Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LiSSA 3D (Next Generation LiDAR for Automotive and Industrial Use Cases)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-08-01 bis 2024-07-31
Hybrid Lidar Systems has invented a patented hybrid technology (ToF + PV) for determining distances with light, which has enabled us to develop LiSSA 3D Lidar, the next generation of 3D Solid State Flash LiDAR sensors for enhanced driving safety. LiSSA (Lidar for Smart Sensing and Automotive) represents a revolutionary LIDAR approach, which not only provides a high resolution (double VGA) but also guarantees a very good accuracy level (<1cm for a 200m range). Furthermore, LiSSA 3D applies a multi-spectral approach to cover more than one area at a time, which allows for a better object classification. LiSSA 3D will be of great importance for autonomous driving, enabling the detection of small objects at long distances at the usual speed. The goal of this project is to equip every moving object in road traffic with our LiDAR sensor technology so as to raise traffic to a new level of security. LiSSA 3D has a low computational effort, enabling the innovation to be offered at a low cost.
The project started in August 2023. As of January 2024, work has been focused on the first work package in order to finalise the high-level architecture and specifications of the imaging sensor to be used in the solution and evaluate the system requirements. Later on, these designs will be validated through simulations. At the moment, we have defined a detailed design of the SPAD-based sensor architecture for the LiDAR detector, as a first step for the production of the detector chips.
We have also performed simulations to investigate the effects of the number of silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) microcells in the detector, regarding signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for different distances and levels of background light. These simulations allow us to verify the potential maximum distance to the measured object as a function of laser power and sensor area.
We have also performed simulations to investigate the effects of the number of silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) microcells in the detector, regarding signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for different distances and levels of background light. These simulations allow us to verify the potential maximum distance to the measured object as a function of laser power and sensor area.
LiSSA-3D is not only revolutionising the automotive LiDAR market but also disrupting the autonomous vehicle market, allowing automotive OEMs to produce more competitive AVs with greater resolution at lower costs. While Europe currently boasts a strong presence and role as a frontrunner in the autonomous vehicle market (integrators, component providers, OEMs), AVs remain expensive at this stage, partly due to the cost of LiDAR. Hybrid Lidar plans to address this through LiSSA-3D, a 3D LiDAR sensor developed using patented hybrid technology (ToF + PV) that improves the resolution by a factor of up to 12 compared to conventional systems and reduces the cost of the system by a factor of up to 10, allowing for the mass production of more competitive LiDAR systems. In due course, LiSSA-3D will be the standard for the production of high grade LiDAR sensors at scale.