powerpoint presentation...‒automotive qualification ‒cheap (
TRANSCRIPT
Intro
• Founded in 2016‒ Bozeman, MT
• Initially contract RnDheavy
• Developed HRS product as a long-range 3D imaging solution
‒ Long development cycle‒ Important experience
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Long Range
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High Resolution4
Fieldable 3D Imager5
Then we asked questions…
• What if this was “real time”?
• What if we traded range for point throughput?
• What needed to change for automotive scenarios?
• What if we could leverage trends in telecom to shrink the design?
We experimented and we gathered information
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• Billions invested in autonomous technology
• Huge uncertainty for automotive OEMs
• Simultaneous price and performance pressure
• Hype becoming reality
AD/ADAS Market
Lidar’s “Moment”
• Recognized as critical sensor for AD‒ “Poor” performance limits role to localization
‒ Target performance will increase role
• Key performance targets‒ 200m off 10% diffuse reflector
‒ Millions of points/sec
‒ 360o coverage, may use multiple sensors
• Deployment targets‒ Automotive qualification
‒ CHEAP (<$1k / vehicle)
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Automakers are asking for hundreds of
thousands of lidar units by early 2020s
Performance Barrier
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Sen
siti
vity
Transmit Power
Interference Barrier
EyesafetyBarrier
• Point throughput and range are tough specs for any technology
• Pulsed, 1550nm systems are the only direct detect systems that can hit specs
‒ More eye-safe
• Are pulsed fiber lasers scalable? Do they meet auto temperature specs?
Direct Detect Lidar Stuck Here
Coherent and Geiger-Mode
Not OK for Auto!
Critical Auto Sensor TechChips are the building blocks of sensors, Lidar has to go chip scale
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Radar GPS/IMU Vision
Coherent Lidar Chips
Photon efficiency hits specs w/ low transmit power
Low power allows integration across temperature
Photonic integration drops cost
Added bonus:Doppler sensitivity Interference rejection properties
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Blackmore Today• Building, shipping systems and integrating as we go
• Grown from 5 to 55 employees
• Recent Series B fundraise includes:
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Proving the Advantages
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Item Specification
Max Range (10% reflectivity)
200m (10% refl.)>450m range window
Point Throughput Modes 300kpts/s standard, up to 1.2Mpts/s
Velocity Dynamic Range +/- 100m/s
Velocity Resolution 0.25 m/s
FOV 40oH x 40oV
Wavelength 1550nm
Output Power 100mW CW
Eyesafety Class 1 (ANSI Z136.1-2014, IEC 60825-1:2014)
Next generation: 3x HFOV and 4x point throughput
Mobile Testing
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• Systems testing on the road for >18 months
• Critical internal feedback
Long Range Performance (waiting at a red light)
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Vehicle Location
In-N-Out Burger Sign @
200m
Structure @ 400m
Gives autonomous systems plenty of range for smooth braking
Range Performance
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Height (Altitude) Coloration
High Speed Performance
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Doppler Not an Issue at Highway Speeds
Height (Altitude) Coloration
Mapping Coverage
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Doppler supports simple removal of all transient objects in the map – accelerates map production and quality
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Pedestrian Stride in Doppler Field
Point-by-Point Velocity
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Direct velocity measurement enables segmentation and tracking
of moving objects
Velocity Coloration
Point-by-Point Velocity
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Moving targets in dense urban environments are easily
segmented and tracked
Velocity Coloration
Dense Pedestrian Tracks
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Find and track pedestrians with much simpler algorithms
Working With Partners
• Coherent lidar has a long history of “borrowing” telecom components
‒ Extremely mature supply chain
• Blackmore working with coherent telecom vendors to customize lidar specific components
‒ Coherent optical comm now mainstream‒ Vendors hungry for new opportunities‒ Key differences: linewidth, bandwidth
• Photonic integration critical to long term cost reduction
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Investing in Technology
• Low power, CW coherent lidar is inherently silicon photonics friendly
• Working with Sandia National Labs to develop Silicon photonics solid state scanning technology
• Currently testing chips
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Conclusions
• Autonomous driving forcing lidar to “grow up fast”‒ More lidar systems will be built in 2019 than in history of lidar
‒ Comparisons to telecom boom, digital cameras, automotive radar, etc.
• Automotive markets require development time and supply chain redundancy
‒ Leverage existing supply chains where they exist
‒ Invest in technology gaps with partners
Coherent is in the game
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