Exclusive Report by Yingke | A Doctor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Ventures into Optical Chips, Focusing on 3D Machine Vision and AI Microdisplays, and Has Achieved Stable Mass Production

Author | Qiao Yujie

Editor | Yuan Silai

Yingke learned that Suzhou Industrial Park-based Zhongke Ronghe Perception Intelligence Research Institute Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhongke Ronghe") recently announced the completion of a new round of financing of nearly 100 million yuan. This round was jointly invested by institutions such as Songhe Capital and Changxing Fund. Since its establishment eight years ago, the company has completed multiple rounds of financing, and its shareholders include many industrial capital and investment institutions such as Songhe Capital, Huaying Capital, Tsinghua Shimura Venture Capital, Silicon Port Capital, Lingyun Optics, and Wanxun Automation.

Zhongke Ronghe originated from the Institute of Nanotechnology and Nanobionics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The company uses the scanning MEMS micro - vibrating mirror chip as the core technology base, and has launched the overall solutions for MEMS structured light 3D and micro - projection display optical engines. It has entered the 3D machine vision and AR micro - display markets, and has built a full - stack technical capability covering chips, modules to system solutions in the physical AI optical information layer. This route has the advantages of miniaturization, high precision, and resistance to environmental interference, and is expected to play a key role as both the "embodied visual perception entrance" and the "AR display interaction exit" in the AI era.

(Image source: Company)

Currently, the company has built two main business lines: one is machine vision chips and modules for digital modeling of the 3D physical world, and the other focuses on intelligent micro - display optical engines to empower the HUD and AR wearable markets.

In the first growth curve - the 3D machine vision field, Zhongke Ronghe has been working for many years. Dr. Wang Xuguang, the founder, introduced to Yingke that based on the MEMS structured light scanning technology, the company can achieve an effective 3D point cloud density from tens of millions to hundreds of millions and micron - level accuracy. The unified optical engine platform supports both multi - line laser and structured light fusion solutions, and still maintains high - precision and stable performance in high - intensity ambient light and high - reflection scenarios.

Currently, this business has been shipping continuously for five years, and its customers cover many leading manufacturing enterprises. The products are mainly used in industrial robot scenarios, including high - precision operation links such as welding, cutting, dispensing, and palletizing. "In the automotive and high - end manufacturing fields, we are the first domestic MEMS scanning chip enterprise to enter the first - tier supplier system and achieve mass - production applications, and also the only domestic solution that has achieved large - scale deployment so far," the founder said.

Based on the technical accumulation in the industrial end, Zhongke Ronghe has also extended its capabilities to the consumer - grade market. Based on the high - precision and low - cost structured light capabilities, the company has launched consumer - grade 3D scanning module products. In the fourth quarter of last year, it achieved large - scale shipments to leading 3D printing and scanner manufacturers, and exporting to Europe and the United States has become an important fulcrum for the first growth curve.

In addition, since last year, the company has been focusing on building the second growth curve - intelligent micro - display. This business is also based on the core capabilities of MEMS vibrating mirrors, using the LBS (Laser Beam Scanning) laser scanning imaging route to layout AR - HUD and lightweight AR display scenarios.

The company's first - generation AR - HUD micro - display platform has sent samples to two - wheeled and four - wheeled vehicle manufacturers to explore improving the intelligence of human - vehicle interaction in positions such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, car rear - view mirrors, and car doors. Thanks to the small chip size and laser imaging characteristics, this solution can maintain clear focus at different distances and is suitable for outdoor strong - light environment scenarios such as cycling navigation. It is expected to be applied in high - frequency mobile scenarios such as takeaways and express deliveries in the future.

Compared with the mainstream microLED solutions in the AR field, laser scanning has the advantages of low loss of laser point light sources and a wide color gamut. The founder introduced that the company's full - color laser solution can achieve an eye - entering brightness of about 10,000 nits and can still be clearly displayed in the noon sun. Under the condition of mature mass - production, the cost is expected to be controlled at about one - fifth of the microLED solution. In addition, the company has completed full - stack self - research on the opto - mechanical - electrical - computing integrated architecture, and has achieved independent control from chip design and process, driving algorithms to optical engine modules.

Currently, the company has completed the technical verification in the direction of AR glasses and joined the Global AR Alliance before the Spring Festival this year, becoming the first startup chip enterprise in the alliance. After the completion of this round of nearly 100 million yuan financing, Zhongke Ronghe will focus on expanding the production capacity of MEMS vibrating mirror core devices and promoting the productization of micro - displays.

Investors' Views

The Songhe Changfeng Fund team pointed out: With the rapid iteration of intelligent hardware and the continuous expansion of terminal scenarios, MEMS technology, with its advantages of miniaturization, low power consumption, and cost, is becoming the core means of spatial optical modulation for portable intelligent hardware. Songhe highly recognizes Zhongke Ronghe's full - stack self - research capabilities in the field of MEMS micro - vibrating mirror chips. Its technology not only breaks TI's monopoly in DLP but also shows excellent competitiveness in cutting - edge fields such as spatial scanning, micro - projection, and AR glasses, providing customers with globally leading solutions. We firmly believe that Zhongke Ronghe will become a key engine driving the development of the next - generation intelligent optics with its underlying technological barriers.

Changchun Changxing Changguang Venture Capital: Zhongke Ronghe has been deeply involved in the MEMS field for many years and has formed a full - stack domestic solution for chips, modules, and systems. Its industrial 3D structured light perception module, with the advantages of small size, low cost, large field of view, and high precision, has replaced the DLP solution in some industrial scenarios and is actively expanding batch application scenarios such as consumer - grade scanners and micro - projections. We are long - term optimistic about the company's technological barriers and commercialization prospects in the MEMS track and firmly optimistic about the long - term development of the MEMS industry.

The Changxing Fund team pointed out: As a high - tech enterprise focusing on MEMS chips, Zhongke Ronghe, with its hard - core technical strength and product advantages, not only deeply cultivates the traditional 3D vision field but also is about to draw a grand blueprint for the micro - projection business. As the industrial fund of the Changchun municipal government, Changxing Fund always adheres to the concept of "investing in hard technology and cultivating new kinetic energy". When selecting investment targets, it not only values the technological leadership and market potential of enterprises but also cherishes the enterprises' ability to deeply implement and integrate into the regional optoelectronic industry ecosystem. Changchun ranks 24th in the global scientific research city rankings and, as the cradle of Chinese optics, has unique industrial and talent advantages in the optoelectronic and sensing fields. In the future, Changxing Fund will give full play to the resource - integration advantages of the government industrial fund and continuously connect more talent, policies, and industrial resources for Zhongke Ronghe to jointly consolidate the foundation of industrial development.