LiDAR is considered to be the key technology for self-propelled vehicles. Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LIDAR - a cumbersome abbreviation for a disruptive technology - will facilitate the breakthrough in autonomous driving and, according to experts, will completely force the currently used Time of Light (TOF) LIDAR systems out of the market. Scantinel Photonics, a venture company supported by ZEISS Ventures, is a FMCW LiDAR expert in Europe. FMCW RADAR is already being offered as a standard driver assistance system in the a...

Two recent researches of LiDAR introduced new solutions to improve the sensing technology. The study by University of Colorado Boulder described a new silicon ship without moving parts or electronics that enhances resolution and scanning speed for LiDAR sensor. In addition, researchers from Purdue University and École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) unveiled their development with FMCW LiDAR. For the research of Univerity of Colorado Boulder aims to develop small chip to replace existing big LiDAR system. The research t...

Self-driving technology startup Aurora announced its self-developed LiDAR sensor FirstLight LiDAR last week. The LiDAR sensor was tested on Aurora’s test vehicles to help the perception system to see and track objects farther, faster, and with greater precision. (Image: Aurora) Aurora acquired LiDAR company Blackmore last year eyeing the expertise of FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) technology. FMCW LiDAR delivers a constant stream of light and changes the frequency of that light at regular intervals. With the technology, Auro...

Researchers at the lab of Tobias Kippenberg at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne found a new way to implement a parallel FMCW LiDAR engine by using integrated nonlinear photonic circuitry. They coupled a single FMCW laser into a silicon-nitride planar microresonator, where the continuous wave laser light is converted into a stable optical pulse train due to the double balance of dispersion, nonlinearity, cavity pumping and loss. The study has been published in Nature. Coherent laser ranging, also known as frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDA...

Specialized in facial recognition, the U.S.-based company StereoVision Imaging (SVI) announced that it won eight patents related to Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR technology. Conventional FMCW LiDAR systems are typically limited in various aspects of operation. For example, these conventional systems are not able to provide range and/or range rate information instantaneously based on the target signal or unambiguously determine distance and velocity. These limitations may be exacerbated by various operating conditions such as, for example,...