FRONTIERS PHOTONICS
AUTOMOTIVE/TRANSPORT
AUTOMOTIVE/ TRANSPORT
LIDAR
How the $500 lidar chip could help cut severe accidents by 20%
Component advances and smart integration are helping to commercialise lidar
L
idar technology can reduce severe accidents by up to 20%, according to research by Volvo Cars. The carmaker’s research from 2022
indicates that adding lidar to an already safe car can reduce accidents with severe outcomes by up to 20%, and overall crash avoidance can be improved by up to 9%. The research was based on scenario
frequencies using data collected by the Volvo Cars Traffic Accident Team, which has investigated every serious accident involving a Volvo occurring within a 100km radius of Gothenburg, Sweden, since 1970. The purpose of their work is to learn more about accidents and their consequences, knowledge that can subsequently be applied in product development.
Advances in the optic and photonic components that enable lidar have been instrumental in the safety boost it promises. But the challenge for lidar companies is not just to make a machine that can compete with the human eye, but to make something that can be produced at scale, and at a cost that is appropriate for the vehicle it sits in.
Multi-junction VCSEL technology A product that works towards these requirements is Velodyne’s Velarray H800, which is compact enough to be integrated within the windscreen of the car. It is reportedly the first lidar system that integrates two illumination modules, for both short- and long-range measurements, in the same unit, reducing the number of
devices needed by each vehicle. The H800, marketed at $500 and measuring 80 x 55 x 90mm, integrates Velodyne’s micro-lidar array (MLA) based on edge emitting lasers (EELs) with a VCSEL near-illumination module to cover distances from 10 centimetres to 200 metres. The MLA engine takes time-of-flight
measurement of obstacles at long range, up to 200m. It consists of eight EELs, eight photodiodes and optical elements that are all assembled on the same substrate measuring just 14.1mm x 8.9mm x 2.05mm. But to analyse scenes at closer distances
from 10 centimetres to 20 metres, which is typically difficult to achieve using EELs, a VCSEL-based illumination module is integrated above the MLA. The technology
28 Photonics Frontiers 2023
Dmitry
KalinovskyShutterstock.com
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