In order to implement autonomous road mobility, vehicles must be able to perceive their surroundings in order to react to external influences. Such sensors are already installed in many mid-range and luxury vehicles. One of the technologies is LiDaR systems (light detection and ranging) for object detection via distance measurement - LiDaR sensors are like the eyes of an autonomous vehicle.
How LiDaR systems work
LiDaRs are also generally known as laser scanners, which already describes how they work. LiDaR is related to radar, but instead of radio waves, it emittles light pulses (or laser beams). These laser pulses are reflected by objects and the distance to the object is calculated using the light propagation time, i.e. the time it takes for the light to return to the point of transmission.
LiDaR sensors that cover large horizontal areas (e.g. 180 degrees) are generally used in vehicles to detect objects in the far distance. This is what a visualization of LiDaR data from a short car journey might look like:
In this visualization, the different distances are represented by a colour scale similar to a heat map. Moving objects, such as the crossing vehicle (approx. minute 0:07), are also clearly visible.
LiDaR systems in daily life
As well as being used in assistance systems in modern vehicles, LiDaR sensors are increasingly being used in other applications in our working lives and everyday transportation systems in factories or warehouses are an obvious example of where the technology is being used.
The technology is also used in the home, for example in robot vacuum cleaners that measure and map the room before vacuuming. In this way, data analysis can be used to calculate the shortest routes and work as efficiently as possible.
Our experiences with LiDaR systems
Due to our closeness to research and development in the automotive industry, we have implemented various projects in the context of autonomous driving. Accordingly, we have considerable experience in recording and analyzing the relevant data and combining it with other systems.
We are happy to answer your questions!
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