New Small Form Factor LiDAR Sensor Developed for Autonomous Vehicles

Published: 24 Apr 2017

Velodyne LiDAR has announced its new fixed-laser, solid-state Velarray LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor, a high-performance and rugged automotive product in a small form factor. The Velarray sensor can be embedded in both autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assist safety (ADAS) systems.

“The Velarray enables not only fully autonomous vehicles, but also ADAS systems such as adaptive cruise control, while at the same time providing a miniature form factor and mass production target prices,” said Mike Jellen, President & Chief Commercial Officer, Velodyne LiDAR. “It offers a unique value proposition empowering a vehicle system that improves the safe driving experience, alongside an upgraded path to full autonomy.”

Velodyne LiDAR invented and patented the world’s first 3D real-time LiDAR sensors in 2005. Its surround-view sensors provide up to 360-degree coverage at long range and have been installed in thousands of vehicles. The Velarray was developed at Velodyne Labs, the company’s advanced research and development group, to combine the performance and reliability of its legacy LiDAR sensors with a small form factor to deliver new technology and flexibility for enabling advanced safety and autonomous vehicles.

The new Velarray LiDAR sensor uses Velodyne’s proprietary ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) to achieve superior performance metrics in a small package size of 125mm x 50mm x 55mm that can be embedded into the front, sides, and corners of vehicles. It provides up to a 120-degree horizontal and 35-degree vertical field-of-view, with a 200-meter range even for low-reflectivity objects. With an automotive integrity safety level rating of ASIL B, Velarray will not only ensure safe operation in L4 and L5 autonomous vehicles but also in ADAS-enabled cars.

“Velodyne LiDAR is the undisputed industry standard for 3D, real-time images required for autonomous applications,” said Anand Gopalan, Chief Technical Officer, Velodyne LiDAR. “The Velarray sensor uses a game-changing architecture that allows Velodyne to develop LiDAR sensors in various small form factors to suit automotive design aesthetics, while providing optimum performance to ensure safe operation of autonomous vehicles.”

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Posted by Mike Ball Mike is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passions for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years.