Melexis : signs agreement with Sony to expand Time of Flight offering
October 08, 2015 at 09:24 am EDT
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Melexis announces it has signed an agreement with Sony to further expand the Time-of-Flight offering for automobile safety and infotainment markets. Sony stated earlier today it has acquired SoftKinetic, a Belgian based developer of sensor-to-software 3D gesture solutions including the patented DepthSenseRM Time-of-Flight sensor technology. Melexis has been licensed under this technology for a number of years for products such as theMLX75023, the world's first automotive Time-of-Flight sensor in production.
Melexis will enter into a license agreement with Sony for the DepthSenseRM Time-of-Flight sensor technology upon Sony's acquisition of SoftKinetic, and will collaborate with Sony to further expand this technology. The products derived from this collaboration will be fabricated at Sony's world-class wafer fabrication facility in image sensor technology hence supporting further its offering to customers worldwide looking for solutions in the area of gesture recognition.
Francoise Chombar, CEO Melexis, comments: 'The combination of Sony's superior image sensor technology and our year-long automotive sensor know-how and experience provides an exciting new platform for enhancing the Time-of-Flight technology. This innovative technology could change dramatically the way drivers communicate with their vehicles. No more touch screens or knobs, but a simple gesture might suffice in the future.'
Melexis N.V. specializes in the design and marketing of semi-conductors intended primarily for automotive equipment manufacturers. The group's activity is primarily organized around 4 families of products:
- sensors: primarily circuits for interfaces, pressure and acceleration measurement, and magnetic sensors;
- actuator: micro-controllers and peripheral integrated circuits used for dashboard indicators, windshield wipers, automatic door openers, etc.;
- radiofrequency circuits: transmitters, receivers, automatic identification systems, etc.;
- multiplexing circuits: optical and infrared circuits.
At the end of 2023, the group had 5 manufacturing sites located in Belgium, Germany, France, Bulgaria and Malaysia.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Germany (12.6%), Switzerland (2.7%), Romania (2.6%), France (2.2%), Italy (1.8%), Austria (1.6%), Hungary (1.1%), the United Kingdom (0.3%), Spain (0.3%), Europe/Middle East/Africa (6%), China (15.5%), Hong Kong (9.5%), Japan (8.2%), Thailand (7.7%), South Korea (7%), Asia (10%), the United States (5.8%), Mexico (2.9%) and Americas (2.2%).