SAE level 5 or fully autonomous driving

[93Regina]

Partners Deliver Industry-First Solid-State LiDAR Systems

Three companies, ams, Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH, and ZF
Friedrichshafen AG have partnered to deliver the automotive industry’s
first solid-state LiDAR systems. Just to refresh the memory cells,
LiDAR is an optical sensing technology that measures distance and
direction of the surrounding objects by illuminating them with a laser
beam and detecting the reflection of the object. Its unique range and
resolution properties complement radar and camera solutions to enable
the ‘Holy Grail’ of the self-driving car industry -- SAE level 5 or
fully autonomous driving.

ams will provide automotive-grade VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface
Emitting Laser) arrays and drivers which provide superior reliability
and stability compared to competing light sources, such as edge
emitters and LED. ams is the first to market with solid-state LiDAR
illumination solutions, meaning no mechanical parts are needed to
steer the light beam direction, improving reliability while reducing
complexity, size, weight, and cost.

Due to the high reliability and small form factor, solid-state LiDAR
paves the way for massive LiDAR deployment in the automotive segment.