This new LiDAR system promises boosted performance for autonomous driving

The equipment manufacturer Valeo has presented its new generation of LiDAR, its laser-based remote sensing system. Much more powerful, this updated version can spot any road user and analyze their behavior in real time. However, its arrival on the market is not expected before 2024.
This new LiDAR system promises boosted performance for autonomous driving
©Valeo

As part of its work on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), Valeo presents its new generation of LiDAR, capable of recognizing all road users — motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians — by day and by night. This new technology is expected to bring about a new era in the quest for autonomous mobility, with an unprecedented level of safety on the road. Indeed, the ultimate goal of the product is to save lives on the road.

This new LiDAR system shows a significant increase in performance in terms of range, resolution and frame rate. It reconstructs in three dimensions and in real time what is happening all around the car, at a rate of 4.5 million pixels and 25 frames per second! This unprecedented perception capacity even allows the system to see things that are invisible to humans, cameras and more traditional radar systems. This makes driving safer and ultimately allows control to be delegated in many situations, including at high speeds on freeways.

Valeo’s LiDAR scanning system detects all surrounding objects, recognizes them and classifies them by category. When they are moving, it instantly measures their speed and direction. This LiDAR system can even evaluate the density of raindrops and calculate the braking distance accordingly. Thanks to its algorithms, it anticipates the trajectories of vehicles driving ahead and triggers the necessary safety maneuvers.

According to Valeo, by 2030, up to 30% of new premium cars should achieve level three autonomy (conditional driving automation, i.e., the driver can fully delegate the driving of the car in predefined situations). For that, they will need to be equipped with high-performance LiDAR systems.

Find out more about this new LiDAR system in this video: youtu.be/AZY8uwbi9jU