Analysis of the Current Development Status and Prospects of the Automotive Lens Industry

The lens is composed of multiple lenses assembled, which means that the spacers and lenses are sequentially installed into the lens barrel. The sidewalls of the spacers and the lens barrel are fixed by glue, and the last lens is fixed with glue or pressure rings to complete the assembly of the lens. Optical lenses are extremely precise devices, and the design and production of optical lenses, as well as the optical design and assembly of lens groups, are difficult. Production enterprises need to have long-term technological accumulation and talent reserves.

Due to the need for prolonged exposure to harsh environments (such as strong light, sand, rain, mud, etc.), the performance requirements of car mounted lenses are extremely high. They need to meet a series of reliability test requirements, including high and low temperature impact tests, corrosion resistance tests, vibration resistance tests, IPX9K waterproof level requirements, salt spray resistance tests, wiping resistance tests, UV irradiation tests, etc, Therefore, there are higher requirements for the structural design and raw material selection of car mounted lenses.

The current situation of the global automotive lens industry:

With the advantages of low cost and recognition ability of object shape, automotive lenses are currently one of the preferred sensors for automotive companies to achieve ADAS perception layer. In order to cope with complex application scenarios and achieve most or even all ADAS functions, each car generally needs to be equipped with more than 8 optical lenses. In car lenses have gradually become one of the most commonly used sensors in the process of automotive intelligence, which will usher in a market explosion and directly drive the explosion of the in car lens market.

In addition to meeting the IATF 16949 quality system standard, car lens manufacturers also need to continuously innovate their product lines and launch products that meet market demand in terms of cost and performance. At present, the automotive lens market is still dominated by Japanese and American optical manufacturers. In 2020, Shunyu Optics ranked first in the shipment volume of car mounted lenses, with a market share of over 30%. Japan's Maxell, Japan Electronics Industry Association, Japan's Fujifilm, and South Korea's Seguang ranked second to fifth. Thanks to the developed domestic automobile industry and a relatively high proportion of Japanese companies, Japanese companies occupy 5 out of the top eight in terms of market share.

In ADAS lenses with higher specifications and barriers, Shunyu Optics stands out with a market share of over 50%. Fujifilm ranks second among them; Kyocera ranks third, while Maxell ranks sixth, with a market share of 4% for ADAS lenses.

Development prospects of the car lens industry:

The car camera industry chain encompasses core hardware, module packaging, system integration, software algorithms, and solutions. Much like the smartphone industry, CIS chip costs constitute 50% of the cost composition of optical modules, with lenses accounting for 20%. Projections suggest the in-car camera module market will surpass 160 billion yuan by 2025.