Toshiba launches new hybrid circuit technology to double the detection distance of high-resolution LiDAR

Toshiba's new hybrid circuit for LiDAR

According to MEMS Consulting, Toshiba (Toshiba Japan) recently announced that it has developed a new hybrid circuit technology for automotive LiDAR, which enables LiDAR to achieve long-distance measurement while capturing high-resolution 3D images, promoting the important development of this autonomous vehicle enabling technology. The LiDAR sensor using this hybrid circuit technology has achieved a maximum measurement distance of 200m under the conditions of 70 lux (lux) of sunlight and 10% reflectivity of the target object.

Compared with other sensor technologies , LiDAR sensors can detect the environment and pedestrians around the vehicle more accurately. Therefore, LiDAR has gradually become the basic technology for realizing self-driving cars. To this end, Toshiba has developed a new hybrid circuit technology for LiDAR sensors, which has increased the detection distance of LiDAR by nearly 2 times compared with current commercial products; it can not only warn other vehicles or obstacles in advance when driving at high speeds, but also greatly improve the detection ability of pedestrians when driving on urban roads. This new technology is expected to bring more reliable autonomous driving systems.

3D images captured using Toshiba's newly developed hybrid circuit technology

LiDAR is the foundation for advanced autonomous driving systems because it can provide real-time 3D imaging of the environment around the vehicle. Toshiba's unique hybrid circuit can provide LiDAR with a detection range of up to 200m and high-precision, high-resolution imaging to detect tiny objects.

The biggest challenge for LiDAR to measure long distances is the influence of direct sunlight, and bright light will bring huge noise. By utilizing analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and signal processing technology, the noise caused by sunlight can be reduced. However, in the face of the high-precision short-distance measurement required for parking assistance applications, ADCs cannot support their high-speed processing requirements. In addition, due to the current signal processing averaging technology, when the reflected laser comes from multiple objects, the 3D imaging resolution will be reduced, and the image will become blurred. This increases the possibility that LiDAR "ignores" small objects such as pedestrians.

Innovative hybrid circuit technology combined with signal intelligent averaging technology

东芝的解决方案采用了两种电路的混合方案：一类电路用来短距离测量，一类ADC电路用于远距离测量。放宽ADC电路所需的处理速度，实现了远距离测量。东芝还利用新开发的信号智能平均技术，使LiDAR性能获得进一步增强。这项新技术解决了传统信号处理技术无法判断反射激光是否来自不同物体的难题，使图像变得更锐利，LiDAR成像分辨率获得了显著提高。新款混合电路和智能平均技术的结合，共同使LiDAR传感器的探测距离达到了200m，同时提升的分辨率使其能够实现小尺寸物体的精准探测。

In addition, the unique architecture of Toshiba’s new ADC circuit achieves small size and low power consumption, creating the conditions for building high-performance, compact LiDAR systems that surpass current competitive products.

“东芝为自动驾驶LiDAR传感器开发的独一无二的混合电路技术，将加速实现安全、完整的自动驾驶系统，”东芝研发中心总监Osamu Hori说，“这项技术可使LiDAR传感器的探测距离获得显著提升，我们认为这是汽车LiDAR能够获得实际应用的基础性技术。我们将继续研发，不断提高LiDAR传感器的探测距离和精度，目标在2020财年打造一款完整的实用技术。”

Toshiba will continue to develop automotive driving assistance systems and autonomous driving systems towards practical applications, and make its own contribution to the realization of complete autonomous driving systems.