid lens."

We are actively conducting promotions targeting customers in Korea, the US, Europe, and Japan.

Global automakers and auto parts manufacturers are also expanding autonomous driving functions.As this is a trend, we are actively introducing parts related to DMS and ADAS solutions.

LG Innotek is currently preparing to mass-produce camera modules with lenses for DMS.

The camera module with ADAS lenses has also been developed and is ready to be launched in the market next year.

Kang Min-seok, Chief Technology Officer, said, “Success in developing a lens that requires difficult design and verification in a short period of time is a great achievement for innovating customer experience,” and “LG Innotek’s ‘high-performance hybrid lens’ that overcomes the limitations of plastic with innovative technology will have a big impact in the market.”

Meanwhile, according to Strategy Analytics, a global market research firm, the global autonomous driving camera market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of nearly 17%, from KRW 4.2 trillion in 2021 to KRW 7.9 trillion in 2025.