LIDAR for the future of autonomous driving

The automotive industry displays a continuous development to ever more driving comfort and more driving safety. The long term goal is to achieve fully automated driving systems with little to no human intervention, which powers the technological progress of environment sensor systems. Nowadays, sensors for the detection of the vehicle’s surrounding based on radar, camera or ultrasound are already part of the standard equipment for many modern cars. The next large leap towards advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving are LIDAR systems ready for distribution to the mass market.
The successful launch of new LIDAR systems into the mass consumer market requires the compliance with numerous specifications including resolution, sensitivity and working temperature range while satisfying the immense cost pressure and strict quality control. Improving lidar paves the way for more driving comfort and more safety in public traffic.

Quality factors for lidar systems

The proof of concept has been demonstrated – ensuring the reliability is challenging.

The quality of LIDAR systems is the key issue for the successful launch into mass production. The product quality is composed of numerous elements:

  • The sensor design significantly influences the susceptibility to manufacturing tolerances.
  • Each single component must meet the given specifications.
  • A precise alignment of the individual parts must be guaranteed during sensor assembly.
  • The end of line test ensures that only those systems satisfying the strict requirements are released to market.

LIDAR sensor design

DIOPTIC offers support during the conceptual design, the optimization, and the tolerancing of optical systems as well as during the design of beam shaping and receiver optics.
See also: Optics design

For advice, contact: Dr. Malte Hagemann | Tel.: +49 6201 650 40-19

Receiving inspection

The specifications of optical components are extensive: optical power, shape, angles, performance, surface quality, and so on.
We advice our customers on specifications and inspection of LIDAR components and develop customized inspection systems as needed.
See also: ARGOS, quality inspection of lenses, DOE, quality inspection systems

For advice, contact: Dr. Niklas Andermahr | Tel.: +49 6201 650 40-13

Sensor assembly

The manufacturing of sensors generally requires a controlled alignment of individual optical components with respect to each other. Thanks to our fundamental understanding of the underlying systems we implement assembly systems with optimal cooperation of sensor technology and actuating elements for automated assembling.
See also: Alignment systems

For advice, contact: Dr. Benjamin Kühnreich | Tel.: +49 6201 650 40-18

End of line test

DIOPTIC offers inspection systems to verify the compliance of LIDAR modules with given optical system parameters:

  • Angular orientation of transmitter
  • Field of view of receiver
  • Output intensity

See also: Inspection systems

For advice, contact: Dr. Benjamin Kühnreich | Tel.: +49 6201 650 40-18

Application examples

Qualitätsprüfung Lidar Wide Angle Lens Lidar Komponentenprüfung