Lidar chip technology development Application of LiDAR in unmanned driving

The background of LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology can be traced back to the 1960s. It was originally developed to solve range measurement and terrain mapping problems. Early LiDAR systems were mainly used in earth science and atmospheric research, such as measuring cloud height and concentration, and monitoring the diffusion of pollutants. With the progress of technology and the increase of demand, LiDAR has been widely used in other fields.

In the 1980s, Lidar began to be used for terrain mapping and forest monitoring. Due to its high precision and high resolution, LiDAR has gradually replaced the traditional mapping methods in terrain mapping. After entering the 21st century, the application of Lidar technology has further expanded to emerging fields such as intelligent transportation, aerospace and unmanned driving.

Laser radar chip technology development

The development of lidar chip technology has gone through several important stages. The first liDAR systems used mechanical scanning, using rotating or vibrating mirrors to scan the laser beam. Although this method can achieve high measurement accuracy and resolution, the system is complex, large volume, high cost, and limited life.

In order to overcome these shortcomings, Lidar chip technology is gradually developing in the direction of solid-state and integration. Solid-State LiDAR uses electronic scanning technology instead of mechanical scanning, greatly reducing the complexity and volume of the system. The integrated LiDAR chip integrates multiple laser transmitters, receivers and data processing units on a single ADG506AKR chip, further improving the integration and reliability of the system.

In recent years, with the advancement of semiconductor technology, the performance and cost of lidar chips have been significantly improved. For example, the application of single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and silicon photon technology allows liDAR systems to achieve highly accurate range measurement and three-dimensional imaging in low light conditions. In addition, the emergence of vehicle-level lidar chips has provided the possibility for large-scale applications of driverless cars.

Application of Lidar in unmanned driving

The application of LiDAR in unmanned driving is mainly reflected in two aspects: perception and environmental modeling. As one of the important sensors in unmanned systems, Lidar can provide high-precision three-dimensional point cloud data to help vehicles perceive their surroundings in real time.

In terms of perception, Lidar can accurately measure the distance and shape of surrounding objects, to identify and classify various objects on the road, such as vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, etc. Compared with cameras and radars, LiDAR has higher resolution and stronger anti-interference ability, so it can provide more reliable perception data in complex environments.

In terms of environmental modeling, three-dimensional point cloud data generated by LiDAR can be used to build high-precision maps of the vehicle's surroundings. These maps can provide important reference information for path planning and decision-making, and help unmanned systems make correct driving decisions in complex road conditions. For example, in urban environments, driverless systems can use liDAR data to identify road signs, lane lines, and traffic lights, enabling safe and efficient autonomous driving.

In addition, Lidar can also be integrated with other sensors (such as cameras, millimeter-wave radar, etc.) to further enhance the perception of unmanned systems. Multi-sensor fusion technology can synthesize the data of different sensors, make up for the deficiency of a single sensor, and improve the robustness and reliability of the system. For example, Lidar can provide high-precision distance information, while cameras can provide rich texture and color information, and the combination of the two can produce a more complete and accurate environmental model.

Conclusion

Since its birth, LiDAR technology has experienced the development process from mechanical scanning to solid state, from single function to multi-function integration. With the continuous progress of Lidar chip technology, its application in unmanned driving is increasingly extensive and in-depth. As an important part of unmanned systems, Lidar plays a key role in sensing, environmental modeling and multi-sensor fusion. With the further development of the technology and the reduction of the cost, Lidar is expected to play a greater role in the future of intelligent transportation and autonomous driving.