Module platform for short- and mid-range light detection and ranging (LiDAR)
The growing adoption of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in vehicles and of depth sensing in industrial robots is accelerating the demand for compact and flexible LiDAR systems that perform efficiently and reliably, even in the most extreme environments. Using eight 940 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) modules, Coherent has demonstrated a solution with several selectively addressable horizontal slices of the field of illumination (FOI).
In addition to offering a compact form factor and excellent power conversion efficiency, the module is a much lower-cost alternative than using large addressable VCSEL arrays. Coherent has a demonstrator available for its customers to explore multiple VCSEL module positioning configurations and scanning algorithms for various depth sensing modalities and types of scenery.
Customers of Coherent will be able to adjust the duration of the driving pulses to achieve both short- and mid-range LiDAR sensing. The FOI slices are dynamically selectable depending on the number of VCSEL modules and the order in which they are scanned. A voltage supply of only 21 V is required, which is much lower, and therefore more efficient, than existing LiDAR technology.
Coherent offers a broad portfolio of active and passive products for LiDAR designs. The portfolio of active devices includes VCSELs, edge-emitters, laser bars, frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) sources, and pulsed fiber-based sources. The portfolio of passive devices includes laser optics, polygons, galvo mirrors, lenses, ultra-narrowband filters, wide-incidence-angle mirrors, gratings, and thermoelectrics.
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