Report | LiDAR Industry Research Report

In order for autonomous driving to become a reality, vehicles must be able to perceive their surroundings more effectively and safely than humans at all times. In addition to cameras , radar and ultrasound , further sensor principles are required to achieve this goal .

That’s why major component and OEM companies are working to develop LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors for use in cars in series , a key technology that will move toward fully autonomous driving.

Different sensor principles complement each other based on their respective advantages to achieve the best results. For example, when driving against the light, the sunlight directly hits the camera, which will cause challenges to the camera - basically the same as the human eye.

At the same time, the LiDAR sensor remains largely unaffected by changing light conditions and reliably identifies objects at the tunnel entrance within these critical milliseconds. It operates as a laser-based rangefinder that depicts objects in high resolution. Its laser beam is projected onto objects, which it then senses when the light is reflected back again.

Based on how long it takes for the light to reflect back, the sensor measures the distance and then creates a three-dimensional map of the vehicle's surroundings. LiDAR, short for Light detection and ranging, is a 3D or laser scanning technology; a typical LiDAR sensor emits pulses of light waves into the surrounding environment. These pulses are reflected by surrounding objects and return to the sensor.

The sensor uses the time it takes for each pulse to return to the sensor to calculate the distance the pulse has traveled. Repeating this process millions of times per second creates an accurate, real-time 3D map of the environment. The onboard computer can use this map to navigate safely.